He’d been a bit too quick to swear it was all over for him: during his last visit to Paris as the headline act, Daniel Graves explained to us in an interview that Aesthetic Perfection would no longer tour unless it made financial sense. It seems that playing to tens of thousands of people as the support act for Lindemann enabled his project to break through a certain glass ceiling and reach a new audience: tonight, a long queue is forming to get into Backstage by the Mill, which is packed to the rafters. It’s a far cry from that not-quite-full Petit Bain show back in 2023 and we must therefore congratulate Garmonbozia on its flair and for taking the initiative to organise this new date.
Rammstein T-shirts everywhere, semi-muggles used to big venues wondering what on earth this tiny place is all about, people who don’t speak French: now that’s a change from the usual crew of regular Parisian goths who, tonight, are wondering just what is this big crowd – turning out in droves to witness the antics of Graves and his colleagues! With Priest as the support act, we’re warming up our bums – it’s going to be a wiggly night! Graves has already described his music as an uninhibited fusion of Combichrist and stuff like Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake. So here we go: tonight, it’s Justin Tomberlake, Britney Dispears, Lady Gagoth, Eiffel 666...
PRIEST
Already, the crowd is piling up in front of the stage for Priest. With their look, the three Swedes are bound to draw attention even before you’ve had a chance to listen to their blend of retro synthpop and synthwave, with its ever-present geeky and horror-inspired influences. On their studio album, their openly kitsch and bright music perhaps lacks a touch of edge and darkness to fully captivate our withered hearts. Live, however, Priest have a knack for winning over the audience in no time. The intro reprises Jeroen Tel’s score for the video game Supremacy: Your Will Be Done – also known as Overlord - which was also covered by Master Boot Record. When Linton Rubino, alias Mercury, takes to the stage, the synth layers – somewhere between Italian giallo and sci-fi film – morph into an EBM/pop hybrid with The Pit. The master of ceremonies struts about like a possessed man in his latex cassock, whilst the little red LED attached to his mask shoots out lasers. If Clive Barker had directed Terminator and the soundtrack consisted of Lady Gaga’s remixes of Depeche Mode, it might sound a bit like Priest.
There are indeed hints of Dave Gahan in this theatrical singing, particularly during Demon’s Call or the sombre The Cross. The recent Python – the sort of track whose infectious energy provokes the wildest and most exuberant dancing imaginable – makes us realise what Priest are really missing: a massive skull shaped disco ball suspended above them. That would look the part. “Merci, Français” says the priest. “Is that what you call entertainment? Back in the day days, we would call it vaudeville”: the end is drawing near, but before that, the EBM intensity of Vaudeville and its ultra-catchy chorus will have us working up a few more beads of sweat.
With its openly retro approach, borrowing the 80s fetishism of synthwave, Priest’s show is indeed entertaining. Dance, this is my body; drink, this is my sound – that is the message these three figures, their bodies clad in shimmering black and undulating beneath the spotlights, seem to be sending us. A flashy affair whose venom lies hidden behind timeless pop hooks, drum machines and an outrageous look: all the ingredients to make the grumpy ones grumble and the fun-loving ones laugh. In short, a perfectly fitting introduction to Aesthetic Perfection!
AESTHETIC PERFECTION
Since that last headline gig three years earlier, quite a lot has happened with Aesthetic Perfection… though it wouldn’t exactly be fair to call it a complete upheaval. The gig actually kicks off in exactly the same way than the last time: Gods & Gold and the power of its riffs amplified by the two guitars on stage, S.E.X., Rhythm + Control… Daniel Graves, hidden beneath his hideous bucket hat, works his magic, stringing together unstoppable hits and facial grimaces in equal measure, transforming his “eeeeee” into his trademark “èéééèéèéèéé” and getting the crowd to chant “oooh-ooooh, oooh-ooooh” over and over – lyrics the French audience seems perfectly capable of remembering! Around him, the line-up has been revamped and the band now performs as a four-piece with Julia Pierce, alias NOIZITH, and Lore Jarocinski sharing guitars and keyboards, and Aggelos Karatzas on drums.
Then, the band takes a break. Aesthetic Perfection have honed their show, and the setlist is divided into several acts – an opportunity to change costumes several times and catch their breath, even if it means breaking up the rhythm a little. The floral shirt is a sure-fire sign: it’s time for Summer Goth, a prank as delightful as it is unbearable, which sums up Aesthetic Perfection rather well with its blend of glitzy sequins and darker impulses. Beach balls are thrown into the crowd… who rush to grab and keep them rather than play with them. Those Rammstein fans sure are a passionate lot and they mean business when there’s a chance to snag some goodies! It’s actually quite surprising to see the reception given to Daniel Graves: there’s a real sense of fanaticism in the air, an idolisation of the man that’s as pleasing to witness as it is raises some questions… Admittedly, after more than two decades in the business, this odd, tall chap with such an unconventional style and a message far more interesting than the simple, facile clichés that cynics see in his work has certainly earned his moment; but on the other hand, well, it also creates a sense of distanciation that’s rare in a venue of this scale – and that’s down more to the audience than to the band. Curious.
And yet, Daniel and his bandmates give it their all. For a bloke who has repeatedly said he doesn’t feel at ease on stage and doesn’t particularly enjoy performing live, Graves is nonetheless a generous entertainer. Older tracks more in keeping with the band’s aggrotech period (the frenzied Schendenfreude, the more nuanced The Ones and Siren) sit alongside recent singles, including Sorrow, produced in collaboration with Swarm. Notably absent is Rorschach, a recent track featuring Priest, which has not (yet?) had the honour of being performed live.
The industrial metal steamrollers that are We Bring the Beat and Into the Void seem, consciously or not, to have learnt from Aesthetic Perfection’s success as Lindemann’s support act, as the guitars are now consistently given centre stage, in keeping with an audience expecting heavy riffs. And it works a treat! The show is really fun. It's fun because the music is effective as hell. It's fun because Graves is entertaining the crowd, whether by getting everyone to wave their arms in the air about 387 times or with his display of tacky outfits, notably a tracksuit straight out of the 90s as seen in the Into the Void music video – about which he admits he hadn’t realised it would be 'so fucking hot' when he first thought of wearing it on stage!
Yet one of the most powerful and surprising moments of the concert came during the final act, when Graves returned to the stage in his old look, wearing his old ‘so 2010s’ cap, to perform All Beauty Destroyed alone. Left on his own without his bandmates, accompanied only by a few piano notes, he’s no longer playing the clown, nor is he facing the audience: seen in profile, you can sense his concentration. We’re then reminded of that sincere Daniel, the one who admits to feeling anxious in front of a crowd, and we recognise him clearly there, without his clownish facial expressions, without his hit songs. And that Daniel really delivers. The audience falls silent; Rammstein fans think to themselves, “Oh, well, that’s a change, but it’s not bad either.” The regulars know this is a rare moment and appreciate it for what it’s worth.
We leave the Backstage with a mix of emotions that are hard to untangle. Aesthetic Perfection, as ever, guarantees an uninhibited show, where humour and the desire to entertain do not detract from sincerity, and on stage everyone takes care to give the audience the best possible experience. It’s also a great pleasure to see that, after so many years, the unapologetic excesses of Daniel Graves’s highly distinctive style seem to have finally found a wider audience – something he thoroughly deserves. Nevertheless, we leave with the impression that the project is currently in a transitional phase, a liminal space where it’s already being treated by its audience as the much bigger thing it could, at last, become. Seeing an artist who could be considered a cult figure amongst a select circle of insiders on the verge of becoming a true, adored icon after all this time is certainly exciting, but it doesn’t come without a certain sense of loss – like a weird little secret that never belonged to us anyway and that we now have to share! We wouldn’t dare claim it outright, but as he raised a glass to celebrate this sold-out gig, Daniel Graves almost seemed to be enjoying himself: perhaps if things keep going this well, he’ll eventually get a taste for it!
