No longer after the doors open, we have Impure Wilhelmina silently getting the stage. Impure Wilhelmina is a Swiss post-metal / rock band that has been around for 25 years creating singular music on the borders of rock and metal. This Geneva band has never been afraid to reinvent itself and push back the stylistic barriers, without losing its identity. Intensity, melody, power and melancholy are the keywords that guide the band’s sound, shaping record after record with a subtle blend of metal, post-hardcore, new wave and indie rock. Impure Wilhelmina has experienced many line-up changes over the years around Michael Schindl, singer-guitarist, main composer and lyricist. The latest album, “Antidote”, which came out in 2021 evokes the cathartic aspect of the band’s music, acting as a remedy against the darker side of the human mind. The album was created in part during the pandemic, so the title resonates very well.
The room is still quite empty, however, the people in the room are enjoying the music and cheering out loud at the end of every song!
Moving on with the night with have MØL, Denmark blackgaze band. The room is now filled with people and I can already tell by the many merch t-shirt wear that most of them are looking forward to MØL’s set. From the opening, vocalist King Song Sternopf wastes no time in grabbing and moving the mic stand all around the stage and continuously changing position like when he crouches down and put his arm forward almost like he wants to grab the audience and scream in their faces. After the first few songs, Kim is not happy with how much space there is at the front of the stage, so he asks the audience to “come a little closer” with his deep and charismatic voice and we all obey and suddenly we are attached to the stage. At the end of every song, Kim’s face is astonished and extremely grateful for the fans’ reaction and love towards the band. During the last song, “Jord”, the performance does not lack intensity and Kim Song decides to come off stage and get in between the crowd and sing in the faces of a few lucky fans that are super excited by this great opportunity! What a masterful moment and how lucky we are to have witnessed all this! My favourite performance of the night.
And now, with 15 min to spare, we have the main artist, the English dark rock band Crippled Black Phoenix. They were founded by Justin Greaves in 2004 and several musicians have contributed to Crippeld Black Phoenix’s albums and played with them during their live shows. Crippled Black Phoenix have now 12 studio albums, 6 mini-albums and several compilations throughout their career, giving a voice to those without one. Their sound is purposeful with hypnotizing tone and pace all mixed with haunting vocals by singer Belinda Kordic. She has a voice that could serenade and take control of your brain at the same time, simply stunning. And the music that accompanies this beautiful voice has so many complex and engaging layers. Every song of the set is so different and you have the feeling like you’re taking part in a journey full of twists and turns with a variety of instruments such as the trumpet. Playing some songs from their newest and just realised album makes the audience even happier to be able to experience it live.
If you are a fan of depth and mesmerizing music, then I suggest you keep your eyes peeled for future shows.
Photos by Selena Ferro
