The Soft Moon Plays Gasa Gasa

10:30 January 28, 2016

Freddie Mercury once proclaimed boldly and loudly, “The show must go on.”  Thus was the case with The Soft Moon show at Gasa Gasa.  Initially the Oakland post-punk outfit was slated to open for Killing Joke, but as bad luck would have it, Killing Joke had to pull out of their US tour due to an “undisclosed health issue.”  I was really looking forward to seeing the band with their original lineup and having them play material from last year’s Pylon.

The Soft Moon didn’t want to squander an opportunity to tour, so they decided to carry on.  A venue change was inevitable, but was still fitting.  Instead of playing the Republic, the band played Gasa Gasa.  The small room was an excellent fit and helped the post-punk noise at hand wrap around the crowd effortlessly.  The red light washing over the band gave an ambiance that was unmistakable and direct, no illusions whatsoever.   The music for the most part sounded quite a bit the same, and was boosted randomly with some tribal infusions.  The main set collided to an impressive ending and was followed up by a two-song encore.

The Soft Moon Plays Gasa Gasa

The New Orleans solo project turned full band, Val Hollie was the perfect opener.  Much like The Soft Moon’s pairing with Killing Joke Val Hollie just seemed to fit and the set came off effortlessly.  Look for them around town.

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