PYOGENESIS in Moscow — The MetalList

The PYOGENESIS concert naturally called to mind the ANATHEMA visit three weeks prior. Consider: both bands, across their entire fifteen-year histories, were visiting moscow for the very first time. Both had played doom/death at the dawn of their careers, and both, following significant lineup upheavals in the mid-1990s, went in radically different directions in terms of genre allegiance. Whereas the English band gradually transitioned to melancholic rock with a psychedelic Pink Floyd-esque atmosphere, the Germans began playing punk-inflected MTV-format rock. And with the release of She Makes Me Wish I Had A Gun in 2002, they went completely underground — the only reminder of the band's existence being the occasional festival appearance.

So the PYOGENESIS show on 15th October at the Tabula Rasa club was perhaps the most unexpected event of that autumn. Attendance was never in any doubt — the concert would draw both fans of the band's early work hoping to hear beloved old hits and teenage punks, most of whom had no idea about the Germans' doom-oriented past. Which was duly confirmed at the door: when a girl asked which band was playing, one fan with wide eyes answered, "Don't you know? They're German punks!"

The support was to be provided by Repentance and Ameli. While I'd seen Repentance before — opening for SENTENCED the previous year — Ameli were completely unknown to me. Credit is due to Repentance for very good sound and professional delivery. A somewhat unpleasant aftertaste lingers from the cloning of SENTENCED ideas, but in my view a talented imitation beats talentless originality. The guys played for around 40 minutes, then Ameli's turn came. Lively lads appeared on stage in sneakers, short-sleeved shirts, and ties — and their stylistic direction was immediately obvious. "Music" in the vein of certain cockroach-infested beasts, with heartstring-tugging lyrics about failed romance, booze, parties, and universal idleness. A jumping guitarist, a constantly gurning bassist and vocalist — a sex symbol of the 21st century — all the requisite attributes of a punk project banking on staggering commercial success.

By the time the headliners appeared, the hall was packed to the gills. "To the gills" by Tabula Rasa standards means all of 200 people — and I'm not even confident it was that many. While the latest PYOGENESIS recordings played through the speakers, a girl with a guitar was moving around the stage, checking the equipment. After brief debate, general consensus settled on her being the band's sound engineer. Imagine the audience's surprise when, alongside the band members, this same girl — in a skirt and boots, guitar in hand — walked onstage, standing in for regular guitarist Peter Rutard! As expected, the rest of the musicians appeared in sneakers and ties, like "proper" punk rockers. After a brief interlude and the hit from the latest album, I Don't Know, vocalist Flo Schwarz introduced his bandmates and drummer Tobias "Briefmarke" Morrell — the nickname translating as "postage stamp." Schwarz called him by this name practically after every song throughout the show, regularly shouting "Spasibo Moskva! And spasibo Postal Ma-a-ark!!" Evidently the relationship between vocalist and drummer is genuinely very close, because throughout the show Flo was constantly ribbing his partner — some of the jabs fairly sharp. One particular episode stands out. After one song, a band assistant handed the vocalist a piece of paper, and Flo, apologising for his poor russian, read with a grin: "Our drummer has a very small penis. But he doesn't understand russian, so everyone clap for him so he thinks I'm saying something nice." The hall erupted in applause; the drummer, wearing a pleased expression, half-stood and waved his sticks at everyone. Such are the "innocent" little jokes.

It's worth noting the imaginatively structured setlist, which brought to mind a three-act play. The first act consisted of four hits from the later period: I Don't Know, Blue Smiley's Plan, Just Ironic, Separate The Boys From Men. Before the fans had finished jumping to their hearts' content, Flo asked: "Do you know our 1994 album Sweet X-Rated Nothing?" The hall exploded in response — time for Act Two. Admittedly it made for quite a peculiar sight: Flo growling in sneakers and a tie on Fade Away. Not to mention the next song from the band's debut album Ignis Creatio (1992) — Still Burn In Fire, which is performed almost entirely in growls. Despite the fact that PYOGENESIS hadn't used growling at any point in their later work, Flo handled it excellently, greatly pleasing the longtime fans.

The leader's charisma and directness, combined with the closeness created by the small venue, generated a very warm and pleasant atmosphere. After Those Churning Seas, the vocalist and drummer swapped positions — to Flo's strumming and foot-on-drum tapping, Tobias continued the last line of the song in unison with the crowd. Quite the unusual duo.

The musicians also performed my personal favourite, Through The Flames. Devising another joke, Flo stopped in feigned astonishment and beckoned a fan from the crowd, pointing at him: "Look! Two Postage Stamps!!" And indeed — the drummer and the fan were like two peas in a pod: the same glasses, the same hairstyle; only the "russian postage stamp" had a clearly more bearded face. Embracing each other, the two "stamps" moved to centre stage and cheerfully posed for photographers.

In this way Act Two was filled with seven hits spanning 1992 to 1995. The third act naturally began with a song from Unpop (1997) — Love Nation Sugarhead. The girl who had been holding a piece of paper with that song's title above her head for the entire concert could barely contain her joy. Then came another barrage of later-era PYOGENESIS hits: Rhapsody In E, To Me, Will It Ever Be, and of course Silver Experience. Flo's face simply radiated happiness — so many fans, all giving the band such a warm reception. He wouldn't stop repeating: "Don't go anywhere after the show. We'll step into the dressing room and literally in five minutes we'll come back out to you and we'll be drinking until morning. And although in Germany I drink beer, here I will only drink vodka, because we are in russia! And forget about having to go to work tomorrow! Because — Pyogenesis are in moscow!"

Silver Experience rang out and the band went backstage. Their departure was purely symbolic — literally a minute later all the members returned for an encore of four songs, including the long-anticipated main hit that many fans had been calling for since the middle of the show: It's On Me.

Two and a half hours of an excellent performance — honestly, I didn't expect such dedication and sincerity from PYOGENESIS. All the musicians were superb, as was the setlist, which ensured every generation of the band's fans went away satisfied. Here's hoping this legendary collective reunites and returns to its roots as soon as possible — though the latter, sadly, is by now practically unrealistic.

Special thanks to Tabula Rasa and personally to Timur for the accreditation provided.

Report by McAllen

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