Front 242 is rivethead royalty, and part of the Belgian electronic group’s success can be traced to Chicago. Local cult record store Wax Trax! was founded in the mid 70s and grew into a behemoth industrial label by using a two-pronged approach: identifying and nurturing local talent, and scouting like-minded artists abroad. The former is embodied by long-running industrial-metal pioneers Ministry, whose uniquely dark synth-pop grew more fangs with each release throughout the 1980s, and the latter by Front 242—the animated visionaries who led the underground wave of the industrial subgenre that became known as electronic body music or EBM.
Like many avid crate diggers of the era, Wax Trax! founders and lovers Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher made frequent trips to Europe to experience unfamiliar punk and dance clubs. That’s where they stumbled upon Front 242’s harsh, almost militarized dance sound. The group paired the punishing leather aesthetic of macho gay clubs with a discotheque-style freedom of movement; they capitalized on a cold war sense of fatalism by incorporating samples from war movies in their music and using fog and flashing lights during shows.
While Front 242 attained modest success (by underground standards) with their 1982 debut full-length, Geography, they really broke out in 1984 after they embarked on their first U.S. tour opening for Ministry in support of their first Wax Trax! release, No Comment. For the rest of the decade, Front 242 remained the gold standard for aggressively danceable music, inspiring artists like Trent Reznor to consider how to capture profound, bleak, and raw depths of feeling with as few tools as possible. Their legacy continues to ripple in midwestern acts, including E.T., the Mall, Plack Blague, and locals like Conjunto Primitivo and Hide.
Front 242 are on their final tour, and while both Chicago performances sold out months ago, they’re saying goodbye to the city with a week of programming that includes a Wax Trax! bus tour and opportunities for face time with the band. Liar’s Club (1665 W. Fullerton) will be transformed into Club Front 242 for nightly events starting November 12. Dark Matter Coffee Warehouse (475 N. Campbell) will present a retrospective exhibit from November 11 through November 17 and host two one-night-only events: the U.S. premiere of early industrial music documentary Body Machine Music with a Q&A featuring Front 242 on November 13, and a DJ set from the band’s Richard Jonckheere and Patrick Codenys on November 14. Don’t miss your chance to send these industrial legends off in style.
Front 242 Kontravoid open. Fri 11/15, 8 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, sold out, 18+
Front 242 Kanga open. Sat 11/16, 8 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, sold out, 18+