The Dark Spring Boston festival, now in its 5th year, manifested this past weekend at Sonia in Cambridge, MA. The Grande Dame and Organizer of the Festival, Nichole Ferree, put together an outstanding lineup of talent that touched on every part of the scene’s sonic spectrum. 6 bands lit up the stage with their dark energy, and DJ Dragent kept the crowd going during changeovers with a mix of songs both contemporary and from the deepest darkest archives of the stygian catalogue. As would be expected from such an august gathering, everyone looked amazing in their funerary finery (both bands and fans) as the children of the night danced until the lights came up.
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Faux Fear (from PA).
First up was Faux Fear. The three member group put together an entrancing set of dark thumping dancehall fare. Lead singer Audrey’s haunting voice is a perfect counterpoint to rest of the band’s pieces, and helps create a big open sound, with room for each member to play their part. Bassist Pra dances back and forth between moving melodic phrases, and crushing dirty pounding bass lines like dancing in a thunderstorm, balanced by guitarist Nicholas’ clean glassy guitar tones, as he sprints around the fretboard like a jazz guitarist.
Stare Away. (From NYC).
NYC based duo Stare Away was up next. Very energetic, in your face, set of driving songs that pulled everyone onto the floor. Bursting onto the stage with a look and energy that reminded me of a Goth Bruce Springsteen, lead singer Ben Nelson brought an uptempo crowd focused vibe that married well with the relentless backbeats of the accompanying tracks. My lone regret is that the backing tracks at times overpowered the live instruments and vocals, which was a shame because you could see the emotion and dedication of the performers but some of that magic was lost to time and the sonic wash of the venue.
Komrads (Rochester, NY)
After taking the energy up a notch with Stare Away, they turned the dial up to 11 when Komrads (Zach Burnett) hit the stage. This one man band came on like an atom bomb… pounding heavy drums, fast filthy guitar riffs, and intense growly vocals… flavors of Ministry or KMFDM, and an absolutely unflagging performance. His singing is a little bit metal, a little bit frenetic punk lead man… It was pretty wild in all the right ways 🤘🤘 From the first note to the last, the only breaks in the action were the understated and blink-and-you-miss-it “Thank You”s that acted as the lone bridge between each bone shaking Industrial-laden assault on the senses.
Ex-Hyena (Boston)
Next up was Boston’s own dynamic duo of dark electronica, Ex-Hyena (Bo Barringer and Reuben Bettsak). I really enjoyed their set. It reminded me a bit of a rave, but couched within the dark confines of this music festival. Constantly evolving soundscapes, droning pulsing tracks, everybody dancing. Atmospheric live guitar, and a drum pad expertly struck with a lone drumstick at important moments to build texture and novelty. A table full of synths and computers and electronica alchemical devices of all persuasions…. connected by a spider’s web of cables that caught the audience in its tangle and fixed us in place.
Pilgrims
Another Boston band took the stage in the penultimate time slot. For my first time seeing Pilgrims (formerly Pilgrims of Yearning) play, I sure picked a lucky night. The group debuted their new album Gemini in its entirety during their set, and it was a gem. Lead singer Juls Garat’s powerful vocals, in both English and Spanish, really pull you into the story being told as the album unfolds. Uptempo beats, with some interesting rhythmic flourishes thrown in, meld well with the tight locked-in basslines and ethereal guitar and synth work and add up to a powerhouse performance, and a pulsing mass on the dancefloor. Really interesting layers in the music that tend to build throughout each song leading to some wild finishes. Hard to beat an album release party, and they had everything polished and shining for the Dark Spring crowd.
Rosegarden Funeral Party (Dallas TX)
Music | Rosegarden Funeral Party
Last to hit the stage was powerhouse duo Rosegarden Funeral Party out of Dallas, and I was caught fully unprepared. As a drummer, all night I had been keeping an eye on the drumset on the back of the stage wondering when it was going to make its debut. And I had to wait all night, but the payoff did not disappoint. There’s something about the kinetic impact of live drums in a room that gets me right in the brainstem, and Dean is a different creature altogether. Outside of his incredible chops, I really appreciated his rhythmic songwriting and massive variance between songs and parts, bringing unique feel and texture to every single song. But what I was truly unprepared for was the Force of Nature that is lead singer Leah Lane. She was ELECTRIC. Huge voice and, moving around the stage like it were a 1980’s arena rock show, making her candy apple red Fender Jazzmaster scream. An anthemic, Texas sized performance. I’m not sure I took a breath until halfway through the second song. I also really appreciated the stagecraft of her rocking stage left or stage right during musical interludes when she didn’t have to be center stage, which helped make Dean more visible in those moments as he put on a drum clinic for the audience. As a mental health professional, I was similarly struck by Leah stopping mid-set to deliver a very poignant and powerful message about the importance of mental health and being kind to each other and to oneself. It’s the kind of thing that everyone probably needs to hear more, and I think could really help some people out there in the audience or beyond.
This was an absolutely magical night at Sonia, and I hope Dark Spring Boston continues to grow year after year for many years to come. The diversity of styles and collection of talent on hand was really something that needs to be experienced. And having the chance to mingle and chat with the bands before or after their sets, you couldn’t ask for a finer group of musicians or humans. So if you have not made it out for one of the first 5 incarnations of this celebration of all music chthonic and macabre, then do yourself a favor and break out your favorite black skinny jeans, jangliest leather jacket, and danciest boots and keep on eye on Nichole’s page for next year’s edition.