LIVE REVIEW: SILVER SNAKES AT THE AQUARIUM IN FARGO, ND

This was NOT what I expected from my Tuesday night. Being a fan of Silver Snakes since seeing them on tour with Korn, I knew I wanted to catch them at their show at the Aquarium. What I couldn’t have predicted was the lineup leading up to their set.

   I have to give a shout out to the local acts who kicked off the show. Disappear Forever was a dark,, indie-rock group with great instrumentals. Vocally, I struggled to really get into the act, but I appreciated the music and the vibe they were going for.
Baltic To Boardwalk were little more solid all the way through.Their hardcore, heavier edge seemed very fitting for the night. I enjoyed their sound and felt like they were more experienced and well polished. They had a great chemistry and did their best to engage with the small crowd gathered by the stage.

   What came next was nothing that I could have been prepared for. I was sitting at my table in the back of the room when a young man in a tight leotard began to set up his equipment. I had made the mistake of not researching the lineup, leaving me completely clueless as to what was to follow. The lights dimmed and an electronic beat filled the room. The artists on the stage, known as Real Dominic, began to sing along to the track all while thrusting his hips violently. As the song progressed, the antics escalated. Real Dominic began stripping off the layers of costumes, THIN layers might I add, revealing another costume beneath the last. He was all over the stage, wildly dancing and humping the mic stand along to the pulsing of his techno driven music. Suddenly, the mic cut out. In one quick frantic move he rushed to his laptop and paused the song, claiming this hadn’t happened yet during the tour but “it be like that sometimes”. After fixing the microphone malfunction he resumed the song, without missing a beat! Just started singing again, picking right back up mid phrase as if nothing had happened!
​   I’d love to say this is as bizarre as it got, but then maybe you would think I was overreacting. Throughout his performance, he changed costumes at least a dozen times, none of the costumes being much more than glorified underwear. During one red light filled track, Dominic was donned in the equivalent to a jockstrap and a pair of large devil horns. With the lights casting his huge, horn adorned shadow on the back of the stage wall, he turned away from the audience and flexed his buttocks to the beat! This was nothing I had ever seen in real life before. It was so odd, I couldn’t look away. I would never have paired a rock group such as Silver Snakes with something as eccentric as the Real Dominic, but I am also not a booking agent by trade.
   The last thing I should have done was think we were safe after Dominic. Again, I can NOT stress it enough, research the lineup people! I had never heard of Terror Pigeon, but when I saw the name on the poster next to the headliner I expected something within the realms of the rock genre. Wrong. The minute this man started singing, the words “here we go again” left my lips. Terror Pigeon was less erotic than Dominic, but I can’t say it didn’t get weird. There was tent building, dancing with the crowd under a large sheet and an electronic infused group hug. Now maybe this is all normal for this particular scene, I’m not real versed on the crowds who participate in EDM, but it all felt so out of place. I honestly became a little concerned that I was not attending the right Silver Snakes concert and double checked the event on Facebook.

   As I sat back in my chair, smiling apologetically at my friend sitting with me, I was just praying that the headliner would be on their A-game tonight. The band took to the stage and their melodic instrumentals flowed out of the speaker, giving me a strange sense of relief. Their stage performance is dark and broady. Their production is minimal with low set lighting and a projector rolling a geometric scene behind the drum kit. Their music styling is mellow industrial with an experimental element to it. These three aspects combined with frontman Alex Estrada’s smokey vocals create a borderline hypnosis. I found myself almost sleepy. I am in no way saying the band was boring, but possibly after being so over stimulated by the last two acts, Silver Snakes was such a different direction that they had an opposite effect.
   They played predominantly new material from their recent release Death and the Moon, along with a Ministry cover, all of which was well received by the crowd. It was a bit of a different atmosphere than I remember from their last show in Fargo, but it was an overall great performance and one I would recommend checking out!  

Full SILVER SNAKES Photo Coverage Here.