It’s a cold October evening in Dublin and thanks to a blown out bike tire I’ve just walked for miles to finally arrive at the Button Factory in time to see Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group take to the stage.
Thinking back to my first time seeing the stick-thin, afro-wielding, bespectacled guitarist at Witnness 2003, I was just another young whippersnapper and he was rolling about the stage with The Mars Volta promoting their excellent debut album. Almost ten tears on it seems the man hasn’t aged a day, taking to the stage just before 10pm to a loud but somewhat cautious Irish crowd. There is a smell of anticipation in the air.
Lopez’ massive back catalog of 22 solo albums span multiple genres from rock to progressive-Latino-funk with only the slightest hint of weird thrown in for good measure. Newcomers to his music should not be surprised to find 10-minute epics that push the limits of aural tolerance. It is with this in mind that the odd hush of the Irish crowd starts to make sense.
The arrival on stage of Le Butcherettes vocalist Teresa Suarez (aka Teri Gender Bender) sets the tone for what is to follow. With ORL taking the back seat for this one it’s Gender Bender who steals the show with her contorting moves and commanding stage presence. Tonight’s show is all about rocking out, with Lopez hammering out riff after riff of eccentric but controlled guitar lines. On drums, The Mars Volta and KUDU’s Deantoni Parks keeps rhythm singlehandedly for almost the whole show whilst controlling a synthesizer with the other. Fellow KUDU member, Nicci Kasper, on synth and samples, completes tonight’s complement of musicians.
ORLG are performing songs from their recent Octopus Kool Aid LP. The release differs from past offerings, as it is the first of Omar’s releases where he does not supply vocals. However, Terri Gender Bender makes up for it in abundance with stage moves reminiscent of Karin O, a wild look that would put the fear of God in any woman and seduce any man.
At recent live performances with his first band, one-time rock saviors At The Drive-In, Omar seems removed and uninterested in the straightforward progressions; it almost seems too easy for him. But tonight, with his own material, he reignites that spark that makes him one of the most charismatic guitar players on the planet. After an hour long set of pounding electronic beats and mesmerizing musicianship the room empties and the crowd disperses, clearly moved by what was witnessed tonight and firmly looking forward to release number 23 of the Texan’s arsenal.
— Steven Battle
We’ve got some pictures after the jump….
