Jason Hensel
Clan of Xymox /Twin Tribes / Vandal Moon
The Echo Lounge – 5/8/25 – Dallas, TX
©Jason Hensel
Darkwave is having its moment. It has for a while now. Is it because we live in dark times? Is it a repudiation of pop’s takeover of the airwaves? Or maybe it’s popular because it’s just so damn cool.
For the record, darkwave is a broad term for often minor-key music with danceable beats. At least that’s the definition we’re going to stick with for the purpose of this review. Sure, there are degrees of darkwave styles, and that was evident at the Clan of Xymox / Twin Tribes / Vandal Moon show in Dallas presented by LosGothsCo.
You could see the different styles even in the way people dressed for the capacity-filled show. There was the older dude in a plain black tee and jeans. There was a group dressed like they were going to a rave-goth party. And then there were the ones in the crowd with their faces painted all white. Sidebar: The clown-goth crossover is an interesting element in the darkwave scene worth exploring.
The doors opened promptly at 7 p.m. at the Echo Lounge. As the crowd filtered in, DJs spun classic and new darkwave and goth songs. After about 30 minutes, it was time for the first act, Vandal Moon, a two-piece from California.
Starting with “Black Kiss,” Blake Voss sang and danced through several songs that ranged from new wave to synthpop to dark dance while Jeremy Einsiedler handled the drum machines and samplers.
They played two new songs out of the eight on the setlist. Their last song, “Satellite,” was a great closing song for their performance. It was energetic, dark, and more in line with the sound of Nine Inch Nails than their other songs. If Vandal Moon wanted to leave the crowd wanting more, they succeeded.
Up next was Clan of… scratch that. Twin Tribes actually went on second, to the surprise of many people at the show. They walked out to the stage as their logo appeared on the screen behind them and immediately went into their opening instrumental, “The Path to Antares.”
Luis Navarro and Joel Niño, Jr., started the band in Brownsville, TX, in 2017. Over the last eight years, they’ve become somewhat darkwave royalty, growing a large and dedicated fanbase. Their songs feature catchy hooks, preprogrammed danceable beats, and brooding vocals.
After the instrumental opener, they went into “Shadows,” a stand-out track from their 2018 album of the same name, before performing “Another Life” from their latest album, Pendulum.
Check out our Twin Tribes concert photo gallery below:
They were a bit subdued during the first half of their set, but something changed halfway through, and they became much more animated. Niño, specifically, engaged with the crowd by pointing his bass at them and offering some snarling looks, thanks, in part, to his Dalí-esque mustache.
They closed their time on stage with “Monolith,” a great track from their most recent album. It was another instance of leaving the crowd wanting more.
Some of the crowd left before Clan of Xymox hit the stage. That’s a shame, because they missed one of darkwave’s true instigators. The two other bands on the bill surely wouldn’t be where they are if it weren’t for Xymox’s influence on the genre.
Singer Ronny Moorings co-founded the band in the Netherlands in 1981, and they quickly found success by signing to the influential 4AD label. The lineup has changed over time, with Moorings now the only original member.
Keyboardist Sean Göbel first entered the stage, pointing his laser gloves at the audience. Then Moorings took the stage, and the band started their show with “Strangers” off their debut album from 1985.
From there, they performed a mixture of old and new songs, like “Blood of Christ,” released last year. The show, unfortunately, had to end at 11 p.m. due to noise curfew laws. However, those who stayed to watch Clan of Xymox were rewarded with a wonderful performance that illustrated why they’re, rightly, in the upper echelon of darkwave greats.
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