Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.01.2008, Qupperneq 34

18 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 01 2008 | Reviews
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Jesus Christ Rockstar
Bathed in a purplish glow, the Benny Crespo’s
Gang foursome opened up the first seated rock
concert in recent memory, with a series of bleeps
and blurps. It was the epitome of BCG’s appeal in
the form of an overture; a basic rock outfit with
light psychedelic tendencies. However, celebrat-
ing the release of their debut album, self-titled,
at Tjarnarbíó, the Gang did little else throughout
the course of the night to elevate themselves to
anything above an image of distinct normalcy. On
stage, they were polite, shy, and clearly a bit ner-
vous. After a hiatus of nearly a year, perhaps they
deserved to be.
They dove into their first number. Heavy
bass lines and an even heavier, slightly overpow-
ering drum input chaotically climaxed into an
almost transcendent medley of sound. The audi-
ence of friends and fans cheered enthusiastically,
even shouting and stomping with excitement.
In the interval between songs, somewhere
between tuning their instruments and waiting for
everyone else to tune theirs, singer Helgi Rúnar
and Lovísa awkwardly attempted one-sided small
talk with the audience. “Has everyone bought
their Christmas presents yet?” asked Lovísa. Then
after a painful pause, she breathed, “I haven’t.”
From somewhere in the audience I heard a lonely
chuckle.
The emphasis on emotional, though not del-
icate, vocals on their next number, Shine, gave the
song singularity in a pool of dense instrumental
cogitation. Lovísa’s sweet but un-optimistic coo-
ing had a similarly arresting effect on Come Here,
where her band-mates’ thickly woven instrumen-
tals fittingly took the backseat.
Though the openings and endings tended to
be less than smooth, the build-ups sometimes pre-
dictable, and certainly their stage-presence less
than thrilling, the Gang continually managed to
build steadily to explosive climaxes and moments
of surprising clarity in their songs. Despite the fog
machines and the impressive light show, however,
the gig felt more like a band practice than a con-
cert. With clumsy, difficult transitions, along with
elongated tuning pauses between each song, the
band seemed clearly out of practice, and they
moved forward together in a rusty state.
Finishing with a heap of unfocused but jar-
ring musical meditations, the band was burning
out in a burst of misdirected power. Helgi Rúnar
and Lovísa’s vocals suggested a delicate edge
to the band’s foundation that was continually
left uncultivated by the unrelenting drums and
heavy bass. Though intended and successfully
executed as little more than a showcase of their
recent release, the concert did lack a certain pol-
ish, a certain je ne sais quoi. Whether it was focus,
ambition, or practice that they lacked, the band’s
strengths were as visible as their weaknesses.
With time and a little more of any of the aforemen-
tioned ingredients, the former will surely prevail.
Text by Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir
Psychedelic Normalcy
Photo by GAS
Krummi from Mínus and Jenni from Brain Police as Jesus and Judas
Excitement filled the air inside The Reykjavík
City Theatre minutes before the premiere of Jesus
Christ Superstar. There is no mystery to the plot in
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous rock-
opera but Vesturport’s take on the classic has made
many old fans curious, especially since director
Björn Hlynur decided to cast two local rockers in
the leading roles. Krummi, best known for fronting
the rock monsters Mínus, takes on the role of Jesus
and Brain Police’s singer Jenni plays Judas. These
are very challenging parts - to sing and act - and
the theatre audience very distinct from their usual
crowd, something that must be nerve-wrecking for
two first time actors.
Björn Hlynur succeeds in presenting some-
thing different, although his version does not en-
tirely escape clichés. He moves far away from any
hippy or pop-oriented atmosphere of the original
and offers the audience leather pants and tattoos,
BBQs and stewardesses while Pontius Pilate is
dressed in a speedo. I have to say though that some
parts left me a bit confused.
To modernise the piece for a generation of
rock-enthusiasts, Björn Hlynur got Daði Birgisson
and Krummi’s band-mates, Bjössi and Bjarni, to
orchestrate the music. That was his best move. The
show started with a bang and the band’s dynami-
cal sound blasted loudly for the whole two hours.
It was too bad the five-piece was hidden in a pit
infront of the stage. When things got a bit dull on-
stage it would have been nice to watch the action
beneath.
Jenni delivered his part as Judas well. His
singing was powerful and his raw sound a good
contrast to Krummi’s softer voice. He was angry
yet emotional and convincing as the confused
betrayer, which suited this hard-rock version per-
fectly. Krummi’s vocal delivery was surprising and
showed a totally new side of him as a singer. He
is usually the rough guy but here he easily hit the
high notes and sang the slower ballads just fine.
Between songs though, it felt as he didn’t really
know what he was supposed to do, and lacked the
skills to deliver the feeling of sympathy in dramatic
scenes.
I was impressed with Lára Sveinsdóttir who
sang her role as Mary Magdalene beautifully. Ing-
var E. Sigurðsson stood out as Pontius Pilate and
proved that he is not only a terrific actor but a great
singer. Magnús Jónsson as Caiaphas and Bergur Þór
Ingólfsson as the obese King Herod (who received
a well-deserved applause and laughter), also de-
serve compliments.
That being sad, what the production lacked
in acting skills it made up for in volume. It was
rather the powerful singing and heavy instrumen-
tals that carried the show from start to finish and
made it entertaining to watch. The music was full
of attitude and smart details and the arrangements
both interesting and aggressive. This version of the
classic opera is pure rock, just as intended.
Text by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir
When:
December 19, 2007
When:
December 28, 2007
Where:
Tjarnarbíó
Where:
Reykjavík City Theatre
Who:
Benny Crespo’s Gang
Who:
Jesus Christ Superstar