On Sunday, June 28th, over 50 artists and tens of thousands of fans came together for Justice Comes Alive, a one-day, virtual festival harnessing the power of music to bring about collective change in response to racial inequality. The donation-based streaming event generated $55,000 and counting in funds for the participating artists, who remain out of work as the pandemic continues, as well as a number of social justice-oriented causes via PLUS1 For Black Lives Fund.
The 12-hour live-stream marathon featured new contributions by an array of amazing artists from around the world including self-described “six-headed synthwave beast” Doom Flamingo, who performed a haunting “Blade” from the group’s debut EP, DOOM. The sextet—which features Umphrey’s McGee bassist Ryan Stasik alongside vocalist Kanika Moore, guitarist Thomas Kenney, saxophonist Mike Quinn, keyboardist Ross Bogan, and drummer Stu White—performed at an empty Charleston Pour House, allowing the one-song segment to employ full stage production.
With an eerie stage presence that amplified the group’s metal leanings, the song kicks off with Moore’s searing vocals (“I’m running away/You polish your blade”) and immediately gives way to thrash-metal riffs synced with pounding drums.
Midway through the song during an instrumental breakdown, “Blade” turns into industrial pop-techno with a pulsing bassline from Stasik. In the absence of the dark heaviness of the first half of the song, this toned-down instrumentation is cripplingly light. Gradually, however, the rhythm rebuilds to the metal heights and the cannon is loaded for the captivating Moore to shoot the song back through the stratosphere once again.
Relive the Doom Flamingo performance from Justice Comes Alive below. If you enjoyed the Justice Comes Alive performances and have the means, consider making a donation to Plus1 For Black Lives Fund via www.JusticeComesAlive.com.
Doom Flamingo – “Blade” – Justice Comes Alive
Presented by Live For Live Music in partnership with PLUS1 and Nugs.TV, Justice Comes Alive was conceived as a way to harness the power of music to bring about collective change in response to racial inequality. All funds raised from Justice Comes Alive will be split evenly between the artists on the bill and the PLUS1 For Black Lives Fund, which was developed to address and continue the fight against anti-Black racism and violence in the U.S.
Directly supporting organizations like Equal Justice Initiative, Impact Justice, and The Bail Project, the PLUS1 For Black Lives Fund focuses on empowering Black communities, movement building, keeping people out of the criminal justice system while dismantling it more broadly, and a collective, international narrative change toward the equitable treatment of Black people. 30% of the PLUS1 for Black Lives Fund is also committed to small grants for Black and Indigenous-led grassroots efforts combating racism. For more information on Justice Comes Alive, head here.