The Egyptian Room was a different vibe than I am used to seeing on Sunday May 5th; it held a more ethereal quality with a crowd of older adults nursing PBRs and overpriced cocktails. Many gripped merch in their hands before the opener even started, eager to obtain their piece of the magic about to unfold onstage.
There’ll Be Time to Laugh Some Day
Drab Majesty cast an entrancing gothic spell over the Indianapolis crowd with their deep atmospheric soundscapes and brooding electronic and stylings. As founders Deb DeMure and Mona D. took the stage awash in deep blues each under their own red spotlight, the first ominous chords and pulsing drum machine kicks of “Dot in the Sky” instantly transported the audience into their bleak analog realms.
DeMure’s haunting croon cut through the reverb-drenched guitars and icy synth arpeggios to create their self-proclaimed “tragic-wave” sound. Standoffish and chic in their platinum bobs and wraparound sunglasses, the hyper-androgynous Los Angeles duo exuded an enigmatic presence befitting their mystique.
Tracks like the cold-wave anthem “Too Soon to Tell” and the cinematic melodrama of “Oxytocin” enveloped the venue in dense sonic gloom and existential dread. Yet beneath the icy textures and dystopian soundscapes pulsed an undercurrent of brooding romanticism.
Despite Demure and Mona D. being fairly static performers, they still kept the audience’s focus. Barely any dialogue was uttered, with the exception of a curt “thank you” towards the end of the set.
By summoning such an intoxicating vortex of analog dread through their coalescence of electronics and live instrumentation, Drab Majesty left no doubt as to their status as modern vaporwave royalty.
Doors Close and Feelings Flow
Slowdive enveloped the venue in a warm, transcendent haze last night, transporting the entranced audience to their signature cosmic galaxy of shimmering dream-pop. From the first swell of guitar atmospherics on set opener “Shanty” (from their most recent album, 2023’s “everything is alive”) the legendary shoegazers cast an immersive sonic spell.
Guitarists Neil Halstead, Christian Savill, and Rachel Goswell stood nearly motionless, coaxing majestic, effects-drenched textures that blurred the line between the serene and the thunderous. At times piercing melodic leads emerged from the swirling reverb clouds like shooting stars before disappearing back into the celestial ether.
The main focus-grabber was definitely the swirling, sweeping organic lines that made up the visuals on the screen behind the band. The light patterns and intensities they chose to use confused me a bit because the lighting seemed much more intense and frantic than the music itself.
The steady rhythm section anchored the drifting guitar waves, allowing Slowdive’s cosmic wash to billow and crash over the crowd in meditative splendor. Drummer Nicholas Willes’ atmospheric timekeeping gently propelled each sprawling movement as Goswell (who truly does is onstage doing the most) layered in warm synth lines. Willes stepped in mid-tour for drummer Simon Scott, who had to take sudden leave.
With little stage banter, the band allowed their lush, enveloping soundscapes to work their hypnotic power uninterrupted. The entranced audience was putty in their hands, swaying blissfully to the patient ebb and flow of epics like “Alison” and “Souvlaki Space Station.” Each song felt less like a series of parts and more one boundless reverie.
Over their career, Slowdive has become synonymous with the shoegazing genre’s otherworldly aesthetic. But seeing their dynamic washes of tremolo-picked ecstasy crest and dissipate live before your eyes is a truly transcendent experience
The Good
– I was introduced to Drab Majesty, who will definitely make it into my Apple Music rotation
– Very chill atmosphere and aesthetic; it was nice to just kind of zone out
The Not-as-Good
– The lights during the slowdive set were a little intense for me at times. There will several spots shining directly into the audience at eye level and were flickering rapidly (and I also just was not expecting it)