Dark, gloomy post-punk is my loving childhood home: though I’ve since grown and moved out, I know that any time I visit, there will be a warm meal and cozy bed waiting for me. In this case, “warm meal and cozy bed” might be better stated as “a pack of cigarettes and seasonal depression,” but the point is, it’s home. That’s why a band like Molchat Doma is such a delight (in the way that Addams Family characters talk about gothic horror as delightful). 

Hailing from Minsk, Belarus, the trio represents a call back to that late 70s post-punk sound: fast, tight drum beats; pulsing basslines; angular, descending guitar riffs; and a frontman with a haunted, baritone voice. Joy Division is often a lazy point of reference in this genre, but let’s be honest… I fucking wish I could have seen Ian Curtis way back when. Molchat Doma’s Egor Shkutko is a worthy successor. 

I first heard their track “Судно (Борис Рыжий)” via TikTok (or Instagram reel or whatever). This is probably the case for many, since this track’s viral popularity is a huge factor in what has led to the band’s growing popularity in the U.S. While they didn’t sell out the room at Roadrunner last week, there were still plenty of bodies that showed up. Surely just about every goth in Boston was easy to find that night.

The show itself was sweet and to the point. If you attend concerts for the total spectacle of such affairs, then this wasn’t much to write home about: no VFX adornments besides the house’s light setup; bare stage dressing; the three band members rarely straying from their sectors. The stark contrast of Roadrunner’s light display provided a little drama, but overall, the music was the main course. In that department, Molchat Doma very sufficiently delivers. It is delightful to see Shkutko wriggle around on stage; it even helps with the Ian Curtis parallel. 

Check out our photos from the show below.