FFFF Live Review: Cult of Youth

Cult of Youth

Auditorium Shores, Nov. 4

An early afternoon slot in unseasonably hot weather wasn't the optimal setting to witness Cult of Youth. Everything about the Brooklyn-based quartet's recorded output screams darkness. Then again, there's nothing like freaky weather to incant a proper end-of-days vibe. Turns out Cult of Youth tastes just fine in the sun. Bandleader Seth Ragon emphasized the music's post-punk and industrial tangents, which couldn't help but alter the context in a live setting. Going strictly by their black T-shirted appearance, you'd never guess the band's album covers look more like brochures for a traveling museum exhibit. Although their all-too-brief 30-minute set necessitated earplugs, the sonic assault never overshadowed the more nuanced Gothic and folk elements of Ragon's songs. Key was his snarling acoustic guitar, which floated over the mix like a fascist-killing apparition on "Golden Age" from Love Will Prevail. Drummer Cory Flanigan gave his floor tom a serious tribal workout on the martial anthem "Garden of Delights" while Ragon screamed. Taken alongside synth pads, dub-inspired feedback bursts, an electronically garbled trumpet solo, and empty beer cans thrown at the audience by a band associate, Cult of Youth's insurrection was curiously out of time yet wholly unique.