Zola Jesus @ Urban Lounge with Deradoorian - SLUG Magazine

Zola Jesus singing into the mic live at Urban Lounge.

Zola Jesus singing into the mic live at Urban Lounge.

Photo: John Barkiple

Show Reviews

Deradoorian opened for Zola Jesus at the Urban Lounge on January 12, 2015. Angel and Arlene Deradoorian filled the lounge with etheral electro synth beats in advance of Zola Jesus’ punchy vocals. Drummer Mikey Pinaud, trombonist Daniel Eaton, and keyboardist Alex DeGroot joined vocalist Nika Danilova on this first leg of the Taiga tour, and they performed in front of a huge, lighted structure shrouded in fog.

Surprising merch included a scent and incense designed by Nika Danilova in collaboration with Seattle’s Blackbird Design Studio.

Photos by John Barkiple.

Zola Jesus’ Nika Danilova performed at Urban Lounge on January 12, 2015 with opening act Deradoorian. Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): Adam Higgins works the Zola Jesus merch table at Urban Lounge and chats with Alex Finch and Roy Wood. He’s explaining how Nika Danilova worked with Seattle’s Blackbird to create a scent for this tour: Taiga (same name as the album). “It’s like your childhood youth, but also earth,” Finch said. “As if you were to lay in the ground and smell….” Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): The eponymous Deradoorian sisters, Angel and Arlene, prepare to play at Urban Lounge on January 12, 2015. Photo: John Barkiple

With such a good friend in Rye restaurant next door, Urban Lounge now starts opening acts at 9:15 and headliners at 10:30, which makes music on a school night much more manageable. Arlene Deradoorian checks her mike and drums around 9:00 p.m. Photo: John Barkiple

Angel Deradoorian plays her guitar and keyboard to create atmospheric electro synth sounds under her vocals while her sister Arlene Deradoorian plays her drums. Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): SLUG Magazine staffers Robin Sessions, Christian Schultz, and Kia McGinnis gather near the Urban Lounge bar as they listen to Deradoorian. “I heard about the show through SLUG Magazine,” Sessions said. Photo: John Barkiple

John Anderson was “blown away” by Deradoorian’s Middle Eastern-inspired finale, and he was “glad to witness” their performance. “It was like an ethereal fairy floating through the forest.” Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): Sisters Angel and Arlene Deradoorian sit at the merch table after their ethereal set. Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): Oakley Jay and Kate Sau relax as the Zola Jesus crew set up their stage. Sau first heard about Zola Jesus while working at the Pie Hole, and she found about the show because she follows Urban Lounge. Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): Diego Brito, Zachy P., Logan Bradshaw, and Lauren Fisher get ready for “nap-time music” as Brito calls it. Photo: John Barkiple

Olivea Martin, Lesley Ann Shaw, and Julie Yu (L-R) first learned about Zola Jesus through the "Dangerous Days" video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As-issfZ2-Q#t=19). Photo: John Barkiple

Nika Danilova’s vocals punched through the bright fog that silhouetted her against an illuminated paper sculpture. Photo: John Barkiple

Zola Jesus Taiga tour drummer Mikey Pinaud performs at the Urban Lounge on January 12, 2015. Photo: John Barkiple

Zola Jesus Taiga tour trombonist Daniel Eaton performs at the Urban Lounge on January 12, 2015. Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): A massive light structure on center stage separates drummer Mikey Pinaud from trombonist Daniel Eaton and keyboardist Alex DeGroot. At other venues, it’s plugged into the light board for added Zola Jesus miraculousness. Photo: John Barkiple

She’s two songs into her set, and the fog that surrounds Nika Danilova on stage suits the arboreal theme of her latest release, Taiga, on the Sacred Bones label. Photo: John Barkiple

Of course fans posted a few photos and videos during the show, but Danilova’s intense vocals created such an intimate such atmosphere that most fans focused on her performance. Photo: John Barkiple

Zola Jesus lead singer Nika Danilova mesmerizes the crowd as she stalks the stage. Photo: John Barkiple

Zola Jesus Taiga tour drummer Mikey Pinaud performs at the Urban Lounge on January 12, 2015. Photo: John Barkiple

Zola Jesus Taiga tour trombonist Daniel Eaton switches to a keyboard as he performs at the Urban Lounge on January 12, 2015. Photo: John Barkiple

Zola Jesus Taiga tour keyboardist and programmer Alex DeGroot performs at the Urban Lounge on January 12, 2015. Photo: John Barkiple

Nika Danilova performs songs from her latest album, Taiga. Recurring themes of losing and fading and ending pair well with her goth opera vocals as she alternately croons and wails her lyrics. Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): Sam Compton, Ginger Jacob, Adam Compton, Kelly Call, and Kim Geddes grab a mid-set round of drinks during the Zola Jesus show at Urban Lounge on January 12. It’s Adam Compton’s first time listening to Zola Jesus, and he loves it. Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): Tara Danneman, Riley Ridd, Kevin Justeff, and Chelsea Ridd have Riley Ridd’s Spotify account for recommending Zola Jesus. Danneman is proud of her fabulous coat from Iconoclad. Photo: John Barkiple

(L-R): From the Urban Lounge bar, Matt Burdick and Christian Jelm raise their pints to Zola Jesus. Burdick follows everything pressed by the Sacred Bones record label, which signed another band he likes: Amen Dunes. Photo: John Barkiple

A packed dance floor at the Urban Lounge guaranteed fans an intimate evening with Nika Danilova and the rest of Zola Jesus. Photo: John Barkiple

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