La hard rock band The Icarus Line have been struggling in the third tier of pop music since the 1990s and given their lukewarm reception opening for the Cult, they aren't gonna be moving on up any time too soon.
Lead singer Joe Cardarone has the attitude of a Jim Morrison nearing the seven minute mark of "The End" and the rest of the band play Nine Inch Nails, heavy industrial metal, but they have problems despite their fearlessness on stage. For one, the songs need serious attention and for another, Joe looks like he should be great on stage, but he doesn't always pay attention and ends up stock still while the rest of the band exchange electric white noise vibes.
And yet… I don't dislike them. Joe has a point of view and while it can feel camp, the cool dislike of his audience, suggests he is getting somewhere but a Cult audience might want a bit more crowd pleasing. "We Sick", played late, is a great song, and "Bad Blood" isn't bad at all, and Joe, demands the audiences attention and while he doesn't really get it, he makes the effort. Insulting the women, pumping his arms, strutting his butt, and if he could actually dance, who knows?
Look: it is hard doing what you do in the face of collective indifference (trust me, I know) and neither the cool nor the uncool give the Icarus Line any credit. Their PR people writing nonsense about how scary the band is and its like coming face to face with the devil, doesn't help at all, but their perseverance and arrogance. The Icarus Line leave feedback to fill the room at the end of the set but nobody seems to notice.
Grade: B-