KMFDM at Irving Plaza

KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, a grammatically incorrect phrase loosely translated as "no pity for the majority") is a techno-industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in Paris in 1984 as a performance art project. In the early days of KMFDM, Konietzko incorporated not only visuals such as burning beds and exploding televisions, but also non-musical devices used as instruments, such as vacuum cleaners. KMFDM has released eighteen studio albums, achieving sales of more than two million recordings worldwide. The group presently consists of Sascha Konietzko and American singer Lucia Cifarelli, British guitarists Jules Hodgson and Steve White, and British drummer Andy Selway.

At Irving Plaza tonight, KMFDM played to the delight of their fans. Konietzko growled, Cifarelli sneered, their hook lines sometimes both cynical and sarcastic, as when they encouraged the audience to chant “KMFDM sucks.” Flanked by numerous electronic programming devices, Konietzko and Cifarelli’s programs and Selway’s drums consistently provided ultra-hard-and-heavy beats which often instigated jumping and pushing within the crowd. The two guitarists filled out the sounds but were hardly spotlighted, as the electronic programmers powered a full frontal assault through crunching industrial grooves. The nearly two-hour performance was a rhythmic explosion.