POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Connelly Transcends Bowie Similarities

Close your eyes during Chris Connelly’s show at the Troubadour on Friday and you might have sworn you were at a David Bowie concert, circa the late-’70’s “Heroes”/”Lodger” phase. And it wasn’t just when he encored with Bowie’s own “Cracked Actor.”

For the whole set the Scotland-born Chicago resident--best known for his vocal work with industrial rockers Ministry, Revolting Cocks and Pigface--rarely strayed from the “Bowie-esque,” both in his sculpted singing and in the rich ambience of his versatile five-man band.

Open your eyes, though, and there was no mistaking who was on stage. Connelly, with his fuzz-cropped pate and casual attire, had little of Bowie’s dramatic instinct or flair. What he did have Friday was a brooding intensity that underscored the emotional resonance of his songs, largely drawn from his strong new “Shipwreck”--his third solo album showcasing this style.

It’s a rewarding move away from the monolithic industrial sounds. And even among the obvious Bowie-isms, there was enough sense of personal vision to indicate that Connelly can transcend the reference and stake out territory distinctly his own.

Second-billed Low Pop Suicide came on a little heavy with its hard-rock riffing, but its songwriting is a little light. Still, the imaginative and dexterous guitar work by frontman Rick Boston gives the L.A. trio a unique sound and plenty of growth potential.