Nine Inch Nails: Brixton Academy, London 04 Jul 2005

Industrialized Spinal Tap cocoons line the rear of the stage. No band members locked within (thank freck), as is obvious, when cocoons blow out into the blinding stud lights that they are. Nine Inch Nails, i.e. Trent Reznor and this year’s crew, are now on stage.

Style wise, Reznor now resembles a dark world Springsteen, with muscles bulging around a sleeveless black shirt, tousled hair curling round the neck and a layer of sweat already dripping. This is most definitely not a good thing. But ‘Terrible Lie’ is. All thoughts of The Boss disappear as he gives this track from first album ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ the voice of unique timbre that is Reznor.

From the raw power of ‘Terrible Lie’ to the angst ridden delicacy of ‘Something I Can Never Have’ in a few easy moves. Excellent, fantastic, the reason I was here. To be standing 15 feet away from this voice, this song. A song that let me rip up my very cross teenage heart at will. Life back then could seem so shit and this tune made it powerfully shit, which was great! The Nostalgia-fest was in full swing now and I was always going go home a happy-angst boy.

‘Gave Up’ from the Broken EP – gave us the wall of noise that Eyeballkid’s is forever seeking. Rousing, charged and damn fine therapy as Reznor shrieked the line: “It took you to make me see the light” again and again. Gothic blood vessels should have been popping like corn.

We got out of pit before the heat destroyed all sense of being. Not being dead centre at this venue can mean a loss of sound quality; therefore ‘Star Fucker’ was left with a slightly rancid beginning to mine ears. However, with an unexpected, but sweet, quirk of humour, we get a chorus of, ‘You’re So Vain’ spliced in, before a roaring runway of a finish and my audio concerns are forgotten.

Again, in marked contrast and perhaps to give those in the pit time to gather their feet before the finale; ‘Hurt’ – a tune posthumously stolen by Johnny Cash in recent times but not tonight; haunting doesn’t cover it.

All in all, a lengthy set filled with a fine repertoire of classics (special mention for ‘Dead Souls’ originally by Joy Division) and the new (which may not have been fully appreciated by this slightly skewed review). Reznor may well be in midlife crisis and have spectacular new biceps, but if he continues to play ‘Head like a Hole’ to finish his gigs, he can’t go far wrong.

words: Pat Reidy

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