Faust at the Forum
Published:Review of the Faust at The Forum, June 2011
I've always been a fan of krautrock. As a kid, I remember Can's "I want More" being played on the radio and think "wow that is fantastic". I also have strong memories of Kraftwerk's"Autobahn". The track sounded so futuristic. As a young sci-fi inspired little nerd, Kraftwerk hit all the right notes.
From there, I went off on a tangent following up German bands of the 70's. Along the way, I found the electronic mesh of Tangerine Dream, the hypnotic rhythms of NEU! and ultimately Faust.
Faust played at the Forum on Friday 10 June, 2011. They opened with the 2 founding members drumming while layers of noise built up behind them. Up steps a young man in a bow tie to a microphone in the middle munching an apple. He continues to eat. Once finished, out comes a primal scream. Once done, he walks off the stage never to be seen again.
Faust are masters of layers of noise which is pulled together in coherent fashion that many have tried to imitate. Few can touch the masters. They used power tools and a concrete mixer. Sliced the word LOVE into a canvas with a chainsaw. They were loud enough to make your pants vibrate.
They finished off with their classic "Krautrock". Ja, Krautrock über alles.