ALCEST / MONO / KӕLAN MIKLA – LIVE AT THE ROYALE – BOSTON

ALCEST / MONO / KӕLAN MIKLA – LIVE AT THE ROYALE – BOSTON

By Rick Fleck

ALCEST / MONO / KӕLAN MIKLA – LIVE AT THE ROYALE – BOSTON

French post-black metal/blackgaze band Alcest held the premier night of its “Les Chants de l’Aurore North American Tour 2025” at the Royale music venue in the heart of Boston’s Theater District. The neighborhood is an apt location for the dramatic and ever-shifting nature of Alcest’s music. Their stage set featured two expansive rugs, vases filled with floral arrangements, footlights, and a pair of large, avian sculptures. The faint smell of incense drifted through the venue. Not exactly what you would expect from a band that walks the razor’s edge of extreme music, but completely befitting their eclectic style and the vast dynamic and stylistic range of their songs.

Alcest is founding member Stéphane “Neige” Paut (lead vocals/guitar) and long-time member(drums). Indria Saray (bass) and Pierre “Zero” Corson (backing vocals/guitar) have been touring members since 2010.

The show opened with “Komorebi,” the lead track from their 2024 Les Chants de l’Aurore. Thunderous and majestic, it set the stage. Winterhalter’s drumming was unparalleled, incorporating both speed and precision – imbued with range and depth. “Komorebi,” a Japanese word for the play of sunlight through leaves, creates the sensation of soaring through the clouds with a dramatic sunrise breaking on the horizon. “L’Envol” brought a darker, more menacing feel, with thick, chugging riffs a la Tony Iommi.

Photos Rick Fleck

“Améthyste” began with a plodding drum beat from Winterhalter and ethereal vocals from Neige, but then took off through an expansive and emotional journey. The drums ebbed and flowed, at one point encompassing black metal blast beats. The vocals ranged from clean to harsh and back again, as if all the major elements of Alcest’s sound were assimilated into one statement piece.

The intro to “Protection” was not unlike the psychedelia of Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride.” It featured more tremendous drumming from Winterhalter. His drums really were a highlight of the night. “Protection” was distinguished by some of the harshest vocals of the night, much to the delight of the audience’s black metal contingent. “Sapphire,” also from 2019’s groundbreaking Spiritual Instinct album, has always been my favorite Alcest song. Hearing it live was a transcendent experience.

Alcest’s music never fails to surprise me with its uncanny ability to transport you to other worlds. “Écailles de lune” took us to the ocean’s shore, while “Flamme jumelle” had us driving alone and free on the open road. “Souvenirs d’un autre monde,” a jewel from the first album of the same name, was enthusiastically embraced by the rapt crowd. “Oiseaux de proie” received an enthusiastic greeting and was the most traditional heavy metal song of the night. It was a multi-dimensional tour de force. The aptly named “L’Adieu” was the encore; a beautiful song that served as the ideal counterpoint to opener “Komorebi.”

MONO is a Japanese instrumental, post-rock band with orchestral flourishes and hints of doom metal, formed in Tokyo in 1999. The band consists of Takaakira “Taka” Goto (guitar), Hideki “Yoda” Suematsu (guitar), Dahm Majuri Cipolla (drums), and Tamaki Kunishi (bass).

MONO started their set with “Run On,” a single from their most recent album, 2024’s Oath. “Run On” begins with a soft, ethereal soundscape and, like many MONO songs, gradually builds to a cathartic and uplifting crescendo. All the songs were from Oath except for “Ashes in the Snow,” the lead track from their epic album Hymn to the Immortal Wind. MONO incorporates drone into their music, creating a sound similar to fellow countrymen Boris, although MONO’s songs are generally more structured.

Photos Rick Fleck

There is an uplifting quality to MONO’s music, similar to post-black metal/shoegaze bands like Deafheaven. MONO also shares similarities with post-rock bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Boards of Canada. Taking a lot of different influences from within the post-rock/ambient/shoegaze space, often dividing songs into separate parts showcasing each style, they come up with something uniquely MONO.

“Hear the Wind Sing” was all of this and more, both beautiful and lush. “Ashes in the Snow” began with a glockenspiel, sounding much like Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells.” It then spread its wings wide, creating a masterpiece of cinematic scope, conjuring up the films of Hayao Miyazaki. They ended their set with the climactic “Time Goes By.”

Opener Kӕlan Mikla is a trio from Reykjavik formed in 2013 consisting of Laufey Soffía (vocals), Margrét Rósa Dóru-Harrysdóttir (bass), and Sólveig Matthildur Kristjánsdóttir (keyboards). They play a mélange of darkwave, post-punk and 1980s new wave. Their look and performance is decidedly goth. They played an economical and thoughtfully crafted six song set opening with “Svört Augu,” the lead track from their 2021 album Undir Köldum Nordurljósum. They finished with “Hvitir Sander,” a song they recorded with Alcest.

Photos Rick Fleck

Kӕlan Mikla’s set was hypnotic with lots of synth, not unlike Bauhaus with Iceland’s iconic Björk on vocals. The overall vibe was the darker side of new wave/synth rock with plenty of angst and anguish. Bordering on parody at times, they broke into atonal, primal scream therapy during “Sólstöður,” but were saved from spoof by their enthusiasm and earnestness.

Friends ask me why I listen to music like blackgaze, shoegaze, post-black metal, and even DSBM. They think of it as being one dimensionally bleak and hopeless. Of all the music I listen to, I find it to be the most uplifting, the music I turn to to soothe my soul in anxious times. Alcest‘s show was an escape from the maddening and turbulent times we find ourselves in. It hit an internal reset button for my calm and piece of mind. It was an immersive and uplifting experience filled with passages of inspiring, ethereal beauty framed within purging walls of sound. What more could you ask for?

To learn more about Alcest, check out their Website

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