The Los Angeles Theater in the heart of Downtown L.A.’s jewelry district was just the right setting for a night filled with enough dark wave to turn your heart black. Stepping into the theater would make anyone gasp; the ornate decor complete with huge crystal chandeliers, marble, gold leaf and walnut paneling were a lot to take in. Patrons donned primarily in all black filled the theater and more intimate ballroom downstairs as the night went on. But by the time She Wants Revenge had taken the stage at 1:00 a.m., several went home in lieu of staying out past their bedtimes.
Those who stayed were treated to an hour-long set from the band, who had the crowd singing along and hanging onto every last word through the last two songs. “Give us all you’ve got!” frontman Justin Warfield yelled to the crowd just before closing with “Out of Control” and “Tear You Apart.” Another highlight from their set was the krautrock-forward “Red Flags and Long Nights,” which had everyone watching, entranced. They thanked everyone for coming out for the second annual Cloak & Dagger Festival, an extension of a members-only weekly nightclub, partially thrown by She Wants Revenge member Adam Bravin.
Omaha, Nebraska’s The Faint also played just over an hour-long set filled with dark, driving songs. They opened with “Evil Music,” and when “Worked Up So Sexual,” their most popular song, came on, the laser lights kicked in and not a still person was on the floor.
TR/ST had a massive audience in the main theater. The entire hour-long set was one big dark-wave dance party, as fans danced along to the heavy drum beat and dreamy synths. They swayed along to the dreamy, bouncy “Candy Walls” and danced hard to “Dressed For Space.”
A strong performance from Drab Majesty earlier in the day was also accentuated with laser lighting. The dark wave, neo-goth duo donned blonde wigs and sunglasses and played each song without interruption. Songs like “Too Soon To Tell” and “Kissing The Ground” with their driving krautrock beats really stood out, as well as their softer songs like “Not Just A Name,” featuring dreamy guitars and shimmering synths.
The most intense performance of the night hands down went to industrial noise-rock outfit HEALTH. The theater boomed with sound and light, as the crowd watched the trio play vigorously, with hair flailing around. Songs like “MEN TODAY” featured blasts of noise with soothing vocals and tribal drumming while “L.A. Looks” showed a more subtle side to their sound. Also seeing their “Zoothorn” DIY microphone/pedal in action was something.
“Who likes pussy?” singer and bassist Maitri of death-rock legends Christian Death asked the audience. Their hour-long early set of goth-metal was filled with surprises like an electric violin solo and free drumsticks from when the drummer tossed them into the crowd after making one of his cross signs with them.
Set times were pretty smooth for the most part, with the theater running a tad behind. But downstairs in the smoke-filled ballroom, more intimate performances were going on with Boy Harsher, BOAN, Black Mare, SRSQ and more. At each stage, different DJs would come out and play a set, while the next band set up.
SRSQ’s operatic noise rock had the crowd in awe. The audience swayed as Black Mare droned darkly on stage. Texas-based electronic duo BOAN charmed with Spanish-spoken goth songs like “Mentiras.” Boy Harsher played dark, danceable electro-pop that had everyone moving on the ballroom dance floor.
The night opened with Tamaryn at the main theater and driving post-punk group Death Bells from Sydney.
Between sets, there were a couple of art installations festival-goers could check out, including the “memory room” as one described it—a dark room that transported those who entered it to a haunting forest. There was a guy fiddling with black balloons all night on the landing between the theater entrance and stairs that led to the ballroom, that caused some to watch with interested or confusion.
There was plenty to explore in this dark-wave takeover of the Los Angeles Theater on that Sunday night. The elusive theme encouraged attendees to explore their dark side for a night and dance well into the wee witching hours.
Photo Credit: Alyssa Fried
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