by Angel Park
Glam punk rockers The Birthday Massacre and Emilie Autumn headlined an extravagant performance on Sunday night at the Theater of The Living Arts. Fans from all over crowded in for a better view of the two groups, taking in all the elaborate stage pieces and costumes that filled both sets.
Opener The Birthday Massacre hit the stage right at 8:00 on the dot, kicking things off with tracks from their Pins and Needles and Hide and Seek albums. Each member was clad head to toe in dark, industrial clothes, which fit perfectly with the group’s heavily composed songs. Singer/frontwoman Chibi revealed a more graceful stage presence compared to her peers, however, and twirled and danced between tracks in her black lace dress while other band members headbanged away.
The Birthday Massacre (photo credit, Angel Park)
“Guys, I think this is really the best show we’ve played,” she quipped during their last song, “Thank you all!”
That said, the band closed on a note loud enough to send a screech through the speakers, and the lights go down. It’s at this point where several roadies hop on stage, pulling and pushing to set up for Emilie Autumn. Everyone held their breath as an ancient looking tea table and two rusty, tall cages are put up. These decorations created an eerie, asylum like style to it, and when Autumn walks on, it’s clear why.
She has brought us a mad house.
Emilie Autumn (photo credit, Angel Park)
Following the opening chords to her newest single, “Fight Like a Girl,” two of Autumn ’s backup dancers are introduced. These two women go by the character names of Moth, and Naughty Veronica. Both wore costumes littered with jewels, lace, and feathers, with Autumn ’s being the most elaborate of them all. Her mohawk and feather hairpiece mix placed on her head stood out the whole set, and the antics didn’t stop there. In between the rest of the songs there would be little play like bits of dialogue between Autumn, Moth, and Veronica. As the story went on, the three characters were revealed to be a part of the ‘The Asylum for Victorian Wayward Girls.” Autumn been locked in this mental institution for various reasons of insanity, the set followed the girls during their time behind bars. Emilie used the decorated set to her advantage, even going so far as to climb the bars during songs such as “Time for Tea” and “Take the Pill.” The most intriguing thing about the entire show was how each song related to one of the characters and how interactive they were with the crowd, with both Autumn and Veronica going so far as to bring audience members on stage to involve them with different parts of the story.
It’s safe to say that everyone embraced their madness that night.
