Artists: Chelsea Wolfe, Aphir
Venue: The Forum, Melbourne, Australia (Naarm, Woiwurrung country)
Date: 23rd May 2025
Review by: Faye Pettinella
Photos by: Dave Collopy
The coven has gathered tonight in celebration of Chelsea Wolfe returning to Melbourne, performing at The Forum no less. A beloved concert venue known for its architectural beauty and Greco-Roman theatrical influence. And tonight, we’ve got the full band experience in tow. I am so happy to be here I could cry (and I absolutely will).
APHIR
Aphir took to the stage solo armed with a range of synths, a microphone, a drum pad and one hell of a voice. Underneath the glow of dim red lights Aphir set the mood for tonight’s ritual opening for Chelsea Wolfe with bass-heavy synths, low pulsating rhythms and layers of ethereal soundscapes, with a heavenly voice that soared over the top – all of this twisted into some strangely beautiful, high energy nightmare.
You could tell Aphir was incredibly grateful to be onstage at The Forum, and took a moment to acknowledge the bittersweet feeling of subbing in for UBOA, who unfortunately had to pull out of the support slot (highly recommend listening to UBOA’s record Impossible Light) and praised her impact and artistry.
Aphir’s energy was infectious as they continued their set which I can only describe as hypnotic, electronic catharsis. I was fascinated watching Aphir construct these songs, utilising synths and drums pads, and various effects to build these various moods and atmospheres. Armed with a sense of humour and infectious energy that resonated with members of the crowd, Aphir became the vessel for her compositions as she danced along and moved around the stage in a trance-like state. And with the support of a friend, Kat from Lack The Low, the moods shifted as the two worked together to create incredible harmonies, lighter moods and powerful compositions. Aphir made one hell of an impression tonight with their high energy, droning yet dreamy soundscapes. What a perfect way to start the night.
CHELSEA WOLFE
It was now time. The Forum had now filled with a congregation ready to witness this ritual, the house lights went down, the anticipation and silence was enough to elicit goosebumps. A slow pulsing rhythm set to a synchronised light show mesmerised the crowd, preparing us for the journey we were about to go on, but I can safely say I was absolutely not prepared for what followed.
The eerie synth introduction of Whispers In The Echo Chamber blasted through The Forum as Chelsea Wolfe appeared like an ethereal apparition through the haze of smoke. Distorted bass crawled through the venue as blue lights pulsated in sync, all of us now enraptured in this journey of a song exploring the aspects of the self – and as Wolfe declared ‘That shit does not define me anymore,’ the band erupted into the most cathartic release of sound I’ve ever witnessed. This was beyond a performance, this was a transformative experience.
Wolfe continued the journey with more offerings from her latest record, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She. We ventured further into explorations of the self with Everything Turns Blue where Wolfe’s presence haunted the front of the stage while her bandmates were hidden by smoke and darkness, only for them to be illuminated when they charged in for the chorus.
Tunnel Lights prompted jaws to hit the floor as a swirling vortex of white light and smoke appeared behind Wolfe, gentle piano notes and additional drone like synths from Ben Chisholm (who was pulling double duty with a bass guitar tonight, effortlessly switching when needed) created an atmosphere that drifted between haunting and reassuring, while Wolfe’s otherworldly vocals reminding us ‘the only way is through’ as the song built in intensity.
The House of Self-Undoing was a perfect showcase of drummer Jess Gowrie’s abilities featuring fast-paced breakbeats and an alarm like guitar effect coming from lead guitarist Bryan Tulao created a sense of urgency, all amplified by the meticulously crafted light show by John-Michael Schaub (I cannot stress enough how phenomenal it was – go see her for yourself).
In a change of direction into the slower, heavier territory, Wolfe sent the crowd into a frenzy with 16 Psyche and The Culling from Hiss Spun. Set to a backdrop of billowing smoke and white lights that switched from star like shimmers to menacing pillars, Wolfe commanded the stage with her mystical presence and vocals, while the band unleashed a wave of brutal, slow crushing, controlled heaviness underneath.
This was already shaping up to be one hell of a setlist showcasing Wolfe’s works, and it just kept getting better, revisiting Abyss with Dragged Out and a truly immense performance of Survive. Wolfe’s hypnotic guitar work and vocals teamed with Gowrie’s ability to build the most controlled intensity through drums is something to behold live.
We returned to She Reaches Out… with Dusk, which was clearly a fan-favourite judging by the screams that erupted around me at the first note. The Forum lit up with green swirling lights as the song started. Chisholm’s synth-like drone, Wolfe’s vocalised melody, Gowrie’s slowed down beats, Tulao’s gritty riffs and infectious leads – there’s a reason Dusk got the reaction it did. And when fans thought it couldn’t get better the intro to Feral Love from Pain Is Beauty just about sent everyone over the edge.
Towards the end of the night Wolfe took to the stage with an acoustic guitar, gentle orange lights swirled behind her as she performed a mesmerising version of Flatlands from Unknown Rooms. You could’ve heard a pin drop in the audience as everyone was wrapped up in the magic of Wolfe’s phenomenal voice and gentle acoustic playing. Place In The Sun and The Liminal hit even harder, the raw emotion that spilled out through Wolfe’s voice was devastating in the best way possible. Ending the set with The Liminal set to a giant swirling orange vortex that crept out into the crowd brought us to the end of this journey of introspection – our past, former and future – summarised so powerfully in the end of this song, “I’m the future, I’m the former, I nurtured me, I came back stronger, I’m in your dreams, I’m in your song, Now everybody sings along.”
And holy heck did everyone sing along when Wolfe and her bandmates returned to the stage for a phenomenal encore, with a crushing rendition of another fan-favourite Carrion Flowers from Abyss and Pale On Pale from Apokalypsis.
I left the venue in awe, even at the time of writing this I’m still in total awe of what transpired last night. I said it before, I’ll say it again – this wasn’t just a performance, it was a transformative experience.
Gig Gallery:
THANK YOU to Chelsea Wolfe, Birdsrobe, The Forum, Chris Noth on Sound, Lara Sulo on Monitors and John-Micheal Schaub on Lights and everyone who had a hand in making this night happen.