Molchat Doma (Молчат Дома), meaning ‘Houses are Silent’ in English, one of the most iconic Slavic post-punk bands, kicked off their Feb. 12 performance at the Franklin Music Hall with a bang alongside their special guests, Sextile.
Post-punk, a branch of the punk movement which was later integrated into the goth movement, is a genre and subculture categorized by the combination of various styles of music (such as disco, jazz, funk, punk, rock, dub and dance music) and, of course, punk (that is, far-left and non-conformist) ideologies. Founded in 2017, Molchat Doma is a Belarusian post-punk-inspired trio that, in recent years, has captivated international audiences. Currently, their lineup includes Egor Shkutko (vocals), Roman Komogortsev (guitar, synthesizer, drum machine) and Pavel Kozlov (bass guitar, synthesizer).
The opener, an LA-based group known as Sextile (featuring Melisa Scaduto and Brady Keehn), took the stage by storm playing some of their most popular and most danceable tunes such as “Disco”, “Crassy Mel” and “Contortion”. The duo, often categorized as electronic punk, synth punk and post-punk have been known to draw inspiration from artists such as Daniel Ash, The Cramps, Christian Death, Brian Eno and Throbbing Gristle. The group exited exactly as they entered – with a bang – as vocalist Melissa Scaduto, in true highly-political punk fashion, displayed an enormous white flag reading “ABORTION RIGHTS NOW” as the audience erupted into cheers.
Since their debut, Molchat Doma has accrued an enormous following across Western and Eastern Europe through platforms such as YouTube and Bandcamp. However, in 2020, the band signed over to a North American record label known as Sacred Bones Records (the same record label as Sextile). Following this decision, their music took off in North America thanks to the help of a little app known as TikTok. Their song “Sudno” also known as Судно in Russian charted no. 2 on the Spotify worldwide Viral50 chart at that time.
With the rising popularity of alternative music, specifically goth genres such as post-punk, coldwave, darkwave and synthpop, Molchat Doma has maintained popularity worldwide with an adoring fanbase. Known for their wonderfully gloomy atmosphere and introspective lyrics, Molchat Doma’s music typically focuses on the paralyzing feelings of loneliness and darker emotions. Despite this, most of their songs are incredibly danceable with a moderate to fast tempo and synth-driven, 80s-inspired electronic beats.
Following Sextile’s upbeat opening came a sudden ominous turn. The venue went dark as a one-note deep drone-like sound took over the room before a cyclorama lit up with a wash of deep blue light. Komogortsev and Kozlov took the stage strumming simple chords as the audience began to sway. Soon, Shkutko joined the stage as the venue shook with excitement.
If there’s one thing to love about Molchat Doma, even if you can not understand the lyrics, it is their stage presence. You do not need to understand to feel the emotion, the desperation and the longing they sing about. Most importantly, you do not need to know how to dance. Being that the band has an international presence, the Feb. 12 audience reflected exactly that: Russian-speaking and non-Russian-speaking, native Philadelphians and those from the outskirts, young, old – you name it, they were there, celebrating, feeling and expressing a love of electronic, disco-esque, post-punk edginess.
The group dressed in plain clothes, either all black or black and white, as if demanding the audience to focus on the performance itself, rather than the performers. Utilizing incredible light displays, from the peacefulness of the comforting blue cyclorama to the fear-inducing wash of red light to the bright white flashing strobe lights, and wall-trembling bass and drone notes, Molchat Doma live is a remarkably immersive experience that transforms a regular performance into a physical, emotional journey that will have you transported to another dimension, even if just for the night.
Towards their closing, the band played some of their most popular songs including “Son,” “Volny” and “Belaya Polosa” to which the audience broke out into sways, dancing, jumping and, much to the dismay of many, a mosh pit (which are typically associated with heavier genres of alternative music like hardcore punk and metal). Despite the aggressive swinging of limbs and distressed non-participating audience members, the crowd broke out cheering “MOLCHAT DOMA! MOLCHAT DOMA!” as the group announced their final song,“Na Dne,” for the night.
As the trio exited the stage the crowd continued its frantic cheering, again chanting the band’s name, but this time they demanded that they play “ONE MORE SONG! ONE MORE SONG!” With great pleasure, the three returned for an encore featuring fan favorites such as “Kletka,” “Toska” and “Tancevat” before closing with their most popular song by far, “Sudno,” to which the audience erupted into motion as Molchat Doma concluded an excellent night of community, wild fervor and a passion for post-punk music.