Pissing off Scenesters Since 1995
Blaqk Audio
Grand Ballroom, New York
September 7, 2007
Click for Full Photolog of Blaqk Audio on Flickr!
As two-fourths of the goth-adored, punk scorned East Bay Hardcore troupe AFI, singer Davey Havok and guitarist Jade Puget are worshiped for their punk-leaning, adrenaline rush anthems. Yet for the last few years, this band of Danzig loving punks have towed the techno line, dabbling with digital sequences and ambient tones (much like Danzig himself, just more Depeche Mode than Rammstein).
Last month, the duo, dubbed Blaqk Audio released a tremendous debut album, teeming with pseudo mid-80s dance tracks that recall both early Ministry and classic New Order. Surprisingly, the boys in blaqk have taken the digital tour in the road, delivering an hour of synth pop to a sold out audience peppered with Despair Faction members, glow stick wavers, hipsters, and a ton of underage girls.
After a warm up by some random DJ (I’m sure I’m going to get railed for not knowing his name), Blaqk Audio took stage amid towering beams of light and pulsating strobes. The usually energetic punks seemed a bit subdued on the massive stage. Puget took his position behind a mass of keyboards and MacBookPros, while Havok never stopped moving, singing at every corner of the stage.
Thanks in part to the fantastic sound system at the Grand Ballroom (hard to imagine that WWF’s RAW used to tape there), Blaqk Audio came off CD perfect. Puget appeared from behind his synth rig on occasion to sing harmony for Havok, most notably on their note perfect cover of Blur’s classic “Boys and Girls.” The audience was enraptured with the entire set, singing to every word, and screaming every time Havok acknowledged them.
Much like Bad Religion front man Greg Graffin’s rare acoustic shows, Blaqk Audio is a rare treat for AFI fans, and is something that probably won’t be replicated too often in the future. Those who came will be able to talk about it for years, and those who didn’t might just have to pray the side project hits it big. With tunes this big, there’s a good chance it might.