Dark, electronic sounds have filled the Alive club in Wroclaw on the 9th of September. All due to two native bands - Red Emprez and Monolight. There were no crowds yet I’d say rather say it was an advantage. The club is very private and would not hold a bigger audience. Thanks to such a small amount of people, you could easily watch the show and hear what both formations had to offer.

Monolight - a Wroclaw band - has started the show. Recently formed, it is an outcome of a cooperation of musicians from groups CO.IN and d’Archangel. Until now they have recorded a demo album entitled ‘how close am I?’ which was already promoted during this year’s Castle Party. Their debut album is to be released at the end of this year. The band’s music is a blend of modern electronic sounds and gothic rock guitar riffs. Accompanied by very good vocals, it altogether creates a very ear-catching and mesmerizing mix. The formation has played eight tracks. Six of them come from already mentioned demo album. The remaining two are known from the Archangel repertoire - well-known ‘Fall’ and freshly recorded ‘Ribbon Feathers’. The performance was very successful, dynamic and well received by the audience. Although of relatively short life span, the band has managed to gather a substantial amount of fans around it. In my opinion, it deserves a special recognition for its rendition of ‘How close am I?’ and the cover of legendary Joy Division track - ‘Dead Souls’ which was given a new, interesting spin. The only fault noticed during the performance were petty technical problems in for of momentarily too quiet bass and vocals. Despite these few flaws it was generally a great job.



1. it don't mean nothing
2. silent ally
3. jason
4. fall
5. in the neon lights
6. how close am i?
7. dead souls
8. ribbons feathers

Around 10 pm, the Red Emprez formation from Bialy Stok has made an appearance. There’s no need for anyone to be introduced to this two-men band. It exists for few good years now with two albums on its record. It is appreciated within the state (Castle Party, Out of Line Festival) and abroad (Wave Gotik Treffen and Electro Prague Festival). Their music is filled with artistic expression. It’s a blend of melodic tunes and synthetic beats. The atmosphere of mystery is additionally reinforced by the digitally altered vocals.
The show has started with energetic ‘The Circle’ from the ‘On the Lash’ album. The excited crowd has become even more impatient. Equally dynamic, ’My possession’ and ’Clubgirls and Poofs’ were a big plus for the band. The tracks were catchy, full of piercing sounds and pulsating beats. Nonetheless, it would not be the same without some melancholy. It was achieved by hypnotic and full of eroticism songs like ‘Caress me’ and ’Fix me up’.

Saucy and slightly kitsch ‘Pussy Lover’ most likely become a regular thing for the band by now. It is also more to my liking to see the formation performing in a more subtle edition, especially due to their stage image. The whole was completed with the fierce ’Everyone’s Girlfriend’. It’s hard not to notice how experienced the Red Emprez are in terms of their performance. Top technical details accompanied by specific, interesting music and diverse articulation of the vocalist create a pleasant show. It’s worth noticing the interesting (especially for the male part of the audience) visualizations. They completed the whole by bringing in the unforgettable, erotic atmosphere. The Red Empress is mysterious and intriguing, and thus most likely so desired.



1. The Circle
2. The Race
3. Clubgirls and Poofs
4. My Possession
5. Fix me up
6. The Dog
7. Caress me
8. Time to Say Goodbye
9. Pussy Lover
10. Everyone's Girlfriend