RIP CC

Alice leaves Crystal Castles

When I picture teenager me, Crystal Castles is playing in the background.

Did you know Alice left CC? Like a month ago? I didn’t see until now when I 'read' it in a Swedish magazine I picked up. I feel heartbroken. They still are my most listened to band on last FM, by a long way. I have so many different memories and experiences while in the presence of their sounds and have associate them with many different friends, because I listened to them for so many years. My memories of them are largely chronological, as I grew up and changed as a person with CC, similar to the way you reminisce about your child hood pet.

Listening to them for the first time on my friends PC—I can picture the room perfectly. While I knew instantly they were amazing (that raw garage sound of their very first ep) at that time I could not fathom the influence the Canadian band would have on my teen life—listening to them hours on end, pumping it up in the car as you drive feeling free and detached from any worry you have. When I picture teenager me, CC is playing in the background.

Every time I was at a party I would high jack the music and put them on. And people would say what the fuck is this shit. And we could only smile, and feel sorry for those who had not yet let Alice and Ethan into their hearts.

Seeing them live each time was a different experience and always a crazy one. As one comment sums up perfectly:

Incredibly mind blowing. What were the lyrics? I don't know, don't care. Crystal castles took my mind to another world, and I wanna stay there.

Seeing them live was an incredible experience, always resulting in a t-shirt drenched in sweat and the inability to comprehend what you were just a part of. The world you are returned to seems so foreign and unfamiliar and you want nothing but to return to the state of euphoria experienced in the middle of the crowd while Alice is crowd surfing over your head. 

Live highlights include dancing to them at the back of the crowd on crutches with a broken heal, Alice throwing everything off stage because the technicians at Parklife screwed up the audio, and of course one of the best highlights of my life – touching Alice’s boob as she crowd surfed.

It was nice reminiscing about the past while I listened to their entire Spotify catalogue - about 3 hours’ worth, after hearing the news.

I feel heart broken, but somehow in a positive way. Like when you end a relationship and realise it was the right thing to do. I love the genius of Ethan but as I have been listening to him grow for 10 or so years I think change will be a good thing for both partners.

I am looking forward to Alice’s solo music and what Ethan comes up with for the new CC. 

The KNIFE

THE KNIFE

1/11/14

 

http://youtu.be/rBL25PU6zbE gives a pretty good overview of the show (this video is what convinced me to go see it).

Someone I met in a hostel who is seeing The KNIFE in London next week said he read a review which suggested the show was boring. I’ve got no idea how they thought that. Unless you’ve never listened to The Knife, never been to a live show, you wouldn’t say. No one would say that. My Mom wouldn’t say it was boring, she would say it’s different or interesting. It’s not really her thing but I’m sure she could see the entertainment value in it. For it was a spectacular performance, perfectly choreographed, great costumes, and brilliant sounds – couldn’t ask for more.

Prior to seeing them I will admit I was a bit worried because their latest album is a bit different and slow and I thought they would play more of the new stuff as bands generally do. I like the new stuff, but I think at a live concert it might not go down so well.

However, the geniuses that are The  
KNIFE played all their greatest songs and mixed every song so that it was impossible not to dance.

 

As a result I danced nonstop for an hour. It was one of those rare moments when you are not thinking about what you are doing, you are uncontrollably dancing.

I could not choose whether to dance or not, even how to dance. I had no say, the music just took over and I was a puppet to its rhythmic chant. And it was amazing. Some of the most fun I’ve ever had listening to live music and dancing.

(Other dancing highlights in my life include Digitalism live, Crystal Castles live, Kitsune Club Night, that small club in Osaka, that club in East Berlin that plays only 80/90s old school hip hop).

The Swedish crowds are a bit boring. The girl standing next to me was a tad older and just stood there the entire time. The only time she moved was to put her bag on the other shoulder as I kept bumping into it. I’m not sure but I think she was sleeping standing up. Her bf was behind dancing a fair bit so I think it’s safe to say he dragged her along.

I think dancing is courageous, if no one around you dances no matter how you feel about the music most people hesitate to dance, or hesitate to fully let go and embrace the rhythm. Most people I could see in front of me were only dancing in the main songs and not going very crazy—a sad sight to see given the quality of the show. However when I looked beside me and behind most people were dancing pretty good, so, and I could be imagining this, but I would like to think my constant dancing from the start infected the people behind and gave them the energy and freedom to let go and dance as the music intended and their heart desired.

Full disclosure: I drank about two shots of gin before I entered the venue and bought one beer, safe to say in terms of alcohol I was near sober, in terms of feelings I was anything but. And I was there by myself, which wasn’t too bad, but did mean I didn’t hang around for the DJ playing some good tunes after the show.

The KNIFE – the best band I have ever seen.