photo credit: weworemasks

The Faint are one of the biggest pioneers of the post-punk explosion of the 2000s, and with good and obvious reason. Records like Blank Wave Arcade and Danse Macabre ushered in new sounds and new waves (heh) of electronic music blended seamlessly with punk rock and indie, bringing together diverse crowds cross country in the process. And all of this from a band that originated in the heart of Saddle Creek, Omaha, Nebraska. After 2008’s Fasciinatiion, the band took to their own respective musical routes, quietly performing with side-act Depressed Buttons and DJ sets alike, leaving The Faint on a bit of a self-imposed hiatus.

Saddle Creek decided it was time for a reissue for one of the aforementioned records, Danse Macabre, which is 11 years old as of August 2012. And what better time for the band to hit a practice studio, refine their live show and take this behemoth of an album out on the road, performing it in its entirety for a full scale US tour (with a stop in our neighboring city of Austin, TX)?

Hit the jump for the review.

-grizzly

photo credit: weworemasks

In two weeks time, we hit the Texas Interstate to travel three hours to see somewhat of a rarity, with The Faint’s Danse Macabre tour being the most elusive and hardest to pass up. So we packed our things and headed to Austin on a week night, with plans to return post-show. Emo’s East is relatively new, but has maintained great reviews across the board for their stellar A/V production. And after opening sets from Icky Blossoms and Trust, that wasn’t changing anytime soon.

The Faint took the stage at 10:00 p.m. sharp with an echo-heavy performance of “The Unseen Hand,” a new track the band’s been playing on tour. Drowned in a flood of spotlights, bass and strobes, frontman Todd Fink had plenty of energy and dance moves to share with the nearly-sold out venue. But as soon as “Dropkick the Punks” and “Desperate Guys” from 2004’s Wet From Birth were uncaged, the floor broke out into a fury of bodies upon bodies, dancing, hands up – the works. And a few songs later – yeah, it got kinda sweaty in there.

photo credit: weworemasks

Shows like this don’t come around often. You’re not prone to find an entire crowd tuned into a headlining act, dancing and singing along to every song performed. And this was BEFORE the group started playing what everyone came to see. After a quick greeting and a “Let’s jump into Danse, shall we?” from Fink, the next 35 minutes were a breeze. Sure, Danse Macabre is a quick punch, but hearing a whole album in order is a beautiful and rare occurrence, and a fact that wasn’t lost on the Austin crowd.

“Glass Danse” and “Your Retro Career Have Melted” elicited the biggest crowd responses, that is, aside from the “like a cast shadow!” chants of “Agenda Suicide.” After their performance of Danse, the band launched into even older material, with a call back to “Call Call” and “Worked Up So Sexual,” the latter of which could’ve been the theme for this night’s party. Through the years, plenty of different movements in electronic music have come, gone, pestered and evolved. Whether it’s your go-to European electro explosion of 2007 or the dubstep leanings of present day. The Faint use this to their advantage, presenting their live show with stunning visuals and an expansive discography that spans well over a decade, making it known that they’ve outlasted ’em all.

[SETLIST]
Unseen Hand
Dropkick the Punks
Desperate Guys
Victim Convenience
Take Me to the Hospital
–
Agenda Suicide
Glass Danse
Total Job
Let the Poison Spill From Your Throat
Violent
Your Retro Career Melted
Posed to Death
The Conductor
Ballad of a Paralysed Citizen
–
The Geeks Were Right
Call Call
Mirror Error
Mote (Sonic Youth cover)
Worked Up So Sexual

Encore:

Evil Voices
I Disappear
Paranoiattack