This is the second time I see Ms Ayria, Jennifer Parkin.  I've been aware  of her for sometime before.  I've heard her stuff played at Nocturna and Neo here in Chicago.  Very dancey, aggressive industrial from Canada.  I believe she was in Epsilon Minus.  I regret to say that I held the CD once in my hand when I visited the now defunct Evil Clown Records.  I held it in my hand but put it down.  I loved it but figured I can get it later.  And then Evil Clown closed on my ass.  Now I feel like I'm behind.  But in my defense I knew I would love this artist the second I heard her.  

  This performance was on a Saturday in October.  Ayria was touring for her new CD "Hearts For Bullets".    I forgot the date.  The venue Reggies is on the southside of Chicago.  It's quite a venue to have that far south.  There is a huge record store on one of the upper floors and still another venue next door.  One is a bar one is a restaurant.  If my pictures look bad it's because I just wanted to dance, and on and off I did.  There is something you get from documenting it the individual performance in picture and video.  You want to enjoy it for the long term.  They are just the best example of industrial dance music. I took Natalie my friend to see them with.  I was sure she'd like them, but they sounded too clean for her. I don't get it.  She liked I:Scintilla.  I thought this just liked that but ......anyway, I'm not surprised she's into Cradle of Filth . Ayria had everyone dancing.  It was one of those nights when everyone was there and got it.  It was a night when everyone was at the front of the stage as close to the fire as they can.  This was not a lackluster performance.  The crowd was into her like she was a headliner.  And she was into them.  It was as if no one saved their energy or attention for the next band.  This was what the crowd wanted  and got it.  And these images capture for me what I was feeling and thinking  at the moment, even if they are not apparent. It was a wonder to see how it was all produced in front of you.   And Ms Parkin looked lovely in black and white cyber gear.  It was not too extreme, black reflective skirt, industrial boots, white top, cyber yet functional enough to dance in.  Fem, yet dominant. 

   Ayria was touring for her" Hearts For Bullets" CD.  After the performance I knew that merch table was going to bleed me dry.  But when you like what you got, you never feel that poor.  You feel the investment.  On CD this does not lose any of what you get in performance.  You know how you can love a performance, that performance then prompts you to buy the music, and then in the car on the way home it sounds flat.  Not Ayria.  I'm always fascinated when an artist knows how to sell you (if dancing is selling) on themes of vulnerability, weakness, hitting rock bottom like in "girl on the floor", a harsh interior view of  oneself.   And we are dancing to it, identifying with it.  And the party just continues with "Invisible".  The lyrics don't strike as too sappy, but resonant as there is a fine line. The lyrics are worth just reading off the page because thats when you feel the full weight of the song.  On the Flicker CD, there is "Cutting".  And it's about.....cutting.  But we also have songs like "My Revenge On The World" to balance the inward facing rage.   The music is dancey as industrial always should.  Ok, Im almost hitting a wall.  

Kaspar-Zig