Los Angeles fairy-doom trio, Faetooth, plays in Houston for the first time, with support from fellow LA natives, Iress, and Houston locals, Tincture.
It’s Tuesday night in Houston, but that’s not stopping the local goths and metal lovers from coming out to The Secret Group to see LA doom act Faetooth on their first ever stop in the third coast city. As the audience settles in for the evening Houston local’s, Tincture, start the night off strong with their heavy, dreamy, set. Despite Tincture being new to the Houston scene, the individual members are well established songwriters, which becomes obvious as they drench the audience in their dark, atmospheric, and doom-influenced shoegaze.
As Tincture wraps up and exits the stage, LA metal act, Iress, takes their place. Iress’s sound has a cinematic quality that fills the room entirely. Frontwoman Michelle Malley’s voice rings out clear and powerful, cutting through the band’s dense and textured sound. Both brooding and beautiful, Iress’s songs feel intentional and emotional, all while delivering them to the audience wrapped in heavy guitars and driving rhythms.
Finally, Faetooth made their way on stage. The audience fell quiet, patiently waiting as the member’s took their places. Suddenly, Faetooth came to life as their guitars tore into the room’s silence, impenetrable noise and weighty fuzz drenching their listeners. Pulling inspiration from a multitude of genres, Faetooth sounds massive. Each song rips at the audience as they thrash and headbang along, trudging through the impenetrable sludge made up of Jenna Garcia’s black metal inspired vocals and fuzzed out bass, Rah Kanan’s aggressive drumming and Ari May’s crushing guitar tone. May’s ethereal vocals accompany Garcia’s, cutting through the dense atmosphere at just the right moments.
As the set came to its end and the members of Faetooth exited the stage, the room that just moments before was bursting at the seams fell silent once again. Audience members made their way to the merch tables, and the gentle ache in everyone’s ears acted as the souvenir for a night of louder than loud, growling, and relentless, doom.
I’m a photographer born and raised in Houston. Music has been a huge part of my life since I was a teenager, I love attending local shows and supporting the Houston music scene. If I’m not at a show I’m probably making my own music, hanging out with my cat, or binge watching RuPaul’s Drag Race.
