Something I always do is avoid using “I” in a review. I always avoid talking in the first person and just give a description of the show and let the reader form an opinion. I recently got the opportunity to see Mr. Bungle in Philadelphia and they are no ordinary band so this will not be an ordinary review.
Formed in the early nineties by Mike Patton of Faith No More along with remaining members Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn, Mr. Bungle is an Experimental Rock band that started as a Death Metal project and evolved into an experimental Heavy Rock band. They took a break in 2001 and reformed in 2019 with Scott Ian of Anthrax and drummer Dave Lombardo of Slayer to become a bit of a supergroup fun project. Some of the experimental jazz fusion elements aren’t as prominent in favor of harder thrash metal elements but make no mistake, some unusual covers and unexpected moments are just lurking around the corner at every show.
I arrived at The Fillmore in Philadelphia and on-street parking was nearly nonexistent but there was a lot within a short walk away, some more on that later. A quick but thorough pat down and I was in. A large bar was in front of me and a merch booth was to the left. There was plenty of room for everyone and some food was available as well. Nothing fancy, but things like hot dogs, fries, and nachos that looked better than the average show fare. Just past the merch booth was the entrance to the main hall. A cavernous space with bars on all sides and one upstairs for the few reserved seats. There are a few couches scattered about and monitors displaying a live feed from the stage for the distance vision challenged.
After a few minutes of milling about and trying to find a spot where I could stay out of the way and let the biggest fans get up front, I ended up in a corner and Battles came on.
They are a two-man operation with Ian Williams on guitars, keyboards, samples, and just about anything else you can think of with the exception of drums and other percussion covered by John Stanier. Wikipedia describes them as Experimental Rock or Math Rock and not being too familiar with them, I wondered if these attempts to label a band’s style have gotten out of hand. What could effectively open for Mr. Bungle? I was impressed by how full a sound could come from two people as they began. They started with a few discordant strains that grew in intensity as drums were added and the sound built. It reminded me of the old eighties New Age music like Tangerine Dream. There is a progression of chords and rhythm that repeats with a slight change each time. Eventually, it evolves into an entirely different sound and builds as it progresses. A skipped beat or quick pause allows for a complete change to the current melody. According to the setlist, there is time scheduled for improvisation. Samples are added with voices and I swear at one point I heard Mongolian throat singing. The set progressed until it faded to an end and there was no question that this was the correct opener and the audience wholly agreed judging by their reaction.
I once read that Mr. Bungle could play almost anything because their fans never know what to expect and true to form, the show opened with ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ by Richard Strauss. This worked well as it transitioned into a song called ‘Grizzly Adams’ which is more tonal than rhythmic and builds until it changes into ‘Sudden Death’. At first, it seems like Dave Lombardo is being restrained like a pit bull on crack straining at its leash until the set breaks into Thrash Metal, and all hell breaks loose. It continues from there and I start to think everyone on stage must be in amazing shape physically to maintain this pace until you can almost hear the needle drag across the record with a cover of the 10cc song ‘I’m Not In Love’. It must have been put into the set to let everyone catch their breath.
After this quick respite, the pace picks up again and stays there and continues with some originals and a cover of a Circle Jerks song and my personal favorite, ‘Hell Awaits’ by Slayer. Breathless again, they slow down for a moment with ‘True’ by Spandau Ballet. While the set is all over the place musically they always come back to thrash but ‘My Ass Is On Fire’ has a little more Jazz and ends with the Pepto-Bismol jingle as everyone has a good laugh (nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea). These guys aren’t afraid of anything. ‘Raping Your Mind’ concludes the set and a two-song encore that concludes with ‘Loss Of Control’ by Van Halen sends us into the night, blazing guitars still ringing in our ears.
After a quick walk to the parking lot, there was some confusion as the entry gate was now padlocked shut. This was quickly resolved with some out-of-the-box thinking from another entrapped patron and we were on our way home.
It looks like there are only a couple more dates left on the tour but whenever they come around make it a point to see them. If you Like Thrash, are a fan of Anthrax, Slayer, or Faith No More, or just curious, Mr. Bungle does not disappoint.
Mr. Bungle setlist:
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Grizzly Adams
Sudden Death
Hypocrites
Bungle Grind
I’m Not In Love
Eracist
Glutton For Punishment
World Up My Ass
Anarchy Up Your Anus
Methematics
Hell Awaits
True
You Lose
Spreading The Thighs Of Death
My Ass Is On Fire
Raping Your Mind
Encore:
Satan Never Sleeps
Loss Of Control
WRITTEN BY MATTHEW KOCHEK
PHOTOS BY KIM HANSEN @PHARMADIVER