Jonny Numb

The organizers of DFF ensure a full weekend with something to appeal to even the most finicky and snobbish of tastes. While the main attraction is ostensibly the musical acts, there are vendors aplenty, panel discussions, DJ rooms, and even a (new) outdoor stage/pavilion (this area – behind the hotel – is also where the food trucks were parked).

But for the most part, Lizard and I go for the music. So perhaps I’ll get down to the business of who we saw, how they were, and if they encountered any technical misgivings…

Friday, May 1:

10 bands, starting with Blaklight (Side Stage (SS) and En Esch (Ballroom (BR). We missed both due to our late arrival, but weren’t really jonesing to see either. So our first band was…

None Shall Remain (SS) – fine Gothy rock in the “Cleopatra Records Circa 1996” mold. To bring it home, they even covered a Sisters of Mercy song. No technical issues!

Light Asylum (BR) – I quite enjoyed their set at WGT 2025, but soon after entering the ballroom, the sound crapped out, leading to a minutes-long pause while the techs attempted to fix things. The frustration was palpable. “Did the acts before me have problems?” frontwoman Shannon Funchess asked at one point. The crowd answered in the affirmative. “Oh, great – then it’s not racism!” she retorted. I waited in line at the merch table after the show, but the items for sale ultimately didn’t appeal to me (a logo baseball cap; a logo pendant; a pen).

PIG (BR) – to underline the strange inconsistencies of DFF, consummate crowd-pleaser PIG pulled off his 40-minute set with only one brief moment where frontman Raymond Watts’ mic dropped out. He and the band soldiered through like pros. I paid a premium for the new PIG album on CD (came with an autographed photo), and it wasn’t until a couple songs in that I recognized the keyboardist as unitcode: machine (main support on PIG’s 2024 U.S. tour).

ESA (SS) – Electronic Substance Abuse, in case you were wondering. Like a crunchier and angrier version of iVardensphere (no disrespect; I like both). In what became a weekend trend, the sound on the side stage brought the bass to the forefront and buried the vocals beneath. Was still great to “see” them live again, considering the last time was at the Aftermath Festival (aka “Operation Kinetik Rescue”) in 2014. Jamie Blacker hung out at the merch table signing autographs after, and was wandering around the festival for the remainder of the weekend.

We went for food and saw a bit of the Diiiotima Arts Fire Show on the outdoor stage, while Leather Strip (BR) and Forever Grey (SS) played, returning for headliner…

Combichrist (BR) – I vacillate between enjoying Andy LaPlegua’s main band and finding the lyrics and forced angst and anger kind of corny (though, if I’m taking “forced angst and anger” to task, the very lifeblood of Industrial is transfused down the drain). But he is an energetic frontman, running back and forth onstage for over an hour, never seeming to tire of the act. The last time I saw Combichrist, it was a stripped-down “old school Industrial” set that consisted of just LaPlegua and a guy manning a laptop. This festival appearance featured a full (and LOUD) band and concentrated on the band’s more recent, metal-tinged output. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and even picked up two Combi albums from the Out of Line table. Also, for as jacked up and LOUD as their set was, I didn’t pick up on any glaring sound issues…though I think the lights came on once or twice.

At some point early in the evening – I can’t remember when – we saw part of Calaverx‘s (SS) set. They came all the way up from Mexico just to call the audience “cabrones” after every single song! “C’mon, cabrones!” the singer yelled. How rude! (In all seriousness, I dug their energy, but unfortunately missed the chance to pick up some of their merch, and getting a CD off Bandcamp will entail a shipping fee that exceeds the disc cost :().

We headed back to the AirBnB with ears a-ringing. I slept, but not well.

Saturday, May 2:

Let me preface this day by saying: check out The Great Wazu if you like delicious, made-to-order sandwiches. Super-friendly staff. Excellent find on Lizard’s behalf, tucked in an unassuming strip mall not far from the festival.

DJ Killcrazy pulled me aside to discuss my Trigger Discipline blazer, informing me that the slogan and logo emblazoned across the back was a direct lift from Life of Agony (which, unfortunately, caught me off guard – I don’t listen to them). After showing me an image of the slogan and logo in question, I posited that the band intended it as an homage. It wasn’t a contentious encounter; just a conversation that certainly raised my awareness, and led him to look up TD on Bandcamp. Who knows? Maybe he incorporated them into his DJ set over the weekend.

Someone complimented my Trace Amount T-shirt. Sweet.

This was the longest day, with 15 bands performing in total. We started with…

unitcode: machine (SS) – I enjoyed their performance when they opened for PIG in 2024, and I enjoyed their performance at DFF. Comparable to Assemblage 23. Didn’t detect any glaring sound issues. I picked up one of their albums at the merch table, where frontman Eric Kristoffer lit up when I paid in cash.

We wandered over to the ballroom to scope out merch for the day’s bands. There was someone in a big, inflatable-looking unicorn costume jamming out to Crossbreed near the back of the room, which was amusing. (Alas, we did not hang around for their set.)

Frontal Boundary (SS) – caught maybe half their set. We saw them at Kinetik in 2013, but I remembered little about them. It was loud and angry, with feedback. Lizard picked up a CD.

Skipped: Matte Blvck (BR); Panic Lift (SS); and Haunt Me (BR).

This significant gap is when we did the bulk of our vendor spending. Of course, I couldn’t leave without making Puncture Wound Pins a little richer – she turns enamel into miniature works of art, and every time I look a bit closer at the offerings on display, the more I see stuff I want. In any case, I flagged myself at five:

Spank the Nun (SS) – due to the crushing weight of existence in 2026, I found myself unmotivated to listen to the DFF bands I was unfamiliar with in advance of the festival, so Spank the Nun was one of the surprise discoveries. While their set was marred by periodic feedback and mics that seemed to go in and out, I found myself digging their rhythm, approach, and dirty electronic sound by the halfway point (a lot of call-and-response vocals). Unfortunately, the person in front of me for merch snagged their last CD. That said, apparently their “early stuff” is being reissued on Alfa Matrix later this year, so yay!

Haujobb (BR) – I remembered enjoying them more at Kinetik 2012 and opening for Skinny Puppy on the 2014 “Eye vs. Spy” tour. I was also a bit rusty on my Haujobb – I haven’t listened to New World March in eons.

Amelia Arsenic (SS) – the petite singer/songstress suffered the indignities of the sound mixing on the side stage, BUT I thoroughly enjoyed her set, consisting of poppier and more danceable songs (most I would guess weren’t longer than 3 ½ minutes) than most of the acts at the festival. Some cool merch, but no actual physical music for sale.

Rabbit Junk (BR) – ever since their set was so royally fucked up at DFF ’23 (I’ll never forget that, sorry not sorry), each subsequent appearance has run like clockwork. Which is great, because Rabbit Junk is one of the most high-energy and plain down fun bands on the lineup, even when they’re signaling our impending doom as a civilization through song.

I saw the Solemn Shapes duo of Scott Sunset and Melanie Foxfire wandering around that day, unaware that they were performing with Anders Manga (SS) (who we skipped).

Priest (BR) – what can I say about these crazy masked Swedes? Great energy, great show (per the usual). These refugees from Ghost will always be better than Ghost, even if the rest of the world is more gaga for Ghost. Felt a bit spoiled, as I got to see them open for Aesthetic Perfection a couple weeks prior…oh, and I’ll get to see them this summer opening for Stabbing Westward! So maybe 2026 isn’t a total loss.

Male Tears (SS) – foot pain from standing and wearing inappropriate shoes got the better of everyone at this point. Sat in the back of the room – where a bunch of other tired Goths were Tetris’ing for space – and while I was listening to the music, I couldn’t really focus through the pain.

LaPlegua (BR) – Andy’s so nice, they booked him twice. I was curious about this project – an alternative to touring Icon of Coil and Panzer AG individually – and what it would offer. Seeing Panzer AG at Kinetik 2012 was noteworthy because of how much the performance differed from that of Combichrist – more solemn and less about physical energy – but I always longed to see that project perform live again. And this was a compromise – while 2-3 Panzer AG songs wormed their way into the setlist (“Machine Gun Go-Go” and “This is My Battlefield” standing out), the rest were unfamiliar to me. Granted, I haven’t listened to my Panzer AG albums in a while… Still, the set bypassed any technical hiccups, and the level of gratitude radiating off Andy was palpable throughout.

And…while we tried to keep our collective chins and legs up, we waffled over staying for headliner Front Line Assembly (BR), eventually coming to the consensus of returning to the AirBnB. The near 2-hour set they were blocked out for seemed simply insurmountable at that point.

Again I slept, but not well.

Sunday, May 3:

As has been the ritual since the first DFF, we checked out of the AirBnB (until next time!) and made the trek to Edgewater, NJ to the Mitsuwa Marketplace for coffee and an early lunch. While the food offerings tend to be too complex – and, honestly, disagreeable – for my taste palette, I breathed a sigh of relief that the coffee shop also offered pork or chicken cutlet sandwiches (with lettuce, tomato, and some sort of mystery sauce) with French Fries. Sold!

After eating, we did a dash through Daiso and Little Japan USA, where I found the cutest things!

Lizard’s lady had to part company after this, so we said our goodbyes in the “satellite lot” (about a 10-minute walk from the hotel). I did tell him the dynamic with an additional person – especially someone already versed in Industrial/Goth stuff – was nice. Part of liking this type of music is acknowledging you’re an anomaly, and thus meeting people who are already into it feels quite special, indeed (no coaxing required!).

I got a total of 3 compliments on my Clockwork Echo T-shirt, including a moment where the singer for Frontal Boundary accosted me in the FGFC820 mech line for a picture whilst gushing about the band(!).

I wonder if that picture wound up on the Internet somewhere…?

Didn’t arrive in time for Third Realm’s (BR) opening set. We did see them at a previous DFF, though.

Amulet (SS) – a band we were both interested in seeing, and again suffered technical indignities a la Amelia Arsenic, with mics off or dropping out randomly, overpowering bass drowning out the vocals, and feedback, feedback, feedback! I felt bad when the band popped up on social media after, essentially apologizing for the issues with their set when it wasn’t their fault! Hope to catch them in a better venue someday. Oh, and their album, Katharsis, is great – go get it!

FGFC820 (BR) – as someone who follows frontman Rexx Arkana on Facebook, the resurgence of his cancer coupled with the announcement that DFF ’26 would be the band’s final live performance, cast a veil of melancholy over their set, which was by turns somber yet also indicative of the energy that an FGFC820 show has come to signify for me since first seeing – and being blown away by – them at Kinetik 2009. While Rexx was less mobile than in years past, I respect the hell out of him for seeing the performance through, even including some of his funny asides between songs. Lots of cheering. Lots of applause. Lots of emotion. And guest vocals from Jonathan Wisniewski – whom I’ve seen at countless festivals and shows over the years – on the closing song, “Doctrine.” Later in the day, I shook his hand and complimented his performance.

Ghost Cop (SS) – only caught a couple of their songs, but liked what I heard!

Ayria (BR) – another performer who’s been in my musical repertoire since Kinetik 2009. Frontwoman Jennifer Parkin always brings an infectious energy to her live show. Even when the lyrics are slightly sinister or serious, it’s a poppy-danceable fun time.

Reaper (SS) couldn’t make the festival due to visa issues (no big loss).

Ultra Sunn (BR) – Belgian act presided over by a 7-foot giant who came onstage via beanstalk (that last part may not be true). Good music. No technical issues I could discern. And: “C’MON, DARKFORCEFEST!”

Unter Null (SS) – very happy for the return of Erica Dunham’s main project (her mellow/ambient outlet, Stray, is also good), and to see the room relatively full for her set. Feedback didn’t really settle in until the last song (the UN classic, “Sick Fuck”), but considering how I’ve seen Dunham’s live sets sabotaged by natural disasters (a fire claimed her studio in 2009, thus canceling her performance at Kinetik), scheduling (they brought up the rear one night at Kinetik 2010, after all the other bands had run late, leaving them with a short set), technical snafus (Triton Fest, 2013), and renegade smoke machines (Club Orpheus years ago), I’d consider this outing a major success. Looking forward to the new UN and Stray albums later this year.

Das Ich (BR) – “This [mic stand] is kaput!” – Stefan (vocalist). I’d say their set would’ve been better without the technical frustrations, as Bruno seemed to be running damage (and Stefan) control while they were playing.

16Volt (SS) – hadn’t seen them since Kinetik 2010 (when they toured with Chemlab and Left Spine Down), but the thing that most stuck with me was a perturbed video frontman Eric Powell posted about being unimpressed with the accommodations and courtesies extended by the festival-runners. Meanwhile, Jared Louche was exploring the venue and asking questions about the crash barrier as he likely formulated how Chemlab’s show would go that night (needless to say, they outdid headliner 16Volt’s set in grand fashion). Therefore, my expectations weren’t high for 16Volt’s DFF set. By the time I walked in, about halfway through their set, the feedback was out in earnest, though Powell seemed positive about the performance. That said, the room was the emptiest I’d seen it all weekend (less than half-full) and, maybe as a result of this, the band cut the set short.

Before the festival, we’d made a collective decision to sit out London After Midnight’s (BR) closing set in the name of getting a timely jump on traffic. We saw them at Triton in 2013, and while I enjoyed the performance, it didn’t reverberate in my sensory memory in a way that justified subjecting my tired feet to more abuse. And I haven’t listened to either of the LAM albums in my collection in years.

Since we didn’t need to take the Turnpike back, we breezed through traffic. Even with a stop at the Ephrata-exit Sheetz, I think I made it home by 11:15pm, OMT (Old Man Time).

Again I slept, but not well.

Adjusting to new medication sucks.

Also…I woke up Monday morning with welts on my calves and ankles that hung around, itchy as fuck, for at least 2 weeks. What’s up with that?

[header photo by Jonny]