After spending the past five years actively touring, Electronic Hard Rock band Orgy are set to release the first part of a two-part EP series entitled Talk Sick and Entropy. Marking a fresh start for founding vocalist Jay Gordon and Orgy’s newer lineup of Deadsy’s Carlton Bost (guitar), Nic Speck (bass), Creighton Emrick (guitar/synthesizer), and Bobby Amaro (drummer), the release will mark the first new Orgy release in over a decade. In celebration, the band began The Sick Tour on March 21st in Hollywood, CA, as they set out to hit a total of twenty four markets with support from 9Electric and Death Valley High. Familiar to Long Island, NY, Orgy brought the tour to Revolution Bar & Music Hall on Friday April 4th in Amityville to kick off a holiday weekend with a non-stop party that saw opening slots from local acts Electric Caves, Candy Brain, and Level 2.0.
First up was Long Island’s own Candy Brain. Having played Revolution Bar & Music Hall back in October 2014 opening for Combichrist, they return for another big national tour as openers. Led by vocalist Bunny R. Abbit, along with Anton Silv, Ink-Bot (the Deadmachine), as well as Rachel Zyats, Candy Brain rocked the room with a generous mix of Synth Pop and Industry Rock. Showing plenty of promise, Candy Brain continue to grow and are worth showing up early for on May 17th when they support William Control at Webster Hall in NYC.
Directly after was underground New York Post-Industrial act Electric Caves. Releasing the album Solace Furnace Transformation in 2011, 2014 saw the release of the six track EP History Of Illusion. Providing a thick soundscape of Electronic, dark elements, and even Hip Hop flavor, Electric Caves was a fitting pick for the evening.
Next on the agenda was Florida based GuiBM-EBM/Industrial band Level 2.0. Winners of 2005’s Industrial Idol by Metropolis Records, the band continued to move along with Mike Hoffman heading the project. Originally from Ridge, Long Island, it was a homecoming of sorts for Hoffman as he provided everyone with a reason to get up and dance. Playing a bunch of original tunes, including those from his latest EP, Subsphere, Hoffman’s Level 2.0 was a winner. Be sure to check out the new EP on bandcamp.com.
The first national band on the bill, San Francisco’s Death Valley High, took the stage around 9:30 pm to a raucous and fervent Goth Metal crowd. Having toured with bands like Chino Moreno’s side project Crosses, and Mindless Self Indulgence, Death Valley definitely had the right track record and image to fit the bill of the Sick Talk tour. Fronted by vocalist/guitarist Reyka Osburn along with drummer Adam Bannister, bassist Huffy Hafera, as well as guitarists Sean Bivins and Todd Buller, Death Valley High opened with the first track off their recent release album, Positive Euth, entitled “Bath Salt Party”. The self-proclaimed Doom Pop act certainly demonstrated a unique blend of industrialized beats and synth guitar riffs ranging from danceable rhythms to head-banging friendly grooves. Moving into the Blues-like track “The Present,” Osburn demanded crowd participation as the band worked the stage behind the frontman. With a bouncing rhythm section courtesy of Hafera and Bannister, flanking Osburn on each side of the stage was Bivins and Buller who could not seem to stand still. Their third number, the Goth-Metal induced “How2kill” seemed to spark a movement in the crowd and elicited some energetic responses. The band has recently shot a Horror film based video for the tune; it is definitely a track worth checking out. Death Valley High were a pleasure to watch and were very gracious and appreciative of the crowd. Before leaving, they played “DVH the Movie” which had everyone chanting the band’s name during the refrain. Be sure to check them out while they are on this tour, it is well worth it.
As direct support for the night, Los Angeles, CA’s 9Electric are no strangers to the Long Island Hard Rock/Industrial scene. Having previously played the same venue just last year supporting Powerman 5000, and having been to NYC in the past supporting Wayne Static and Spineshank, the band has cut their teeth and carved a nice niche throughout the tri-state area. Fronted by Ron Underwood “Thunderwood,” previously of Opiate for the Masses, the band also features Mikey Lopez on guitar, Casey DC on bass, and Micah Electric on drums. Having recently inked a deal with Another Century Records and released a new EP, Control, the band was ready to bring a new show with different songs to their Long Island cohort. Instantly getting things moving with Underwood and company moving the crowd to Electric’s bombastic beats and grooves, “Time Bomb” was an instant hit, having the floor moving up and down to the pulsing chorus. Moving forward, 9Electric played through some more newer tunes off their recent EP including “Goodbye” and “Feel This.” Underwood stole the show by swinging himself upside down from the rafters on their final number, all while encouraging crowd support. The ladies of the night were definitely smitten with the number “Dirty Girl,” and everyone became a fan with the crew’s last number, a cover of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap).” It was interesting to hear an Industrial spin on an Classic Rock tune, and the band pulled it off effortlessly before shuffling into the crowd for meet-and-greets the rest of the night.
Just after midnight, Southern California’s Orgy proudly took the stage to a much deserved applause. Having reformed in 2011, the band has only released a non-album single in 2012 titled “Grime of the Century” prior to the forthcoming EPs. Needless to say, dedicated fans, as well as new followers, have been itching for new material. With that said, Orgy was ready and willing to share their newest work with Long Islanders by starting off the night with the EP title track “Talk Sick.” The band sounded tight and unified with all members seemingly full of energy and vitality right from the start as the packed venue was pumped up by the introduction. Gordon addressed and greeted the crowd before rolling into an oldie but goodie, “Dissention”, which the crowd ate right up from the first distorted chord. Gordon commanded the crowd to sing along with the refrain “Don’t waste your f-ing time” before moving into another Candyass (1998) favorite “Fetisha.”
Rather than only playing old songs, the band was smart in interspersing new songs between old favorites in order to keep the crowd on their toes. Gordon introduced the next tune as “Suck it” off their new EP before letting Bost roll into the opening riff. The vocalist seemed to be on the ball, teasing and calling out his bandmates in good fun between each song. Newcomers Emrick and Amaro sounded excellent and seemed to bring new life to the band’s Industrial and rhythm sections. As the band rolled into “Fiction (Dreams in Digital),” the crowd seemed to take a trip down memory lane in joining along in a unified chorus. Throughout the night, Orgy continued to treat fans to new tunes like “Wide Awake and Dead,” “Monster,” and “Gface” while blasting through favorites like “Suckerface,” “Opticon,” and “Revival.” Of course, before calling it a night, the band saved their two chart toppers “Stitches” and the mega-hit cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday” for the cherry on the cake. Fans were just as rabid and fervent as one might imagine while the band repeated “How Does it Feel” before fading into the wee morning hours in eye-popping fashion.
Although a new lineup may deter some more narrow-minded fans from giving them a chance, the new Orgy packs just as much a punch as the lineup from a decade ago. All members of the band were fan-friendly and made their way to the merchandise booth after their set (to show their appreciation). Despite the many pitfalls that the band has seen in recent years, they show no signs of slowing down or turning it in. It will be no surprise when the band makes a comeback armed with a solid new lineup on the road and the new tracks to hit radio stations nationally. Simply put, Orgy has been hell bent and determined to make a big return, so look out.
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