LIVE REVIEW: LEBANON HANOVER + DJ RICHARD WARMAN @ THE TRIFFID 17/09/26
Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
It is not often that you can say a band or musicians were better live than on recording, but with Lebanon Hanover you can. As a newbie to the world of the darkwave post-punk duo Lebanon Hanover, I was unsure what to expect from a live performance. I had been told by other fans at concerts that Larissa Iceglass (aka Larissa Georgiou) and William Maybelline are amazing, and they encouraged me to go to the gig at The Triffid. So, I did!
The night started off pretty mellow, with local DJ Richard Warman, as he spun some appropriate songs. The Triffid was turned into a purple lit dance floor as the crowd gathered to dance and warm up to an increasingly punchy set of music around goth and metal styles. The set was designed around music nerds with dark and broad tastes: songs from Kate Bush, The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Depeche Mode, Sisters Of Mercy, and The Cramps featured. The mix of indie, dance, retro, rock, industrial and goth that spanned a ton of genres still felt cohesive. It was like a mini nightclub experience before the live show. The volume increased as the crowd filed in to fill the venue.
The lights went dark. The crowd a mix of goths, heavy rockers, fans of electronica and the musical curious of all ages, hushed. Lebanon Hanover came out onto the stage and started their performance with driving bass and electric guitars blazing as the electronic backing tracks underpinned ‘A Very Good Life’.
Lebanon Hanover is a Swiss and British musical union. The duo takes their name from the neighbouring towns of Lebanon and Hanover in New Hampshire in the USA. Lebanon Hanover has been musically active since 2010, and their music deals in dark and minimal aesthetics, taking cues from the post-punk and goth rock of the 1980s. It is grounded in organic instruments fusing with electronics. Whether you call it ‘Darkwave’, ‘Cold Wave’ or ‘Synthwave’, its origins are in indie punk-rock and electronic dance music that has turned into goth genres.
Lebanon Hanover imparted their glacial tones into The Triffid much to the delight of those in attendance. The second song of the night, ‘Ice Cave’, set the tone. There were ebbs and flows in the pace and moods of the soundscapes. The duo swapped vocal duties and instruments, as they delivered those icy tones, dark vocal fry, driving basslines with shredding guitar, both electric and acoustic, brooding robotic drums that added unexpected heaviness.
Larissa Iceglass played electric guitar, keyboard and acoustic guitar. William Maybelline took over the parts with electric bass, keyboard or danced wildly across the stage during the faster songs. The songs ‘Die Word’, ‘Saddest Smile’, ‘Kyiv’ and ‘Better Than Going Under’ were performed within halos of lights as the crowd swayed along. The crowd was totally absorbed by the music, and the duo were very much tuned into their musical performance.
The set started to intensify when the first chords of the goth synth-pop song ‘Kiss Me Until My Lips Fall Off’ were delivered to a huge crowd reaction. However, it was the superb ‘Albatross’ that was the set highlight. The song was delivered so well, and it caused the goths behind me to perform the dance moves from the music video. ‘No One Holds Hands’ followed before the three core songs of the set were delivered to the adoring crowd: the dancey ‘True Romantics’, then the brilliant ‘Sadness Is Rebellion’ as the set hit its peak with the hugely popular ‘Gallowdance’. The song’s driving melody and ghostly vocals are reminiscent of the early 1980s as Lebanon Hanover channelled it through their music.
At the end of the song, the duo addressed the crowd with a “Thank you, Brissy”. The duo didn’t chat much as the set rolled on with the German language ‘Kunst’ delivered next. Then, the dark EDM with dark gritty vocals brought in “Brisbane is 100% ‘Totally Tot’’. Then, the last song of the regulation set was played, ‘Alien’, before Lebanon Hanover left the stage.
There was a call out by the crowd for an encore as the ‘Babes of The 80’s’ got down to ‘Come Kali Come’ and its ominous synth tones. It had a metallic tone with off-kilter percussion and was nothing short of fantastically spine-chilling and eerie.
Lebanon Hanover was an absolute treat.
