by Vicky Halliday
photos by Chris Meany
For those of us that have been around for a few years, Richard Pyne is a familiar face. Things have changed since his Killing Miranda days and, I have to say, for the better. Now, Uberbyte is not an act that you should be taking 100% seriously, they are far too fun for this. Rarely will you experience a band having such a genuinely good time on stage but you would be wrong to assume they are a novelty or joke. The songs are catchy (so much so, that they could be described as the Girls Aloud of industrial) and Richard rampages around like a man possessed. The set comprises a series of almost-anthems and singalongs and everyone from the support band, to random DJs and the merch girl join them for final track “Money Shot” With the popularity of Zumba spiralling and dance games taking over most consoles, “Cybercise” could be the next big thing and Richard would its Mr Motivator.
Following a quick changeover (and an opportunity for Richard to head off for gas and air) Aesthetic Perfection arrive onstage. It is as rare as hen’s teeth for me to be utterly blown away by a band’s performance but AP were pretty damned close. Despite a few mic issues early on in the set, the show was energetic, frantic, vociferous and relentless with synth player Elliot nearly climbing the walls. It is unknown whether this was due to adrenaline or a botched escape attempt.
Aesthetic Perfection may not be the most innovative of bands but, by Jeebus they put on a show. Fans of lo-fi, easy listening should steer well clear but those of a stompier persuasion will be impressed by Daniel Graves’ gutteral vocals (would “Gravel” be a more appropriate surname?) and the pulverising tunes. The presence of a live drummer grants them many extra Brownie points and gives them a dynamism sometimes lacking in other industrial bands and I conclude by stating that the future is bright, the future is aggrotech…
