A Night of Punk at The Song & Dance

Performances from Riki, Deluxxe, and Komrads along with a high-energy crowd made this show a memorable one.

Words By Sarah Dorval / Graphic by Mattea Vecera

“This is for the goths,” said Mason Hutchins, lead singer, and guitarist for new-wave band Deluxxe.

On February 29th, The Song & Dance paid tribute to punk with performances from Riki, Deluxxe, and Komrads. If it weren’t for the dim red spotlights lining the room, the crowd–dressed entirely in black–could have blended easily into the darkness of the room.

First to the stage was Komrads, beginning the night with a dark, moody DJ set. Though people were still filing into the venue, his performance immediately had the audience’s attention. When he played “Christine” by Siouxsie and the Banshees, the crowd couldn’t help but sing along, earning smiles from the DJ.

When his set came to a close, the lights grew brighter, signaling the arrival of Buffalo, New York’s Deluxxe. Their post-punk style combined with the hint of whininess in Hutchins’ vocals caused the band to have a perfect live sound. Deluxxe’s performance of “Lightning In A Bottle,” a single from their debut album If You Were Me, gave an indie-rock feel similar to that of Wallows, and the audience could not get enough. They closed with their most popular song, “Waiting For A Sign,” and it was evident that the entire band was engrossed in the music, thoroughly enjoying their performance.

Finally, Riki took the stage, enchanting the audience with her sound – a cross-section between synth pop and new wave. Her set was very reminiscent of the 80s, giving Riki the energy of a somewhat gothic Madonna. She took performing to a new level, throwing off her jacket, dancing around the stage, and jumping onto the speakers to sing with the audience. Though her songs are already written in both German and English, Riki surprised the crowd with a cover of the Spanish song “Porque Te Vas” which was filled with emotion and passion. In her final song “Napoleon,” Riki showed yet another side of her musical talent, grabbing a melodica (seemingly out of nowhere) and bringing the house down with her skillful riffs. As the final note rang out, the audience erupted in cheers for the thankful, blue-haired singer.

Although each act had its unique style, the gothic and punk undertones of all of their music allowed for an undeniable flow. Overall, it seemed that the crowd enjoyed being there just as much as the musicians enjoyed performing.