Review: Molchat Doma at The Orange Peel
If you’d asked me who Molchat Doma was two months ago, I wouldn’t have had a clue. Always intrigued when an artist that I’m unfamiliar with headlines a sizable venue such as The Orange Peel, I gave a listen to the post-punk trio from Belarus after seeing the listing for the April 12 show. I was instantly impressed, and a little bewildered as to how such a popular band with a sound so in line with my tastes could have averted my radar. It was especially baffling considering the group’s affiliation with the well-curated Brooklyn label, Sacred Bones.
In the time leading up to the band’s Asheville debut, I did my best to familiarize myself with Molchat Doma’s three full-length albums. For weeks, the discography was locked into my regular listening rotation, and with every play through my anticipation grew, even as my comprehension of the Russian lyrics did not. Packaged within a sound that recalls acts near and dear to my heart like Depeche Mode, Clan of Xymox, and Joy Division, the language barrier presented by the vocals of Egor Shkutko does little to hinder my enjoyment.
In the middle of an extensive North American tour, which began with several dates in Mexico in late March, the drummer-free trio showed no signs of exhaustion during its Asheville stop. Backlit by angular blue lights, Shkutko positioned himself to the very front of the stage, flanked by Roman Komogortsev, armed with a Flying V guitar, and bassist Pavel Kozlov, who both regularly swapped their stringed instruments for synths. Leaving little time for banter, the band was all business, letting the driving basslines, dancy synth beats and Shkutko’s deep brooding intonations sonically transport the crowd of young goths and Russian transplants to the early ’80s The Haçienda nightclub scene of Manchester.
Living under the rule of authoritarian dictator Alexander Lukashenko as war rages in nearby Ukraine, the trio has grown used to allowing the abstract brutalist tunes to convey messages that might otherwise lead to detention in its home nation if communicated more directly. As dour as the music may be, the moody Belarusian rockers had the sellout crowd grooving all the way through to the explosive set-closer “Судно (Sudno)” — the 2018 song that introduced many Americans to the band when it unexpectedly became a hit as the soundtrack of a viral TikTok meme in 2020.
As unlikely as it is that a gloomy, Russian-speaking, post-punk band from Belarus would be selling out shows in the U.S. thanks to a bunch of short videos featuring dancing children, the trio proved every bit deserving and ready to capitalize on the attention. Although it’s unlikely they’ll ever have a hit as big as “Судно (Sudno)” again, Molchat Doma should continue to find receptive audiences anywhere there’s melancholy souls who wanna dance.
(Photos by Jonny Leather)
