Chelsea Wolfe - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 27th May @ The Gov, Adelaide SA

Chelsea Wolfe
The Gov, Adelaide SA
‍May 27, 2025
‍Support: Aphir

“‘Dusk’ is my fantasy-core contribution, a mythical love song. The friends or lovers have gone through hell and back but are still and always united in the end by love…” – Chelsea Wolfe, FLOOD Magazine, 9^th February 2024.

Although California’s sensational spiritual songstress Chelsea Wolfe is discussing solely one track from her critically acclaimed full-length, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She released in 2024 entitled ‘Dusk’ in this quotation, there are more layers to uncover. Her charismatic compositions harness an astounding force, whether exploring the numerous musical genres she embraces in her artistic integrity, or the underlying messages she interweaves into her profound poetry. What this writer hopes to highlight in this article are the final seven words of the above excerpt:

“…always united in the end by love…”

This is Chelsea’s delightful dynamism with her musical sorcery, she unites her devotees with love, and on this invigoratingly icy Autumn night, Ms. Wolfe connected her Adelaide audience with mythical musicianship once again.

Xandra Metcalfe, also known as UBOA, was scheduled to open the majority of these scintillating showcases with her astounding ambience and pulsating noise rock. Sadly, due to some health issues, Ms. Metcalfe had to withdraw from her booked tour appearances. However, thankfully fellow Melbournian and electronic choral industrial pop artist and producer Aphir (Becki Whitton) undertook this outstanding opportunity and soared with an entrancing hypnotic grace.

Delicately entering The Gov’s stage, Ms. Whitton was almost secretive in her approach. Surrounded by an array of electronic instrumentation, Becki nearly masked herself from the crowd, enriching the sentiment that the striking soundscapes she was to create were the focus, not her physical vivacity. Gratefully, both became the excellent essence of the demonstration.

Aphir’s brilliance emanates from her experimental explorations of how she can essentially bend sounds to other atmospheres of beauty. For instance, ‘Rhoda’ she incredibly channelled the obscure pop of Korea’s CIFIKIA but with her own perplexing wonder; ‘Messengers’ would have enhanced the remarkable radiance of the cyberpunk anime film Ghost In The Shell (1995) into a new stratosphere, if it were included in the production. ‘Pomegranate Tree’ displayed elements of superhuman pop angel AURORA undergoing the ecstatic embodiment of Thom Yorke’s Suspiria soundtrack.

Becki exhibited a vulnerable yet compelling persona with her between song conversation, which built on the connection she had impressively made with the growing audience. The majority had become fixated on her morphing musical majesty, as she danced and serenaded South Australia into a euphoric oblivion. Time and consciousness seemed to have escaped the entirety of the venue, and for her first visit to Adelaide, Aphir remarkably united the onlookers with a newfound love of her artistry.

An eerie Tim Burton inspired background track and cloak of darkness silenced the burgeoning spectators eagerly awaiting Chelsea Wolfe’s return to The Governor Hindmarsh platform. An aura overtook the establishment that could be compared to the loving ambience found in the 1994 version of The Crow – that breathtaking exquisiteness of Eric Draven and his devotion to Shelly Webster. It was uniquely and luminously that prior described “fantasy-core” sensation, except this was undeniably and rapturously, reality. ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’ begun the ceremony with an industrial illustriousness that was beyond measure. Ms. Wolfe seemingly and fantastically floated as she enchantingly serenaded: “Undone, Cut through chords…” This intoxicating statement emitted a texture of incandescence through her vocal prowess. As is known in the single, it builds into a metallic catharsis of sound; at this event though, Chelsea empowered her artistic alchemy and volume nearly bellowing: “More, more, more, more… Done.”

Adelaide had become Undone, and we revelled in the captivating collapse wholeheartedly.

‘Everything Turns Blue’ bewitched the onlookers in its luscious lucidity of trip-hop and Wolfe became almost celestial in her presence. This was perfectly underscored by a lyrical inclusion of The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’. ‘House Of Undoing’ accelerated the underlying energy of the showcase and elements of the Bloodmoon: I record Chelsea collaborated with mathcore trailblazers Converge emerged immaculately. ‘16 Psyche’ delectably devastated everyone with its drone metal derangement that shook the venue and the souls of the witnesses into a purifying daze.

This ritual was practically not of this universe; however, it must be stated that no-one wanted to leave their bedazzled state of wonderment Chelsea Wolfe had transported them to. Fortunately, this journey was to venture into depths of splendour that is only found in dreams.

‘The Culling’ transformed the atmosphere into a Shakespearean doom metal theatrical extravaganza; the performance possessed such great intensity, it literally broke instruments. ‘Dragged Out’ twisted the realms of what could be interpreted as “realness”, and this was further embellished by the dreary sensation showpiece ‘Survive’.

The clock continued to wind backwards as ‘Feral Love’ altered the exhibition’s motif into cinematic grandeur that further clarified why the single was used for a trailer in the Game Of Thrones series – the Pain Is Beauty LP is one that is above a “must have” for any music aficionado. ‘Eyes Like Nightshade’ was a charming composition that Massive Attack would be above envious of, especially with its distinguished darkness. ‘Place In The Sun’ was a similar outstanding occurrence, except Portishead would have been the act trapped in awe and desire.

The loss of time was all encompassing, even Chelsea and her band admitted they were uncertain what day it was; when they discovered the answer, Ms. Wolfe simply asked: “Why are we playing on a Tuesday?” Truthfully, it didn’t matter what day it was, this was a momentous event.

The aforementioned ‘Dusk’ achieved exactly what CW hoped it would; in a live setting though, it unbelievably escalated that “soulful atonement” ambience. A visitation into her folk explorations with ‘Flatlands’ and ‘The Liminal (Unbound)’ incited the wholehearted warmth that Chelsea executes to an indescribable effect – it just has to be encountered and unquestionably, enjoyed.

An encore featuring ‘Carrion Flowers’ and ‘Pale On Pale’ became earthquakes of discordant drone metal devastation that altered the consciousness of every spectator into a blissful unknown. The end was upon us and as Chelsea Wolfe shrieked into her guitar strings in an outburst of emotional intensity, Adelaide was brought to silence once again.

…always united in the end by love…”  - that is the Chelsea Wolfe experience.

Review by Will Oakeshott @TeenWolfWill

Photo Gallery by Daniel Hill @No.Quiet.Photography. Please credit Wall Of Sound and Daniel Hill if you repost photos.