Live Review: Molchat Doma with Sextile

2/24/2025

Writing and Photography by Bobby Talamine
Edited by Fiza Javid

Salt Shed Chicago
Friday - February 21, 2025

Molchat Doma.
Egor Shkutko - Lead Vocals.
Roman Komogortsev- Guitar, Synths and Drum Machine.
Pavel Kozlov- Bass and Synths.

Molchat Doma - They embrace Post- Punk, Synthwave, Darkwave, Coldwave, you name it.
And they don't mind all these classifications and subgenres attached to them, in the spirit of continually attracting an audience, which they've successfully done since their outset, even more so, especially since they originally came from Belarus.

And when you think of it, that says lots, in my opinion, courtesy of keen self promotion, especially with the likes of YouTube, amongst others.
The subgenres above, the audience, especially in Chicago, embrace all bands and artists that fall under the above categories, and expand out thereof.They welcome and thirst for new arrivals, ever embracing and supporting the music and artists wholeheartedly.
I've witnessed this firsthand since way way back, since the early eighties, in regards to the brotherhood that is all things Chicago, and anything indie and alternative and underground.
And it doesn't matter about gender, doesn't matter about sexual orientation, and doesn't matter about which country you reside in, or came from.

Chicago is all in and ready to embrace and support bands such as Molchat Doma.
So for Molchat Doma, Chicago has witnessed their trajectory from small venues, to the current day, and their North American Tour of 2025, with a stop at The Salt Shed in Chicago on a Friday night.
As for Molchat Doma, they've been around for years, their first release dating back to 2017 with "S krish nashikh domov".

A hard working band, that's for sure, all in with regards to album releases, let alone touring.
With their catalog, with four releases under their belt (excluding their one live album), they could easily have gone political, if they chose to, since where they originated from, Belarus. But instead, they chose a most sincere and thought provoking approach, assembling songs and songwriting conveying deeply emotional truths, personal despair, existential dread, that sort of thing.

And all for the better, simply because you can so relate, even if Egor sings everything in Russian.
That deep baritone of his, let alone the majestic undertone of heavy and swinging synths and rhythmic electronic drums just adds to the luster and mystique of their songs, especially when performing live.
The opener- "Kolesom" followed by "Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya", from their latest release "Belaya Polosa" are compelling as all get out, "Kolesom" built on subdued synths and beats, with vocal restraint from Egor, and yet transfixing throughout, watching him, watching the band.

And with "Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya", a slow build as well, to suddenly letting loose, with Egor midway through stomping about in a hypnotic dance, propelled along by the intoxicating and sexy beats and synths from Roman and Pavel.

The crowd- right off the bat ate that up, bobbing along in tandem with the band.
And so it goes for the night, captivating songs, followed by a captivating audience.
Everyone is all in.

Have to say, Egor, Roman and Pavel, they know how to unite a crowd, and not with a bludgeoning and brute force- in fact, just the opposite.

Song after song after song, they relish in sincerity, in honesty, nothing fake.
Egor, Roman and Pavel immerse themselves in moody atmosphere throughout their set, conveyed with floor strobes and upper rig strobes that bathe the band in hues of magenta and purple and white, the kind of lighting that conveys a sense of delicacy and intimate escapism.
And yet throughout their set the entire night, their songs bounce back and forth from keen introspection and dialed down tempos, to the outright danceable- songs such as "Ya Tak Ustal" and "Discoteque" in particular, the beats more danceable, more energetic to sway and move in place with the band.

Before you know it, we're up to the encore, from "Kletka" to the close, the supremely addictive "Sudno (Boris Ryzhyi), haunting and propulsive beats pervade, exuding confidence and mastery throughout, with a crowd eating along to every word, every nuance.

Such is the performance with Molchat Doma, a band that deserves your attention, with a cache of songs that captivate, and a keen aesthetic with their lighting that can set a mood, and immerse you in, all done with restraint, with delicacy, and yet keenly danceable, keenly captivating.
Their tour is heading west, with a few dates left from Denver, followed by the west coast.
Highly recommended to see them live- you won't be disappointed.

Bobby Talamine - JBTV Music Television Chicago

Molchat Doma, Minsk, Russian, Belarus, Belarusian, Sudno, Goth Bats, JBTV Music Television, Bobby Talamine, Fiza Javid, Jerry Bryant, The Salt Shed, Live Chicago Music, Doomer Wave, Synthwave, Gothic

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THE JBTV BLOG

Live Review: Molchat Doma with Sextile

Molchat Doma, Minsk, Russian, Belarus, Belarusian, Sudno, Goth Bats, JBTV Music Television, Bobby Talamine, Fiza Javid, Jerry Bryant, The Salt Shed, Live Chicago Music, Doomer Wave, Synthwave, Gothic

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