The night before Halloween goes by many names — Devil’s Night, Hell Night, Mischief Night — but all are associated with chaos involving everything from mild trickery to destruction of property. There was nothing mild about the show at Cafe Nine Tuesday night, as two trios took to the stage and took down the crowd with an onslaught of sound. Goth rock legends Christian Death headlined the evening with an opening set by New Haven-based rockers Witch Hair, with between-set sounds by DJ Richard.
The show opened with Witch Hair vocalist and guitarist Joe Russo playing on the floor in front of the stage while vocalist and bassist Ashley Kenney and drummer Tom Connelly remained on the stage, but at the front of it. This more forward set up made the “musician’s living room” nature of Cafe Nine’s space even more intimate. The three musicians played selections off their 2018 release Out on Love as well as new tunes that Kenney announced will be on an EP that the band will soon start recording.
Karen Ponzio Photos
Witch Hair tote bag with lyrics from You Are Not a Surface.
The three musicians in Witch Hair continue to hone their skills as a full-on party band that does not sacrifice the message for the music. In fact, lines from their song “You are Not a Surface,” which closed the set, appear on the band’s merchandise: “If heaven’s not a place and hell won’t let you in, you’re welcome in my house.” This line as well as the rest of the song is mantra like, much like many of this band’s songs. The words are punctuated by that ever-present driving beat from Kenny and Connelly. Russo’s plentiful guitar solos had him dropping to the floor at times. The crowd, which grew as the set progressed, responded enthusiastically. This would be the last New Haven show for the band for 2018, Kenney said, (Don’t worry, folks: They’re only taking a break from live performing to record their EP. They’ll be back live in 2019, promise). Witch Hair provided a going-away set that would make any rock fan happy.
Maitri of Christian Death.
Christian Death took to the stage as the audience continued to grow and move closer. After drums and mic stands were decorated resplendent with silk red roses, drummer Mike raised his drum sticks held in a cross like fashion as the band was introduced. Christian Death then immediately filled every space of the crowded room with its sound, consistently and insistently heavy yet definitively melodic. Bassist Maitri and guitarist Valor traded off on vocals and bantered with each other and the audience for the entire evening, though the music seemed to barely stop and members of the audience were seen to be moving along to it — recognizing favorites and responding in kind. Even through the darkness and heaviness of the sound, there was comfort, a lightness ever present as the band shouted out friends, dedicated songs, and raised glasses to their fans. Every detail, from aesthetics to the electricity created from their rich catalogue of music, endeared the band to the bar.
Valor (vocals/guitar) and Mike (drums) of Christian Death.
Early on in the set, Valor swung his guitar around to his back and picked up a violin, which he played to open one song. He then put the violin down and easily swung back over to his guitar for the rest of the song, much to the amazement of the crowd. He kept the in-between song moments fun, at one point introducing Maitri and telling the crowd she was going to be “blessing us with her voice.”
When the set was seemingly over, Valor then told the crowd, “this is when we would leave the stage and you would clap until we came back, but we’re gonna stay here and play.” They then went into another song, and another.
“I suppose you all wanna go home now but hell no we won’t go,” Valor said.
The crowd responded wildly and did not seem to thin out at all. After it was finally over, Valor announced with a devilish grin: “That was our last song. Now you’re gonna get drunk and we’re gonna hang out with you.” Proving that even in the darkness there’s always a way to find your friends.
Christian Death continues their mini tour of the east coast through next week. Details can be found at their website. Witch Hair’s latest record can be found on the band’s bandcamp page.