Pop-electronica from Belfast, Northern Ireland
This was my first time hearing Oppenheimer—live or otherwise. A couple of months ago I met these guys while hanging out on the roof of The Iron Monkey in Jersey City. It was the first leg of their US tour and the boys were on a break before heading back to Belfast. I met them thru Nelson Pla of the band clueLess who had been traveling with them. When they returned for their second leg, we hung out at Irving Plaza. So when I heard that they’d be playing Maxwell’s, I figured I owed it to them to be there.
So often you see bands become slaves to the gadgets left to just spit out cheesy drum machine sequenced fodder, but not Oppenheimer. With Rocky on guitar, keys, percussion and a computer and Shaun on vocals, drums, keys and guitar, their songs are strong and they clearly were in control of the machinery. Their sound is a refreshing concoction of ambient noise, classic synths, catchy hooks and oodles of energy. They also have a secret weapon that allows them to let go and be one with their performance.
I’ve lived thru the electronica eras gone by. I’ve seen my share of the good but way more of the bad and the ugly. No matter the quality of the music there was one thing that darkened just about every show. Band members were often faced with the nerve-wracking task of being both performers as well as technicians. Inevitable thingamabob failures would cast a dark shadow leaving people with less of an impression of the music and more of how shit breaks or the endlessly painful silence between songs.
Oppenheimer has avoided that problem by doing something that I wish more of my contemporaries would have done. They added a third member to worry about everything other than the music. That man is Jerry, the wizard who runs the sound and tackles the technical matters behind the scenes. Tales have been told of how he has plucked the band from the depths of sonic hell. Apparently there were equipment problems tonight but no one in the crowd was the wiser.
He spent the rest of the time tossing verbal barbs my way. Come to think of it, he did the same thing that night in Jersey City too. I wonder who he targets when the band is not in New Jersey. Speaking of targeting, Jerry made it a point to tell me that he was a trained sharp shooter. Ya know, just in case I ever decide to visit the band in Belfast. Of course he said it with a smile. Oh how I just love that Irish hospitality.
See Also:
Photo Gallery
Oppenheimer
Bar None Records
Maxwell’s
