Boy Harsher and Drab Majesty Show Review

By Samantha Oesch
Music Journalist

Boy Harsher and Drab Majesty bodied their officially sold-out, jam-packed Levitation show on Thursday, October 28th, at Empire Control Room & Garage.

Supporting acts included No Joy, Nation of Language, Rosegarden Funeral Party, Public Practice and Vacant Lots.

Empire Control Room & Garage had the show split in between two stages: Nation of Language, Drab Majesty and Boy Harsher performed outside on the big stage while Public Practice, Rosegarden Funeral Party and No Joy performed inside.

Drab Majesty played in direct support for Boy Harsher. The Los Angeles neo-goth, shoegaze duo is led by singer Andrew Clinco (aka Deb DeMure) alongside Alex Nicolaou (aka Mona D).

The chromatic duo performed a mesmerizing set dressed in their signature uniform look covered in silver body paint dressed in white wigs and giant sunglasses.

The VHS static-like visuals drowned them in hues of pink and blue that complimented the silver serenaders’ hypnotic sound. Typically Drab Majesty plays a bigger chunk of their slower tracks, but due to limited set times, they played a more upbeat set with tracks like “Dot in the Sky” and “Oxytocin.”

The audience became denser when Drab Majesty began to play. Fans were shoving their way up to the front while others danced and yelled along to the lyrics.

Although the obscure pair did not say much, DeMure expressed gratitude to the crowd when he said that it was Drab Majesty’s second show back since the pandemic started. They slowed things down to a halt with “Not Just A Name.”

Dark-wave power couple Boy Harsher closed the night for the outdoor portion of the show. Established in Savannah, Georgia in 2013, singer Jae Matthews and producer Augustus Miller currently hail in Northampton, Massachusetts.

The goth synthpop lovers rose to success with ominous, contemporary dark-wave dance anthems like “Pain” and “Motion.” The creative companions have now revealed the trailer for their upcoming horror short film “The Runner” along with an official soundtrack all produced and curated by Boy Harsher.

The crowd moved like a tidal wave during the whole duration of their set. People collided with each other without a care in the world because the energy coming from Matthews was so infectious.

Blinding flashes of red and green light reflecting off of thick fog made it difficult to see, but it never mattered because the chaos made the experience perfect the way it was.

Matthews’s sultry vocals hauntingly echoed and rippled through the venue as she gracefully floated across the stage while Miller accompanied her in the back, cool and collected.

Matthews commanded the energy of the room with heavy-hitting dance tracks like “Fate” and “Country Girl.” The audience demanded an encore as soon as they were wrapping up, and they delivered two more tracks, including “Pain.”

Featured Image by Samantha Oesch.