Shiva – with Women of Sodom, St. Chimera, Holy Cow at TT the Bear’s – Review

Shiva

with Women of Sodom, St. Chimera, Holy Cow at TT the Bear’s
by Angela Dauthi

It seemed that this show was a benefit for the Smoking Gallery (if you remember, it was after another benefit for the Smoking Gallery that our illustrious Editor tried to blow donuts on Storrow Drive). Shows start early these days. Early enough, in fact, that I missed the opening act for Saturday’s festival of gloom and pain, Holy Cow. To console myself, I wandered over to the bar and remembered what their self-titled CD sounds like, while downing several shots of vodka. Sinister, evil, grinding music, lots of reverb and plenty of anger. Normally, I don’t go in for the brutal assault Holy Cow present, I prefer something a little smoother. However, there’s something about the CD that’s addictive. It took a while for me to get into it, but eventually I did.

As I was getting aquainted with some fine looking gentlemen at the bar, this god-awful music came from the other room. It turned out to be Shiva. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like the retro-Goth ’80s style (see my review of Fade), but if you’re going to do it, please do it well. I’ve had it up to here with bands that get a few synths, a sampler or two, and whip up some empty tunes that don’t go anywhere. With all due apologies to the band’s admirers, I found my time better spent at the bar, having more to drink and admiring the asses of the pool players when they bent over.

When St. Chimera took the stage, it was a welcome relief. The eerie rhythms and melodramatic vocals were soothing balm to my inner ear. The music flowed over me, the undulating rhythms caused me to sway almost uncontrollably, but I knew I wasn’t alone. With their musical talent and a knack for innovation, St. Chimera was the musical highlight of the evening. But I knew why I really wanted to be there. I wanted to see men get righteously beaten. I wanted The Women of Sodom.

And then the ritual of sharp nails, hot wax, boot licking, and enemas began. It was wonderful to see Cynthia von Buhler and company dressed in their finest leather and fishnets, lips cruelly drawn into a smile or a scowl, as they heaped punishment onto the admittedly very cute men. Unlike many such shows I’ve seen where the men are fat slobs without an ounce of self respect, the Women always seem to find slaves who are thin, lean, and beautiful. And I noticed something else: The music! The Women of Sodom have never seemed to be about music before – it was more like a soundtrack to performance art. But they have a (relatively) new addition, and she seems to be quite musically adept, with a great voice. A new dimension in their performance has opened up, one that I hope they’ll explore further; namely, that of songwriting and musical creativity. In the meantime, I’m content that they still kick ass.