Get ready to have your absolute minds melted, Australia. The legendary Maynard James Keenan is pulling a massive double shift this December, bringing his electro-rock side-project Puscifer down under to open for none other than his own alternative rock heavyweights, A Perfect Circle. Talk about an absolute masterclass in sonic insanity!
If you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know it’s been more than a decade since A Perfect Circle last graced our shores. But the real kicker here is the inclusion of Puscifer, who are locked and loaded to push the boundaries of reality with their bizarre, post-punk electronics and absurdist storytelling. Adding serious fuel to the fire, the band just dropped their brand-new, ultra-dark studio album Normal Isn’t earlier this year. Trust me when I say this record is custom-built to be experienced live, packed with the kind of crushing, experimental tension that gets your blood running.
This isn’t just a standard rock show; it’s a 21st-century freak show where anything goes. Alongside mastermind Mat Mitchell and the mesmerizing vocal powerhouse Carina Round, Maynard treats a Puscifer gig like an immersive, theatrical assault on the senses. Expect alien landscapes, bizarre characters, and a massive wall of sound that seamlessly jumps from fuzzy garage-metal to spaced-out, electronic soundscapes.
Mat and Carina sat down with HEAVY to talk more. With the Puscifer live experience relying heavily on production and atmosphere, we ask if the band are in a position to bring their full set-up with them.
“It’ll be full production,” Mat affirmed. “I think that it’s as important as hearing the songs is the experience of what we do. So we try to bring everything and give everyone the best possible show we can.”
“There’s not really a stripped-down version,” Carina added. “It’s all one big vehicle for the story, and if something gets taken away, then it takes away from the story. So it’s always going to be the full show.”
In the full interview, Mat and Carina talk more about the stage production and how important it is to the live show. They tell us why it has been so long since their last visit, and what has changed with the band in that time.
We talk about their pairing with A Perfect Circle and why it works, conveying the emotive aspects of their music in a live setting, how they get themselves into character before each show and small rituals they have for doing so. Carina talked us through her on-stage chemistry with Maynard, highlighting their vocal roles when performing together.
Puscifer’s recent album Normal Isn’t was also discussed, with Mat and Carina talking us through the creative process and getting the balance right in the early stages plus more.
For complete tour and ticket information, visit livenation.com.au.
