Words from the headlining band, updates from the organizers and a review of the festival’s Vancouver show
Jasmine Garcha (she/her) // Managing Editor
Nat Buettner (she/they) // Photographer
Glōm Fest’s headlining band—The Awakening—took the stage in Vancouver on September 20, delivering a performance full of theatrics, spectacle and gloom. Two weeks before the show, Frontman Ashton Nyte sat down with the Courier to talk about the upcoming show and how it’s been reimagined, as well as The Awakening’s ventures in the realm of darkwave music.
“Artist and bearer of light and hope is how I would attempt to describe myself,” shared Nyte, as he described how his creative endeavours go beyond music; not only does he release music as The Awakening and in his solo career as Ashton Nyte, he also writes books, mentioning that he’s currently assembling a book of short stories and working his way up to a novel. In the meantime, Nyte has released 12 records as The Awakening and eight in his solo career, explaining that he has a “song-writing disorder.” With so many endeavours to balance, Nyte joked, “I’m actually only 16, I look this old because I don’t sleep.”
As the only constant member of the band, Nyte mentioned revamping the band’s live performance image, noting that people can change and evolve since the band’s founding in 1995. He commented, “Some people get married or move to other countries or decide that they want to juggle in a circus rather than play guitar in a band.”
This reimagining came to fruition in their recent short tour consisting of three shows in Germany as well as co-headlining of a festival in Poland, where Nyte said they performed at a castle as the rain came down, with the wind blowing his long coat around. “It’s actually the perfect setting for a gothic band’s comeback,” he observed, noting that the band hadn’t toured in around a decade.
This break in performing did not show when The Awakening took the stage at The Cobalt Cabaret on September 20, with Nyte donned in his long cloak performing all the theatrics of a man who once wanted to be a magician upon discovering Kate Bush. He did, however, note a lack of jugglers and trapeze artists, which he hopes will be an addition to Glōm Fest II.
In the week leading up to the show, the festival’s organizers announced some updates due to unforeseen circumstances. Two of the bands who were formerly on the bill had been denied visas and were no longer able to play, resulting in a cancellation of the Portland show. This announcement was made via the festival’s Instagram page on September 9, only three days before their first show in Los Angeles.
One of the bands who were denied visas was The Cemetary Girlz, a femme-fronted goth band from Paris. Another was Aeon Sable, a band from Germany whose co-founding member, Nino Sable, spoke to the Courier back in April.
“It was always my personal dream to play in the States,” shared Sable before his appearances were unfortunately cancelled, “It’s one of my greatest dreams come true.” He also shared that the band had never toured outside of Europe. So, until this dream is fulfilled, Sable will be continuing to work on his music. He mentioned an electric post-punk album with a friend from Athens, Greece, as well as working on bringing bands to Germany through festivals and other events. “I never stand still,” he said, originally referring to the aftermath of the festival, “It won’t be the end.”
In the light of these updates, it was announced that Urban Heat would be adding Glōm Fest Vancouver as a stop on their tour. The band indeed ‘brought the heat,’ as the venue was lively despite the gloomy themes during their set. While on stage, the frontman of the band mentioned he was, “hoping the U.S. doesn’t let us back in when we go.”
Liveliness despite gloomy themes can be considered the general vibe of the night, with blue and green strobe lights spraying through the venue as The Royal Ritual took the stage to open the show. The Royal Ritual—as mentioned on the Glōm Fest Instagram page—was also involved in organizing the festival.
Although goth and darkwave music and aesthetics are often seen as ‘gloomy’ or ‘depressing,’ frontwoman Christine Gutierrez and mysterious mask-adorning multi-instrumentalist E of Dark Chisme brought loud and wild energy to the stage and riled up the audience during the second performance of the night. Gutierrez also played an electronic drum set during one of their songs, and ran into the crowd to perform from the centre of the moshpit. Eventually, they were swept up in a cloud from the fog machine, truly bringing us the vibe of dusk and dawn that ‘Glōm’ as a concept calls for.
Overall, the festival was well-performed and it’s glaringly obvious that a lot of care went into organizing it. Although a small venue for a festival, the Cobalt Cabaret provided a loving home for the festival. The venue is a fitting place as well, as local goths and goth aesthetic-enjoyers will know, the Cobalt Cabaret also hosts Coffin Club, another goth-themed event that finds its home in Vancouver.
To keep up with Ashton Nyte and The Awakening, follow them on Instagram @ashtonnyte and @theawakeningofficial. For those interested in the future of Glōm Fest, they can be found on Instagram @glomfest.