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Ah... to be a synthpop band that performs "live" shows... 'tis a blessing and a curse. The blessing? That people like your music and want to see you in concert. The curse? Synthpop music is, by definition, not live. It's performed by a computer. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying synthpop is all impersonal and cold and removed and all the incredible lies that the U.S. media have unloaded over the years. It's not - not even close. Without going into a rant, I feel that synthpop is far MORE personal and human than most other genres. This is due to the focus and detail that can be addressed using a computer and the vision of a single songwriter - as opposed to the conflicting visions and performances of multiple band members who are bound by the limitations of their physical abilities.
Getting back to the point, it is almost a conflict of interest to put Synthpop music into a setting where an audience is expecting a "live" performance. To actually perform this music entirely live would ruin it. All the precision that the computer provides would be lost by human performers who can't possiblly play perfect 32nd notes at 132 beats per minute. On the other hand, to simply push play on a CD player and have the audience facing an empty stage would also be terrible. What to do? So far, the mass majority of Synthpop bands (especially us independent types who don't have millions of dollars for alternative schemes) have resorted to a pre-recorded tape/CD/MD/sequence that doesn't include the main vocals and/or a few synthesizer parts. This gives us the chance to bring in an actual performance (the vocalist) and some element of spontinaity (improv on the synthesizers every so often) so the audience does get a unique and somewhat live performance every time.
So far, this has worked very well for Cosmicity. I thank my lucky stars everyday that my friend (sometimes audio engineer - sometimes remixer - all-around great musician) Steve Sholtes has joined me on the stage for Cosmicity performances to play some synths, sing some backing vocals, and most notably, improv some awesome comedy routines. Together we've developed a reputation for being one of the most fun synthpop bands to witness on stage. (Check out some of Steve's eclectic solo work under the name Jealous of Frank.)
Below are a few short video clips and pictures that recount some of the Cosmicity shows I've been able to capture on video. They are what they are - always shot with a little camera by a friend in the audience - but still enjoyable to watch. All video is in Quicktime format. Need Quicktime? Download it at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download.
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