On Tuesday night Kings of Leon were headlining Madison Square Garden again, Mumford and Sons were playing the second of two sold out shows at Terminal 5 and rising buzz artist Glasser was in Brooklyn selling out a crowd of curious faces, yet of all these shows, only one legendary act was playing in New York on Tuesday - industrial legends Nitzer Ebb were playing a packed crowd at Gramercy Theater. The British band with a German influence have been providing pulsating beats and pounding the ear drums of fans the world over for nearly four decades. In a seven date tour that opened in Miami, drummer Bon Harris mentioned "Miami was great fun, it was the benchmark as to what this tour will be," as he told me when I spoke to him before the gig.They return to New York after playing a welcomed gig last year at the same venue, yet this time they return with brand new material. In support of Industrial Complex, the band's first record of new material in 15 years, Nitzer Ebb have not lost the touch that have gained them acclaim the world over for so long, in fact they have just gotten better. In a very impressive 85 minute set, the trio who looked like three dapper mod Englishmen that just stepped out of Ben Sherman store, took the stage at full force. Opening with "Payroll," a track off Industrial Complex, Nitzer Ebb looked as confident as ever and were not going to let up through the night. With percussionists Bon Harris and Jason Payne providing the pulse pounding rhythms, all of the synths and guitar work were all provided by their Mac laptops, as singer Douglas McCarthey would strut back and forth on the stage like rabid dog, it was something to admire. Going through their new work and classics like "Let Your Body Learn," "Murderous," and the crowd favorite, "Join in the Chant," Nitzer Ebb are playing to a legion of devoted fans and have proven they are not going anywhere. McCarthy mentioned to me "this is a great place with great sound, so we are hoping that New York brings the best out of us like they did the last time we played here," New York brought the best out of them and they brought the best out of New York.
