Model/Actriz at Heaven

At historic gay bar Heaven, post-punk American rock band Model/Actriz performed from debut Dogsbody and recent release Pirouette. Queer subculture informed the narrative of perception through performance. Each song blurred seamlessly into the next for a cohesive and immersive experience. Largely comprised of long-time admirers in a uniform of merch, the crowd was completely entranced.

Consciously playing with the space, lead vocalist Cole Haden was sharply silhouetted during Vespers. With a focus on theatrics, the production extended past the stage. The strobe lights spread across the room, creating the impression of infinite space and ensured even fans furthest away from the band were included.

Posing with his arms stretched out, Haden cut an ominous figure in his first iteration. The end of Audience prompted a quick costume change. A perfect showman, he delicately pirouetted as a ballerina dressed in white. The graceful dynamism of his movements contrasted with the deliberate discordance of Departures. Acid Rain was a notable divergence, a haunting melody highlighting Haden’s velvety-smooth voice.

Model/Actriz concentrated their show around binaries. Within this framework, they conveyed the oscillation between the intense emotions of exhibition in Diva and remembrance of childhood memory in Cinderella. Knitted together by the overarching themes of harmony and disharmony, Model/Actriz created a sense of feeling simultaneously self-conscious and subsumed.

Sofia Hamandi
Photos: LA Benoit

For further information and future events, visit Model/Actriz’s website here.

Watch the video for Cinderella here: