Lords of Acid Soften Their Edge

With three albums of quasi-techno odes to kinky sex and psychedelic drugs to their credit, it would be natural to expect a surreal fetish-fest from Lords of Acid in concert. As it turned out, the quintet’s appearance at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunday was about as provocative as a “Melrose Place” teaser ad.

Singer Nikkie Van Lierop, encased in a rubber dress, vamped her way through a set complete with costume changes, guest appearances (a roadie who was spanked, a go-go dancer who did a feline routine) and props. When someone in the audience tossed a riding crop to her, she paraded around with it, more like a drum majorette than like a dominatrix.

It made for a lively stage show, and the Belgian group was tight enough to keep the kinetic energy level high. Van Lierop, however, sounded like a strained cheerleader, not a dance-floor diva, and few songs had distinguishing characteristics beyond the title phrases. So unless your primary goal was to work off holiday poundage gyrating to the unrelenting beat, Lords’ appeal quickly wore thin.

Veteran industrial outfit KMFDM, billed as co-headliner, was a tough act to follow. Heavy on material from its current album, the group’s set seethed and simmered with dry wit and fluid grooves. It was a less flamboyant production than Lords, but one that packed scintillating substance.