It's a Fuckheadfull Life, pt. 2

Date:11/31/06
Location: Bar Vertigo, 853 N Western Ave.
Cost: $5 suggested
Things I missed to be there: Urban Sandbox at the Ice Factory; Zoku launch with Autobot and Vyle at Sonotheque
Reason I went: I was spinning between bands

It's the first day of Winter in Chicago which means that, as if on cue, we're having a small-time blizzard outside as I write this, even though yesterday it was pouring rain. It's also Thursday, which means that it's time for Mister Fuckhead Presents, our good friend Arvo Fuckhead's gig over at Bar Vertigo in Ukrainian Village.

Bar Vertigo is simultaneously great and terrible. It has a corner bar vibe, which means that the Polish staff could really give two shits about you if you're not from around the neighborhood. It's also decorated as a homage to Hitchcock, which for some reason means a lot of red and concentric vertigo spirals everywhere. Anyone could play there, too, but barely anyone ever shows up, especially when it snows. But the first snow means that holidays are coming, or at least some time off work so everybody's in good spirits, and more than ready to be drunk already.

So what does Christmas mean for Fuckhead Present?
It means dance music and cabaret, apparently.

Two of tonight's performers have a lot in common. Schizowave's Lena Potopova and Right-Eye Rita both sing in throaty European accents, although Lena's comes from her native Russia and Rita's is more Vaudeville. They are both given to heavy costuming on stage and unpredictable live performances, Lena writhing around as some sort of tormented sexpot and Rita jabbing knives and tossing meat around like a performance art sociopath. As mentioned before, both have been tempering their cabaret chanteuse sounds with breakbeats and both sang fractured Christmas carols tonight.

"I went to a show where there were these...black guys doing hip hop and everyone had so much energy and were jumping around and I went into another room where there were white guys doing...you know, indie rock and...mothing, so I went back with the black guys. I just wish you all could be a little more... like black guys right now."

Lena fell over and got back up again and again during her ballads before surprising us with a rapid-fire rap in Russian, Rita handed out candles that dripped white and red waxall over the floor irritating the bartender who'd already decided that she didn't like her, and Khupera Tum played a soft set inbetween, full of lalalala's and violin.

For most of the night, the musicians and DJs outnumbered the crowd, but towards Rita's closing set, the place filled in a bit with drunken regulars and a group of dominatrices prepartying it on their way to Neo, which was just one of those great moments you get from seeing live music in this town, and the type of experience that almost makes it all worthwhile when you're hanging out after the show, helping Rita scrape wax off the floor so it can all happen again next week.


Yesterday ended with an Iggy Pop cover...so should today