The Runaway, a DC burger joint open for about a year and a half in Brookland, has been playing host to synthpop and goth shows. Case in point, The Runaway hosted Los Angeles’ Spike Hellis recently in a show presented by Vanguard DC and EBM Worldwide, two promoters who seem they are going to be booking acts there for a long while!
We dropped by that show to catch opener Void Vision, the Philadelphia-based project of musician Shari Vari.
Void Vision is no stranger to DC, having opened the likes of Xeno and Oaklander at the Black Cat and Adult. at DC9 prior to the pandemic, as well as appearing at the home-curated Tiny Cat Festival of dark wave acts several years ago. On April 24, Shari visited once again on tour with Spike Hellis to perform roughly 10 songs from an impressive synthesizer rig.
At The Runaway, Shari was a true synthesist, moving across Korg and Pioneer instruments with care and precision. As a vocalist, she is surprisingly soulful, given that many of her songs deal with lies, cruelty, and pain. Still, there was a fulfilling and even comforting cascade of synth melodies behind the words. As ever, the songs were very good, and it was easy to lose track of time, particularly in the darkness, as Void Vision’s crystalline and powerful music swept you away.
Stream Sub Rosa by Void Vision on Bandcamp:
My own girlfriend, Jessica Rose, hails from Philadelphia, and she told me that Shari once fronted a Madonna cover act. Once you know that, you cannot *unsee* it. Shari has a similarly compelling voice and vitality that well make her dark electronic music’s answer to the Material Girl.
Void Vision has a few shows coming up in May in the Pacific Northwest, and she is slated to appear at Substance Festival 2023 in Los Angeles on Nov. 4 in a pretty damn good bill if you’re a dark wave fan. Follow Void Vision on Instagram for details.
Vanguard DC continues to book alternative and goth music bands like Spike Hellis and Void Vision at The Runaway, Public Option, Safari, and other small DC spaces. Follow Vanguard on Instagram for more goth concert announcements in DC.
Here is a handful of pix of Void Vision performing at The Runaway in DC on April 24, 2023. Photos by Mickey McCarter.
