- It's time to fight. Wikileaks leads the headlines amid increasingly common stories of piracy, suicide bombs, illegal wars, Berlusconi's Bunga Bunga orgies, corruption from as far afield as FIFA to Egyptian elections, not to mention the continuing crises, strikes and high unemployment in many countries. As such, the timing of Atari Teenage Riot's return couldn't be more profound. It's been a long time coming. The tragic drug overdose of MC Carl Crack in 2001 and the painful split with Hanin Elias in 2002, both founding members, might have derailed the band, but Alec Empire and Nic Endo have kindled the fire of rebellion all these years. Now the fire is ablaze again with the added help of new member MC CX KiDTRONiK, a new single "Activate" and an imminent album.
On disc, ATRs digital hardcore sound has always been special, but it's live where they really excel. It takes only a few seconds of performance to realise how relevant and hungry this music still is. Songs like "Destroy 2000 Years of Culture," "Get Up While You Can," "Into the Death" and "Speed" fly thick and fast, but it's not merely overload and aggression. There's a sentiment and commitment inside the maelstrom.
The pounding techno is cut and pasted with furious breakbeats, downtempo hip-hop and ambient noise in perfect proportions, giving rise to both monstrous peaks and welcome, yet brief respite. To maintain the urgency and manic energy, the group switch between vocal duties, rallying the crowd and music making. Teamwork is clearly a key component, as is the physicality and a certain degree of choreography to their stage presence. But a group like ATR never stoop to self-imitation or parody.
As if to prove it, they make sure they play and not just push buttons, jamming out the ghostly end of "U.S. Fade Away" and letting MC CX KiDTRONiK improvise beats on a sampler. Empire, too, both crowdsurfs and patiently resists the catcalls of the demanding crowd between tracks to emphasise the political message of the group. His poise is one of respect and fraternity. And there was still enough gas in the tank to finish the four song encore with a version of "Revolution Action" and "Start the Riot." Finishing at a demarcated beginning like this clearly means something to the group. Now that the show is over, they want you to go out and spread the word.