John Maus's Hypnotic Live Performance at London's Heaven Explores Scream as Artistic Motif

John Maus delivered a short support set at Heaven in London, where his live act prominently features screams, both amplified and silent, as a central motif. The American musician performs solo with prerecorded, bass-heavy synth backing tracks, using a reverb vocoder while constantly moving on stage. His anguished howls, often with the microphone pulled away, channel existential pain and animalistic ecstasy, evoking Edvard Munch's imagery. Maus alternates between crumpling on the floor and exalting the audience from the stage edge, reminiscent of evangelical pastors in rapture, though he expunges inner demons rather than channeling a god. This physicality distinguishes his live shows from studio recordings, such as his second album We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves, released earlier this year on Ribbon Music/Upset the Rhythm records. The album title derives from Alain Badiou's 15 Theses on Contemporary Art, and without Maus's presence, the tracks recall influences like Joy Division or Bauhaus. His performance draws parallels to Marina Abramović, particularly her 1976 work AAA AAA with Ulay, where screaming induces real discomfort for viewers. Maus, a political philosophy doctoral candidate, transforms his act into a lesson in authenticity, echoing Abramović's exploration of pain becoming real through endurance.