Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – Substance Fest returned to the Belasco for its yearly gathering of musicians and fans who focus on goth, synthpop, and other genres that are in that orbit.
The festival took place across four stages, taking up every possible space available at the venue. One stage was dedicated to DJs for those who needed a place to relax and grab a bite to eat. All the stage names had a gothic spin to them: The Chapel, The Sanctuary, The Chamber, The Confessional.
The set times were staggered in a way that fans of the festival could have gotten a sampling of most of the performers. For those who did, the stair climbing gave one a good workout: music and step exercising, not a bad combination.
Give it up to the openers and to the fan base.
This was not a late-arriving crowd. All three opening acts played before solid attendance. Crash Course In Science (The Chapel) got everyone bouncing. There was the ’70s-inspired music from Veneer.
Then there is Blone Noble with a stage show that reminded one of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” music video. Blone Noble (The Sanctuary) has a long history in the Los Angeles music scene. God Tongue (The Chamber) was intent on burning out the strobe lights. This is a band that lets you know that they’re under “STRESS.”
Crowd Favorites
As the duo Spike Hellis (The Chapel) made its way to the stage, one could hear someone out in the crowd screaming, “I love them so much. That individual was not the only one as the 7:35 p.m. set was packed to see Cortland Gibson and Elaine “Lainey” Chang.
Madeline Goldstein (The Chapel) and Ghost Cop (The Sanctuary) start times were within five minutes of each other. If one wanted to catch full sets, it created a conundrum. Goldstein added a dream-pop flavor to the festival and perhaps had the comment of the night, “The fan. I need the hair effect.”
Ghost Cop had the security guard shadow boxing. Void Vision (The Sanctuary) said no way to the goth, synthpop theme of the festival. Okay, maybe just for a moment. As The Belasco sound tech team was getting everything ready for the set, the violinist went back in time some 200 or more years and showed off some classical music abilities. The stage was packed to the bar at the start of the set and people kept pouring in.
It is okay to be tired
The festival was filled with people from their 20s to their 60s and beyond. And hey, when the clock hits midnight, even on a Saturday night, some people feel like going to bed. It was nice to hear the final performer at The Sanctuary just admit to that fact. Zanias told the crowd with all honesty, “I’m a little tired.”
Empty to Packed
Perhaps it was driven by the fact that everyone was at The Chapel to see Buzz Kull, but The Chamber was rather empty as Die Sexual was getting ready for their set. A snap of the fingers and the place was filled by the time the music started.
Magical Wizard
A Split Second (The Chapel) had lights on the fingertips. It was as if those lights were magically playing the music. “You guys are amazing.”
Drab Majesty (The Chapel) closed out the night. With faces as white as death, the duo came out on stage to constant cheers. A slow raise of the arms immediately got a crowd response. A slow raise of a wine glass got another immediate crowd response. It was a perfect orchestral synth pop way to end a night, or early morning.
