Hanzel Und Gretyl & Hate Dept.
House of Blues, Hollywood, CA
The first time I heard Hanzel Und Gretyl’s debut Ausgeflippt I became an instant fan. I don’t know how or why but I never had a chance to see the band live until recently. When I heard they would be playing at the House of Blues I jumped at the chance to catch the New York based outfit in action.
Also on the bill was Hate Dept. another band that I dig but have seen before. The last time I saw Seibold and co. they brought the house down. However, tonight was a different story. Tonight the house wanted to take them down, and not in a good way mind you. The band that was on stage sounded like Hate Dept. but looked nothing like them. Seibold was a shell of his former self, looking more like a drugged out Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum) than the frontman for an agro industrial unit. Musically, they weren’t half bad. However, Dave I mean Seibold ruined any enjoyment I got from their set by being outright rude to the audience and taking every opportunity to bash L.A. in between songs. Hello, have some fucking respect for the people that just paid $15 to see your band. Maybe the reason the crowd wasn’t into your set was because you insulted them the minute you stepped on stage. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hate Dept. lost some fans that night. If I weren’t there to see Hanzel Und Gretyl I would have walked out.
After putting up with Seibold’s verbal abuse I was so ready to have fun and the moment Lupia (programmer/guitars), Vas Kallas (vocals), Ginger Bread (bass), and Pat Wolff (drums), collectively known as Hanzel Und Gretyl, walked on stage I knew it was going to be a wild ride. Vas is as wicked live as she is in the studio. That girl belts out the lyrics (mostly in German) in a manner that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up. She’s beautiful and she has balls! The rest of the band is tight as hell. They function like a well-oiled machine. The pit was going and the crowd was dancing. I was especially happy to hear tracks from Ausgeflippt in their set (that album lived in my CD player for years) in addition to songs from Transmissions From Uranus and their most recent Uber Alles (Metropolis).
If you like industrial and you’re dying for a good live show, treat yourself to Hanzel Und Gretyl. If you’re a fan and haven’t had a chance to see them yet, you best get off your asses and catch them now! Hanzel Und Gretyl are a great band with killer songs and a live show that will kick you in the ass. -NIN
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