John Maus - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

Last week I went to Paradiso in Amsterdam to see John Maus for the first time. I had not listened to his music since the release of his album ‘We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves’ in 2011, and I had no idea what to expect from the show.

When support act Pol finished and took their guitars, drums and synthesisers, all that was left was a laptop in the middle of the stage. Soon John walked up and kneeled in front of the computer, turning his back to the audience, and hit the play button. He then jumped up and went raving and running like a maniac across the stage, shouting into the microphone over the prerecorded music, inviting the audience to shout along. The scene reminded me of a pumped up priest spreading God’s energy in a church. This thing repeated every time he put on the next song, until he was soaking wet from sweat.

Wow, I definitely didn’t see that coming.

The whole performance made me feel excited and energised, but also a bit worried about Maus’s mental health. Nevertheless, I had a great evening and replayed his 2011 album over and over in the days after. The title of the fourth song ‘Keep pushing on’ pretty much sums up the crazy but memorable show.

~ Stef

Check out the album on Spotify