Friday the 13th at Das Bunker
by Linda Rector and Amira El-Khaouli
This month, Friday the 13th celebrated the tenth anniversary of the acclaimed Das Bunker, the industrial disco-tech held weekly at The Catch One in Los Angeles. VnV Nation, considered “an electronic project” that spewed out of the industrial rock genre, was the headlining act chosen to perform at this historical event. VnV, which stands for Victory Not Vengeance, is a European musical duo comprised of frontman Ronan Harris and percussionist/keyboardist Mark Jackson. It’s easy to see why this band was chosen for such an obviously important night for Das Bunker. VnV has essentially created their own subset, their own niche, in rock history. By combining elements of electronic body music (EBM), trance, and synthpop Harris and Jackson are creating a new type of noise that they would refer to as futurepop. Ties are obvious with arguably their most successful album to date “Futureperfect.”
Over nine-hundred rivetheads lined up around the block for this event, eager to be allowed inside. The turnout was so enormous that VnV Nation offered to play two sets to appease the fans who eagerly waited, some standing in the cold all night and into the morning just to see their performance. No one was bitter, even with the four-hour wait that some enthusiasts endured. In order to accommodate, the club put VnV’s set up in the main room upstairs while LA locals, W.A.S.T.E. and an opening DJ played in different rooms downstairs, but all performances overlapped and all musicians essentially performed at the same time. This was the only downside to what was otherwise a great show, because you could not check out both bands that night. Obviously most fans were there to see VnV, so W.A.S.T.E., a definitive rising star in this genre, was not properly introduced to what will most likely be a large group of future fans.
As promised, VnV mainly stuck to classic favorites from their first few releases and did not even reference their latest release, “Matter and Form.” The upbeat tempo of classic songs like “Kingdom” and “Serial Killer” provide the perfect atmosphere for understanding the emotions wrapped up in lyrics like “with hardened heart I conquered a freedom so ironic, so despicable, so hypocritical.” “Praise the Fallen” was also a crowd favorite. You could hear the infectious pulsations outside and dancers couldn’t help but move their vinyl-clad bodies to the smooth melodic beats as they sang Harris’ empowering poetry. VnV has an incredible energy, which spawns from both the synthesized instrumentals and Harris’ soft but outspoken voice. VnV was the most appropriate choice for the night considering that Das Bunker was one of the first clubs to even play VnV Nation during the early 90s when the group got started. The entire night was a tribute to monumental venues, awe-ispiring music, and the dedication that true fans possess for their passion.