Man, it’s been a little while since I’d been to the Mod Club. Did you know they charge 10 bucks for a beer now!? But while the alcohol has always been overpriced, the sound system is always on point, which was a key consideration for Cult of Luna’s multifaceted music. With up to seven people on stage at a time, you could practically still hear every nuance of every instrument–and they had an awesome light show, to boot!
Mind you, when I stepped into the venue, I wasn’t sure I was at the right show. The opening act was of the rap variety, with two turntables and a microphone. Hey, at least it didn’t take ’em too long to tear down afterwards! (Turns out the same guy is playing Maryland’s Days of Darkness fest in October, so he clearly has connections. Can you say “dinner break?”)
On the other hand, I was quite looking forward to seeing Whores, an Atlanta noise-rock outfit I’ve been tracking since their 2012 EP, Ruiner. I know I missed the chance to see ’em play on a couple smaller stages, but they definitely did not disappoint on this one. Their Melvins-and-Unsane-infused output cleansed the palate perfectly! And these guys really bring it live, too–in fact, their frontman threw out his ankle after wiping out on stage. Although they finished the song, they cut their set a bit short of half an hour. At least we’ve got free healthcare up here, eh?
Now, I quite enjoyed Cult of Luna’s Mariner album when it came out last year, and was looking forward to seeing it live. With guest vocalist Julie Christmas in tow, they ran through the five songs in roughly 55 minutes, leaving all of us wanting more. Twas the rare club show that ended before 11 pm, but in spite of its brevity, we witnessed two outstanding sets in the process. Like Meat Loaf once said, two outta three ain’t bad!
