Dystonia; Non Intentional Lifeform
Planet
October 13, 1995

I wouldn't have expected anything less. Yes, Declan Barry, that knee-popping and hurtling juggernaut which fronts Botticelli's Angel has grabbed hold of some fantastic speed metal merchants to form a band which gives him even more opportunity to break bones on stage - Non Intentional Lifeform, or NIL.

With three members of the now-defunct Perth band Rothgar providing the airtight, bludgeoning speed and power, Barry now has no time to catch his breath and what you actually see on stage is one man trying to literally kill himself through exertion.

The best thing about it though is that he survives! A song finishes and the crowd are genuinely happy to see that he has survived another suicide attempt. Furthermore, you know that NIL are about to put you on the edge of your seat again, viewers, as they have another crack at self destruction. Brilliant.

Now, in the opposite corner we have Dystonia. I think I must have blinked for a bit too long because this was not the same "grindcore jazz" outfit I recall from the past two years, they seemed genuinely tired and bored with their lot.

Kicking off with Hellspawn - and hey, remember it was Friday the thirteenth - a masked bogeyman bounced around the stage to the grimacing giggles of the gathered gaggle. Yep. But the topper was a cover of Ghostbusters, an attempt to revitalise one of my favourite Ray Parker Jnr tracks which went down like something coming up.

Let's hope it's not terminal because Dystonia have previously come up with some cool music - or maybe it was just the bogeyman.

Adam Connors

The West Australian is W.A.'s state newspaper. The versions appearing here are the unedited versions which were subsequently edited for space, clarity and reality for publication by editors Sue Yeap and Ara Jansen. Italicised comments in the body of the reviews/interviews - if present - are the notes I sent to the editors to clarify certain situations such as missed deadlines, personal disasters or simple non sequitur, which always makes for good reading.

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