Pixel Grip’s Percepticide Tour stop in Durham stripped down electronic music, unleashing a raw, primal energy that proved their explosive, cathartic power.
It was impossible to tell it was a gloomy, rainy day when The Percepticide Tour Part 1 rolled into Durham, NC. Over 250 fans crowded Motorco Music Hall to dance and lose themselves with Pixel Grip. Mostly young and dressed in their finest queer goth clothing, the “Alphapussy” energy oozing from the audience was incredibly impressive for an only seven-year-old band, indicative of the band’s very fast and tremendous social impact. The doors opened late, a mere 15 minutes prior to the scheduled show start time, due to the late arrival of one of the evening’s bands, forcing the well-qualified stage crew to troubleshoot lighting issues up until the last minute. Impressively, there was only a 20-minute show start delay.
Opening act Coatie Pop entered the stage with limited but enthusiastic applause as audience members were still filtering into the venue and still ordering drinks at the bar. Husband and wife duo, Courtney and Robert Watkins, have been making music together as Coatie Pop for three years but both still retain their own personal unique style. Robert looked as if he was just coming off tour with a 1980s Bauhaus, while Courtney was ready to teach a very sexy Jazzercise class. The juxtaposition of style, on-stage emotion, and physicality of performance gave every fan, regardless of taste and desire, something to love throughout their set.
The description that Coatie Pop is a “post-punk trip-hop grunge rave duo” proved to be entirely accurate as the duo performed through multiple musical styles, tempos, and combinations of instruments. Wearing sunglasses and never smiling, Robert laid down the music with a recorded track, keyboard, and bass guitar on top. It wasn’t until the end of the set when Courtney removed his sunglasses did the enjoyment of the performance and the love Robert clearly feels for his wife come through. Appearing especially thrilled when Courtney sang with her head on his shoulder, this couple appears to take “work hard, play hard, love hard” to the max. Courtney’s breathy and modulated voice wove in with the music, creating an atmosphere in which emotions and imagination ran free for the 30 minutes of their passionately emotive set.
Carried onto the stage by her drummer, Tyler Ommen, vocalist Rita Lukea’s on-stage presence lit a fuse and began a thrilling chain reaction of screaming, applause, and yelling throughout the audience. Clearly beloved by her fans, Rita took immediate control over Motorco Music Hall and led her audience with Pied Piper authority through a raw, electric, and powerful set of her best music. Admitting early to having an issue with her voice, Rita sang with a rasp, but there was no loss in range, power, or passion from start to end. Adorned in skintight clothing and her signature hair and makeup, the flashing strobes and frantic lighting mixing with Tyler’s live drumming brought the stage and sound to life more so than a typical electronic dance show. Pixel Grip’s performance was human and real. The entirety of their sound and visuals was based on projecting human emotion, amplified to a massive level to match Rita’s physical power and presence. Pixel Grip’s show was more than a dance party; Rita had something to say, and her fans were infatuated with every word.Rearranging the setlist to ensure Rita’s voice was available for the more difficult songs to sing, Pixel Grip’s setlist included “Last Laugh” and “Jealousy Is Lethal” early in the set. “Work or Shut Up” and “Stamina” from the band’s latest release, Percepticide: The Death Of Reality, filled the center of the set before closing with a fierce delivery of “Bet You Do.” The audience remained under Rita’s control, refusing to stop dancing for the entire set including, when Rita invited fellow alphapussies to come up on stage. Rita’s authoritative power and intense connection she had with her fans would make any front person jealous as hell.
The Percepticide Tour Part 1 continues through October 10 and Part 2 runs from October 21 through November 14, ending in Pixel Grip’s hometown of Chicago. Without question, Pixel Grip intends to become a bigger and more powerful foe to all those who disregard, hate, or look down on Rita and her tribe. What comes next for the band will most certainly be explosive.
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