Genre-defying band Psychic TV makes its second appearance in Russia next Thursday with a CD release party for "Live in Russia," a record of its phenomenal appearance at Apelsin on Oct. 14, 2004, which alternated between punchy psychedelic rock numbers and moody experimental noodlings.
Over the years, Psychic TV has often reinvented itself, guided by its nucleus: the illustrious, influential iconoclast Genesis P-Orridge. Born Neil Megson, the 56-year-old British artist and musician is now known as Genesis Breyer P-Orridge following his second marriage.
P-Orridge, with Alex Fergusson, ex-drummer from the punk band Alternative TV, formed the band in1981. Peter Christopherson, P-Orridge's bandmate from Throbbing Gristle, joined the next year. Revolving around P-Orridge as its only constant member, the band has gone through several personnel changes and used diverse musical styles such as rock, psychedelia and noise, as well as various electronic genres, including industrial and acid house. The band is also known for making heavy use of video art in its shows and deliberate misspellings in its liner notes, the most prevalent of which is "thee" for "the."
P-Orridge and U.S. performance artist Monte Cazazza are responsible for coining the term "industrial music," and the aesthetics of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV have influenced industrial acts such as Skinny Puppy. P-Orridge also coined the term "acid house," purportedly from two words seen separately on album covers of house records he bought in Chicago, the birthplace of the then-unnamed genre. He was also largely responsible for introducing acid house to Britain by making fake "compilation" albums with techno producer Fred Gianelli.
The plethora of stylistic changes to Psychic TV's music has mostly been due to the variety of musicians that P-Orridge has attracted to the project. Christopherson and John Balance, who went on to form Coil, provided the band with its edgy aural experimentation, while Fergusson brought something of a pop sensibility.
With his participation, the band even recorded its best-known song in 1986 - "Godstar," a eulogy for Brian Jones, the deceased founding member of the Rolling Stones and one of P-Orridge's influences. The song was recently given a new lease on life through the 2005 release of "Godstar: Thee Director's Cut," the soundtrack album to a nonexistent film that was supposed to have been made in 1986 but was reportedly scuttled by financial problems and the surviving Stones' unwillingness to cooperate.
The band's current six-piece incarnation, also known as PTV3, was formed in New York in 2003. It features David Max on guitar, Alice Genese on bass, Markus Persson on keyboards, Morris Edley on drums and P-Orridge's young wife, Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge, on samples.
Psychic TV plays Thurs. at 11 p.m. at Ikra, located at 8A Ulitsa Kazakova. Metro Kurskaya. Tel. 262-4482.
Over the years, Psychic TV has often reinvented itself, guided by its nucleus: the illustrious, influential iconoclast Genesis P-Orridge. Born Neil Megson, the 56-year-old British artist and musician is now known as Genesis Breyer P-Orridge following his second marriage.
P-Orridge, with Alex Fergusson, ex-drummer from the punk band Alternative TV, formed the band in1981. Peter Christopherson, P-Orridge's bandmate from Throbbing Gristle, joined the next year. Revolving around P-Orridge as its only constant member, the band has gone through several personnel changes and used diverse musical styles such as rock, psychedelia and noise, as well as various electronic genres, including industrial and acid house. The band is also known for making heavy use of video art in its shows and deliberate misspellings in its liner notes, the most prevalent of which is "thee" for "the."
P-Orridge and U.S. performance artist Monte Cazazza are responsible for coining the term "industrial music," and the aesthetics of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV have influenced industrial acts such as Skinny Puppy. P-Orridge also coined the term "acid house," purportedly from two words seen separately on album covers of house records he bought in Chicago, the birthplace of the then-unnamed genre. He was also largely responsible for introducing acid house to Britain by making fake "compilation" albums with techno producer Fred Gianelli.
The plethora of stylistic changes to Psychic TV's music has mostly been due to the variety of musicians that P-Orridge has attracted to the project. Christopherson and John Balance, who went on to form Coil, provided the band with its edgy aural experimentation, while Fergusson brought something of a pop sensibility.
With his participation, the band even recorded its best-known song in 1986 - "Godstar," a eulogy for Brian Jones, the deceased founding member of the Rolling Stones and one of P-Orridge's influences. The song was recently given a new lease on life through the 2005 release of "Godstar: Thee Director's Cut," the soundtrack album to a nonexistent film that was supposed to have been made in 1986 but was reportedly scuttled by financial problems and the surviving Stones' unwillingness to cooperate.
The band's current six-piece incarnation, also known as PTV3, was formed in New York in 2003. It features David Max on guitar, Alice Genese on bass, Markus Persson on keyboards, Morris Edley on drums and P-Orridge's young wife, Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge, on samples.
Psychic TV plays Thurs. at 11 p.m. at Ikra, located at 8A Ulitsa Kazakova. Metro Kurskaya. Tel. 262-4482.