I was crossing the Oakland/Bay bridge into San Francisco California, the clouds were rolling in and bringing the fog with it. It made for a perfect, chilly night for some goth music. The selection Du Jour was Altar De Fey (San Francisco), Then Comes Silence (Stockholm, Sweden) and The Bellwether Syndicate (Chicago). Originally, it was set for The Chapel but, was re-booked just days ago to the DNA Lounge. The DNA is a San Francisco landmark. I have seen so many amazing bands there as well as attending their weekly goth night, Death Guild.
Up first were Altar De Fey. Originally formed in the early 1980’s, they disbanded in 1985 and reformed in 2011 as a 2 piece. in 2012 they rounded out the current lineup. When they hit the stage, you could tell that they were hometown favorites. Their short, but lively seven song set was filled with old favorites as well as a couple from their latest release.
Altar De Fey are:
Kent Cates – Guitar
Aleph Kali – Drums/Percussion
Skot Brown: -Bass
Jake Hout – Vocals
Set List:
1). I See Demons
2). Telekinesis
3). Mercy’s Kiss
4). I Want It
5). Division
6). Crimson’s Sin
7). Veil of Death
Next was Then Comes Silence from Sweden. Well, half of them were there. Hugo and Alex held down the fort with Stevyn Grey filling in on drums. This didn’t stop them from performing a tight, well oiled set. Starting out the set with the first track off their latest release “Tickets to Funerals”, they offered up a good variety of old and new tracks. It wasn’t long before they had the crowd dancing and singing along. I do hope to catch them again when they are at full strength since this was so solid.
Then Comes Silence are:
Alex Svenson – vocals, bass, synthesizers
Mattias Ruejas Jonson – guitars
Hugo Zombie – guitars
Jonas Fransson – drums
Set List:
1). Ticket to Funerals
2). Good Friday
3). Apocalypse Flare
4). Chain
5). The Dead Cry For No One
6). She Loves The Night
7). Strangers
8). Rise To The Bait
9). Strange Kicks
10). We Lose The Night
11). Animals
The Bellwether Syndicate rounded out the night. They battled through the tiny stage and several technical difficulties but, still managed to pull off an amazing set. Most of the set came off their The Night Watch ep however, both “Dystopian Mirror” and “Beacons” are off their forthcoming album. If these two songs are an example of what is to come, the new album should be really good. Even though this was just 3 shows into the tour, and they, admittedly, hadn’t played “Beacons” live that much, they killed it. They rounded out the set with the Chameleons “Soul in Isolation” and “Sovereign” from William Faith’s previous band Faith and the Muse. Unfortunately, they didn’t play the encore they had scheduled (I only knew because I saw the set list). The Bellwether Syndicate always puts on a great show.
The Bellwether Syndicate are:
William Faith – guitar/vocals
Sarah Rose Faith – guitar
Corey Gorey – bass
Philly Peroxide – keyboards/percussion
Stevyn Grey – drums
Set List:
1). All Fire
2). The Night Watch
3). Dystopian Mirror
4). 101 Go
5). Republik
6). You can see through me
7). Beacons
8). Soul in Isolation (Chameleons cover)
9). Sovereign (Faith and the Muse cover)
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Photographer of about 10 years, I have been shooting concerts for about 8 of those years. I started to get serious about concert photography about 6 or 7 years ago and now try to shoot as many as I can. I shoot mostly rock but, have done some country and big band stuff. I love music and since I am nowhere close to being a musician, this is a way I can be a small part of what, in the words of Henry Rollins, “gets me through the highs, the lows and everything in between”.
