Nitzer Ebb, Audra & The Strand
December 16th, 2009
Marquee Theater – Tempe, AZ

Review by Justin Tharp

Bella Lune
Due to time constraints between work and needing sustenance, j. and I got to the show over half way through the set for the first band of the night, Bella Lune. They have been out doing their thing on the Arizona goth scene for about 2 years now but I had not previously seen them or heard any music. I definitely had seen the name pop up from time to time, however, with their opening gigs for the likes of Peter Murphy, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Voltaire and many others. The first thing I had to do after the TSA-style search prior to entering The Marquee was hit the head. I am standing in there taking care of business and j. comes in and tells me that I am missing the half-naked girls on stage. Alright, so I am intrigued even before getting anywhere near the stage of course. Sure enough I go in there and there is one female on each side of the stage dancing and they were wearing fishnets, boots and black underwear that had the band’s name across the backside (which were indeed available for purchase from the merchandise counter) but very little up top. While visual appeal of this sort is an overall good thing, to a degree, it did not so much fit with the music in my opinion. Others in the crowd, or one female in particular at least, had attention elsewhere with a random shout out “I love drummer cock!” to which the drummer pointed to his crotch and replied “OK!” I was honestly not initially impressed with the music, being privy only to the last 2 songs in their entirety, “This & the Other” and “Underwater”, but I will attribute much of that to a less-than-ideal quality of sound at The Marquee as well as not getting a chance to settle in at all. After checking these guys out on MySpace (myspace.com/bellalune) and listening to more music as well at watching the 3 videos they have completed, I find them to be artistic, enchanting and ethereal. They provide gorgeous vocals from a gorgeous girl and a great blend of sound between the instruments including the recent addition of a violinist. After a few listens I am quickly growing fond of their unique sound much like when I was first introduced to Doc & Lisa Hammer’s music (Requiem in White, Mors Syphilitica). Apparently I am not alone, with their upcoming gigs over the next couple of months in California and even Japan!     (more…)