SPILL LIVE REVIEW: SUICIDE COMMANDO W/ SOLAR FAKE & TRICK CASKET @ VELVET UNDERGROUND, TORONTO

SUICIDE COMMANDO W/ SOLAR FAKE & TRICK CASKET

@ VELVET UNDERGROUND, TORONTO

MARCH 23, 2023

A pioneer of the electro-industrial, EBM, and aggrotech music scene, Belgium-based Suicide Commando has been commanding darkened dance floors since their debut in 1986. Spearheaded by vocalist Johan Van Roy with Torben Schmidt on keys and Mario Vaerewijck commanding the drums, the trio brought their floor-stomping intensity to Velvet Underground along with German synthpop favourites Solar Fake, and Toronto native Trick Casket.

Those who have been frequenting the dark alt and gothic club scenes within Toronto are no strangers to Trick Casket as he has been a staple within the scene for years. His brand of sinister and pulsating rhythms, like “Let You Die” and his latest release “Give Me a Fucking Break”, was the perfect start to kick off the night and get the crowd moving. Being a fairly newer artist, having launched his debut in 2019, Trick Casket throws himself into each of his performances and the opportunity to open a night for such beloved and respected acts was the perfect opportunity to pull out his best work yet.

Solar Fake is another act who has become quite well known within local goth dance scenes. Lead by Sven Friedrich with his deep dulcet vocals, their presence drove the crowd to the floor in droves squeezing in close to the stage to dance their blackened hearts out. The energy from Solar Fake’s performance was simply electrifying, each song they played was fuelled with such intensity that the crowd devoured. “Not What I Wanted”, as well as “I Despise You” and “This Pretty Life” from their latest album Enjoy Dystopia released in 2021 were clear crowd favourites and keyboardist André Feller did a fine job of stepping out front to further hype the crowd.

When Suicide Commando took to the stage, the crowd was ready for a performance like no other. They delivered with a set filled with an imposing, almost militant precision, in its aggressive auditory assault. When people refer to the term ‘dance floor stomping’, they’re usually referring to Suicide Commando. Van Roy’s vocals delivered with that unique robotic filter are iconic and demand attention, such as in “Kill All Humanity”, “Die Motherfucker Die”, “Jesus Freak”, “Cause of Death: Suicide”, and “God Is In The Rain”. There is no better way to vent and dance out built up frustration and anger than to Suicide Commando, this is therapy on the dance floor. Van Roy loves the crowd he plays for and it shows in his interactions from reaching out to grab hands at any given moment to hopping right into the crowd to perform amongst them and even crowd surfing.

This wildly thrilling and unforgettable performance filled with three of the most notable names in the dark dance genre will go down as one of the best live shows that this city has seen in a while within the gothic club scene. It’s also very appropriate that this performance happened at the Velvet Underground in Toronto, a space that was once known as a standout goth club back in its original form before it was transformed into a live music space. Bringing goth back to the Velvet Underground is perfectly fitting.

(Photography by Samantha Wu)

Suicide Commando Photos

Solar Fake Photos

Trick Casket Photos

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