Skinny Puppy in New York

A few weeks have passed since the powerful concert offered by Skinny Puppy at the Irving Plaza in New York, as part of The Final Tour. There was a lot of expectation among the most loyal fans of what is perhaps the most influential Canadian band in rock, specifically in the industrial horror subgenre, especially since the only founding members who still remain as part of the lineup, Kevin 'ohGr' Ogilvie and cEvin Key, had already announced on their social networks that this would be the last tour they would do after their formation in that distant 1982, at the very beginning of that luminous musical decade like the 80s.

Skinny Puppy has always been characterized by the roughness of their music, not at all kind to some ears, because their sound constructions have usually broken patterns and verse-chorus-verse conventions, without this having been an obstacle to becoming one of the artistic acts most important that cold Canada has given birth to. But, without a doubt, the live performances have been their worthy insignia and letter of introduction to have won millions of followers around the world and have filled the main underground venues and gothic festivals throughout the world.

And that expectation was even greater because three days before the show in New York, the band suspended their presentation in the city of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, because ohGr, the emblematic and theatrical singer of Skinny Puppy, faced a breakdown in his health. As he himself wrote on his personal Facebook, his isolation during the pandemic in the Santa Monica Mountains took a heavy toll on him because as soon as The Final Tour began, he was hit with various viruses and began to feel the ravages of the change of season in the northern hemisphere, in the form of the much feared allergy that leaves many without a voice.

“To those who choose to speculate I'm 'back on drugs' or somehow should push through; seeing me as a 'product'... I feel sorry for you and would not wish what I have experienced these last days with you. This is the reason I'm absent from social media”, wrote the man with a thousand masks, that performer who sings with the voice of a gargoyle, who usually bathes in blood during his presentations as part of the complaint he wants to make against the powers that be that dominate the daily lives of mortals.

They did not bring a new album under their belt, but the dozens of hits danced in the darkest rooms of gothic music were enough to excite their terminal fans. And they are those loyal fans who lined up at Irving Plaza and showed that they were the strangest urban fauna in a city that is already quite eccentric as New York. A small army of people in black, with bouffant hair, with varied and complex tattoos, who were the delight of the photographers who went to the outside of the premises to capture the coven called for the night of April 21, wore their best clothes and they were open and friendly to all who asked them for some photographic shots.

The supporting band that spring night was Lead Into Gold, led by Paul Barker, Ministry's former bassist, who played a decent 45-minute performance with the densest and most abrasive wave of the most sinister and heavy industrial of the 90s, decade of its main action. Skinny Puppy fans, great connoisseurs of the dark notes of the genre, immediately connected with the warm-up act. At the end of the presentation, many were already dancing in the Irving Plaza and the expectation grew to listen to ohGr and see the new staging that once left an impression on more than one.

Many remember the various characters that the vocalist represented in his four decades of career: from the doctor in the Middle Age who toured villages devastated by the black plague, wrapped in totally bloody bandages to retain the detachment of skin caused by the leprosy infection; going through the wolf-Nazi who had a cross nailed to his head while simulating the dismemberment of a mammal, in a clear denunciation against the vivisection of live animals to carry out physiological studies or pathological investigations; even the druid sorcerer who carried out indecipherable sacrifices of fire and mud on stage, to the astonishment of the public.

When Lead Into Gold finished their show, and the technicians placed the statue of the traditional skinny dog in the center of the stage, with emaciated legs, a twisted torso, and a howling snout facing the moon circle, the people's applause erupted. It was time for the avant-garde band par excellence, for that sinister legend that takes the stage so that its followers involve all their senses in expectation: Skinny Puppy.

First to enter were founding keyboardist cEvin Key, who devoted himself entirely to his synths throughout the night; guitarist Matthew Setzer, a huge Viking vampire who looked at all times his sharp canine teeth; and drummer Justin Bennett, who gave the presentation forcefulness. The great ohGr entered at the end, behind a screen, showing his particularly sinister shadow, while a masked character was in charge of "applying" various methods of torture such as blows with a stick, electric shocks, whipping, and finally a gallows rope.

To the chords of VX Gas Attack, the band immediately won over the audience, who jumped and excitedly went moshing, then crowd surfing, and finally flocked to the stage to play their dark god. The hits began to follow one after the other: I'mmortal, Rodent, Tormentor, Deep Down Trauma Hounds, Human Disease (S.K.U.M.M.), Pedafly, Morpheus Laughing... The machine showed that it was sufficiently oiled to confirm why the band is considered a pioneer in industrial music, while ohGr emerged as a monk covered in a thick hood, in the guise of the Benedictines.

The energy of the legendary Skinny Puppy front man is endless. In addition to being one of the quintessential representatives of the global dark scene, a horror film actor, composer and performer by nature, he is a true performer who has nothing to envy from other greats. The movement of his hands when interpreting the songs, the frantic shaking of the body, the rasping of his aggressive and guttural voice, make up a whole that makes him unique on stage. However, on that night in New York, his face could not be seen because of his clothing.

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There was a reason for everything: under the hood, ohGr represented a color-changing, glow-eyed alien unleashing one hit after another: The Choke, Worlock, Inquisition, Dig It. The energy and electricity of the show kept burning hot alive. Until halfway through the show what many expected happened. In the performance, the vocalist was an alien tortured even in an electric chair, until his executioner, constantly hidden behind a mask, in the same style as the Star Wars characters, broke the Martian's head and a bloody brain would come out of it, in a clear allegory of the prohibited methods of obtaining information. That common element in Skinny Puppy's shows, blood, could not be missing on their last tour, and it did not disappoint.

After almost two hours of powerful music, the encore arrived with their most emblematic songs: Brap, Smothered Hope, Assimilate, Candle. At that moment, ohGr took off his alien mask, which obviously took his breath away due to its weight and density, but which he stoically endured throughout the performance. Only at the end, he dedicated a few words of thanks to his fans, stating that the New York public has always been special on his tours. They are those weirdos who, after a 40-year career, went to say their last goodbye to the most famous skinny dog in rock.

Skinny Puppy en Nueva York

Ya pasaron algunas semanas del potente concierto ofrecido por Skinny Puppy en el Irving Plaza de Nueva York, como parte de su gira The Final Tour. Había mucha expectativa entre los más fieles seguidores de la que quizá sea la banda canadiense más influyente en el rock, específicamente en el subgénero del terror industrial, sobre todo porque los únicos miembros fundadores que aún permanecen como parte de alineación, Kevin 'ohGr' Ogilvie y cEvin Key, ya habían anunciado en sus redes que este sería el último tour que harían tras su formación en aquel lejano 1982, en pleno inicio de esa luminosa década musical como los 80.

Skinny Puppy siempre se ha caracterizado por la aspereza de su música, nada amable para algunos oídos, porque sus construcciones sonoras usualmente han roto patrones y convenciones de estrofa-coro-estrofa, sin que ello haya sido óbice para convertirse en uno de los actos artísticos más importantes que haya parido la fría Canadá. Pero, sin duda, las presentaciones en vivo han sido su digna insignia y carta de presentación para haber ganado millones de adeptos en el mundo y que han llenado las principales salas underground y festivales góticos en todo el orbe.

Y esa expectativa era aún mayor porque tres días antes del show en New York, la banda suspendió su presentación en la ciudad de Pittsburgh, en Pensilvania, porque ohGr, el emblemático y teatral cantante de Skinny Puppy, enfrentó un resquebrajamiento de su salud. Como él mismo lo escribió en su Facebook personal, su aislamiento durante la pandemia en las montañas de Santa Mónica, le cobraron un alto precio porque tan pronto como inició The Final Tour, fue blanco de diversos virus y comenzó a sentir los estragos del cambio de estación en el hemisferio norte, en forma de la tan temida alergia que deja sin voz a muchos.

“To those who choose to speculate I'm ‘back on drugs’ or somehow should push through; seeing me as a ‘product’... I feel sorry for you and would not wish what I have experienced these last days on you. This is the reason I'm absent from social media”, escribió el hombre de las mil máscaras, aquel performer que canta con voz de gárgola, que suele bañarse en sangre durante sus presentaciones como parte de la denuncia de turno que quiere hacer contra los poderes fácticos que dominan la vida diaria de los mortales.

No traían un nuevo disco bajo el brazo, pero bastaba la decenas de hits bailados en las salas más oscuras de música gótica para emocionar a sus fanáticos terminales. Y son esos fieles seguidores que hicieron cola en el Irving Plaza y demostraron que eran la más extraña fauna urbana de una ciudad que de por sí ya es bastante excéntrica como Nueva York. Un pequeño ejército de gente de negro, con cabellos cardados, de variados y complejos tatuajes, que eran la delicia de los fotógrafos que acudieron hasta los exteriores del local para captar el aquelarre convocado para la noche del 21 de abril, lucían sus mejores galas y se mostraron abiertos y amables a todos los que les pedían algunas tomas fotográficas.

La banda soporte de esa noche de primavera fue Lead Into Gold, liderada por Paul Barker, el bajista fundador de Ministry, quien desempeñó una decente performance de 45 minutos con la más densa y abrasiva onda del industrial más siniestro y pesado de los 90, década de su principal acción. Los fanáticos de Skinny Puppy, eximios conocedores de las notas oscuras del género, de inmediato conectaron con los teloneros. Al final de la presentación, ya muchos estaban bailando en el Irving Plaza y la expectativa crecía por escuchar a ohGr y ver la nueva puesta en escena que antaño dejó impresionado a más de uno.

Muchas recuerdan los diversos personajes que el vocalista representó en cuatro décadas de trayectoria: desde el médico de la Edad Media que recorría aldeas arrasadas por la peste negra, envuelto en vendas totalmente ensangrentadas para retener el desprendimiento de piel provocado por el contagio de la lepra; pasando por el lobo-nazi que tenía clavada una cruz en la cabeza mientras simulaba el desmembramiento de un mamífero, en una clara denuncia contra la vivisección de los animales vivos para hacer estudios fisiológicos o investigaciones patológicas; hasta el brujo druida que protagonizaba sacrificios indescifrables de fuego y lodo en pleno escenario, ante la estupefacción del público.

Cuando Lead Into Gold terminó su show, y los técnicos colocaron en el centro del escenario la estatua del tradicional perrito flaco, de patas enclenques, torso retorcido y hocico aullante al círculo lunar, la ovación de la gente estalló. Era la hora de la banda avant-garde por excelencia, de aquella leyenda lúgubre que toma el escenario para que que sus seguidores involucren todos sus sentidos en la expectación: Skinny Puppy.

Los primeros en ingresar fueron el tecladista fundador cEvin Key, quien se dedicó por completo a sus sintetizadores durante toda la noche; el guitarrista Matthew Setzer, un enorme vikingo vampiro que lucía en todo momentos sus afilados dientes caninos; y el baterista Justin Bennett, quien dotó de contundencia a la presentación. El gran ohGr entró al final, tras un biombo, mostrando su sombra particularmente amenazadora, mientras que un personaje enmascarado se encargó de ‘aplicarle’ diversos métodos de tortura como golpes de vara, descargas eléctricas, latigazos, y finalmente una soga de horca.

A los acordes de VX Gas Attack, la banda conquistó de inmediato al público, quienes saltaron y emocionados pasaron al pogo, luego a elevar a algunos asistentes y pasarlos de brazo en brazo, y finalmente se agolparon hasta el escenario para tocar a su dios oscuro. Los hits empezaron a encadenarse uno tras otro: I'mmortal, Rodent, Tormentor, Deep Down Trauma Hounds, Human Disease (S.K.U.M.M.), Pedafly, Morpheus Laughing… La máquina demostraba que estaba lo suficientemente aceitada para confirmar porqué la banda es considerada pionera en la música industrial, mientras que ohGr emergía como un monje cubierto de una gruesa capucha, a guisa de los benedictinos.

La energía del legendario vocalista de Skinny Puppy es inacabable. Además de ser uno de los representantes por excelencia de la escena oscura mundial, actor de películas de terror, compositor y performer por naturaleza, es un verdadero front man que nada tiene que envidiar a otros grandes. El movimiento de sus manos al interpretar las canciones, las sacudidas frenéticas del cuerpo, el raspado de su voz agresiva y gutural, conforman un todo que lo hace único en escena. Sin embargo, en esa noche de Nueva York no se dejaba ver el rostro por la vestimenta.

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Todo tenía una razón: debajo de la capucha, ohGr representaba a un extraterrestre de ojos brillantes que cambiaba de color y que disparaba un hit tras otro: The Choke, Worlock, Inquisition, Dig It. La energía y electricidad del show se mantenía al rojo vivo. Hasta que a mitad del concierto ocurrió lo que muchos esperaban. En la representación, el vocalista era un alien torturado incluso en silla eléctrica, hasta que su verdugo, constantemente oculto tras una máscara, al mismo estilo de los personajes de Star Wars, le rompió la cabeza al marciano y de ella saldría un cerebro sanguinolento, en una clara alegoría de los métodos vedados de obtención de información. Ese elemento tan común en los shows de Skinny Puppy, la sangre, no podía faltar en su última gira, y no defraudó.

Tras casi dos horas de música poderosa, llegó el encore con sus canciones más emblemáticas: Brap, Smothered Hope, Assimilate, Candle. Ya en ese momento, ohGr se quitó la máscara de extraterrestre que obviamente le quitaba respiración por su peso y densidad, pero que estoicamente soportó durante toda la performance. Sólo al final, dedicó unas palabras de agradecimiento a sus seguidores, afirmando que el público de Nueva York siempre ha sido especial en sus giras. Son aquellos weirdos que tras 40 años de carrera, fueron a darle el último adiós al perrito flaco más famoso del rock.