Jonny Numb

Much in the tradition of my (terrible, awful) LiveJournal entries from eons ago, last year I spent 4 long-ass posts accounting for my experience at New Jersey’s inaugural Dark Force Fest. The act of writing these posts was cathartic but very time-consuming. And, if anything, my attention span for that sort of thing has only decreased in the subsequent year.

So…in an attempt to keep things as fresh and hot and digestively questionable as a fast-food meal, I am going to attempt a single-post summation of my experiences at Dark Force Fest 2024.

Foreword:

I woke up feeling like shit on April 16. Due to the budding trees, higher temperatures, and freshly-mowed lawns in my neighborhood, I chalked up my watermelon-headed misery to seasonal allergies. At the suggestion of some co-workers on April 17, I started popping generic Zyrtec to at least suppress the symptoms. On April 18, I awoke once again with a watermelon for a head and a throbbing stuffiness that persisted through the morning; I took the afternoon off, falling in and out of sleep whilst downing orange juice. I felt better enough by the evening to pack my suitcase, and on the morning of the 19th, I informed Lizard (my best friend and personal chauffeur) that I would be “good to go” (or at least as good as I could be, given the circumstances). That said: I still felt pretty crappy on the 19th (the first day of the fest) and into Saturday the 20th (when the acquisition of some DayQuil gelcaps allowed me to enjoy the rest of the weekend). All that to say: I apologize if anybody in my immediate, snotty proximity (especially you, Lizard) winds up sick with whatever I’m sick with. To that end, though, I am on the downswing of whatever it is, and am feeling about 90% back to my normal self as of today (the 22nd).

Random Questions:

Q: Jonny, you complained a LOT about the sound/technical issues in 2023. Were they resolved this year?

A: Yes and no. There were feedback issues on the main stage Friday night. This was largely rectified on Saturday and Sunday. But there seemed to be more feedback issues on the side stage this year than in 2023, which was annoying.

Q: Was the side stage a sauna this year?

A: No. And they had the good sense to open up the room to make it bigger this year. Both stages were pleasantly drafty for most of the weekend.

Q: I heard the AirBnB you initially booked got flooded (or something). How was the hotel you stayed at?

A: Like the apartment complex in the remake of The Toolbox Murders. But in a good way!

Q: Would you recommend Bottle King in Morris Plains for a quick liquor run?

A: Yes, but the cashier we got was a real Bottle Bitch.

Q: Is it true you saw a Cybertruck in the wild?

A: Yes, in Denville. It was hilarious.

Q: Any noteworthy meals?

A: Amin’s Shawarma & Grill in Pine Brook – friendly service, and the food was delicious (we even got dessert to go)!

Q: Did you go to Asian Mecca again?

A: Yes, and it’s called Mitsuwa Marketplace, you ignorant clod!

Q: Finally, is Willow sitting on your lap as you type this?

A: Are you in the room with me?

Q: That’s a question. And yes.

Anyway…

Enough with the preamble, enough with all the god-damned “housekeeping” items! Let’s get to my assessments of the weekend’s performances. (Please note: being only one man (and a sick one, at that), I did not get to see every performance for various reasons. Those I missed will be noted as such. Please have mercy on my soul.)

M = Main Stage

S = Side Stage

Friday, April 19:

Biomechanimal (M) – “We came halfway across the world…” …for feedback! I still liked them.

The Long Losts (S) – Skipped

Third Realm (M) – Dug their set; the female singer looked a lot like Rebecca Ferguson! Meant to pick up one of their albums at the Distortion Productions table, but forgot. 😦

Nite (S) – Skipped

Ayria (M) – Longtime fan of this Canadian pixie, dating back to my first Kinetik in ’09. Was nice to see her live again, but goddamn with that @#$%*^! feedback!

Ego Likeness (S) – The pride of Goth Baltimore represent!

Dawn of Ashes (M) – HOT HOLY FUCK RIP MY FACE OFF MY GOD!!!

Angels & Agony (S) – Me to Lizard after their set: “That VNV Nation puts on a great show, haw haw!”

Leaetherstrip (M) – Took a seat for this set by foundational scene guy Claus Larsen (seen him a couple times before).

Moris Blak (S) – Typically great set, but wish the projector was working for his backing video, which adds so much to the performance. (Or maybe he didn’t have the backing video with him; just speculation on my part as other side-stage bands had video on Saturday and Sunday).

Nitzer Ebb (M) – Was cool to see SINE working the electronic drumkit, but with Douglas McCarthy taking a mental health break until further notice and Bon Harris taking on vocal duties, we left a couple songs in (also, I was pretty beat and just wanted to go to bed). Also…more $%^&*! feedback!

Saturday, April 20:

AL1CE (M) – Caught wind of these pilgrims through the Facebook algorithm and their clever marketing campaign (a “fan club” that sends out free merch). Based on their image, I thought they’d have a Birthday Massacre vibe; but they’re a weird and wonderful mix of multiple genres. Picked up 3 of their albums at the merch table.

FGFC820 (M) – Since seeing them at Kinetik all those years ago, these guys have yet to disappoint.

Stoneburner (S) – Love their cover of Consolidated’s ‘Butyric Acid.’

System Syn (M) – Probably haven’t seen these guys in over a decade. That some of the AL1CE folks comprised the live band added to the energy.

Abstinence (S) – Hardcore New York Neubauten-esque surprise, motherfucker!

Then Comes Silence (M) – Catchy Swedish Gloom-Goth (redundant)!

Mechanical Vein (S) – The guys from Biomechanimal strike again! Feedback strikes again! Pummeling set, though!

Das Ich (M) – Pretty sure these German apostates filled the main room more than anyone else over the weekend, and for good reason: they rock the shit outta whatever venue they play. I believe this is the 4th time I saw them (once at Kinetik; once at Amphi; once in Philly), and it was kind of surreal that they hung out at the merch booth after their set, posing for pictures and meeting fans. An exchange after Lizard took my picture:

Me: “Stefan (Ackermann; red-devil makeup), I want to know how you get that way [gestures at face].”

Bruno Kramm (hand on my shoulder): “He just walks into the sun to get that way.”

Damian Hrunka (far left): “It’s true – the Uber surcharge is ridiculous.”

Cool guys. Quite the honor to meet them in the flesh.

Astari Nite (S) – Recently fell in love with these guys after picking up Midnight Conversations on a whim. Great set. Hope to see them again. I like how they sound like the bands that populated the Cleopatra “Gothic Rock” compilations I grew up with (Danse Society in particular) without the winking, postmodern irony.

Vision Video (M) – Skipped

Editorial: The skipping of Vision Video was designed to allow us time to hit one of the 3 food trucks in the parking lot for some dinner-style sustenance. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough food trucks to handle the volume of attendees who don’t want to risk losing their parking space by driving out to get food elsewhere. You could probably fit 2 more trucks along the far side of the parking lot. Maybe next year?

Kanga (S) – One of my favorite current scene artists, I walked into her set late (due to the food-truck wait) and working on a hangry headache as I wolfed down a rather unappetizing “meal” (shredded chicken over crinkle fries). I camped out in the desolate back corner of the room, trying my best to enjoy the set despite my limited view and less-than-stellar physiological state. There were sound issues during her set, but she made the most of it. Lizard caught video of her dividing and dancing among the crowd during the last few songs.

Blitzkid (M) – Sat for a few songs from this energetic horror-punk act. And…hey…HEY! HEY, YOU! GET OFFA THAT SPEAKER STACK!

Auger (S) – Not overly interesting to my ears, but the mellower nature of the music did help my headache dissipate a bit.

Rabbit Junk (M) – I like these guys a lot, and after all the technical fuckups their set suffered last year, it was nice to see them at full blast and full energy.

Stabbing Westward (M) – So it kinda figures that the biggest act of the night would also have the most cursed set. Plagued with technical issues onstage and off (the houselights came up no fewer than 3 times as they played), the irritation among the band members was evident. Lead singer Chris Hall did his best to shoulder the brunt of these mood-killing interruptions with some self-deprecating humor, a Q&A to the audience (“who traveled the furthest (farthest?) to be here?”), and even breaking into a bit of acapella singing to kill time. But the whole situation was pretty ridiculous, and I was genuinely surprised when they returned for an encore. (Glad I got to see them perform a proper set, sans fuckups, in Baltimore last year.)

Sunday, April 21:

Eva X (M) – Missed her set due to our trip to Mitsuwa Marketplace. I did see her during last year’s Moris Blak/Danny Blu tour, and she’s great – check her out if she plays your town.

Metamorph (M) – Skipped

Danny Blu (M) – The unrivaled showstopper of DFF 2023, this immaculate performer absolutely slayed the main stage and got the whole room dancing at 2:30 in the afternoon. His dance troupe was back! And that last song – as the kids say – “hit me in the feels.” Wow. Unfortunately missed the window to pick up some merch, but I have no doubt I’ll be seeing him again soon.

Oberer Totpunkt (S) – Lizard gifted me one of this German duo’s albums, and I dug it, so I was looking forward to their performance. Unfortunately, their 30-minute set was spent troubleshooting – you guessed it – technical issues (stemming from the electronic drumkit). I could see the rising frustration from bandmates Bettina Bormann and Michael Kruger, and I felt second-hand bad because their fellow countrymen (and tourmates) in Das Ich were within the crowd (incognito) waiting for the set to start. Once the issues were squared away, they put on a good performance. We also had the chance to say some appreciative words to Kruger as he was carrying gear to their transport.

Vampires Everywhere (M) – Skipped; saw them open for Filter years ago.

October Noir (S) – Used the side stage to take a seat and rest our feet for a few minutes. The singer sounds like Peter Steele. Do they only do covers?

Priest (M) – I kind of like how knowingly cheesy some of their oh-so-dark lyrics and song titles are. But good goddamn do these guys know how to get my out-of-shape, 43-year-old-butt moving on the dancefloor and not giving a flying fudge who has a problem with it! Their set brought back memories of being at Kinetik and feeling like I could feel the music however I saw fit; not having to adhere to the prescribed “moves” that accompany most electronic-music shows. That was revelatory for me, as I felt free of the overt self-consciousness that had always kept me from really letting loose out of fear of unspoken (and unseen) judgment from strangers. So thank you, Priest!

I: Scintilla (S) – I discovered Brittany Bindrim via her recent solo album, Velella Velella. Through a happy accident, I picked up I: Scintilla’s Swayed during a recent trip to Philly’s Digital Underground, and discovered she was the lead singer! She’s an amazing vocalist and lyricist with a stage presence to match. Four “triple-flame” emojis (out of four)!

Gothminister (M) – Not to be confused with bands that use “Goth” in the tongue-in-cheek sense, this guy brings the doom and gloom in a manner both brooding and catchy. Much like the also-clerically-monikered Priest’s set, Gothminister got the floor moving, waving, and clapping in rhythm to the music. And someone please tell me what movie his backing video is from – the hooded monks; the burning cathedral; the decaying white face; and THAT FUCKING CREEPY-ASS SKULL THING! I have to see whatever that’s from! (I know it’s not The Church or The Sect…)

Spoilers:

We left after Gothminister’s set Because Reasons, so you can definitely say we “skipped” the last 2 bands (Creux Lies; The Cruxshadows).

Postscript:

On the way home, we listened to the most recent A Perfect Circle album (the one that’s actually great despite its stupid cover art) and talked about various things ranging from “name that Christopher Lee movie” to videogames to whatever dumb random stuff crossed our minds. We arrived back at Lizard’s sometime after 9, and I said something that sort of unwittingly echoed a sentiment Stefan had expressed to Bruno during Das Ich’s set: basically, that it’s important to have a friend throughout life who will look out for you and more or less take care of you if you need it. We shared our mandatory parting “bros 4 lyfe” hug and I made my way to the nearby Sheetz for decadent MTO (2 hot dogs in pretzel rolls, because I like to live dangerously), after which I made my way through Lancaster to the soundtrack of Foetus’ Hide, arriving at home just before 11:30.

Q: Jonny, did Kima chew you out when you got back?

J: Boy did she ev-

KIMA: MIOW! MRRROW! MIOW! MRRROW!

Q: Um, Jonny…inquiring minds would like to know – will you attend Dark Force Fest in 2025?

J: That’s a –

KIMA: MIOW! MIOW! GDMF MIAOW! MRRRRRRRROWHISSSSSSSSHUTUP!