Last Gigs - the live report thread

[Jigsaw]

I figured I'd make this thread so that we could share our experiences with each other on what concerts we recently went to, regardless of genre. I really enjoy reading live reports and reviews, I hope I'm not alone in that. This thread is specifically for non-vkei music (as a lot of us don't have the means to travel to Japan and frequent vkei gigs too often), but anyone feel free to open a vkei counterpart too (I'd love to read it)!

I'll start with my latest one!

Owls Woods Graves / Morbid / Tormentor @ 2026/03/13

This occasion was titled "666 Festival - The Rebirth", to pay homage to an '80s / '90s underground event series. I'm not familiar with the history of the original gigs, but with this lineup it was a no-brainer that I had to attend!

The Polish black metal punks Owls Woods Graves started the night (very punctually I might add), and they immediately got into it, along with the audience. After a few songs the first moshpit started, and it was a great time with high-energy raw metal and punk elements (there were lots of "woo-oooh" backing vox, haha). The sound quality was already top-notch, and thankfully this was true for all the bands that night. The guys played a tight 45 minutes, which was perfect length for this type of fast metal frenzy.

After a gruelling long waiting time between sets, the Swedish cult kings Morbid hit the stage... or rather, solemnly marched. The lights dimmed, and with a backdrop of eerie atmospheric ambiance the band members slowly marched through the crowd, carrying a coffin onto the stage, led by the cloaked Tormentor frontman Attila who was making his trademark "mumbling goblin priest who's either horny or insane but definitely possessed" voices, and after 'exhuming' the vocalist of Morbid from his casket, the show really began. I gotta admit, I didn't know much about this band other than their cult status (and connection to early Mayhem), but I was more than impressed. Just fantastic, intricate and adventurous songs in a blackened vein, with some old-school speed and heavy metal elements thrown into the mix (sometimes I was thinking "Mercyful Fate but make it black metal"), and captivating showmanship to top it all off. The vocalist sometimes lugged around a huge-ass inverted wooden cross, and he even went down into the audience for some full-contact action. Towards the end, one of the guitarists brought onstage a big cake-like thing, which he proceeded to throw into the crowd where it got trampled into pieces, kickstarting the punky assault of the song "Disgusting Semla" (a Swedish pastry apparently)... and before we knew it, the assault ended. It was a glorious hour of dark metal bliss.

Finally, after another overly long intermission it was time for the homeboys Tormentor to light up the flame of old black metal once more. I have to say, by this point I was thoroughly exhausted so I already knew I wasn't gonna stay till the end of their set, but I was still looking forward to hearing some nostalgic tunes. I was lucky to witness their big comeback gig in 2018, so I was already content so to speak. However, there were some surprises. I'll start with the bad one: I've all but forgotten that a while ago the band parted ways with one of their guitarists... well, they played with a one-guitar setup here, and it was severely lacking in most instances. The rhythm parts missed the majestic leads and whenever there was soloing involved, it sounded a bit weak and hollow due to no rhythmic backing (save for the somewhat muddled bass). And frankly, the guitarist wasn't really on top of his game, there were quite cringe-inducing moments sadly (slip-ups, wrong notes, some weird timings). Unfortunate, because otherwise the atmosphere and the drive was all there. In some good news, they even busted out two tracks from their highly divisive experimental "Recipe Ferrum!" album (luckily they stuck to ones that worked well in a black metal context, heh). It was an unexpected but welcome addition that further enriched the otherwise solidly traditional black/thrash vibes. By the halfway point of their show I was completely physically drained tho, so I had to go home sadly (if only they didn't do hour-long changeover times inbetween...oh well).

All in all, a tiring but rewarding evening, even if it had some downsides. Next up, I'm visiting an underground goth/dark mini fest tonight, so I think I'll lie down a bit to gather my strength now, lmao~

[disposable]

I have an opportunity to see Tormentor in about two months at Steelfest if I decide to go. The lineup is stacked with names I'm kind of interested in seeing but wouldn't necessarily travel to, so I'm a bit vary about dropping 189,00 EUR on it. My personal headliner, Beherit, I could see in my mom's village in about a month anyways, lol.

I spontaneously went to see Elias Rønnenfelt of the Iceage fame the other week and I've been on a big Iceage kick, especially the Nick Cave-sounding material form Plowing Into The Field of Love and his solo career EP with Dean Blunt, ever since. To be honest the decision to go came unexpectedly. I haven't been all that interested in music as of late in favor of cinema and literature, but now with school taking up most of my free time, my art hours are restricted to listening to music during work and that's kind of driven me back into it. They played the show with Elias on guitar and a bassist and drummer, and it was great. Basically alternative renditions of everything that was played to suit the band setup. It's always a pleasure to hear musicians jam together and just play really, really well. They'd play through the monitors blowing out and sound falling off in the beginning, and once the sound came together it got a big pop from the crowd. It's wild to think that he's around my age but has been playing since 2008, and it shows in the stage show, which was almost vk-esque in how performative all the posing was, but I fuck with it.

In general I had a great time, and the show being just about north of the one hour mark was appropriate for me. The next show I guess will either be Xasthur's acoustic show on Thursday if I feel like forking the cash for it, or Demoncy or Beherit in about a month depending on which country I'm in.

[Jigsaw]

@disposable Steelfest sounds great! You should definitely go imo.

Also wow, Iceage is a band I haven't thought of in a looong long time, lol. The frontman's side-project always seemed interesting to me (beause of the Nick Cave parallel, as you mentioned), I bet it was cool to see him live.

I'm currently recuperating from last night's gig, gonna write a short review in a new post later today (spoilers: it was excellent fun).

[tenyards]

I've got a bunch of fun shows coming up, but the next thing I am seeing is a friend's... medieval improv comedy show with live musical accompaniment. I am genuinely unsure if he is funny or not, but we'll find out!

[Jigsaw]

Yesterday night I went to a pretty fun show with a bunch of mostly small Hungarian bands! I usually like to keep at least a few days between gigs (my social batteries are fragile, lol) but this is one event I've wanted to attend for a while now, so here I go~! Sorry, this will be a bit long cuz the night was long too...

H.O.L.T. / Sóvárgás / Utolsó Hullám / Pixelplants / Undertheskin @ 2026/03/14

After some quality time spent catching up / warming up with a friend at her place with beers in hand, we flew on our bat wings (mostly via subway) to the rinky-dink but charming underground venue S8 for some dark tunes. This was our first time visiting this hole-in-the-wall and we concluded that our past young-adult selves would've probably loved it, but we're used to a bit more 'updated' places nowadays, heh. In any case, I was pleasantly surprised because the sound/mixing was totally bearable all throughout, so props to the staff.

This was a pretty tightly scheduled mini-festival, which meant that as soon as one band stopped playing in one of the sections of the venue, the next band started in another room... and this also means that you're bound to miss some things (if you have to stand endlessly in line for a drink for example), but that's okay.

We managed to catch the second half of H.O.L.T.'s set, right in the middle of their rendition of a The Cure song whose title escapes me right now. In any case, their own original material had shades of The Cure too, injected into a bit of a meat-and-potatoes rock vibe, but it was just charming enough not to be completely mediocre. They played on the bigger stage / bigger space, so after they finished we went through some shady-looking doors and stairs into the smaller room...

...where the next band Sóvárgás was just about to start. Luckily we were fast and secured a spot close to the stage (well, there was no 'stage' really, just a step-high elevation, lol). I was especially curious about this trio because I really dig their new single, and they didn't disappoint one bit. Super dark smokey post-punk played against tight and cold electronic beats, with an armada of effect pedals at both the guitarist's and bassist's disposal that further heightened the clinical alienated feel. At one point the singer busted out a small saxophone and he let rip some freewheeling wails. Super cool shit, they have the vision. Bonus points for a great Trabant (cult '80s art-rock band) cover too.

At this point we made the mistake of wanting to drink something, so we stood in line for a small eternity, during which I accidentally dropped one of my earplugs so I was like "fuck it" and rawdogged the rest of the night (it was fine tbh). Another unwelcome development was that we missed seeing the first few songs of one of my favorites Utolsó Hullám, but thankfully due to the layout of the place, we heard everything clearly. With sensible energy drink and Coca Cola in hand, we rushed in to join the swollen crowd. This was my third time seeing these guys, they're a big comfort listen for me, standard '80s style goth rock with appropriately retro drum machine sounds, but that's the sweet spot I keep coming back to. Plus smoke machine, garish lights, sunglasses, what's not to love? They turned the party like usual, the crowd danced all the way, great times.

I was pretty content at this point, so I didn't rush back to the small room right away. After taking a breather I made my way there eventually, but it was paaacked so I stood at the very back for Pixelplants' performance, who play sort of beefed-up synthpop (with live guitar and drums) which they dub "darkpop". Gotta say, I went in completely blind but came out a believer by the end! The group, but especially the vocalist gal was just a ball of energy jumping all over the place, and the fervour was definitely contagious. Everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives, even if the space became kind of suffocating after a while (lucky I was at the back). Impressive performance, I'll keep a lookout for the next time they're playing live near me.

Thankfully, the last band on the roster took a few more minutes to get onstage so we could take some rest for real this time, haha. The closing act of the night (with the longest set) was Undertheskin from Poland, who I also wasn't familiar with. That didn't stop me from dancing my brains out tho! Very professional cool sound and cleverly minimalistic arrangements made this 'nostalgic yet modern' brand of darkwave / post-punk a real killer. Sharp cutting distorted bass guitar licks, cold twinkly guitars (sometimes dual guitar lines), darkly mesmerizing vocals and occasional MIDIpad action, the works. The trio seemed very happy and grateful to be playing in this small but sold-out shithole [meant lovingly] to such an appreciative audience. A perfect way to end a dark-hued but colorful night.

There were still some DJ sets coming up, but my friend and I just looked at each other and agreed that we should go before our boomer bones collapse, lmao. Absolutely knackered and ears slightly ringing, but with souls re-energized we flew home on the darkly depressing subway lines (an appropriately decrepit urban gothic milieu to fit the theme of the evening).

[Jigsaw]

Guess not many of us goes to gigs much, huh... Well, anyway, gotta mention this one, happened a while ago now, but I forgot to write about it immediately afterwards.

Crow Black Dream / She Past Away @ 2026/04/29

Had some gig buddies over at my place to pass the time, then we hit the streets to head out to my favorite venue A38! For those who don't know, this is a ship anchored on the bank of the Danube, converted to a live venue with a main hall (in the belly of the ship), a smaller room, a half-open-air roof terrace and a bunch of other neat spaces for bands to play in. Thankfully tonight's attractions played in the main hall, which boasts the best sound system in the city (in my opinion).

Opening act Crow Black Dream are one of my favorite Hungarian underground post-punk / goth rock bands, so I was really glad to catch them live once again! They're a father & son duo by the way, with dad handling the vocals and guitars, and the son laying down the groovy bass. They took the stage to an abundance of hazy smoke and stark back-lighting, which didn't let up until the very end, so we could only see two dark silhouettes for most of the show, but it gave a fitting atmosphere to the already cool minimalistic music with its tight electronic drums and sparse percussive effects. They were really the perfect choice for tonight, as they presented a very similar style to the main band but still in their own voice.

According to schedule there was still over half an hour till the main act, so we went over to the small room which was converted into the merch and general lounging-around area for the night... until we heard some pretty loud sounds. Oh shit, She Past Away started 15 minutes earlier than expected. And it's a sold-out show. So you can imagine the struggle while we tried to worm our way into the crowd, haha. Nevertheless, we managed to find a somewhat comfy spot somewhere in the back third of the crowd. The band was of course fantastic, just how I imagined them (this was my first time seeing them live)! Both guys played their magical darkwavey post-punk totally committed with full serious concentration, but at times you could see they were really happy to be there and to see us have fun. They even threw some Hungarian sentences our way, with surprisingly beautiful pronunciation, heh. They played over an hour, which is just the right amount for me, I got pretty tired dancing along the night anyway. A wonderful show.

For my next gig, I will be returning to the A38 ship in a few days, this time to see a Japanese band I love and respect very much~

[Jigsaw]

Sun-Rot / Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO @ 2026/05/14

Once again I'm at A38 for some quality time. I arrive just in time to browse through all the merch of Acid Mothers Temple (it's always neat to see the CDs they bring with their little descriptions tacked on), and then to settle comfortably in the middle by the time local young titans Sun-Rot hit the stage. They play mostly very laid-back groovy psychedelic rock with occasional stoner-ish and indie rock elements. I have to admit, this is not really my jam, after a few songs I feel kinda bored but try to be engaged till the end of the set. One of the guys onstage plays occasional tambourine, woodblock and shakers, but like 60% of the time he's just vibing and dancing away while fanning himself. Wanna be as confident as him.

Some music-nerd chatting with friends passes the time quickly and by the time Acid Mothers Temple materializes onstage I'm locked in, bring it on! It takes a while to get used to the annoyingly overdriven and loud bass guitar, but by the second track (their face-melting supercharged cover of Black Sabbath's "The Wizard") I don't even care, the good vibes take over. They more or less play the same set of songs as the previous time I saw them (I think), but of course with AMT there's always variations, different jams and freakout instrumental mayhem involved. It's so great when they lock into a groove and just ride it endlessly, the crowd is receptive too, everyone's bobbing, jumping and dancing around (at one point it felt like a moshpit was about to start too, but didn't, lol). A glorious noisy crescendo crowns the end of the evening. The Acid Mothers are always a good time.

[Jigsaw]

Utolsó Hullám / Rosegarden Funeral Party @ 2026/05/17

The past few days' cold rainy weather didn't bode well for this night, but thankfully the streets miraculously remained dry, so I could take a healthy stroll up to the venue Instant, which is a small-ish part of a bigger building-complex (popular among tourists for partying mostly). I've had good experiences with the venue so far, and this time, too, the sound and the facilities were adequate.

Being a Sunday night, the turnout wasn't the biggest when I arrived during the last few songs of Lvcretia's DJ set warming up the crowd, but the vibe was nice so I happily danced away for the few minutes till local opener Utolsó Hullám took the stage. They're always a reliable presence in the goth underground, promising a good time with their nostalgic drum-machine dark rock, in the vein of The Sisters of Mercy (more on this later). Compared to when I last saw them 2 months ago, this time the difference was that they recently dropped a brand-new album, so they played almost all their new tracks, plus a handful of old favorites of course. I still have to get used to some of the new tunes but they sounded pretty solid live. After their eponymous closing hit song, they had a surprise for us: none other than Leah Lane from Rosegarden Funeral Party! Together they performed a cover of The Sisters of Mercy song "Nine While Nine" (you can check it here). A neat way to segue between the sets of the two bands.

I have to admit, I'm not the biggest listener of the headlining band, but last year I bought a ticket to see them on a whim and their live energy immediately blew me away, so naturally I had to see them again... and once again, they did not disappoint! Now, too, Rosegarden Funeral Party came as a duo with just Leah on vocals/guitar and Dean Adams on drums, but what a powerful stage presence. The delicately melodic, slightly new-wavey gothic rock of the recordings came alive in a much more impactful and dramatic way. A certain well-known band of Banshees would be an easy comparison of course, taking into account Leah's captivating performance and strong soulful vocals that cut through the whirlwind. They also treated us with three new songs from an upcoming album (to be released around autumn if I caught that correctly), which all sounded top-notch and brimming with atmosphere. It was a beautiful and genuine performance overall, I encourage everyone to check them out live.

[Jigsaw]

This will be my last one for a while, as I don't have any more lives planned till early July (but who knows)... This time it's a double feature, so I'll try to keep it relatively short, lol.

Soft Vein / Nuovo Testamento @ 2026/05/20

Once again I'm back on the mighty A38 ship, this time the gig's on the rooftop terrace so there's a nice breeze. Opener Soft Vein is a one-man project, guy was playing in a sort of minimalistic coldwave style, with occasional ethereal guitar leads and lots of synth manipulation and some loop pedal (?) action. Pleasant enough, but doesn't really get the blood pumping. However, main act Nuovo Testamento really fired up the party with their infectiously catchy Italo-disco influenced synthpop (funny to think they started out as a darkwave band). The keyboardist and the drummer (who was pounding away on electronic drums, a rare sight!) gave it their all, as well as the hella cute vocalist gal who didn't stop moving while still delivering her melodies flawlessly. It was the perfect (pre)summer atmosphere.

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Crow Black Dream / Synthetic Destiny / Nulladik Változat / Fetish Section @ 2026/05/24

I'm back in my hometown, baby! And what better way to finish off the spring than a riverside open-air mini festival for goths and alternative types? The live is on a big ol' houseboat that was converted to a live venue a few years back. Not quite the A38, but it fits the chill lowkey vibe of the city excellently, and provides a neat opportunity for smallish artists to play live.

I think I've seen Crow Black Dream more than any other band in the past year or two, so I won't get into it much, they were solid as always, although the vibrant sunshine didn't do their brand of cold goth tunes any favors, haha.

Next up was Synthetic Destiny, an EBM-tinged dark synthpop trio with a captivating performance by the singer. By this time more and more people were getting into the groove in the audience too, elevating the mood.

As the sun was setting, it was time for Nulladik Változat to hit the stage, and they played wonderfully. They're one of the big names of the Hungarian dark/alternative underground, truckin' along since the early '90s. Extremely professional and still very down-to-earth, these old geezers brought some of their finest nostalgic post-punky numbers. Ecstatic dancing and swaying all around in the pit.

Finally, I caught local heroes Fetish Section, been a long time coming (somehow I'd never seen them live before). It was the highlight of the evening, actually kind of scary how great they were. Imagine a very "fuck off" punk attitude combined with the tightest rhythm section and just enough synth color to put the "post-" into their "punk". Literally from the first second, the better half of the crowd was going crazy, present company included. Such a joy, I hope to see them in the future many more times. There was still one more band to go, but it was getting chilly on the river, I was exhausted, and I saw them live not that long ago, so I went on home to collapse into bed. What a night!