Witch Club Satan Summons Pure Excellence At Amsterdam Hall
Toasted breezes of a humid Minnesota afternoon in June. Promised some storms, nothing but sun and interesting clouds. Oh well. Made my way to our state’s capital city to see hopefully some epic metal. Knew it would be one of the most badass shows of spring, but not the pure power and transformative experience that it truly was.
It has been a few moons since I’ve been to Amsterdam Bar and Hall in Saint Paul, so got there around doors to make sure to score a solid meter. Parking gods were smiling on me, found a $1.25 hour spot 3 minutes away from the venue, but there were garages and surface lots for not outrageous prices everywhere (saw one right by Amsterdam for $12 all-in, very affordable for these days.) The parking meter reader gave me some guff, so had to find a working one. Love the parking app Minneapolis uses, hopefully the other Twin City will follow it’s typically more hip sibling. Doors were at 7, got there around 7:15 so I’d have ample time for a cold beer. Decent amount of folks waiting to get in, lots of sick outfits spied of course. Most dripping in black, myself included. Some cool patch boys, hardcore cargo bros, and my personal favorite, oodles of cool goths. The threads were fly as hell. Reminded my of my chain pant and fishnet days of yesteryear. Your classic white and black face makeup on most, plenty of sweet hairdos, a plethora of piercings and neat tats.
A feast for the eyes, indeed.
After securing a Modist Teal Label IPA draft for $8 along with a $1 pair of neon green earplugs, forgot mine at home, good to know Saint Paul venues have them available. Any venue in Minneapolis is required by law to have them available for guests, so having to fork over a buck was different. Consolation prize, they are green versus the black and orange I have seen for the free ones. Don’t be lame and make sure you take care of your hearing. ALWAYS were ear plugs. Yes, YOU. A few minutes before the opening act, took a stroll around the hall. For a “bar venue,” it’s huge. The stage is a great size, too. Concrete floors, and black painted walls + ceiling makes it great for hiding from the summer heat. There are hightops with seats lining the wall stage right, galley bartop with tons of beverage options on the other side. Merch has a good spot at the back (peeped the prices, not bad. Witch Club Satan had their short sleeved shirts for $35.)
Time for the opening support, L.A. based band Patriarchy! The dynamic duo Actually Huizenga and Andrew Means have a wonderful presence on stage. Means started off the show on his drumkit, alien beats and echos hailing in the vibe we were all there for. Gothy, synthy, techno tainted pop mixed with metal? Delish. They have a most scrumptious flavor of darkwave with those industrial tones that bring me back to moldy basement shows without a cellphone in sight.
Vocalist and guitarist Huizenga demands your gaze, their hair flowing over glam makeup paired with an oversized tee. The lights were low for most of the show, but could see the glittery eyeshadow guarding each eyelid as the spotlight could pass quickly over. Drummer Means made a great comment about summer sun, “Will someone turn off those lights?!” while pointing to the windows lining the facade. Yeahhhh it doesn’t get dark for a bit, but that didn’t sour the moody mood of the show. Audience was feeling it, dancing and swaying along to the beats. My favorite song of the set was “Good Boy,” and most of the people in the crowd agreed. The Twin Cities has an appetite for the strangely wonderful and loudly expressive. Patriarchy delivered that and more. Would love to see them again.
With only two bands on the bill, didn’t have to wait too long for our headliner Witch Club Satan. The crowd was teeming. Pretty sure it was a sold out show, not much room for cartwheels in there. Was in the meat of the pit. Only a head back from rail, wasn’t too squished for being so close. Chatted with fellow concert goers, all very elated to be there on a Monday of all weekday nights. Slowly the stage began to fill with smoke, The house lights went low, and red tone filled the stage. A bit of ambient music began to play, and then the familiar smell of burning sage greeted us kindly and warmly.
As if birthed from the shadows, all three members of Witch Club Satan suddenly were on the venue floor. Dressed in pale fabrics, each had a different knitted headpiece to distinguish from each other. Holding lit sage bundles, they walked slowly through the audience, smudging us to assure the environment primed and ready for their performance. A gal to my right with heart-shaped wire glasses was gifted one of their ghostly embers, which she held during the rest of the show until it was spent.
Lead vocalist Nikoline Spjelkavik invited us all to scream together before launching into their first song. Cathartic and needed in the times we live in. Good to get that out so the slate is clean and ready to be written on by their art. Opening up with an atom bomb’s worth of energy, the strobes caught every unearthly detail and texture in hot blinks of revelation. They are more than a band. They are what art should be. Sincere, an explosion of true expression and emotion, brutal and beautiful. Bassist and vocalist Victoria Røisingwas thrilling to watch. Typical of a Norwegian musician, the font of talent did not miss drenching her. Drummer and vocalist Johanna Holt Kleive was fantastic alongside her bandmates. Ferocious, bold, and fast. A handful of songs in, there was a spoken word portion describing a girl who became a mermaid. I implore you to look it up and watch the footage. It was visceral, personal, and unapologetically female. Not a person who gets emotional in public actually moved me to shed a tear with its sincerity and earnest delivery. “You Wildflower” is one of my most beloved songs by them, it encapsulates the band’s mission impeccably. They are hypnotizing in all the best ways.
Witch Club Satan is the potent injection that the metal scene and music world needs.
