Front 242 at Irving Plaza

Daniel Bressanutti and Dirk Bergen formed Front 242 in 1981 in Aarschot, Belgium, creating music and graphic design using emerging electronic tools. Meanwhile, Patrick Codenys and Jean-Luc De Meyer had separately formed a group called Under Viewer. The two duos merged in 1982. At first, Bressanutti, Codenys and De Meyer took turns on vocals, until they settled on De Meyer as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter. Front 242's former roadie, Richard Jonckheere, known as Richard 23, replaced Bergen in 1983. Front 242 gravitated from synth pop to its more signature combination of electronic dance and industrial music, known as electonic body music (EBM). The music grew in popularity, but eventually Front 242 went on hiatus in 1993, with sporadic regroupings over the years. Front 242's eighth and most recent album is 2003's Pulse. Front 242 presently consists of de Meyer, Bressanutti, Codenys, Jonckheere and drummer Tim Kroker.

Considering the multi-layered thickness of current EBM music and the lavish productions of current dance music producers, Front 242's headlining performance at Irving Plaza tonight was raw and even primitive. The bare-boned music was devoid of guitars and bass, entirely performed on synths and percussion, with bristling vocals that were ominous, abrasive and menacing. The appeal here was more to the goths and underground followers than to a mass population of pop followers, so the sound throbbed harder, darker and edgier than what is played typically at dance clubs. There is an audience for this aggressive style of music, but is that audience large enough to sustain Front 242? Hopefully yes.

Visit Front 242 at www.front242.com.

Setlist

1. Moldavia
2. Take One
3. 7Rain
4. Religion
5. Body To Body
6. Quite Unusual
7. Together
8. Lovely Day
9. Commando Mix
10. U-Men
11. Headhunter
12. Im Rhythmus Bleiben
13. Welcome To Paradise

Encore:

1. Kampfbereit
2. W.Y.H.I.W.Y.G. (snippet)
3. Master Hit