The Black Queen, brainchild of former Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato, is touring the U.S. through early October, celebrating their first album: 2016’s Fever Daydream. Formed as a three-piece with Joshua Eustis and Steven Alexander, the band has a current touring lineup of Puciato on vocals, Alexander on guitar, Danny Lohner on bass and keyboard, and Chris Pennie on drums. Chicago’s Subterranean was the place to be on September 22nd to take in The Black Queen’s brand of ethereal synth-pop.
This is a new band to me, so I needed to familiarize myself with the music a bit before the show. I listened to a few songs, then got distracted or interrupted and put it aside. Hours later, I realized I had these songs in my head still. They’re extremely catchy. So I went in a convert.
The Black Queen took the stage at Subterranean’s upstairs area, an intimate and dimly lit setting. This is a band ideal for that kind of venue on an slightly chilly September evening, where you can get lost in the songs and the atmosphere. Their music, a blend of pop, electronica, and darkwave (maybe vaporwave for the youth out there), is elevated by Puciato’s sublime vocals. It overwhelmingly evokes connotations of night, romance, and longing, some of it very rhythmic and dance-oriented, and other aspects of it steeped in ambience (the ambience more prominent on their second album Infinite Games). We got a hefty dose of both albums (Fever Daydream in its entirety) during the evening. The band was in great spirits, all roaming the stage, dancing, and some light-hearted bumping into one another. Puciato thanked us all for coming out to the show. For a band that hasn’t released new music in nearly a decade, they have a very loyal fan base that turned out. I overheard some talk in the audience of driving to other cities to follow the tour. And, if I heard correctly, Greg mentioned new music coming in 2027. When they return, I’ll be there.
