More theatre than decadence

Published on Wednesday 4 June 2003 01:00

Marilyn Manson ***

Braehead Arena, Glasgow

AS A performer who revels in being a thorn in the side of the establishment, so-called Antichrist Superstar Marilyn Manson must be disappointed at the muted reaction to his latest visit to the UK.

Not, however, the reaction from the fans, who were as committed as their sartorial preparations. Acres of PVC corsets, vats of lurid hair dye and a Broadway musical’s annual supply of face paint had been applied by a horde of transsexual beings for the momentous occasion - but to what rebellious end?

The nation’s self-appointed moral guardians seemed far more perturbed by his appearance beside Eminem at 2001’s Gig on the Green, when he was still the handy scapegoat for everything from the Columbine massacre to your teenage son’s truculence.

Maybe now they have recognised the futility of shooting the messenger. Or maybe dressing up as the Pope and singing about bestiality and alien babies just doesn’t cut it as a shock tactic these days.

A nocturnal beast, Manson (real name Brian) could not be coaxed on stage before 10pm, and even then only to the strains of Mussorgsky’s diabolical Night on Bare Mountain.

As expected, he compensated for his limited musical palette - punishingly heavy industrial glam rock, followed by some more punishingly heavy industrial glam rock - with a supremely entertaining live show.

His current visual fetish is Weimar cabaret decadence, which was really just an excuse for wearing breeches and employing a couple of high-kicking frauleins. His regular band had to settle for the identikit albino zombie look.

Without the theatrics, Manson would be just another heavy metal frontman exhorting his audience to scream "Rock!" in conventional foot-on-the-monitor style. Fortunately, there is no divorcing Manson from his stage show, from his hydraulic platforms, his vampiric ring-master persona and, in this case, his cheap painted backdrops.

Only an easily spooked toddler would find this gothic pantomime intimidating or occult. The trashy pop sensibility of recent single Mobscene, his accessible covers of Tainted Love and the Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams, and his extensive borrowing from glam rock all pointed to his inherent mainstream appeal. Add in the theatrical set pieces, and it is clear that Marilyn Manson, Antichrist Superstar, is just this generation’s Alice Cooper. Long may he ham.