Charlotte’s dark denizens started the week of August 17 right with a Monday night show featuring live music from a line up that created a perfect Charlotte Dark Scene Venn Diagram.
Up first was Charlotte’s favorite up-and-coming Horrorpunk and Deathrock 5-piece band Secret Idol (CDS Profile Page – with calendar and more!). Their powerful, guitar driven sound and on stage rock-and-roll chemistry, with punk energy and corpse paint filled the floor with dancers and (fake) blood. Check out Ash Reminisce’s interview shortly after this show here.
Next, as the room went dark and fog filled the air, the Dark Wave and Industrial duo Solemn Shapes (Bandcamp, CDS Profile) took the stage. Mainstays of the Charlotte live goth scene, Sco & Mel shifted the sound from electric guitars to keyboards and synths and the vibe black death to black lights.
KOMRADS (linktree), from Rochester, NY was the headliner, and sonicly bridged the gap between the local artists – sharing an aggressive punk inspiration with Secret Idol and electronic instrumentation with Solemn Shapes. As part of this set, the anarcho punk industrial solo artist, Zach played his entire new EP Dead Saints & Devils. Even late on a hot Monday Night, the crowds could not help but move to his beats, sparking a small but energetic pit.
UPDATE (September 2, 2026): Check out the latest “In the Shadows With” interview by Ash Reminisce, featuring Zach from KOMRADS.
Photos by Xaq Fixx. Visit XaqFixx.com to book a shoot or license images.