With its closed-off box seats and darkened hallways, the Aladdin Theatre does an exceptional job at amplifying the spookiness of a Friday the 13th. Doing an even better job, this particular fright night, were two bands whose music seemed to speak directly to the unknown in a veiled kind of way.
Bellini opened the show to a small gathering of people who seemed to be politely biding their time until Black Heart Procession would take the stage. It wasn’t long until minds were changed by this noise punk quartet. Dressed in black, and staring to the back of the room as if all she wanted to do was sing her mind out and let the crowd deal with the aftermath, lead vocalist Giovanna Cacciola was a force to be reckoned with. Spanning a vocal range in only the way I’ve heard Bjork do, she was mesmerizing on stage. Stretching each note to the exact degree she felt it should be, Cacciola demanded attention with every word she emitted.
Even more intriguing was the way the rest of the band would constantly be in motion with their beats, lulling you to sleep for a second, then ripping you awake with mind-blowing guitar, funky bass rips and speed-induced drumming. It was a rightly bizarre combination of sounds, backing their seemingly monotone vocalist just as it should. They were sure to give me chills many a time, especially in their closing track, in which Cacciola cupped her hands around the microphone to be only slightly heard over the ruckus of the band. It’s clear Bellini deserves a bit more attention from fans of music, and I now happily consider myself a convert.
Black Heart Procession entered in an un-dramatic fashion, maintaining an aura that they were only there to put on a good show and have a few beers afterward. They kept the eeriness of the night intact with many of their songs, however, releasing moody vibes with their dark lyrics. From their recent release Six, the band sang of suicidal tendencies, drug addictions and creepy rats, but in their music, they unearth beauty in despair. Each song was a very moving affair, topped off with powerful instrumentals and a voice unique to any others.
Employing a melodramatic duo of keys and violin, I often felt like the band was rewriting the soundtrack to The Lost Boys. I was never turned off by the gloomy sounds, though, because a lot of passion inflates each tune, and lead singer Pall Jenkins easily carried me away on songs such as Tropics of Love and Square Heart. Then, during the encore, Jenkins came out with a saw, and plucked the eeriest of melodies from it with a bow. The show felt almost theatrical at times, and it was terrific from start to finish.
Except, of course, for the fact that they never played my absolute favorite song of theirs, It’s A Crime I Never Told You About the Diamonds in Your Eyes. Maybe it was to further enhance the peculiarity of this Friday the 13th set, or maybe because they didn’t want to play a song they’ve played a thousand times already. Normally I would’ve let such an absence affect the overall satisfaction I got from the show, but not after seeing these two acts perform at their best.
Because really, it was supernaturally awesome.