Nine Inch Nails Gig Review

With NiN's conceptual 'Year Zero' album heading quickly for us mid April, Trent Reznor and co embarked on a tour of the US and England over February and March. This wasn't to showcase their new material, but simply to give their fans a taste of things to come before unleashing the Year Zero tour on the world.

What we had here tonight was a no frills, no spills gig, just NIN doing what they do best; giving a live show as mesmerising and captivating as you could expect from the pioneers of industrial metal.

The four nights at the cavernous Brixton Academy may not all have been sold out on the night, yet the second date into the London leg was packed to the rafters come quarter to nine. At nine dead on, Reznor and his cohorts crept onto the stage barely un-noticed.

If you have been to a NIN gig before, you would know what to expect. The constant strobe lighting and swathe of smoke that poured from the stage engulfed the crowd, shrouding the band in a silhouette like mist for the first half of the set.

Reznor writhing around on stage could barely be seen through the dense smog as NIN's industrial engine fired up and began churning it's way through The Downward Spirals classic masterpieces. The pounding synth laden beats of Heresy and Closer breathed life into the crowd, with the unholy chant "God is dead, and know one cares, if there is a hell I'll see you there," filling the academy.

With little crowd communication from Reznor and only one new song played from the forth coming Year Zero album, the ninety minutes was commanded with strength and passion from a band who's debut album 'Pretty Hate Machine' was released back in 1989.

Surprisingly no encore from the band, though Reznor taking to the stage on his own to perform Hurt, perhaps the highlight of the night, followed by the pumping With Teeth favorite The Hand That Feeds and then onto Head Like a Hole to finish, NIN said exactly all that was needed to tonight.

That after nearly twenty years in the business, they are still the only industrial band Really worth mentioning.