Photos and words by Shawn Wiseman
Julien–K put on a stunner of a show at Top Cats in Cincinnati, OH on a cold Saturday night in November. I was first introduced to Julien-K this summer when they were part of the Revolution 3 Tour with Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Cult. I was extremely impressed with their sound and thought they were a great fit for that tour! Ryan Shuck (vocals) and Amir Derakh (guitar) have been partners in the music scene for over 15 years. Both Ryan and Amir were both members of the band Orgy.
The atmosphere in Top Cats was reminiscent of a 90’s alternative dance club with fog, dark lighting, and lots of leather! Julien-K took to the stage that was shrouded in fog and lit with eerie blue lights. The band quickly had the crowd bouncing and swaying to “Flashpoint Riot”, their first song of the night. Julien-K sounded amazing, transitioning from moody/sinister sounds to upbeat rhythms, the crowd was fully engaged. The band performed “Strange Invisible”, “Kick the Bass”, and continued to rock this packed house. As Julien-K’s set continued, I could see that even those that may not have heard of the band before were truly enjoying the performance. Julien-K having history in the band Orgy really finished the night off strong by playing the cover of New Order’s song “Blue Monday” with that edge that Orgy had given the song. After seeing the band twice, I have to say that the club atmosphere made the night more fun than seeing them at a huge venue.
Julien-K are really masters of their craft and put on an extremely entertaining show! They are on tour with Jonathan Davis and The Birthday Massacre, if you can’t catch one of those shows make sure to follow the band and see them live in the future.
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Photographs of Julien-K performing at Top Cats in Cincinnati, Ohio (click on any image to open gallery view)
