Perhaps one of the most unique types of music out there today is electro-grind. Not many new bands have taken on the dance/hardcore style that Messiah Robot dared to try. Only few grind-core bands have their names in mainstreamʼs limelight: The Locust, An Albatross, and Melt Banana. On Friday, Jan. 21, Messiah Robot played their first show at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster.The boys of Messiah Robot, Tomy Robotnic and Drew Famous, were more than pleased to perform at a major venue in their hometown. Robotnic is the front man, controlling Messiah Robot ʼs two keyboards, synthesizer, vocoder and sequencer. Famous, who was recently added to this electronic mayhem, provides the lyrics and vocals.
I got a chance to talk to Robotnic and Famous after their crowd-pleasing performance. “Weʼre really surprised about the response we got from the audience. We were put on this show pretty haphazardly and it just so turned out that these emo kids may have some respect for grindcore after all,” says Famous. “Yeah, it was pretty amazing for a first show,” added Robotnic. He said, “Everybody danced when we asked them to and everybody clapped- whether we asked them to or not.”
Messiah Robot was full of energy and excitement. Though their songs are extremely short, which is a common occurrence in this musical genre, the crowd loved it almost as much as Robotnic and Famous did. I had heard some un-mixed recordings prior to the show and was extremely impressed with how it turned out live. Everyone in the Chameleon seemed to enjoy themselves during the 20-minute set.
Since fans did not expect such a fast and discordant electronical performance, I was curious to see what other showgoers had to say. One fan remarked, “They were awesome. They sounded like the Blood Brothers meets the Locust.” ʻThey were really interesting.
I didnʼt see it coming, but when it did, I was all for it!” said a young girl hanging with the boys at their table. It was really an exhilarating show and a crowd pleaser. Messiah Robot doesnʼt have an official Web Site as of yet, but you can find out any information regarding shows, upcoming releases, or merchandise through their My Space music site at www. myspace.com/messiahrobot.