BITE ME! Collide Live

Collide @ The El Rey

April 14 2005, Hollywood, CA.

I’ve been a Collide fan for at least five years now, and I have to thank my friend Brian Reesman for turning me onto them. Like most Collide fans, I’ve been dying to see the band live and, finally, after years of prodding from friends and fans, kaRIN & Statik decided it was time to make the move from the studio to the stage. So, the talented twosome searched far and wide for the perfect musicians to round out their group, and they found what they were looking for in Scott (guitar), Roger (guitar), Kai (war guitar), and Chaz (drums).

Unfortunately, schedule conflicts prevented me from attending the first couple of Collide shows. As bummed as I was, it was probably better that way because it gave the band time to perfect their act. When the time finally came I was thrilled to find that one of my favorite bands was performing in one of my favorite venues - The El Rey Theatre. I love The El Rey. It’s an Art Deco theatre with velvet on the walls and a big, sunken wooden dance floor. It’s the perfect place for a show of this nature.

The show was being filmed for the band’s DVD, so there were lots of cameras to be around. But nothing beat the huge production camera that was being used to film the show. Talk about serious. I have to hand it to Collide - when they do something, they never do it half-assed. It’s always 110% or nothing. This group is true DIY. They release their own albums on their NoisePlus Records imprint and now they’re funding their own tours and DVDs.

The venue was filled with a large number of Collide fans. It was nice to see such a good turn out, especially on a Thursday night. I caught the last song of Electrostatic’s set, which is unfortunate, but I did get to see Mankind is Obsolete. If you dig Hanzel Und Gretyl you’ll enjoy what Mankind has to offer. The band is very similar in nature to HUG, but offers more variety in the vocal department. Mankind put on a very energetic show that had a number of people on the dance floor moving.

By the time Collide went on, I couldn’t take the anticipation any longer. The minute the group walked on the stage the crowd cheered and as soon as kaRIN’s lovely voice filled the room they became lost in the band’s musical spell. The great thing is that the band has five albums out, so they have a large repertoire to pull from. I think everyone in the room heard at least one, if not more, of their favorite songs. The crowd really seemed to enjoy the set – everyone was dancing and having a good time and the applause after each tune was genuine. A girl next to me was deeply engaged in taking photos, so I asked her if she was working for the band. She said she wasn’t but told me she was their biggest fan. Ya gotta love it.

Collide has always been very technical and precise in the studio and live they delivered that same perfection. The band’s execution was professional. If there was a flaw it went unnoticed because as a whole the live unit functions like a well oiled machine. The crunchy guitars and menacing synths mixed perfectly with kaRIN’s icy-sweet vocals.

I must say, that I was really quite proud of Collide. If you happen to be lucky enough to have Collide visit your town, I strongly suggest checking them out or you can join the band on the 2006 Gothic Masquerade Ball. Visit www.collide.net for more info. -NIN