‘Low’ Lacks Fuzzy Warmth but Not a Sense of the Familial

So much is made of rock’s celebration of individuality that its equally important sense of communality is often overlooked. Not at the El Rey Theatre on Friday, where Martin Atkins squired a show marking 10 years of nurturing an extended artistic family via his band Pigface and his Invisible Records label.

In that decade, the Chicago-based Englishman--a former Public Image Ltd. drummer--has provided a training ground for such stars-to-be as Trent Reznor and an enriching busman’s holiday for such fellow veteran industrial-rock and electronic-music trailblazers as Genesis P-Orridge and members of Ministry, Skinny Puppy and KMFDM.

That legacy may not conjure visions of fuzzy warmth, and indeed the music Friday, from Pigface’s metal-edged crunch to the vivid electronic sculptures in the opening collaboration of Dead Voices on Air and Not Breathing, was dark and disturbing even at times when it was pretty and inviting. Yet this show, the ninth of a fittingly brutal 33-cities-in-33-days tour titled “The Lowest of the Low,” affirmed Atkins’ supportive approach.

If you’re looking for star potential, singer Meg Lee Chin, one of four featured vocalists in the current Pigface edition, impressed with her forceful, clear voice and an unaffectedly dynamic presence. But she was hardly alone in deserving or getting the spotlight, with the Eddie Haskell-ish Jared, on loan from the band Chemlab, and red-locked singer-rapper Jenny Bellstar also commanding.

Another star arrival may be Danish singer Gry, fronting a new band assembled by FM Einheit, co-founder of German industrial pioneer Einsturzende Neubauten. With her reserved manner and distinctive, bird-like titters and chirps delivered between lyrics lines, Gry has the makings of an arresting presence, while the still-formative band’s best rivaled some of Portishead’s or Bjork’s most daring moments.

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The two other acts, keyboards-and-drums duo Phylr and the techno wizardry of Bagman (Sheep on Drugs’ Lee Fraser and a manic vocalist-dancer who calls himself Thiggahmahjiggee) also offered noteworthy innovations, even in sets abbreviated due to a 10:30 curfew. But though short on time, the evening was long on its own brand of family values.