Adult

If punk had been born in '97 instead of '77, Adult would be punk. Even now, if we stretch our imagination and swap out their dark techno kick drum for a savagely strummed electric guitar chord, Adult are punk, especially on their last two records, the EP "D.U.M.E." and the album "Gimme Trouble" (both for Thrill Jockey), which break with their storied past of acid techno and proto-electroclash in favor of a clear conversion toward their lifelong inspirations, punk and new wave music, in synthetic form.

Curious to hear how the world's only true techno-punk-wave band sounds live? We tell you about their Bologna show, the final date of an Italian tour that also stopped in Milan and Naples.

If the alienating, alienated location of the new Link seemed in theory like the ideal stage for Adult's music, the organizational chaos and the crowd — as disengaged as the venue itself — quickly make us think otherwise: unfortunately, the truth is that if you want to hear a bit of underground techno, the Link is your only option, and you'd better go by car (otherwise getting back into the city can turn into quite an ordeal). It's half past two when I regret, for the umpteenth time, ordering a cocktail in a club, and then they arrive, unmistakable: Jack Volpine, tall and gawky as a nerd, and Nicola Kuperus, a cross between Annie Lennox and Siouxsie Sioux on the set of "Blade Runner", the cult vocalist of the best techno productions of the last decade (her turn on Death In Vegas' "Hands Around My Throat" is unforgettable), the benchmark for that supremely cool, atonal, detached new-wave tone she helped bring back into fashion — in short, a legend.

Just to be clear, Detroit's Adult are strictly a duo. In their most recent productions they've also brought in a certain Sam Consiglio on guitar, but that didn't last long (it's no surprise he's listed on the night's flyer too; what's less understandable is that the same mistake turns up in publications you'd expect to be a bit more precise). The gear is the same as ever: a huge synthesizer-mixer, a Moog, a Casio keyboard, a pitch-black electric bass and, of course, a distorted microphone exactly as heard on "D.U.M.E."

Adult have been on the circuit for a while now, and onstage they show just the right mix of conviction and ease. Jack is serious, robotic on the keyboards, loose and excellent on bass; Nicola is utterly burnt-out, her age impossible to pin down anywhere between 30 and 50, sporting a metalhead look, leaning slightly forward like a drunken Debbie Harry, at once friendly and detached: she waves, comes down to sing among the loose-knit crowd, but stares at everyone with wide, unsettling eyes, the perfect interpreter of a sound that's increasingly Virgin Prunes and less and less Kraftwerk. Indeed, musically, Adult have changed quite a bit: the arrangements are drier now rather than acidic, the glitches are gone, the bass is fast à-la Ramones, and the vocals are no longer sung by a chilly android but by an alienated Siouxsie... And live, that's exactly what they are, playing a few tracks from "D.U.M.E.", including "Don't Talk" and the extremely powerful "Get Me Out", with the rest drawn from "Gimme Trouble" (I'd like to be more specific, but in my defense I can say they all sound a bit alike).

Theirs is a fascinating shift, if a rather one-note one, especially for anyone still in love with techno-glitch albums like "Resuscitation" or "Anxiety Always". A small group in the front row gives it a try, chanting "put on / my pressure suit!". Nicola smiles, seemingly taking the hint, but shortly after, Adult launch into a mocking "D.U.M.E. version" of a track like "Put On My Pressure Suit", which sounded completely different on record. Unfortunately, hearing Nicola's voice so relentlessly whiny, aside from making you miss the old material, after a while also has you checking your watch. The show, however, lasts only an hour, which makes for a less painful experience — one that would be a breath of fresh air for the scattered punk-wavers otherwise stuck at dark-gothic nights, but which proves too heavy-handed for everyone else, despite the undeniable skill of a now-historic lineup.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google