By John Curtis
The packed confines of Ouseburn’s Cluny 2 were transformed into a celebration of all things dark and macabre, organised by Floorshow Promotions in a room filled with Goths both young, old, and in-between.
Black Rain opened the night to a room filled to absolute capacity. Tearing through their set like they were itching for a fight. Their performance was a masterclass in modern post-punk. Cold, razor-sharp guitars locked into a muscular, relentless rhythm section that left the crowd reeling. Delivering a flawless set with a lean, menacing stage presence, they showed the sheer brute force of aggressive dark post-punk at its finest.
Newcastle’s own Social Youth Cult kept the momentum surging despite battling sound issues with a brilliant, highly atmospheric set. Channeling early Bauhaus-inspired weight, angular basslines and jagged guitar work cut straight through the humid air. It was a captivating performance that reinforced why they remain one of the most exciting acts on the local underground circuit.
Los Angeles headliners The Sweet Kill closed the night with a dynamic, highly polished set that brought a sleek West Coast energy to Ouseburn. Driven by cinematic textures, driving basslines, and dramatic vocals, their show leaned heavily into visual showmanship. While trading the raw, primal aggression of the local openers for calculated theatrics. The set did suffer from a lack of variation between tracks, making the overall set feel somewhat uniform with individual songs lacking identity.
In conclusion a showcase night for North East dark, gothic post punk but one where, controversially, the local acts stole the show from the out of town band.
