Nine Inch Nails

I was well psyched for Nine Inch Nails at Brixton Academy on Wednesday... Me and BBFK were joined by my buddies SE and the ever-hilarious CG, after I spent a day plugged into the best of NiN's audio delights via iTunes, courtesy of my old Sony headphones chosen for their low Hz freq...

So we started with Ladytron for Hors d'œuvre, a band I suspected BBFK would have wanted to play on her show back in her DJ Chicknrock days; funnily enough she knew of 'em already and had spun a few choice plates, so that was a good guess.

Ladytron were OK, a bit drawn out for a couple of tracks, but a nice tight 5-piece, including 3 chicks, one bird on bass guitar. Nice to see but a bit delicate to hear...



Then we skipped the serving of garlic bread and went straight on to the intravenous injection of hard tunes with Trent Reznor jumping on after we'd downed a couple of crap lagers and treating us to a blinding display of vicious, hard-rocking NiN numbers. They were sharp, they were hard, they rocked the place, although I felt the crowd weren't as with it as many gigs I've been to... maybe they were suffering from the same as me... I didn't have a clue what NiN were playing for half the set.

Maybe that's my fault for getting too deep into only the dark & heady remixes and the blinding later stuff, but then I did sing-a-long to "Head Like a Hole" and lost myself in "Hurt" with the recent tracks "The Hand that feeds" and "Only" (the best NiN track ever) bringing a smile to my face. Although Becky will remind you I'm a bit deaf when it comes to the high notes I wish the sound guys hadn't overdone the amazing drums and simply bought the bass out a little bit more. Damn, did I say a little? I meant a LOT more. But then I am biased ;)

Would have liked to have heard "Metal", "Something I Can Never Have", "All the Love in the World" and "Right Where It Belongs", but then I should see NiN some more or simply get my shit together and do some covers...

I'm becoming less defined as days go by,
Fading away, well you might say I'm losing focus,
Kinda drifting into the abstract in terms of how I see myself.

Sometimes I think I can see right through myself,
Sometimes I think I can see right through myself,
...
*Sometimes I can see right through myself*

Less concerned about fitting into the world... your world that is!
'cos it doesn't really matter anymore,
No it doesn't really matter anymore,
None of this... really matters any more.

Yes, I am alone, but then again I always was,
As far back as I can tell I think maybe it's because,
Because you were never really real to begin with...

I just made you up to hurt myself,
I just made you up to hurt myself,
Yeah, and I just made you up to hurt myself,
I just made you up to hurt myself,
Yeah, and I just made you up to hurt myself.

And it worked... Yes it did!

There is no you, there is only me,
There is no you, there is only me,
There is no fucking you, there is only me,
There is no fucking you, there is only me.

Only.
Only.
Only.
Only.

Well the tiniest little dot caught my eye; it turned out to be a scab,
And I had this funny feeling, like I just knew it's something bad,
I just couldn't leave it alone,
Pickin' at that scab, it was a doorway trying to seal itself shut,
But I climbed through...

Now I am somewhere I am not supposed to be,
And I can see things I know i really shouldn't see,
And now I know why,
And now I know why,
Things aren't as pretty... on the inside.

There is no you, there is only me,
There is no you, there is only me,
There is no fucking you, there is only me,
There is no fucking you, there is only me!

Only.
Only.
Only.
Only.
Only.
Only.
Only
Only.

How can you not like Nine Inch Nails with lyrics like that? Not to mention the raw 'verbing bass line, the poetic, angsty delivery of those lines, the addictive personality...

...what if everything around you isn't quite as it seems? "Right where it belongs"... you can play that at my funeral ;)

I gotta go... it's dark...

P.S. My missus is a daft sod for not saying anything to Cate Blanchett when she bumped into her...