HEALTH
with King Yosef and Pixel Grip
Gothic Theatre • Englewood, Colorado • March 25, 2024
by Steven Cruse
HEALTH have been on an amazing trajectory in the past few years. I doubt the next time they perform in Colorado that The Gothic Theatre will be able to hold the amount of very, very dedicated fans that want to see them. I feel lucky that I have witnessed the power of HEALTH at The Gothic, twice!
Much like when I reviewed a Slowdive concert last fall, The Denver Metro area did not fail to have completely bonkers weather. Looking for sunscreen one day, frigid, ice covered (and nearly a foot of powder covering the sheet of ice) the next. This did not stop all of the acolytes from donning their best and finest fetish gear. The show was very sex positive, and those in attendance were fully in their element. HEALTH-branded condoms where given out for free, and band-branded sex toys were on sale at the merch table. Opening band Pixel Grip brought out their sub for the last song of their set. Hedonistic? Never. Everyone was respectful and kind (unless their personal preferences had been communicated to their dom, to be otherwise). As HEALTH have crossed over into unabashed industrial metal, their audience has shifted. Many more industrial band tees and full industrial garb. Ages ranged from the minimum 16+ to old-ass industrial fans like myself. The weirdos (a term of endearment, from this author) where definitely and defiantly out and about. I felt right at home.
King Yosef, from Portland, Oregon, started off the night with a blazing 30-minute set. With no manager or record label involved, King Yosef are fully DIY and fully brutal. Set up as a three piece, full drum kit to stage right, sampler/keyboardist to stage left, and lead singer Yosef “King Yosef” Pelletier center, but always in motion, decked out in a “The Prodigy Experience. Expanded: Remixes and B-Sides” t-shirt that spoke volumes about the genesis of their sound. It’s a mix of hardcore and industrial that satiates both types of fans, a crossover that I never knew I needed, but fully embraced.
Pixel Grip, from Chicago, brought their slinky, sexy, Lords of Acid-esque interpretation of what industrial is. There’s a thread of the early Wax Trax (when they were still based in Chicago) dance and electronic acts sound coming from the three piece. Configured the same as King Yosef on stage, their energy was much more sensual. All classically trained musicians, Pixel Grip have landed on a sound and performance that is titillating. Lead singer Rita Lukea pranced around in a black vinyl catsuit, even diving over the barricade to tactilely engage with fans in the pit. All sex-positive power and seduction. Only the altitude kept her from bringing everything to the performance. All were enthralled, regardless.
Once HEALTH hit the stage, the tone, the mood had been cast. This was to be a hard set. This was to be a sensual set. Their long lasting motto “You Will Love Each Other” took a different avenue from the suicide-prevention-hotline numbers all over their previous merch to more fully embrace the “Sad Music for Horny People” slogan (and yes, I did buy that shirt! It fucking rules!). Highlighting HEALTH’s latest release RAT WARS, sticking to band-only releases (no collab tracks) spanning the band’s entire discography (even to their 2007 self-titled album), you could see and feel the packed theatre explode. People where at The Gothic to see HEALTH. This was vastly different than when I saw them with Perturbator. More than half of that crowd was in attendance to see the French synthwave artist, and rightly so, as Perturbator performed their asses off.
Overcoming a few technical issues towards the 40-minute mark, you could tell that Englewood’s altitude was affecting HEALTH, as well. This stop in the tour almost two-thirds the way in and the physicality of bassist and producer John Famiglietti, all swirling hair and power stances, took its toll in sweat and release. Massive, thundering, felt-in-your-guts drumming from BJ Miller where always locked in, even more so when the band requested that the kick be turned up. Vocalist and guitarist Jake Duzsik’s dulcet vocals never broke, or suffered, but the man looked physically spent by the end of their jam-packed performance. Even going so far as to announce that they had two more songs left, but they wouldn’t be going off stage and back on, encore style. I really wish everyone would adopt this policy!
It wasn’t until I was home and comparing cover art for my purchased-from-the-merch-table vinyl copy of 2007’s HEALTH beside the cover art for 2023’s RAT WARS that I realized the cover art was almost identical in layout, font, and design. Whereas HEALTH’s image was more geometric, like animal scales, for their early noise sound, RAT WARS’ graphic is reminiscent of Pretty Hate Machine or a scene from the underground cyber-punk classic film Tetsuo: The Iron Man. An allusion (or confirmation?) to the metamorphosis and embrace of the industrial style and ethos.
I have been extolling my love of HEALTH since 2015, and after nearly a decade, it seems that the world has started to pay attention. If you have the opportunity to see the band live, do it. They are a force, and their catalog is deep enough to have a variety of experiences. This spring evening just happened to be laser-focused on the hard and sensual side of the band, imploring everyone to love each other.
Check out the full concert playlist! ◼
