The Russian duo, IC3PEAK, finally arrived at the Bay’s very own UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall on November 8th after rescheduling the original show date. While the show began late due to the current illness of one of the members, the crowd remained hyped. We were greeted by a stage blanketed with fog and an orthodox cross mounted on the wall, occasionally visible through the bleary grey.
IC3PEAK is definitely one of those groups that deeply stands out live, in terms of both stage presence and sound. Nastya’s vocals sounded delightfully operatic, yet full of sharp, jutting emotions, resulting in songs that twist from soft lullaby-like whispering to acrid, sharp screams, tied together with harsh electronic bass. Their newest album, “Coming Home”, is a turn away from their witch house influenced sound, and is a side quest into a more acoustic, indie-inspired side of the IC3PEAK project. This was a surprise which made for an intimate live segment featuring a delightful acoustic guitar accompaniment. Not to mention, Nastya’s surprise (brief) cover of Schubert’s “Ave Maria” demonstrated her vocal skills were good as ever, even when she was under the weather. One of the newer songs that deeply resonated with me is “Где мой дом?” (“where is my home”), and was just as captivating live. Furthermore, they made sure to add in some of their hits, such as “Плак-Плак” (“Boo-hoo”), which were more their signature sound, and which were loudly sung along to. Overall, a great performance not to be missed, despite being short (some necessary breaks between songs, with a later start than anticipated).
Review by Evan Grant
