Live Review: Chelsea Wolfe at KXSC Fest 3/30/13

The student-run college radio station KXSC, based out of USC, put on the 5th installment of their annual Fest this Saturday. Featuring a cross section of the LA Indie scene, the lineup included garage rockers The Dead Ships, party starters Nguzungzu and headliner Dan Deacon. Undoubtedly an eclectic and entrancing night of music, but the true highlight was Chelsea Wolfe. She brought her doom-folk, and a full band to the stage for a set that transfixed the college ballroom. What normally feels like a lecture hall was transformed into what felt like the site of a cult sacrifice. The crowd – dominated by young males who seemed to know every song by the opening swells – leaned in to worship at Wolfe’s altar as she possessed us with her folklore. She artfully rocked her way through most of the tunes from Apokalypsis, which showcased the insane creative talents of her band, most notably Kevin Dockter’s hauntingly sinister guitar work during “Pale on Pale.” Each song was drenched in a ghostly gloom that filled the room with mystical anticipation, as if Wolfe herself would somehow be transformed by her own incantations. Despite some unfortunate sound issues, we were all relieved when the violinist returned to the stage to close out the set with “Flatlands.” Her artistry and ambiance aside, this is a tune that stays with you. The clear standout, “Flatlands” soars in the live setting. Stripped down, it allows the eastern-leaning guitar riff to take the lead, while her understated tension pours out in a misty cloud of poetry over us, hanging there just out of reach. You can catch the mystifying Wolfe and her band at Desert Daze on April 20. – Jacqueline Caruso

Photo Courtesy of Leslie Andrew Ridings