Concert Review: Ministry, Gary Numan and Frontline Assembly at Emo’s, Austin: Industrial triptych blows minds and eardrums in Austin.
It was a little over a year ago that Ministry graced Emo’s Austin with their presence on the Industrial Strength Tour. It was an alternative metal fan’s dream come true to see Al Jourgensen and co. supported by The Melvins’ and Corrosion of Conformity. It was one of the strongest triple bills in recent memory, unlikely to be topped. Until now, that is.
The industrial heavyweights returned to Emo’s last night, joined by New Wave pioneer Gary Numan and Frontline Assembly, the Canadian EBM band fronted by former Skinny Puppy member Bill Leeb. The esteemed pedigree of this lineup resulted in a sellout crowd who showed up early and ready to have their ears assaulted.
Frontline Assembly hit the stage first, getting the crowd on their feet thanks to dance-friendly jams at whiplash tempos. They provided a sonic snapshot of their material, including fan classics like Mindphaser and Millienium, and a delirious cover of Falco’s Rock Me Amadeus.
Next was Numan, who offered no banter with the crowd. Not that it mattered. He owned the stage, adding a metal sheen to his sound that split the difference between his New Wave past and more recent industrial textures.
He kicked things off with Intruder, a skulking tune off his 2021 album of the same name. His set primarily pulled from his 21st century output, from the majestic and apocalyptic My Name is Ruin, to the stomping Nine Inch Nails-ish Love Hurt Bleed.
But the biggest cheers of the night came from modern renditions of his 80’s hits Metal and Cars. Numan stomped the stage like an unlikely rock god, flanked by oddball guitarist Steve Harris, who was spitting out guitar picks at the crowd and offering a disconcerting stare.
Then Numan brought it all home with a euphoric rendition of A Prayer For The Unborn, with the singer all smiles as he exited the stage.
Ministry took the stage to the cheers of an impatient crowd, leading with an opening salvo of songs off their excellent 2021 release Moral Hygiene. Given it’s the band’s strongest album in well over a decade, the crowd was more than receptive to tracks like the dystopian Alert Level, the John Lewis tribute Good Trouble, and the punchy Disinformation.
Tying up the Hygiene cuts was Believe Me, an anti-Trumper diatribe that featured Jourgensen’s most melodic singing since his days as an Aqua-Net-drenched 80’s post-punker. The political bent continued on songs off the band’s upcoming Hopium For The Masses: the anthemic Broken System and the old-school thrash of Goddamn White Trash, an instant Ministry classic with lyrics aimed at January 6th insurrectionists: “Uneducated and ready for war!”
Jourgensen rewarded fans’ patience with the new material, joking that “these next four songs will make you not ask for your money back.” The group then lurched into Psalm 69 hits NWO and Just One Fix. By this time the pit was in full swing, with bouncers helping some anxious crowd-members over the barrier.
From there the band bulldozed through The Land of Rape and Honey classics like The Missing, Deity, and a scorching Stigmata. Throughout, Jourgensen’s band were in top form, with guitarists Monte Pittman and Caesar Soto trading off chugging riffs and searing leads (Jourgensen also donned the guitar for the squealing solo on NWO), and ex-Tool bassist Paul D’Amour ably holding down the bottom end.
The band were rounded out by keyboardist John Bechdel and the seemingly inexhaustible drummer Roy Mayorga, who came across like some possessed, Satanic metronome during The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste cut Thieves.
The band then left the stage, before returning for the serial killer anthem So What, with Jourgensen bellowing lines like “I only kill to know I’m alive” while miming shooting the crowd. After the relentless track concluded he went on a rant about Texas gun laws (or lack thereof), screaming “Fuck AR-15’s and fuck Greg Abbott!”, with the former TX resident pleading with the crowd to try and create change.
Jourgensen apparently was so caught up in his rant that he left the stage prematurely, returning to close with a cover of Fad Gadget’s Ricky’s Hand before growling “We’re gone for real now!” and left the stage.
One can only hope Ministry make playing Austin an annual tradition. And with their new album arriving in August, a tour would certainly be in order. Until then, the triumvirate of Ministry, Gary Numan and Frontline Assembly left the audience more than sufficiently satiated.
Frontline Assembly Set List:
I.E.D.
Killing Grounds
Plasticity
Rock Me Amadeus (Falco cover)
Deadened
Mindphaser
Millennium
Gary Numan Set List:
Intruder
Halo
Pure
Everything Comes Down to This
Metal
Here in the Black
Cars
Haunted
Love Hurt Bleed
The Chosen
My Name Is Ruin
A Prayer for the Unborn
Ministry Set List:
Alert Level
Good Trouble
Disinformation
Believe Me
Broken System
Goddamn White Trash
N.W.O.
Just One Fix
The Missing
Deity
Stigmata
Thieves
1st Encore: So What
2nd Encore: Ricky’s Hand (Fad Gadget Cover)
