There is plenty of room for interesting retreads in pop music as modern bands provide listeners with something supplemental to the groundbreaking originals. At Amnesia last night, all of the acts that performed seemed heavily indebted to past bands, but they were still able to deliver the goods.
Perhaps the evening's most original band, Portland's Magick Daggers opened the show to a half empty room. Despite the lack of crowd when they started playing, the group's dark glamor struck a mood fast. The band members all wore black, including the singer, who took the stage in a sparkly sequined dress. Featuring the Get Hustle's Ron Avila (a.k.a. Max Million) on drums, as well as vocals by ex-Subtonix member Jessy Montaigne, the quartet's dramatic death rock seemed at home at Amnesia, with its bare lighting and red drapes. While first few songs seemed a bit too polished, the set became increasingly more interesting as the rhythm section and keyboards got into some heavy black magic, and Montaigne walked off stage to raise the dead crowd back to life with her wailing vocals and spirited motions.
