Dark Allies – Light Asylum from Grant Worth on Vimeo.
Light Asylum-Dark Allies
The surprise of last week’s Salem show was this band, Light Asylum. What an awesome performance and such fantastic energy! They almost made me forget the awkward crowd around me: rude supermodels, fascist bristling musclemen, Gucci Goths and other posers from the alienated suburbs. Not to say, it was all bad. I just happen to notice the creepy elements because I pay attention and also because this whole Witch House scene seems rather made-up. For that reason, I gave the crowd more scrutiny than I would otherwise.
I did a brief poll of those around me and asked “Do you know what Witch House is?” I was trying to find out if it really is a “scene” or something being pushed on bands that have that dragging beat drone. Some people chuckled when I asked but became more serious when I said I’m asking for my blog and then they were like “Which blog???” Don’t get excited pretties, I can’t make you famous. Most had heard of Witch House and when I asked if it was something they felt part of, one girl answered “I only have five other friends who like it.” That seems like a lot, right?
But back to Light Asylum, they were my favorite of the night and a tough act for Salem to follow. Light Asylum actually got the crowd dancing, uninhibited kinda dancing too. They were fun to watch and the music was excellent. An electronic band that knows how to put on a live show. Cheers to Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello of Light Asylum for making my night and helping me to forget the drippy Echoplex crowd!
Here’s a real show review because I’m not cut out for this kinda thing.
Light Asylum @ The Echoplex, Los Angeles
Hah, awesome review! Thanks for the link to mine! I don’t get this “witch house” thing either. I just learned the term that night and it made me chuckle. Even worse is “rape gaze”. When I read that one I was like EW. Then i read that is supposedly a genre made up by a band called CREEP mocking all these silly names (and the dead stare bands put on to look cool in photos) I can totally appreciate that sentiment altho now I see reporters using the term for serious and it totally grosses me out. But I guess it goes to show how relevant the joke is.
Thanks for stopping by the blog Kristyn! I loved your review and photos. I feel sorta bad implicating Light Asylum into the Witch House scene, I should have made a clearer distinction because Light Asylum wrote on their FB page “We are not WH!” Haha, I don’t blame them for not wanting to be associated.
I did a post on Creep in February and at the time, I thought the term Witch House was kinda of an ironic joke along with rape gaze. http://chimatli.org/blog/?p=3341
I guess that’s why I was surprised when I was talking to this guy at a Tearist show and he explained to me it was a real scene. Hence my random polling at the Salem show.
If we are gonna call it anything, I think I prefer “Grave Wave” that has to be one of the best genre names I’ve heard in awhile! And now that’s what my friends are calling it “Are you going to one of your Grave Wave shows again?” Lol.
Will add your site to my links and looking forward to future show reviews. Cheers!
Hahahaa, i love “grave wave”!! That’s awesome and definitely way better than witch house!!
i’ll definitely add your site to my links as well!
Kristyn 🙂