VOSH – Zhora Darling– Minneapolis MN – October 16 2025
VOSH – ZHORA DARLING – MINNEAPOLIS MN – OCT 16 2025
Photos and review by Legion Ratfell
I caught a lovely touring act coming through Minneapolis on Thursday the 16th. I’ve been on the hunt for more synthwave/darkwave/darksynth in the cities, and found a show with three local openers and touring group VOSH at Zhora Darling.
It was a quiet start to the night, probably usual for a Thursday night local show, but the first band, shadingthesun, was quite good. They were a lovely mix of synthwave and shoegaze sounds, with classic floaty and gothic vocals sailing overtop of lovely soundscapes. It was danceable and fun to listen to. My only sadness was at the underutilized theremin I saw on stage for their set; I think there was a technical difficulty. But they had their own lights and brought a lovely show, and I was glad people showed up during their set to catch it.
Second up was Night Audit, who I really enjoyed. Their set was primarily instrumental, with long soothing synth soundscapes that they really let us sit in, which I appreciated and want from synthwave. They also played live guitar on top as well. They played accompanying vintage film scenes on a big projector as their visuals. I danced the most during their set as their grooves were just very pleasant.
Third up was the last local act, North Innsbruck. A fair amount of people were there at this point, though a lot of people were still scared to be up front for some reason. North Innsbruck was the only name I’d heard of from this show and was why I decided to check it out, as they claimed to be darksynth, which is the specific genre I’d love to hear more of. Though I personally could use more melodic songs and some more dynamic percussion, they had the driving sound and more guitar-fueled ambience of darksynth for sure. They were also very dynamic to watch, which is hard to do with just a guitar and keyboards. They were rocking out and it was very clear they were feeling the vibes, and that was infectious.
Then the night had a bit of a hiccup before VOSH went on; there was quite a long wait while they dealt with some technical difficulties. It appeared as if their stage setup was too powerful for Zhora Darling as they dealt with what seemed like a short circuit. However, the wait was 100% worth it. I really appreciate when bands are committed to a full performance experience, especially when they’re not a huge touring act with a crazy budget. VOSH’s atmosphere was immediately apparent, with pulsing red lighting and strobes timed to every hit for every song. They were much more metal-influenced, with stompy, danceable beats underneath. I didn’t know whether to head-bang or to dance, which is my favorite predicament to be in at a show. Their lead singer was absolutely magnetic from the start, with deep sailing vocals that she’d launch into guttural screaming. This was a feral, powerful woman that I could not take my eyes off of. She was screaming, leaning into the mic, climbing up on the amps, and flailing around on the ground. Honestly one of the best examples of a frontperson I’ve seen. All of this, combined with the heavy riffs, the strobes, and the liberal use of a fog machine, gave the whole show a heady, cinematic vibe that I would love to see more of in smaller venues like this. It was an entrancing show and I will be seeing VOSH again if they come through.
Overall, an excellent night that showed me that there is a good synthwave community here in the cities. I just need to investigate further.
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