The Cat Club is not so much a hole-in-the-wall bar as it is a pinprick. The constraining stage on this legendary Hollywood venue allows a four or five-piece band just enough wiggle room for some unadulterated, adrenaline-induced headbanging; it may not be big enough for a tango, but standing musicians won’t have to worry about knocking each other off stage as long as they flail within their spots. Inches from the stage are rows of booths offering a pleasing up-close-and-personal proximity to the amplifiers. Immediately behind that, every 21+ patron’s favorite aspect, the liquor emporium counter.
I walked into the nearly empty pad to immediately learn the opening act, Anesthetic Frank, pulled a no-show. Up-and-coming L.A. industrial rockers Siva Noir were already plugging in the final touches on their rigs before promptly diving into album highlight “Angel Descent” for a sound check. The sound man made his adjustments, boosting singer Lexi Newman’s mic and turning down Kent Hutchison’s guitar.
What the hell were you thinking, Sound Man? Lost amidst Newman’s soaring voice and the busy rhythm section were Hutchison’s distorted guitar and Chris Ridenhour’s versatile keyboards. My eyes were registering five people, but my ears, only three. It couldn’t have been the booze – I was only one beer deep. Ultimately, the set had a strong foundation, but any textural layers proved pointless during the band’s many forte romps. On the positive side, Newman’s voice was crystal clear, a pivotal sound maker-or-breaker for small venue shows.
Siva Noir began the night with “The Hunger,” the power-driving opener from their eponymous debut album, whose release was celebrated Saturday night. It was a fitting introduction for any Siva newbies: tucked in a shadowy corner of the stage, Ridenhour broke the silence with the first gentle synth melodies (in one of the rare, quiet instances we could hear it), accompanied by Newman’s somber voice. Then, the bass drum kicked in under the ominous guitar lick; Siva made it clear that they weren’t here to play for a lite-FM crowd. Other album highlights “Angel Descent” and “Theatre of Pain” followed up for a nice kick-start to the set. The band seems to have found a solid middle ground between rock, industrial metal, and electronica. They’re hard-hitting and futuristic in the vein of Muse, but there are certain operatic shades to their exaggeratedly dark sound.
In a cat-like prancing, Newman occasionally utilized what little room she had on stage to accentuate her snarling, grandiose voice. But that little room was too much for the band. Aside from bassist Xander Lott’s persistant head-bopping, they often stared at the accumulating audience like concrete statues unaware of the musical energy blaring from their P.A. system. On “In Your Heart,” Newman howls, “Am I getting through to you?!” The music is, Lexi, but where’s the stage gumption and energy to match it?
Perhaps they read minds, because Siva closed the 35-minute set with a very animated performance of “Crawl,” a non-album track well received by the now-congested room, an impressive response for a crowd subjected to the band’s lugubrious and misery-laden sound. While a short set, it was tightly-played. The band’s choice set-list cut to the core of who they are. If they can just supplement some vitality into future performances, they might be able to harness more amazed reactions in bigger venues.
by Jory Spadea
[Photo: Matt Ponichtera]
