Just when you thought they had been lost to the annals of time, Orgy has reemerged-redefined and ready to kick ass! The quintet played to a relatively intimate yet eager crowd at the Spartanburg, S.C. hall of rock, Ground Zero. The horde of devotees that arrived on Saturday, March 16 were a force to be reckoned with, and they wasted no time expressing their love for the “death-pop” synth masters as well as their tour mates, Vampires Everywhere! (VE!). Throughout the night several members of all the bands could be seen moving about the crowd, playing it low key yet still taking time out to converse with fans. Most spotted throughout the night were Orgy bassist Nic Speck, VE drummer J.J Gun, and “the voice” himself, Jay Gordon.
Gordon was seen taking in the musical stylings of the ever-glamorous and always entertaining Astrid Haven (AH) of Charlotte, N.C., who opened up the night. AH warmed up the crowd with a medley of synth-pop songs that stirred the house and brought many to their feet. Complete with an extensive set décor, AH gave away the goods in spades by compelling the crowd with encouragement and a bit of flirtation. Vocalist Lil’ Astrid sported a delicious black corset accompanied by a fully painted face, pink feather boa, and multiple ponytails. The band rocked and raved with fans in the whimsical wonderland they’d created on stages featuring a host of props and decorations including an over-sized clown head on a pillar, neon green trees, and electric orange, brain-shaped mushrooms.
After the kick-off with AH, concert-goers were then introduced to the dark and seductive world of Vampires Everywhere! (VE!) and their catalogue of body-moving anthems. Lead vocalist Michael Vampire led the pack with his sly smirks to the crowd and writhing on-stage, which sent some fan-girls into hysterics. The Los Angeles alt/shock rock quintet raged out on stage with fans to songs like “Starr of 666,” “Drug of Choice,” and “Hell on Earth.” As if that wasn’t enough to get fans blood pumping, the 2012 Warped Tour veterans hit them with a dark, industrial cover of Nirvana’s “Rape Me,” and shook the crowd to its core. Throughout the masses, worshippers of the LA Goth rockers could be seen singing along, every word having been committed to memory, scripted on the hearts of VE! fans amidst the throng. Much like the lyrics of their popular single “Immortal Love,” which includes lines such as “your heart is mine” and “I’d do anything to keep your heart tonight,” VE! certainly put on a performance intended to seduce and enthrall current fans and captivate new ones.
Then, there is a break, a short pause. People disperse and get more beer, food, smokes, the usual interim stuff. Suddenly, in the middle of the stage silence and social twitter, there is bass drum beat, a guitar chord, and Orgy tears into “Suckerface.” The Vapor Transmissions tune jumpstarts the ride for fans, who are immediately snatched up by the chest and transported back the year 2000 as if no time had passed. Vocalist Jay Gordon encourages fans and welcomes them into the fold, as if to say “welcome back” like an old friend that’s been on a long trip. After a 10 year gap since the last time Orgy played at Ground Zero, both the band and the club a little bit different, but still just as familiar to those that love them. Despite some initial technical difficulties within the first two songs, things get set back to rights and the show goes on. Looking out into the crowd, the response to the re-emergence of the band is almost spiritual for some. It’s apparent from the looks on their faces, that some of the attendees had been waiting every minute of the past 10 years for this moment to come back around. The air is thick with the desire and devotion of fans that have harbored the Orgy flame, protected and guarded it, in anticipation of this very night. “Let’s talk about you and me tonight/'Cause I’d really like to take you home…” Jay sings in “107” and you can see hearts melt across the masses. Hands extend towards the stage, desperate for acknowledgement, fraught with a deep-seated desire for confirmation of the events unfolding before them.
The band temporarily breaks the nostalgia and plays their current single “Grime of the Century,” an homage to the LA lifestyle, as described by Gordon in a previous interview. “Grime” brings fans up-to-date with Orgy as it exists now, still synth masters, but sharper, cleaner, and amped up a bit. Despite the absence of drummer Jamie Miller, tour stand-in Bobby Amaro keeps pace with Gordon, (Carlton) Bost (bass), (Nic) Speck (guitar), and (Ashburn) Miller (guitar/keyboard). Towering at an estimated 6’5, Gordon is larger than life, literally and figuratively, so it came as a surprise when a crowd member dared to rile his ire by crashing repeatedly into a woman in the crowd. After repeated warnings, Gordon hopped off stage and into the crowd to confront the rowdy concertgoer face to face, stating “Bring it on! I’ll f**k you up! Keep it up!” The rest of the pack cheered at this display of chivalry, and apparently after realizing he didn’t want either his friend or Gordon to make headlines, a friend of the boisterous attendee saw fit to escort him from the horde. Triumphant, but fired up, Gordon returned to the stage to go on with the show. Like a gladiator returning from battle, the crowd response to Gordon’s display of masculinity and gallantry was overwhelming. Jay Gordon a champion for women’s concert rights.
The rest of the set went along significantly less eventful in regards to outside influences, but onstage Orgy was aflame with a colorful light show that mesmerized and a set list consisting of several Vapor Transmissions and Candyass contributions, but only one from Punk Statik Paranoia. The most unfortunate thing about this mix is the lack of Punk contributions for those who remember and actually enjoyed the album, but this is likely attributed to the reduced success of the album compared to its predecessors. As the set neared a close, the band saw fit to ask the swarm what they wanted to hear next. This was surely a rhetorical question, seeing as how there were only two songs that had yet to be played that fans would have never left without hearing. So, after two very enthusiastic direct requests, to the amazement of no one, but the overwhelming delight of all, it starts. “If it stayed I’d never leave it..” Gordon begins and the crowd goes wild. “Stitches” was like the tribal call fans had been waiting for all night. The masses rocked, swayed and sang along with fervor and passion, unlike what had been seen most of the night until that point.
“Are you motherf****rs having fun now?” Gordon laughs as shrill shrieks and screams of delight pierce the smoke filled air. “Does anybody remember the first song we put out? You wanna hear it? You wanna sing it with me?” Gordon asks the crowd and more screams commence as the horde realizes that it’s that time, “Blue Monday” starts and so does the jumping. Like rabbits on speed, the masses start bouncing up and down feverishly, propelled by love, excitement, and nostalgia. The entire club becomes a sing-a-long of the New Order cover with Gordon playing maestro to the minstrels in his flock. Jumping into the thick of it, Gordon leads the crowd in song, fulfilling the wish of many to be up close and personal with the iconic star and having a moment in the sun to sing live in front of a crowd.
After the show, all the bands could be seen conversing with fans throughout the club, signing autographs, taking picture, and even having a drink. Just as they were before hitting the stage, many of them resumed mingling with the throng, only now listening to tossed compliments and declarations of love from existing fans in awe of the performances of the night and from newly converted, now dying to find out more about what they’d been missing. Regardless of your preferences, one thing for sure can be said about every band that played that night: they love and respect their fans. Not often do you find such unselfish access permitted to fans. Often choked by the over inflated costs of “meet and greet” passes, “VIP” passes, and the like, those less fortunate are often left forgotten or unacknowledged at many events where the ticket price isn’t a least enough to warrant a high five in passing by some artists. So, it’s always refreshing to find bands that aren’t afraid to get a little of the “common man” on them and give back to those that helped uplift them. Vampires Everywhere! and Orgy are amazing examples of what it means to be a “rockstar” in today’s society- respectful, humble, and accessible.
If you haven’t heard or seen the new Orgy, you should. Carlton Bost, Nic Speck, Bobby Amaro, and Ashburn Miller, are all incredible musicians, fantastic showmen, and all around good guys. These men are no amateurs, so even Orgy classicists will appreciate the blood, tears, and buckets of sweat they pour onstage. It’s Orgy, but better, fresher, sharper, and revitalized. Of course, being the only remaining original member, Jay Gordon had a lot to live up to with the reformatted brand, and he managed to exceed expectations far and wide. Just as good, if not better, live as he is recorded, “the voice” of Orgy remains a victor in the fight for musical consistency that some other vocalists fail to even rank in.
You can find out more about Orgy, Vampires Everywhere!, Astrid Haven, and Ground Zero through their websites and Facebook pages (links throughout article). If you were an Orgy fan, skeptic, or just curious, find a tour date near you and check them out! Back and ready to rumble, Orgy plans on taking 2013 by throat, so hang on world and enjoy the ride!
Comments