Although the previous band had left the stage with sweat-drenched t-shirts, Christian TV frontman took the stage wearing a white fur coat, that he did not keep for long nevertheless. I have to say that the band considers their performance as a workout, a true sweat party with a constant jumping, some running back and front, on the small stage of the Chain Reaction club.
The place is an all-age club, with a no drinking policy and so a desire to attract a young population who have a wish for safe night clubbing, with some seating places for the accompanying parents, a bar which only sells sodas, and a no crowd surfing and moshing rule. Not the sort of club I am usually going to, but yeah, I am getting way old! On Saturday night, the young crowd had packed the club at a very early time (around 7 pm!) for no less than 5 bands, each one playing a short set, and Christian TV was scheduled in third position.
Is skinny and naked-torso Christian Berishaj the new face of American pop music? He sure dominated the stage, haranguing the audience and singing some contemporary-chart-pop sounding songs, mixed with some hip-hop elements, reinforced by a second singer, and some electro-disco-techno beats, boosting the crowd’s potential participation at each second. It was as if the band had taken a little bit of everything popular right now and had made their own sound, a sort of mosaic-influenced music, finding its own poppy remix of the current scene.
And the slighty blasphemous name? Is he just using his first name with a touch of provocation? But it was not the only thing, there also was his giant tattoo on his left side representing the Christ surrounded by two Cherubin angels, plus the large golden cross he was wearing around his neck as some other members of the band were. But, if you add the fur, he had the look of a pale-skin rich rapper.
Christian Berishaj first formed the band Love Arcade in 2005, and with this born-again Christian outfit, the band seems ready to take over the disco-pop scene, especially after pop princess Britney Spears herself tweeted last year that their first single ‘When She Turns 18’ was her favorite song of the summer.
They had set up an American flag on stage, and although I was not sure of its significance, it was not the only oddity; one of the 4 other members with his long beard somewhat looked a little bit like an anachronism among this sea of youth, Berishaj, always working the crowd, repeated a few times ‘America forgive’, then coming close to people taking pictures, he flipped his hair and furiously shook his head.
But the set was short and lasted for only a few songs, so it was pretty hard to realize if he is the next Justin Timberlake — whose path he is hoping to take as he explained in an interview. I didn’t think about Timberlake though, as the performance appeared much more chaotic, like a sort of deranged and exuberant debauchery in progress.
Christian TV is signed to Universal Motown and their first album ‘Diary of an ’80s Baby’ is due out later this year.