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Vosh performs at Union Stage in DC on Nov. 21, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
Going to see Peter Murphy for his David Bowie tribute show at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City on Friday, Jan. 24? Arrive early to see dark synthpop artist Vosh, who hails from Baltimore.
Who is Vosh?
Ronny Moorings fronts Clan of Xymox at Union Stage on Nov. 21, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
I’m going to say it right out of the gate — Clan of Xymox deserve to be a much bigger act than they are.
As seen at DC’s Union Stage recently, frontman Ronny Moorings and company walk a straight line through buoyant synthpop — a bit more dark and distracted than their contemporaries in New Order and a bit less complicated than The Cure.
Clan of Xymox (Photo by Edmund Messerschmidt)
Dutch dark wavers Clan of Xymox haven’t been to DC in a while, but that’s about to change as frontman Ronny Moorings and his crew hit Union Stage for an exciting show on Thursday, Nov. 21.
Drab Majesty performs at Union Stage on Aug. 8, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
When I first saw Drab Majesty, I admittedly wasn’t 100 percent open to what the duo were doing. Clad in impenetrable makeup and reaching into a mentally calculcated genre of music, Drab Majesty struck me as a bit too artificial and maybe too confining.
After seeing them again at Union Stage recently touring on third album Modern Mirror, I embraced the concept more and if nothing else, gained a deeper appreciation for the splendor of Drab Majesty’s music.
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Ritual Howls perform at 9:30 Club on Aug. 3, 2019. (Photo by Paivi Salonen)
Ritual Howls stormed through an intoxicating rumble of post-punk gems when opening The Faint at 9:30 Club recently. The Detroit trio won many new admirers as they performed selections from Rendered Armor, the band’s fourth full-length album, released earlier this year via Felte.
Todd Fink fronts The Faint at 9:30 Club on Aug. 3, 2019. (Photos by Paivi Salonen; Words by Mickey McCarter)
The Faint have a great new album — the dark wavers’ seventh studio effort — released earlier this year via Saddle Creek. And they reminded 9:30 Club of what they do best in a show there recently: Delight and mystify us with glistening synths and thoughtful moods.
Drab Majesty (Photo by Nedda Afsari)
On their new album Modern Mirror, Drab Majesty continue to dig their heels into modern paranoia, hypnotic melodies, and mystical lyricism. Deb Demure and Mona D released Modern Mirror in July via Dais Records, and now the duo visit Union Stage for a performance on Thursday, Aug. 8.
The Faint (Photo by Bill Sitzmann)
The Faint returned with an 11-track deep-dive into themes on modern society, the internet, and ego — specifically social media and its dark effects, on their latest album Egowerk, released earlier this year via Saddle Creek. Now, The Faint appear at 9:30 Club on Saturday, Aug. 3, in support of the Egowerk 2019 Tour!
Actors perform at Metro Gallery on April 30, 2019. (Photo by Paivi Salonen)
Dark wave quartet Actors electrified the Metro Gallery in Baltimore recently, as the audience swooned over the intoxicating synthpop from frontman Jason Corbett and company. Paivi was there to take some pictures!
TR/ST (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
Dark waver TR/ST, aka Robert Alfons, released The Destroyer – Part 1, his third studio album, last month via House Arrest Records, Royal Mountain Records, and Grouch. TR/ST arrives at U Street Music Hall for a memorable night of dark wave on Sunday, May 5.