Headfirst Editor's Pick
"A triple threat of gothic ferocity! Black Dahlia conjure bubbling, obsidian mascara-pop full of windswept vocals. Kelan pounds martial rhythms beneath sardonic, lupine growls + Shoun Shoun whip up a hardcore frenzy with their live wire intensity and slash-and-burn guitar work. Delirious nocturnal glamour FFO: Nine Inch Nails, Savages, Lykke Li, Chromatics."
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A gig held at Cafe Kino on Wednesday 4th February. The event starts at 19:30.
- BLACK DAHLIA -
“Black Dahlia is an evolving entity, as mysterious as the lone wanderer whose celestial journey she narrates here.” - Electronic Sounds Mag
“The Imposter is a surreal descent into identity collapse, distortion, and violent rebirth — crafted by one of experimental art’s most uncompromising forces.” - Fame Magazine
“...a theatre of dreams.” - EARMILK
“Black Dahlia isn't simply releasing music; she's building entire universes.” - Record of the Day
“Eccentric with a bold defiance of conventional norms.” - Post-Punk
Black Dahlia follows the beaming light and invites us into the art pop world of The Imposter.
An experimental musician and performance artist, Black Dahlia blurs the boundaries between theatre, sound, and surreal spectacle. Her creations exist in dreamlike spaces where masks, characters, and worlds collide — flamboyant, avant-garde expressions that draw as much from performance art, mime, and surrealism as they do from music itself. Whether inhabiting strange personas on stage or building vast sonic landscapes, Black Dahlia conjures universes that feel both alien and intimately human, inviting her audience to step into the unknown.
Black Dahlia has performed across Europe and Australia alongside Kirin J Callinan, John Maus, Cosey Mueller, and Enola, with appearances at SXSW Sydney, Metanoia Festival, Kalabalik På Tyrolen, and Dark Mofo.
Her acclaimed concept album The Imposter (via her imprint School of Dahlia) unfolds like a surreal stage play. Written, produced, arranged and performed by Black Dahlia, it follows a lone wanderer, The Imposter, who chases an enigmatic light away from a distant Paradise, only to find himself lost between realms, drifting through an interstellar limbo of time and strange encounters.
Step inside, and let the story unfold.
+ SPECIAL GUESTS:
- KELAN -
A household name in Bristol, Max Kelan has navigated the industrial underbelly of his hometown for a hot minute. Performing as part of the theatrical, rhythmic noise act Bad Tracking, the occult driven Salac and running and being a resident DJ of the longstanding club event Slack Alice. Severn tales of sleazy noir, vice and earthly transgression
- along the way taking a verbal match to the flag, spitting venom at vampiric landlords and erupting into lewd, schoolyard chants.
- SHOUN SHOUN -
('shoon-shoon')
"A bit like a British answer to a cross between Japan’s Shonen Knife and Iceland’s The Sugarcubes but with a shitload of garage rock and post-punk painted all over its rear end." - Roppongi Rocks
"They had me in the first 10 seconds on their new single Stuck...” - Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6
No wave. No logic. Somewhere between art rock and electronica. Using broken technology to make very human moments, Annette’s songs take sharp, twisted routes making your feet move one way and your head in very much another. Stuttering drums, liquid sex bass, post punk squonk and sporadic noise constitute a sound like no other.
Shoun Shoun are the sum of their parts: Berlin has spent years battling ferocious noise in Bristol bands like Big Joan, Male, The Final Age and Rose Kemp, but finally felt an uncontrollable urge to do something totally different. The result is a set of songs of alienation, masculine toxicity, racism, French criminals, and sex brought to life by musicians whose collective CV includes other Bristol legends like The Fantasy Orchestra and Chikinki.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
“Black Dahlia is an evolving entity, as mysterious as the lone wanderer whose celestial journey she narrates here.” - Electronic Sounds Mag
“The Imposter is a surreal descent into identity collapse, distortion, and violent rebirth — crafted by one of experimental art’s most uncompromising forces.” - Fame Magazine
“...a theatre of dreams.” - EARMILK
“Black Dahlia isn't simply releasing music; she's building entire universes.” - Record of the Day
“Eccentric with a bold defiance of conventional norms.” - Post-Punk
Black Dahlia follows the beaming light and invites us into the art pop world of The Imposter.
An experimental musician and performance artist, Black Dahlia blurs the boundaries between theatre, sound, and surreal spectacle. Her creations exist in dreamlike spaces where masks, characters, and worlds collide — flamboyant, avant-garde expressions that draw as much from performance art, mime, and surrealism as they do from music itself. Whether inhabiting strange personas on stage or building vast sonic landscapes, Black Dahlia conjures universes that feel both alien and intimately human, inviting her audience to step into the unknown.
Black Dahlia has performed across Europe and Australia alongside Kirin J Callinan, John Maus, Cosey Mueller, and Enola, with appearances at SXSW Sydney, Metanoia Festival, Kalabalik På Tyrolen, and Dark Mofo.
Her acclaimed concept album The Imposter (via her imprint School of Dahlia) unfolds like a surreal stage play. Written, produced, arranged and performed by Black Dahlia, it follows a lone wanderer, The Imposter, who chases an enigmatic light away from a distant Paradise, only to find himself lost between realms, drifting through an interstellar limbo of time and strange encounters.
Step inside, and let the story unfold.
+ SPECIAL GUESTS:
- KELAN -
A household name in Bristol, Max Kelan has navigated the industrial underbelly of his hometown for a hot minute. Performing as part of the theatrical, rhythmic noise act Bad Tracking, the occult driven Salac and running and being a resident DJ of the longstanding club event Slack Alice. Severn tales of sleazy noir, vice and earthly transgression
- along the way taking a verbal match to the flag, spitting venom at vampiric landlords and erupting into lewd, schoolyard chants.
- SHOUN SHOUN -
('shoon-shoon')
"A bit like a British answer to a cross between Japan’s Shonen Knife and Iceland’s The Sugarcubes but with a shitload of garage rock and post-punk painted all over its rear end." - Roppongi Rocks
"They had me in the first 10 seconds on their new single Stuck...” - Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6
No wave. No logic. Somewhere between art rock and electronica. Using broken technology to make very human moments, Annette’s songs take sharp, twisted routes making your feet move one way and your head in very much another. Stuttering drums, liquid sex bass, post punk squonk and sporadic noise constitute a sound like no other.
Shoun Shoun are the sum of their parts: Berlin has spent years battling ferocious noise in Bristol bands like Big Joan, Male, The Final Age and Rose Kemp, but finally felt an uncontrollable urge to do something totally different. The result is a set of songs of alienation, masculine toxicity, racism, French criminals, and sex brought to life by musicians whose collective CV includes other Bristol legends like The Fantasy Orchestra and Chikinki.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
Other experimental pop gigs
— Rough Trade Bristol
pop
lgbtq+
punk
alternative pop
drag
