REVIEW: Chelsea Wolfe, Divide And Dissolve at Warsaw | 03.12.2024

Show Reviews

Mar 16

Written By

Dark souled singer songwriter Chelsea Wolfe was in New York City this week to perform back-to-back sold out shows, the first at Warsaw in Brooklyn and the second across the East River at Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan. I was fortunate enough to attend the former performance in my old stomping grounds of Greenpoint; at the same venue where I last saw Wolfe perform back in 2013, no less.

Sold out rooms have been the rule and not the exception for Wolfe on this tour, and that comes as no surprise. Her new album released last month, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She, is a stunningly beautiful addition to her discography, and with every release comes an ever-expanding fan base that feels the depth of Wolfe's haunting lyricism to their cores.

THE SHOW

Joining Chelsea Wolfe on this tour are Divide and Dissolve who opened the evening with a set of chest-rattling doom metal. Takiaya Reed's hypnotically eerie saxophone loops gave way to a cacophony of drums and guitar distortion that descended into madness.

Reed and her drummer were entranced in their music and with one another as they performed. Smiles of catharsis radiated from their faces with every crash of the cymbals. I was entranced as well. Divide and Dissolve's music was something I felt almost more than I heard. It was as if their songs were the sound of my own thoughts. I found myself getting lost in the noise in an almost meditative sense.

Takiaya Reed noted at one point during the set that there were fans in the audience that had flown from the UK just to see Divide and Dissolve play this show. As endearing as her words was the sincerity in her voice as she expressed her appreciation for those fans as well as everyone else in the room for being there to support.

After Divide and Dissolve’s set it was time for Chelsea Wolfe to take the stage. The room was packed to the gills yet somehow chilly, the stage lights a dim blue and the air filled with the smell of Nag Champa as the crowd waited in anticipation. They erupted in cheers when the members of Chelsea Wolfe’s backing band walked on and began to play “Whispers In The Echo Chamber,” the opening track and second single from Wolfe’s new album.

Chelsea Wolfe walked out slowly and stood tall in a quiet focus, holding the mic in its stand with both hands as she delicately delivered each line. The crowd was quiet and hung on her every word, their silence broken only for cheers and individual declarations of love for Wolfe.

Chelsea Wolfe’s performance was mesmerizing. She creates an aura that perfectly manifests the darkness expressed so artfully in her music.

Wolfe focused heavily on her new album over the course of the set but included plenty of features from her back catalogue as well. I was hooked on Pain Is Beauty upon its release and was excited that “Feral Love,” “House of Metal,” and “They’ll Clap When You’re Gone” were included.

Chelsea Wolfe’s tour continues through the end of this month, wrapping at The Novo in LA on March 30th before she heads to Europe for a tour starting in late April.

THE SHOOT

After having such great lighting for the Porno For Pyros show, I suppose the necessity for balance in the universe should have clued me in that the next show I shot would have very little light. Such was the case for this show.

Divide and Dissolve was very dark. There were moments of swells of light where you could get a shot or two in, but it was sparse at best. The two members also faced one another the entire time, which required shooting at an angle through one member to capture the other. I enjoyed the challenge, more so once I knew I had at least a few shots that would turn out ok, but it made me wonder/worry a bit about Chelsea Wolfe’s lighting and whether it would be more of the same.

As it turned out, Wolfe’s lighting was more manageable albeit still very dark. Chelsea Wolfe didn’t move around a great deal which allowed me to slow my shutter a bit, but her face was often obscured by her hands and her hair, so it required some patience for a moment where she leaned back or turned away away from the mic.

Slowing the shutter even further to a half a second made for some really cool light trails (thanks to The Tinfoil Biter for the realtime suggestion while in the pit). I loved this idea; it made me realize how often I approach difficult lighting situations with determination to shoot in spite of it as opposed to accepting and experimenting with it. Once I tried it I was hooked, and I ended up having some consistent success with the approach once I was shooting from the balcony with my 70-200mm lens.

I had a lot of fun shooting this show. I’m feeling good about editing in color too. I'm already looking back at my Porno For Pyros shots and re-editing them in my mind, but I suppose I should look at that as proof that I'm growing as opposed to proof that I'm an imposter.

Anyway, on to the next one. Between The Buried and Me is coming up this weekend – see you there!