The Knife (Mezzanine, 3 November 2006)

This was, easily, the hottest concert ticket in town. Sweden's The Knife played before an enthusiastic and packed crowd at The Mezzaznine on Friday. They brought with them a very elaborate stage set-up, with a bunch of visuals, glow-in-the-dark costumes and drum sticks and that eery, electro sound that only The Knife can produce.

I stood stage left and I was scrunched, as is customary at Mezzanine during sold out shows. It was uncomfortable in the beginning, but I eventually got used to it. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to truly enjoy the magnificent visuals The Knife had to offer. If I did, that means I had to either stand from afar or be at the venue right at 8pm.

They played about 12 songs, all from either Deep Cuts or Silent Shout. One of my favourite songs was "Pass This On." Here's a video of it I found on YouTube:

As you can see, the visuals were just amazing. There was this see-through curtain that covered the stage. I thought they were eventually going to raise it sometime during the show, but it remained there throughout. Of course, that's how the visuals were presented, and it covered Karin and Olaf, but not too bad. Karin was noticeably pregnant as well.

Another great one was "Marble House." Complete with talking head:



The biggest reception was for "Heartbeats." Whether you liked the Knife version or first heard the song through José González, you would have loved it live. Again, a YouTube video:


I have to say, the show was just jaw dropping. From the crisp sound they made, to the visuals, to the intrigue behind the Teletubbies type, glow-in-the-dark masks they wore, The Knife were well worth the hype. And Karin's voice was just amazing. Granted, it was heavily digitized, but she sang live and it still sounded album quality. I just hope that their motto of playing only a city once doesn't hold true. But if it does, I will keep this show in my pocket.

Beer Rating:1/2 Beer