Shoegaze In Bloom: Scarlet House Echoes from the Voodoo Room In San Diego

The night started off quiet, typical for a Wednesday night, in the streets of San Diego. That is until the opening act for Scarlet House’s 2025 Homecoming Tour. With the room still filling, first time California visitors Sleepy Opiate started things off with some electronic/Goth-hinted/rock music. Sometimes I questioned: what even is this? But that’s the beauty of their set! It was a blend of so much, you don’t really need to even label it–just enjoy! Loud with walls vibrating, Jay and Max were able to get the beginning crowd moving–shout out to the two girls having the time of their life on the side! Jay was very personable in between songs, making jokes, and these boys had everyone at minimum swaying side-to-side. My favorite was their song ‘Pressure’ which even had me moving around. We’ll let the fact that you called San Diego–Santa Ana at first, Jay!

Next up, we had Gvllow. Since it was another year around the sun for the singer and his drummer, the crowd sang happy birthday to them in unison to start things off. Please note that this was my first time seeing him live, and I am not lying when my jaw hit the floor and the stamina that was presented on that stage. Immediately I felt transported back to my younger days at The Wheelhouse in Hemet for sounds like this. Gvllow came through jumping–literally, while his bassist got real groovy on the side, his guitarist deep in the vibe, and drummer putting in more movement than imaginable all while smiling the largest smile I’ve ever seen someone hold for an extended amount of time.Their performance was so diverse, with the punch of old school punk noise, cut with a more goth hit, and back in with that 80’s nuwave mixture. My ears are still ringing, but I wouldn’t change that for anything–I’m honored to be recovering today.

After the intense energy Gvllow gave, it was time–the headliner: Scarlet House. I had been looking forward to seeing a live performance by one of the most unique shoegaze artists I’ve discovered within the last year. Scarlet House approached the stage and introduced the band– who all played brilliantly throughout the night. The Voodoo room was buzzing with the heavy low tunes they played throughout. Songs recent–like the hit ‘Petals’ as well as older songs like ‘Search’ which got quite a few audible responses from the crowd. The excitement was noticeable from the day one fans. Scarlet House also played an unreleased song called ‘Cherish’ in which he stated he was “testing the waters” with. No need to test anymore–DROP immediately! ‘Cherish’ seemed a bit more moody in tone and that’s right up my alley. Hoping to see that track make its appearance soon.

Scarlet House’s quiet and soft personality made him a whole vibe on stage. It was the small “thank you”s after every song that got to me and made me feel like he was truly grateful to be where he was at that point in time. From the crowd, eyes were absolutely locked in. If you haven’t heard Scarlet House’s music, you need to do yourself a favor and check out the songs like ‘Wanted’ and ‘Too High’ if you really want to just deep think or the opposite–completely zone out. Scarlet House is almost like a reset button for the brain, sometimes when I have a few tracks in a row I drift off into a place where I can just exist and be in a mood if I feel like it. I don’t feel like the trance-like effect is uncommon, because the crowd was so focused on Scarlet House, he had to remind the crowd it was okay to make some noise! Everyone snapped out of their deep-thought and cheered. The band also covered ‘Heart Shaped Box’ by Nirvana and, of course, I had to sing along. The cover was done wonderfully, still keeping that Scarlet House sound, but still respecting the original song.

As the show ended, and a goodnight was said by the singer–it was no surprise that the fans had their feet planted. They wanted to meet the man himself–which he fulfilled by taking pictures with them as they exited. I have to say–I got my fill of variety with the three performances I got to experience that night, and again… really looking forward to that song to drop Scarlet House! Catch the rest of the Homecoming Tour, with their next stop in Tuscon, AZ on April 26th.