Goths Escape The Colors of Fiesta for a Moody Evening with Molchat Doma

Goths gathered at the Aztec Theater Thursday night as Molchat Doma brought forth a set of all their hits. Special guests opening the night for the trio from Minsk, Belarus were Nuovo Testamento from Italy and Los Angeles.

The coldwave duo started the night with tracks from their new release, Love Lines, as well as earlier material from their New Earth album. Vocalist Chelsea Crowley –formerly of Terremoto and Crimson Scarlet– captivated audiences with her mesmerizing sways and haunting vocals. Giacomo Zatti, who has previously drummed in Philadelphia punk band Sheer Mag, led the beats and samples.

The clock hit 9:30 p.m. when the venue went dark and the stage was set for Molchat Doma. The synth-punk group consists of Egor Shkutko on vocals, Roman Komogortsev on guitar and synth, and Pavel Kozlov on bass and synth. The Belarusian trio started their set with songs from their most recent album, Monument, with most of their set containing songs from their Etazhi albums, while also sprinkling some songs from their debut S krysh nashikh domov album. Hits such as Toska, Doma Molchat, Discoteque and Ya Ne Kommunist were met with roaring cheers. 

The antique and historic atmosphere of the Aztec Theater, along with the light designer’s display, gave a gloomy crowd glow. The band was mainly backlit, with the occasional spotlight on Egor, creating the perfect setting for the night. For their encore, the band played Sudno, which arguably led them to stardom when it went viral on TikTok and acted as a sort of gateway drug, introducing a younger generation to the post-punk genre.

As the crowd began to exit, the aftershow playlist included a song from Soviet Belarusian band Pesniary, which was one of the first Belarusian bands to ever tour the United States in the 1970s. It was a full circle moment as the Dark Wave trio’s rise to stardom has landed them in countless festivals, world tours and currently this 41-date tour across North America.

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