greg C Photographs Hallogallo (Michael Rother And Freunde) & Lichens in NJ

I had the pleasure of photographing Hallogallo 2010 a trio of Michael Rother (ex-Kraftwerk, NEU!, Harmonia) on guitar, Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) on drums and Aaron Mullan (Tall Firs) on bass who were performing the music of NEU!.  The show was at the tiny Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ a club partly owned by Shelley.

Hallogallo played under very low lighting (four dim spots) making it a definite challenge photography wise but musically it was glorious. Steve Shelley kicked out some great motorik beats while Aaron Mullan played simple sparse bass riffs to set the platform for Rother to build his loops/delays on and play his unique style of guitar over. Steve said that they weren't doing specific NEU! tracks but instead combining elements from various tunes into a new whole. They got that classic NEU! groove going so often that I found myself closing my eyes and drifting off into the ether several times during the evening. Steve and Rother both really seemed to enjoy themselves with broad smiles beamed across the stage all night. Rother said little to the crow except to thank them for coming and to introduce the band. The 200 capacity room was fairly full and they showered the band with resounding applause so I know I wasn't alone in my appreciation.

Setlist:

In E

Neutronics

Aromaclub

Minipops

Deluxe

Veteranis

Dino

I've known Rob Lowe for a couple years now and tonight's Lichens performance was the best I've ever seen. He always does a different set and tonight he laid down some beautiful electronic soundscapes that got a little intense and even slightly rhythmic. He was getting so into his vocalizing that his eyes were rolling into his head and he was making disturbing faces that made me think he had taken some sort of toxic voodoo potion before he hit the stage. He seemed to literally transform and the set came off very shamanistic and powerful. I look forward to seeing him again in a couple months when he appears on an excellent bill with Sleep and A Storm Of Light.

About sixty pictures from the evening are coming very shortly.

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