If you were at the Psychic T.V. show then you know about all the delays and band problems throughout the evening. But, who cares! How was the music? Well, let me tell you.
If you were at the Psychic T.V. show then you know about all the delays and band problems throughout the evening. But, who cares! How was the music? Well, let me tell you.

Psychic TV w/ Tragic Mulatto, Warlock Pinchers & Fractal Method 05.18 @ Speedway Cafe

By
June 1, 1990

Concert

If you were at the show then you know about all the delays and band problems that occurred throughout the evening. If not, then who cares? How was the music?—now, that is the real question. 

Fractal Method, local speed metal kids, played hard and steady. Admittedly, I am not much of a metal fan, but they’re great at what they do. Not to minimize the band’s attraction, but you’ll just have to see them for yourself. 

Warlock Pinchers are the spawn of Satan. But hell rejected them and sent them to Denver where they formed a heavy metal/rap band. These boys like to swear like sailors; dress in drag; dance with large, stuffed objects (they are probably not old enough to buy blow-up pals) and basically have a good time onstage. You can’t really take them seriously as musicians though. The set was laden with gimmicks and their best numbers were rip-off covers of “Forever Your Girl” and the Tiffany cover “I Think We’re Alone Now.” (Remember how much you liked the Lords of the New Church’s version of “Like A Virgin?” It seemed so much easier to believe when Stiv was singing it.) 

Surprise artists, Tragic Mulatto, drove twenty hours straight from Kansas City so they could be with us. It was worth the drive—at least for the Speedway crowd. Even after the long trip to Salt Lake, the San Francisco-based quintet played their raw, rough-edged songs with maniacal energy—eventually winning over the audience and performing the most successful and most well-received set of the evening. Lead screamer and tuba player, Gail Coulson, gave her lungs a workout to the surprise and admiration of the audience. Two percussionists, one with a sprained foot, hammered out the rhythms. Add guitar and bass and you have the trappings of an incredible musical outfit. Their last show before returning to San Francisco, Tragic Mulatto played like their lives depended on it.

Hampered by technology, Psychic T.V. still attempted to deliver one of their infamous ventures into musical mind-alteration. At the forefront of the English dance/house/acid/rave/whatever-you-call-it movement, Psychic T.V. are the leaders of the pop sensibilia and have cornered the market on the attending attitude. Taking credit for the widely used term “industrial” and “acid” music, lead singer Genisis P-Orridge has had years of practice at his trade. He relies heavily on improvisation and spontaneity to reach his maximum potential lyrically and vocally. Prophet or pompous ass, he has a charismatic quality that is hard to ignore. PTV performed a visual, aural, beat-oriented set of music with slides, film tapes, samples and programming to back them up. The overall fluidity of the show was marred by constant interruptions, breaks in transition and bad attitudes. Britain and America haven’t gotten along so badly in over 200 years. Unfortunately, it was the music that suffered. Holistic and hallucinogenic, look for the new PTV album out on Waxtrax this month. 

Check out these reviews of concerts also held at The Speedway Cafe:
Concert Review: Faith No More and Pollo Elastico 04.06 @ Speedway Cafe
fIREHOSE: Best of the Shows 1989