MATTE BLVCK – The Turf Club – Saint Paul MN – May 6 2026

MATTE BLVCK – The Turf Club – Saint Paul MN – May 6 2026

Review and photos by Legion Ratfell

Another night, another beautiful round of synthwave at The Turf Club on May 6^th, 2026. MATTE BLVCK, a trio of musicians bringing an intense blend of electronic, industrial, and synthwave together into a dark and sinister soundscape.

Opening for them was local synthwave producer Night Audit, who I’ve seen before and really loved, and he did not disappoint this time. Inspired by vintage and horror movies from the 80s and 90s, he provided a pulsing, synthy, and guitar-driven soundtrack to various clips shown on a projector. He’s very reminiscent of Dance With The Dead and would fit right at home on a lineup with them. Almost entirely instrumental, you could almost space out into the songs as the scenes play out. It was essentially him making a new soundtrack to the movie clips; they’re clearly not just thrown up there. It was an intense and emotional experience – I literally had the thought: “Wow, this music is so pretty,” as someone’s head was exploding open on screen. My only wish was that he’d step out from his podium while he was playing guitar; the incorporation of live playing would be lovely to see more of and would look super cool with the projections on him!

My first thought and main word when MATTE BLVCK came out and then continuously throughout the show, was simply “cool.” These guys oozed charisma, coming out in near darkness, all in black, only lit by backlight for the majority of the show. Sporting a turtleneck, trench coat, and leather gloves, their singer was commanding and oozed charisma. I was entranced almost immediately. The conviction and energy they brought was immediate and sustaining – it was clear they believed in what they were doing, and it absolutely resonated. The small darkness of the Turf Club was perfect for it; the room was packed, the fog machine was rolling, and the vibes were immaculate. They ranged from fast-paced darksynth to slower, romantic songs a la Depeche Mode, which was reinforced by them covering “Stripped” as their encore. They had the classic darkwave feel with dark and brooding lyricism mixed with the upbeat danceability of industrial groups from the 90s. Apparently this was their first time playing the cities, and they said they were honestly surprised that so many people showed up on a Wednesday night. But it’s clear that the cities have a craving for synthwave, both bright and dark.