words by Lauren Jackson, photos by Greg Cristman

Psychic TV @ Europa

Psychic TV assembled something of a hodgepodge of people sporting vampire fangs, black clothing and, of course, a fair share of pale, sad faces at Europa on December 15th (one of three December PTV shows. The other two were in Chicago and Austin).

An attendee with no previous knowledge of their legacy might think they were in for a dark and dismal performance, but this latest manifestation of the experimental outfit was undoubtedly more colorful than the people in attendance. Although the band played a set of entirely new songs, the crowd (and I, alike) thoroughly enjoyed the psychedelic spectacle on stage. Through guitar solos and graphic projections, the focal point of the set was always on Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, the only remaining original member.

Genesis conducted the band like a cult ceremony - frenetic at times with vaguely epileptic gestures, and subtle at others. They performed all new "deeply psychedelic" material. Pairing that along with Genesis' heavy presence and ten minute guitar solos, it was easy to fall into a trance. Watching them perform, I was hardly aware of where I was or what was going on, but kept focus solely on how elastic the music sounded.

It was a peculiar follow to the two opening bands, Cult of Youth and Bryin Dall. The night started strong with Cult of Youth performing an impassioned neofolk set that felt more like a sermon than a performance, thanks to frontman Sean Ragon. That fire sputtered a bit with the solo set by Genesis's Thee Majesty band-mate Bryin Dall, but came back strong during the Psychic TV experience.

I suspect it's not the Psychic TV many hoped to see, but the night left me satisfied.

More pictures and setlists, below...

Continue reading "Psychic TV, Bryin Dall & Cult of Youth @ Europa (pics, setlists)"

Chelsea Wolfe @ St Vitus (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Well, technically it's not a CMJ show, but it's during CMJ. Chelsea Wolfe (and her full band) plays Europa on Wednesday, October 19th. Tickets are on sale. Stay tuned for more dates and Brooklyn show details TBA.

Cult of Youth are opening for Psychic TV at Europa on December 15. Tickets are on sale.

Chelsea Wolfe made her NYC debut, before a headlining set by Cult of Youth, at St. Vitus in August. Psychic TV (sort of) played a show in Manhattan on the same night.

by BBG

Psychic TV at Europa (more by Greg Cristman)

Psychic TV will perform "Live In Thee Wierd" at Home Sweet Home (131 Chrystie St) TONIGHT (8/17), a rare show that will see Genesis team with Kevin Hufnagel (!) and Martial Canterel (!) to perform "classic trax from the albums Force the Hand of Chance (1982), Dreams Less Sweet (1983), A Pagan Day (1984), and Allegory & Self (1988)" at Midnight. $15 gets you in, more details are at the Facebook invite. Update: the Facebook event is dead or private and there's no mention of the show on Wierd's website, but we did confirm that this show tonight is Genesis acoustic (not the full band).

Psychic TV (the full band) will play their annual end of year show at Europa, most likely on December 15th according to Genesis. Update: Tickets are on sale.

In related news, Kevin Hufnagel (Dysrhythmia, Gorguts) will team with Mick Barr (Orthrelm, Krallice) and Andrew Hock (Castevet) to play a rare solo guitar show on 8/29 at Zebulon. The show is FREE with suggested donation, and kicks off at 9PM. Mick Barr will release his new LP Coiled Malescence via Safety Meeting Records. Preorder it now.

Krallice play Union Pool on 9/17 with Urfaust, Black Anvil, and Ruin Lust. Tickets are still available.

photos by Greg Cristman

"OUR DEAR AND HEARTLOVED COUMPANION IN CREATION...Peter Martin "Sleazy" Christopherson, who chose to drop his body on November 24th 2010, laid at rest and then was cremated in Bangkok 7 days later. We feel consoled and comforted to know that another very dear friend BEE (who lives in Bangkok) was able to be there, as was JENKS.

Apart from participating in the vigil as loving representatives of us all, Bee took these photographs as a memorial document. In our grief, we naturally crave evidence to fulfill our inescapable need to believe something that seems to be an irreversible finality cannot TRULY be so. And, of course, our gift from Sleazy is one we can see all around us. Thousands of flowerings of empathy and love. Each of us taking that facet of Sleazy that is most precious to our personal understanding of him and amplifying it within our own mind, through Creation, adding our own frequencies to those of Sleazy so that his most favorite of Nature's elements may grow ever brighter, ever purer and ever whiter...LIGHT! -BREYER P-ORRIDGE nyc 2010

Though "Sleazy" and Genesis were playing together again recently in TG, Christpherson hasn't been a member of PTV since the 80's, so though there was no denying Pete's spirit was in the air Thursday night at Europa (12/09), and that Genesis is affected by his passing, it was business as usual for Psychic TV at their lone-US show for 2010.

Psychic TV did have a new guitarist named Jeff Berner though, and he played an impressive and extended solo on "Maggot Brain", one of six songs the Genesis-led group played over two hours. The full setlist is below.

Beaut, 4th Sign Of The Apocalypse (featuring Bryin Dall of Thee Majesty) and Ariana Reines opened the show. Ariana did a brief acoustic set followed by a vulgar spoken word set that most people were talking through. She screamed at people to shut up, but most people ignored her.

More pictures and setlists from the show are below...

Continue reading "Psychic TV played Europa (pics & setlist) "

Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson (1955 - 2010) (photo by Greg Cristman)

Throbbing Gristle sadly report:

We are saddened to announce the death of Peter Christopherson.
Sleazy passed away peacefully in his sleep on the
24th November 2010 at his home in Bankok.

Throbbing Gristle recently ended a tour early, but were still scheduled to play ATP's upcoming The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Throbbing Gristle played multiple NYC reunion shows in 2009. Those were at Le Poisson Rouge and Brooklyn Masonic Temple (more than once).

by BBG

Psychic TV at Europa (more by Zach Dilgard)

Psychic TV has added a show at Europa on December 9th, the "only US performance of 2010". Tickets go on sale Friday (8/20) at noon.

Genesis P-Orridge is also scheduled to hit the road with Throbbing Gristle in the coming months. The band will play select European Dates including their recently announced appearance at ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas with Godspeed You Black Emperor, Neurosis, Weird Al, and a ton of others. Get yer tix.

Full ATP Nightmare Before Christmas lineup, all Throbbing Gristle dates and some video is below...

Continue reading "Psychic TV schedules a show, Throbbing Gristle playing Godspeed You Black Emperor-curated UK ATP (final lineup) "

Cold Cave @ Market Hotel during CMJ (more by Leia Jospe)

Cold Cave will be playing a free show this Tuesday, December 15th - the VBS.TV Holiday Party with Small Black at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Nick Gazin will be the DJ. The show is 21+; RSVP here to get on the list.

Cold Cave are also playing another holiday bash this Friday, though it's in Philly. The party, hosted by Making Time (aka the some of the same people who put on Fixed and who put on that other pool party last summer), will be at the Voyeur on Friday, December 18th. Tickets are $2 at the door. Flyer below.

In February, Cold Cave have a full slate of tour dates lined up. Those start with a Thursday, February 4th show at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Tourmates Nite Jewel will be there, as will the legendary Psychic TV aka Genesis Breyer P-Orridge's post-Throbbing Gristle project. No ticket info yet.

UPDATE: I'm told that the show with Psychic TV is not confirmed. Stay tuned for more info.

UPDATE 2: The NYC show is on February 4th, but without Psychic TV and at Mercury Lounge.

Psychic TV just toured overseas for the final time in November.

"This will be the last tour of PsychicTV/PTV3. Genesis Breyer P-Orridge is retiring from touring in any and all bands including TG to concentrate on art, writing and music. Genesis will still consider one-off projects if they are unique, interesting or challenging. S/HE will also continue to work with Tony Conrad occasionally on violin duets and perform expanded poetry projects with Thee Majesty.

PTV3 are rejoined by ALICE GENESE on bass for this last detour and as DAVID MAX Max just became father to a daughter, ONNA Israel Max, he will be replaced by lead guitarist JEFF BUNSEN BERNER."

All tour dates and flyers are below...

Continue reading "Cold Cave playing free NYC show Tues & for $2 in Philly ++ touring w/ Nite Jewel & playing NYC in Feb??"

photos by Lori Baily

GENESIS BREYER P-ORRIDGE | 30 YEARS OF BEING CUT UP

"30 Years of Being Cut Up" is a three decade retrospective of photomontage and Expanded Polaroids, which includes many works never exhibited before, as well as a sampling of P-Orridge's early Mail Art. The show will mark the culmination of a new, re-emergent phase in BREYER P-ORRIDGE's life. He/r career -- and most particularly he/r recent pursuit of pandrogyny -- tests the limits of transgression and traces the tragic fate of the underground, proving again the expressive power and pervasive influence of those artists who take the world not as it comes to them -- sensible, orthodox, predictable -- but as they would like it to be.

P-Orridge will be on the road with Psychic TV this fall, with European dates in September and November. Before that, s/he plays with Thee Majesty on the first night of Santos' Musicka Mystica Festival which runs on September 21st and 22nd.

Back in April, Genesis got back together with he/r old band Throbbing Gristle to play a bunch of shows. That included a major festival and three in NYC - April 16th at Brooklyn Masonic Temple, April 17th at Le Poisson Rouge, April 19th at Coachella, and then again back at the Masonic Temple on April 28th. In light of all the coverage we were giving them at the time, I let our set of pictures from that final show go unposted. I even had something written that included mention of the crazy, voluptous, pierced and topless lady in the balcony who you can see from afar, while she still had her bra on, in one of Lori's pictures that are, now finally, below (you can literally say I saved them for a rainy day).

All upcoming Psychic TV tour dates (with a radio session clip from last year), and more info on the art show, are below too...

Continue reading "Genesis Breyer P-Orridge exhibit in NY, Psychic TV touring Europe ++ a set of lost Throbbing Gristle pics (w/ NSFW lady)"

photos by Zach Dilgard

"Last night, they played "New York Story" in honor of Lady Jaye, who died fairly recently. She was a member of the band and Gen's wife/collaborator. You could see the tears in Gen's eyes as s/he was singing it. The whole band had to take a moment and cry a bit after the song ended. The song and its accompanying video art always get to me. But this particular performance was the most touching and genuine moment I've ever experienced via live music.

And it was so cathartic. After the band, and the audience, paid tribute and got it out of their system...the rest of the show was pure joy." [Worship the Glitch]

Continue reading "Psychic TV @ Europa, Brooklyn, NY - pics"

Genesis being dragged off stage @ Webster Hall

That's Genesis P-Orridge being dragged off stage at the summer Butthole Surfers show after BHS frontman Gibby Haynes was removed from the building for allegedly assaulting a sound guy. Butthole Surfers are playing another NYC show in December and that reminded me that Genesis has a Psychic TV show coming up this Sunday, November 9th at Europa in Brooklyn. And Genesis says,

In addition to having copies of the new PTV3 CD + DVD release "Mr. Alien Brain Vs. The Skinwalkers" plus the limited edition vinyl x 2 edition. We will be having a "fire sale" featuring t-shirts, vintage posters, 7" singles, CDs and collectible items all at blowout prices to clear overstock from our storage and archives. Everything priced to sell!! Make sure to check out the merchandise area at the show!!

Also coming up at Europa: The Dwarves (TONIGHT)

Continue reading "Genesis P. Orridge announces Lady Jaye Memorial 3/8"

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and her reactivated Psychic TV aka PTV3 are terribly sad to announce the cancellation of their November North American tour dates. This decision is entirely due to the unexpected passing of band member Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge.

Lady Jaye died suddenly on Tuesday 9th October 2007 at home in Brooklyn, New York from a previously undiagnosed heart condition which is thought to have been connected with her long-term battle with stomach cancer. Lady Jaye collapsed and died in the arms of her heartbroken "other half" Genesis Breyer P-Orridge.

Continue reading "Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge of Psychic TV, RIP"

Psychic TV (PTV3) has a new album out on June 12th, and they'll be selling advance copies at their sure-to-be-crazy record-release (some may say "freak") show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC tonight (May 18)....

Continue reading "PSYCHIC TV record release show at Bowery Ballroom tonight - Gibby Haynes, Kembra Pfahler, Julie Atlas Muz"