Man... or Astro-Man? has an unearthly appeal
If visitors from outer space were to stop by the greater Houston area, what would they do in their spare time?
Concertgoers at Fitzgerald's found out the answer to that question when Man... or Astro-man? appeared with opening bands the Sad Pigmys and the Subsonics on April 15. The band, which claims to originate from outer space and to have sold over a billion records in the 21st century, returned to the current time period in order to promote its latest release, Experiment Zero .
The band (actually from Alabama) employed the outer space gimmick to its fullest. From an elaborate stage setup featuring six TVs and coil after coil of wire attached to the band's space suits and helmets, the band focused on visual entertainment. Throughout the 75 minute set, two video projectors ran everything from cartoons to science fiction movies against the back of the stage; the video sequences were sometimes synchronized to portions of songs.
This is not to say that the visual effects overshadowed the music. Man... or Astro-man? opened the set with a blistering version of "Television Fission" and continued to rock throughout the night, playing mostly songs from their new album. Only two numbers from the previously released Destroy All Astroman -- "9 Volt" and "Destination Venus" -- contained vocals, but the ferocious punk sound of the four-piece group kept the crowd into the show nevertheless.
Skilled guitar playing highlighted the show. Lead guitarist Starcrunch stood out among the four members of the band, all of whom are extremely talented musicians. It takes skill to put on a rock concert without vocals, and the riffs laid down by Starcrunch allowed Man... or Astro-man? to pull off the feat.
Bassist CoCo the Electronic Monkey Wizard took up the role of front man for the group by taunting hecklers and tossing a variety of snacks to the audience. He was the focal point of the stage antics. At one point CoCo seemed to fall victim to Earth's gravity and was stuck in slow motion for a couple of songs.
Fortunately, CoCo snapped himself out of it by placing a television on his head and running amuck throughout the bar, breaking one patron's glasses in the process. Needless to say, the crowd was delighted to see CoCo back in his usual form.
The low point of the night was the first opening band. The Sad Pygmys' attempt to offset their lack of musical talent with sheer volume failed miserably. However, the Subsonics put on a good show featuring a pure rock 'n' roll sound reminiscent of the Cramps.
Man... or Astro-man? ended their set with an up-tempo version of "Planet Collision." As the crowd chanted for more, CoCo returned onstage pushing a three-foot tall tesla coil that damn near killed a few people in the front row. Leaving encores for earth bands, Man... or Astro-man? then returned to their spaceship, their duty completed.
Great music, a great stage show and free food courtesy of CoCo the Electronic Monkey Wizard: You can't find a better $7 show.
Man... or Astro-man? may never make it big on this planet, but the crowd at Fitzgerald's was more than happy that they dropped by this solar system on Monday.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the April 26, 1996 issue.
Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights
Reserved.
This document may be distributed
electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety
and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted
without the express written permission of:
The Rice
Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.
The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@rice.edu