With the release of their latest album Memento Mori, the collective UMBRA ET IMAGO earned renown not only across Europe but in russia as well. The album's sound became heavier and more driving compared to the rest of the band's work, which was one of the factors that swelled the army of fans with lovers of harder music. Be that as it may, supporters continue to place their favourites within the gothic subculture, within the gothic underground. It should be noted that fastidious critics began comparing the band's current sound to the very popular RAMMSTEIN — though I consider that the work of Mozart, the permanent leader of the Germans, is no less distinctive than that of their fellow countrymen. UMBRA ET IMAGO's fame was built not only on the music but also on their extravagant erotic shows, thanks to which sexuality with an undertone of sadomasochistic perversion became one of the defining characteristics of gothic culture. I had the opportunity to verify the truth of this information and the accompanying rumours on 25 March at the moscow club Tochka, where Mozart and his collective were to present their eccentric programme in support of the latest album.
Upon entering the hall I was immediately struck by the stage design — I had not seen anything like it at the Tochka before. In the centre of the stage, extending toward the audience, a kind of projection had been constructed — presumably so that Mozart could communicate more closely with the crowd (as indeed proved to be the case shortly). On either side of this projection stood two vertical metal structures in the form of pillars with crossbars along their entire height. Everyone was wondering about the purpose of these curious devices.
The SATARIAL band had originally been scheduled to support UMBRA ET IMAGO, but ultimately declined — presumably because the visual component of the moscow band's performances invites accusations of plagiarism from their German colleagues in the craft.
For this reason the headliners' appearance came at 20:00 instead of the expected 21:00. The nearly two-metre-tall Mozart appeared on the smoke-filled stage in a costume practically identical to that in which his no less celebrated namesake presented himself to the public. On this giant's head was a wig of long hair held in place by a band for additional stability.
After a brief introduction, a fairly romantic and calm song from the band's latest album rang out — "Teutonenlied," which the maestro performed alongside a model-beautiful girl at the second microphone, who was erotically writhing beside him for the duration of the song. Toward the song's conclusion our singers sweetly kissed. One felt the urge to shout "Bitter!" Not even a few minutes had passed after the female vocalist's departure from the stage before one fan, seizing her moment, immediately handed Mozart a rose. Turning it in his hands, the UMBRA ET IMAGO frontman periodically directed the flower toward the audience, repeatedly calling on the fans to sing along.
Everyone who had come was, of course, prepared for the eroticism and sexuality of the forthcoming show — but no one, I am certain, had anticipated that precisely this would happen in precisely this way.
As "Egoismus" began, a girl in leather outfit came onto the stage leading a blonde in nothing but underwear, wrapped from waist to neck in cling film. This was precisely where the pillars positioned to the sides of the stage projection proved useful. One of the victim's wrists was bound to one structure, the other to the second. Throughout the song the female executioner tore apart the film restraining the blonde's chest and proceeded to flog her back and buttocks with a leather whip. After a while the sadomasochistic proceedings concluded; the victim was led off the stage, and the audience, in bewilderment, collected their lower jaws from the floor, remembering that music was still playing in the hall. A considerable portion of those present immediately made for the bar to discuss what was happening.
The girls appeared on stage two more times. First, the same blonde had her arms cruelly bound behind her back, and an electric prod was jabbed into her. At the conclusion of this spectacle, a sparkler was inserted between her buttocks and lit. With this singular kind of torch she left the stage. The second time — closer to the end of the concert — the girls stepped onto the "catwalk" and kissed sweetly in front of the audience for the duration of an entire song.
So let us recall the music. The emphasis in performance was on compositions from the band's most recent full-length albums; hits such as "Memento Mori" and "Sweet Gwendoline" were performed. I would note the very poor sound. I do not know why the sound engineer pushed the vocals to the foreground, drowning the guitars and drums in the process. The complete absence of a keyboardist was surprising, with all the electronic parts played back from a recording. But thanks to Mozart's behaviour and the energy he radiated, little particular attention was paid to these significant shortcomings. Mozart behaved like a demon let off his chain from hell. At one moment he climbed the pillar, grabbed a suspended camera-and-spotlight rig with his hand and shook it; at another he changed into a fascist uniform and marched across the stage shouting: "Fuck the war!" It reached the point where, toward the end of the concert, he ran at the edge of the stage and leapt into the crowd, into the hands of his supporters. The security instantly rushed to the edge of the stage trying to reach the stage diver, but Mozart proudly waved their hands away and, with the help of his fans, made his own way back onto the stage, patted the security guard on the back, and continued performing his songs.
Having completed the main set, the band came back out twice for encores, performing in total three more of their celebrated hits — "Mea Culpa," "Machina Mundi," "Kleine Schwester" — and a cover of the well-known pop song through which the nickname of the UMBRA ET IMAGO leader was established: "Rock Me Amadeus."
In summary: despite the fact that attendance barely reached 600 people and the sound left much to be desired, I consider that the charisma of Mozart and his "original" theatrical stagings left an unforgettable impression — even if a somewhat contradictory one.
Report by McAllen
Special thanks to SPIKA MERCHANDISING for the accreditation provided.
Setlist: • Intro • Teutonenlied • Dunkle Energie • Egoismus • Lieber Gott • Schlag Mich • Horst Du Mein Rufen • Sweet Gwendoline • Stalker • Der Wahnsinn • Sagt Nein • Memento Mori • Ein Letztes Mal
— encore 1 — • Mea Culpa • Machina Mundi
— encore 2 — • Kleine Schwester • Rock Me Amadeus