Photos courtesy of Alejandro Lomeli
Under a curtain of rare Socal fog, LA’s goth scene descended upon downtown. On December 13, darkwave artist Mareux sold out the Novo while performing his newest album, Nonstop Romance. Walking into the Novo (my least favorite venue in Los Angeles by far) felt like stepping into the black Betty Bang convention. Leather and latex adorned every eager fan. Goth, as both a genre and a fashion style, carries a connotation of being dominated by white people. But in LA, that could not be farther from the truth. Goth is synonymous with people of color in this metropolis, and the opener, main act, and crowd all exemplify LA’s dark vibrancy.
When I stepped into the concert, I was completely unaware of who the opener was. As I watched them perform, I noticed that many people in the crowd were singing along to the words of nearly every song. I nudged the person next to me and asked who they were. “This is La Texana of course!” he replied, clearly amused by my ignorance. La Texana’s music is where indie bedroom pop meets darkwave-style drum machine beats. Their songs have the same feeling as some of The Cure’s more pop-leaning hits, where you can still feel the gothic roots lurking beneath. La Texana is from Tijuana, Mexico, and they released their first single, “Nunca he sabido amar,” in 2021. Spanish goth rock shines in Los Angeles, but seeing this band made me want to explore more gothic music throughout greater California and the rest of the continent. La Texana was, without a doubt, a happy surprise of an opener that I will be adding to my mix.
As the crowd milled about, waiting in between acts, the Novo was transformed from an indie rock venue into a true darkwave dance dungeon. Fans swayed back and forth under dark red lights to “Aleph” by Gesaffelstein and other industrial classics. The crowd anxiously waited, prepped and primed for the next act.
Mareux, also known as Aryan Ashtiani, grew up in Los Angeles, and the city’s goths love him fiercely. Releasing his debut EP Decade in 2013, he later rocketed into the spotlight with his ingenious cover of The Cure’s “The Perfect Girl” in 2021. This song is ultimately what led to Mareux’s well-deserved spot among the gothic elite. Since then, he has released two albums: Lovers from the Past, and his most recent, Nonstop Romance. As the curtain dropped, intentional or not, the bass was skull-rattlingly loud. Earplugs save the day again. From the first song to the last, the set consisted primarily of deep-cuts from his earlier releases. My standout songs of this performance, which are incidentally some of my favorites by him, were “Gopnik” and “Killer.” The bass on “Gopnik” could have easily knocked you off your feet if you weren’t paying attention. In an interview with New Noise Magazine, he dedicated this song to his Eastern European fan base, saying that he receives letters from around the world that inspire his music. The song is about self-destruction and has a dark and aggressive air to it. “Killer” off the album Lovers from the Past is a masterpiece of darkwave synth. The repetition and layering of the undulating, arpeggiated riffs in this song are nothing short of addictive. In a way, this song is about being addicted to a person, unable to quit.
” How many days can I go without you / But you tear me in half ”
As depressing as the lyrics are, I can’t help but dance when I hear this song.
Mareux impressed me with how effectively he translated his almost entirely electronic discography into live instruments during his set. Accompanied by Christian Morales on drums and Joey Lopez on guitar and bass, Ashtiani switched between guitar, synth, and vocals for almost every song. He managed to adapt each song and modify it to work with live instruments without sacrificing each song’s original sound. Performing only two songs from the newest album, “Laugh Now Cry Later” and “Nonstop Romance,” the latter was definitely my favorite. Falling into my own invented genre of “glitter goth,” this song blends original Mareux with the new direction I see him moving in. The oppressive drum beat still reigns strong, but a higher-pitched, almost glittery synth now sits on top of it all. Another example is the song “Ébène Fumé” featuring singer Riki, who talks about being truly seen by a lover: “At last you see the stories of my life.” This new album is almost happier, if goth music can even be happy. It focuses on themes like love in a positive light in contrast to the depressive air of Lovers from the Past.
Mareux’s set wrapped up in just under an hour, which definitely left me wanting more. Throughout the show, he was talkative and playful, even at times picking fun at the crowd when they didn’t know the words to his earlier songs. I’ve been a fan since “Spectral Tease” and “Gopnik” in 2020, so to be able to see him perform live was a dream. While I thoroughly enjoyed this show, there was one unforgivable mistake. Mareux, how could you not play your song “DTLA” while performing in Downtown LA? Come join us at UCLA radio and explain yourself.
Listen to Nonstop Romance out now:
