Please do not expect me to reference actual song titles in this concert review. That’s partially because Molchat Doma is a band whose show conjures more of an enveloping vibe than a scrupulous set list of tracks, but it’s mostly because I don’t speak Russian.
Molchat Doma (Russian for “Houses Are Silent”) is a Belarusian post-punk act that evokes a murderer’s row of genre touchstones—think Joy Division, New Order, Nitzer Ebb and other dark synth acts that were prominent in the late 20th century. That this eastern European trio has been active for less than a decade yet has managed to amass such a devoted following in spite of its uncompromising artistic vision is a small miracle in a music landscape dictated by algorithms and streaming. The group gained popularity in the Western world after signing, five years ago, with the indie imprint Sacred Bones, a label perhaps best known for being the home of iconoclastic multi-hyphenates like the late, great David Lynch.
Thursday night’s sold-out (like, really sold-out—the venue made that abundantly clear in the days leading up to the event and with signs posted at the box office) show at Fort Lauderdale’s Revolution Live was the group’s second in South Florida following a stop at the Culture Room less than two years ago. It drew a crowd that seemed to be, in equal measure, music-heads and attendees who just relished an opportunity to dust off their best goth attire. This didn’t come as much of a surprise—Molchat Doma’s music has always evoked the feeling of dark, almost nefarious raves and events that have been depicted almost to the point of parody in film and television, and that ambience seems to travel with the group on tour.
Following an opening set from L.A. post-punks and labelmates Sextile, the trio took the stage just after 9 p.m. with a relatively spartan stage setup, and wasted no time before launching into a roughly 20-song set that ran for just under two hours. It can’t be understated how much live instrumentation can add to a genre of music that can otherwise come off as fairly sterile, and both guitarist Roman Komogortsev and bassist Pavel Kozlov brought a ferocity to their instruments that elevated the tunes to something more fervent than just a simple mood.
Vocalist Egor Shkutko was an admirable frontman, deploying an almost Morrissey-like croon to deliver vocals that were entirely in Russian throughout the evening. I wasn’t on the floor for this show, so I can’t speak to whether or not the crowd was singing along in a foreign tongue, but the reverence for the group was palpable regardless. Though I’m typically much more receptive to live drums in a setting like this one, I found myself struck by not just the power of the drum tracks that were piped through the speakers throughout the gig but how they allowed for a much crisper, clearer mix throughout the show, which was a delight even at the back of the room, where sound can easily be muddied.
It was hard to say whether the main attraction was the act onstage or the crowd itself on a night like this one—the people-watching was practically a co-headliner at this show, with attendees ranging from a handful of dudes dressed up like Russian mobsters, complete with tracksuits and furry hats, to any number of attendees who seemed to be doing their best to cosplay as extras in the Rob Zombie rave scene from 1999’s “The Matrix.” The sheer tonnage of black eyeliner on display this night may have influenced the stock prices of several cosmetics companies.
Yet In the end, this show did have a bit of an “I was there” air to it—the understanding that this band has a remarkably high ceiling hung in the air starting well before they actually made it to the stage. Don’t be surprised if their next stop in South Florida comes at a much larger venue—just make sure you get your outfit ready in advance if you plan to attend.
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