Sextreme Ball 2010: My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult/Lords Of Acid

Lords of Acid’s Sin Quirin

Lords of Acid members filed up those stairs to start the show, singer Praga Khan looking like a deranged replicant as he moved behind his keyboard, easily capable of choking someone in a fit of techno-ecstasy. The band had a new female singer, Lacey Conner, best known for her turn on the first season of VH1’s reality show Rock of Love, and her presence in the band tends to polarize their fans.

Her voice wasn’t anywhere near that of the Lords’ original singer Jade 4 U, but it had a power of its own, and she could scream with the best of them. It was the more melodic songs that got her in trouble, not being able to crank out the higher notes or dip to the ones an octave lower. Her voice worked best on the songs that were closest to rap, with no true tone required, much like Psychotica’s chanteuse Reeka. She kept the crowd pumped up, aided by the aggressive beat coming from the funky bass player and the drummer, hidden behind a tower of cymbals.

Sin Quirin anchored stage left, his long hair arcing as he banged his head to the beat. His twisted guitar tone was a perfect fit for the Lords’ acid sound, though it did change the texture of the songs from their original techno sound. Weaving among all the players was Praga Khan’s girlfriend, dressed in devil horns and vinyl, alternately whipping and caressing the musicians. Everyone had a role to play onstage, like an old heist movie. The main floor got hotter and sweatier as the relentless beat continued, culminating in a estrogenous free-for-all when Khan invited all willing women to the stage for their 1997 hit “Pussy,” which was followed up by their set-closer, the 1988 smash “I Sit On Acid.”

Aside from one over-excited patron who ended up getting tossed out and tasered, everyone in attendance was having a good time without interfering with their neighbors, and as a result everyone had the maximum fun. Deborah was able to take pictures without fearing for her life, except when she was hanging from the catwalk to get her shot.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the next 27 shows will be as good as the first two, so see if there’s a Sextreme Ball in your future. Techno is alive and well and lived in Portland, at least for one night.

Lords of Acid on stage

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