The second day of Cloak & Dagger – Dusk Till Dawn Festival 2017 was immediately more packed than the previous day, though it would not necessarily stay that way. Before the first act even took the stage The Globe Theatre was easily at least a quarter full, something that didn’t happen until well into the previous night. The first night proved to be an intensive instruction in the ways of darkness, what the second night had in store was in some ways a payoff for the patience of the audience as they found themselves treated to a feast of delightful down tempo warehouse techno and rock, a style ripe for a comeback. Luckily for the audience, Cloak and Dagger was more than happy to provide a stage for the movement to find a resurgence.
While yesterday may have started off ploddingly by easing the early arrivals into the atmosphere before bludgeoning them with acts like HEALTH and Ho99o9, day two decided to take a different approach. By beginning the night with Uniform on the main stage they kicked the show off with all the subtlety of an atom bomb. Uniform may in fact be the most intense band of the entire show bill, exceeding even Ho99o9 in terms of sheer brutality, their blending of crust punk and noise readily turning away any spectators that may have only found themselves curious, but they traded off mass appeal for niche obsession and were rewarded with a larger crowd than any of the previous day’s early acts. They also incorporated more visuals than the early sets yesterday, showing washed out pictures of faces in distress in black and white while constantly using the onstage lights’ strobe effect to essentially blind the audience. Whether the crowd size increase was because it was a Saturday had yet to be seen. Technicalities aside, the energy was infectious, the system was cranked even louder (the end of their set might have been the loudest thing happening west of the Mississippi that night) than the previous day (no doubt a result of ironing out the kinks since the first day of the show) and the humble crowd that had gathered was showing a level of engagement that was missing from the early acts of the day on Friday.
The crowd for Oghr at the Tower Theatre was again larger than that of the previous day, solidifying the notion that this day would have a more even spread throughout. Things also seemed to be running behind schedule like yesterday; the band was behind about ten minutes from the beginning of their projected set time. By the time the show started it was to a decently sized crowd, certainly bigger than that of Uniform just minutes ago. The band themselves were furiously effective on stage, making great use of their frustrations with the sound check delays. The high energy approach for the early acts was paying off dividends for crowd engagement which was steadily rising throughout the day despite consistent nagging technical difficulties that halting the momentum of the audience in a serious way. While the delays cut the set short Oghr still managed to put on an impressive performance for the limited time they were on stage. Sonically the music was crushingly loud, completely drowning out even the ability to think much less carry on a conversation. Visually they employed a similar strobe effect as Uniform assailing the audience with bright lights, often bright enough to force them to shield their eyes, providing a stellar visual example of what their music embodies. It’s too bad the sound team was having difficulty with them as it provided a damper on an otherwise great set.
While the Tower Theatre continued to deal with audio issues, Lust For Youth was taking the stage in front of an eager crowd across the street at the Globe Theatre. Unfortunately they were dealing with a late start as well but it seemed less chalked up to issues and more than likely was related to extended set up times. At about 8:45 they took the stage in total darkness with a pre-recorded spoken word intro. The volume in the Globe had been mercifully reduced since the Uniform set, though that may have been more related to the sea of bodies that now populated the floor. Their visuals were the most impressive of the day by far, their use of a darkened stage with red accent lights that flickered and moved with the music contrasted brilliantly with the shooting blue stage lights. The music itself was the most well-mixed set of the day and Lust For Youth’s throwback ’80s sound came through in perfect clarity. Their second song “Illume” was easily the best performance of the night and was able to get the sizable crowd to vibe along with them. Their other songs were also no slouch, each track thrummed with the same melancholy auras that they did in the studio, casting a dark spell on the audience, particularly on the song “Sudden Ambitions” when the female keyboardist came out and took over the lead vocals (delivering another highlight performance of the night). Lust For Youth did a fantastic job showcasing themselves as performers and no doubt gained some new fans with their standout performance.
A few minutes later at the Tower Theatre, Zombi was still wrapping up their set and making way for one of the most anticipated acts of the night KMFDM. KMFDM actually took the stage around 10:50, as every set had been pushed further into the night due to persistent issues with sound check. The second night didn’t have as clear cut of a headliner as day one did with The Jesus and Mary Chain, so there was a grouping of acts that all could have fit within that slot and KMFDM was definitely among them from a performance standpoint. The moment they took the stage they were clearly in control of their audience (it seemed as though the scheduling issues surrounding the Tower venue had affected the crowd size). Using their unique, politically-charged blend of techno, goth and hard rock they created an electric atmosphere that other bands would struggle to top for the rest of the night. They opened with “D.I.Y.” which would set the tone for the rest of the night with its infectious energy. Their ability to use visuals was limited by the lack of screens on the Tower stage, but they used the lighting in the venue to great effect by constantly assailing the audience with strobe and bright flashes from the square lights that were affixed in a blinding row of four above the stage.
The KMFDM set was the closest thing to a warehouse party for the entire festival, which clearly resonated with the crowd, many of whom had doubtlessly been to some of those very gatherings in the past. During the whole set the singer Sascha Konietzko oozed an effortless cool. He came out smoking a cigarette at the beginning of the set and slowly puffing it down between songs, and he (and his bandmates) all managed to pull off their fairly ridiculous get ups (a running theme of the festival) convincingly. The second song, “Freak Flag” was clearly a hit with the audience that was doing just as the lyrics instructed them and the heavy bass drum laden beat in conjunction with an easy to chant chorus made it an effortless track to dance along to. The rest of the set was able to easily coast along by using songs with similar elements. The mid-set standout was “Your Government Hates You” a song that has found newly regained poignancy was met with chants of “Your government hates you,” during the chorus. They edged close to the end of the set with the standout “Glam, Glitz, Guts and Gore” which had another chant-along chorus and the most presence of all their songs. The double bass during the chorus was enough to crack ribs, and somehow it all sounded just as good as it did on the album. The end of the set was highlighted by one of their most spectacular hits “Godlike.” The song burst violently into it’s opening of “I’ll pray, and pray, that your country undergoes recovery” once again highlighting the politics that seethe beneath their songs, a point that has become even more urgent in the past months, which the audience doubtlessly identified with. Their furiously engaging and overall ridiculously fun set was a definite highlight of the night that other bands would struggle to match later on.
Also very much in the running for tonight’s true headliner was Cold Cave, who had the difficult task of following KMFDM at the Tower Theatre. Fortunately for them the music of Cold Cave could hardly be any more different from that of KMFDM. Instead of beating the audience over the head with pulverizing kick drums and anthemic chants, Cold Cave preferred to drag the listener into their own little world with an incredible ear for atmospheres in the vein of bands like Tears for Fears. One of the major pluses of following up KMFDM was that Cold Cave had a solid crowd to work with and while some did leave after the previous set enough stayed behind that the room seemed eager to check out another act. The atmospheric music of Cold Cave, though very different from the previous act, was a welcome change of pace for those who had stuck around. Cold Cave very much followed suit with many of the acts as they exuded a strong ’80s post-punk vibe that was a real throwback for many of the audience members.
One of the standouts of Cold Cave’s performance was the baritone of lead singer Wes Eisold, a vocal style that he had mastered and could be heard with varying degrees of effectiveness throughout the festival was on gloriously full display at this set. In terms of the crowd, this group was much more laid back than many of the previous, though they were no less engaged. Their second song “Youth and Lust” did step up the energy of the set as a whole and managed to get the tired crowd moving. Cold Cave managed to keep a tight grip on the audience by keeping to a tight schedule with their songs, quickly darting from one to the other with very little break time in between. This allowed them to keep the audience that they had instead of losing many of them to She Wants Revenge who was playing over in the Globe Theatre. While the Tower Theatre may have been a difficult experience in regards to scheduling, nearly every band that played more than made up for their lateness with a quality set and Cold Cave was no exception.
As Cold Cave played through the center of their set, She Wants Revenge was in the midst of a festival-defining set over at the main stage of the Globe. Upon returning to the Globe it was refreshing to see the full media experience again being used by a closing band. The onscreen visuals went a long way toward cultivating a unique onstage experience that quickly propelled She Wants Revenge toward the top of the acts today. The room itself was nearly as packed as it was for The Jesus and Mary Chain. The music itself was extremely high-quality in terms of sound and the crowd could not have been more engaged. The audience swayed rhythmically as they played “Written in Blood,” cultivating an engaging atmosphere through a combination of minimalist stage effects, a strong sense of stage presence and a stellar sound mix. It was clear that the lack of a noticeable headliner had hurt the overall audience size for day two but those that did attend were clearly having a great time at a festival specially curated toward their interests. She Wants Revenge continued to mind-control the crowd throughout the night with hits like “Tear You Apart” that got the late crowd singing along despite their doubtless fatigue. She Wants Revenge would prove to be a stellar way to cap off Cloak and Dagger, proving that a niche festival can be just as effective and enjoyable as the biggest ones in the world.
Overall, this has to be one of the most successful inaugural festival dates in recent memory. Every issue was met with a spirit of adaptability and perseverance. The niche nature of the festival ensured that every single set was met with enthusiasm (well, as much as a crowd of goths could muster) and a level of engagement that is missing from many of the larger festivals. There is one warning worth extending though and that is if you’re not a self-proclaimed freak then this is may not be the festival for you, and that single statement is enough to make this one of the most important new festivals.
File Photo: Boston Lynn Schulz
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