By Dabrowka Nowak, Second Year English.
It’s like the goth scene never left. Molchat Doma perform a post-punk, synthesised set to remember, with not a moment of stagnation. Throughout the set, standing still was simply not an option.
The atmosphere was perfectly established by Urban Heat, a self-described ‘darkwave’ band with ‘a modern sensibility.’ I felt their music bordered the world of pop-like synth such as The Human League and the gothy aspects of Depeche Mode. Their esteemed place in modern alternative was firmly set in stone as lead singer Jonathan Horstmann’s incredible energy rippled through the room, providing a very authentic party climate.
When Molchat Doma themselves arrived on stage, their immediate vampiric image promised a great night. The over two-hour set included many songs from new album Belaya Polosa. The band’s sound across all the albums is delightfully consistent, with a rise and fall of energy but never a faltering of sound.
Roman Komogortsev and Pavel Kozlov on synth ensured that even the slower middle section with songs such as ‘Черные Цветы’ (‘Black Flowers’) off the new album still remained pulsating with beats that left my feet moving involuntarily.
The band’s encore had the entire floor bouncing. The irony in hit ‘Танцевать’ (‘Dance’) is evident. Egor Shkutko repeats ‘I can’t dance’ in Russian whilst the beat drove the crowd through intense surges of jumping energy. Dancing was an imperative.
TikTok-famous hit ‘Судно (Борис Рижий)’ (‘Vessel (Boris Rizhiy)’), referencing ‘Enamelled Bedpan’ by the poet in the title, a poem of depression and struggle, provided an atmosphere again of the opposite. There is always something comforting in goth culture, where thousands can come together and dance with pure joy, seizing autonomy over the darkest aspects of life.
The bright synth sound in combination with Shkutko’s shadowy, deep vocals crafted echoes of original goth. It is safe to say the spirits of Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy are still alive.
Molchat Doma’s ever-growing popularity proves the need for a worldwide goth scene over 40 years after the subculture’s original boom. They proved themselves to be a part of the modern goth, darkwave hall of fame, joining bands like Lebanon Hanover and Twin Tribes. Beautified doom, gloom, vampirism and morbidity seems to have a guaranteed place in the alternative music scene, in the words of gothic master Edgar Allan Poe, ‘evermore.’
Featured Image: Dabrowka NowakWhat is your favourite song from the album?
