Nico in concert

Press, 25 February 1986, Page 6

Nico in concert

Nico, supported by The International Headless Chickens, at the Carlton Hotel last evening. Reviewed by Tony Green.

The look was everything, of course — perfect cheekbones, a seamless 60s fringe, and just the right detachment. It gave the former Velvet Underground chanteuse, Nico, an attentive audience before the .first note was sung. Possessing a stark beauty that belies her advancing years, Nico delivered a precise and sometimes surprisingly good set, based mainly round new material from her austere “Camera Obscura” L.P. Her backing band, ine Faction, differed from that found on the L.P., apaji from the keyboards i of Jernes Young. Th e • songs generally

built up from a rolling drum beat to be brilliantly fleshed out by Young, whose sensitive and striking playing was almost always dominant.

On top of the strident music that invariably resulted, Nico’s harsh Germanic vocals were intoned. (Strangely, however, the coldness of "Camera Obscura” was absent - as band and singer together, seemed to strike a chord with the large crowd. Early on, “When I’m Dreaming” showed how. effective Nico and The Faction can be. It slowly built up to a harsh finale that held many spellbound. Even better was “New York Lower East Side Fame,” a very accessible song that almost, dare I isay it had hit single written all over it. These were high points,

but often the similarity in song structure was apparent, and Nico’s solo efforts, accompanied by harmonium, were tedious. Inevitably, we got some oldies towards the end. “All Tomorrow’s Parties” was the only solo that held the attention. The classic, “Femme Fatale,” gave the many nostalgia fans their money’s worth.

As someone who hated “Camera Obscura,” I was quite surprised. Nico is not the museum piece many imagined, and the very good band ensured that her considerable presence was not wasted.

Carrying on in the tradition of gloomy Auckland bands (Danse Macabre, Children's Hour, T.K.P.), The International Headless Chickens intensely flayed their instruments /or a seemingly infinite 'rime, with absolutely zero effect