WORDS BY NINA GREEN!
Going out in Zurich never disappoints.
Walking into Plaza, you can immediately feel the mix of old and new in this former theater turned nightspot. The decor includes period furniture with separate halls for live performances and DJ’s.
Ambient-pop band Cigarettes After Sex’s European tour kicked off a few weeks ago and has sold out his venue two nights in a row as its only Swiss dates. With colorful bird murals on the walls around me and a dainty disco ball above, I walk into the main theater. Private tables line the edges of the room with a lower pit for standing room. Cocktails clink as everyone waits for the show to start, just before 8pm.
The crowd is young and international, as is expected in Zurich. Snippets of French, Swiss-German, English, and Italian are exchanged as more people arrive. The venue is relatively small and creates an intimate vibe for this sold out show.
There’s a pre-show movie playing on the screen behind an empty microphone. Visuals of dark and stormy skies over a beach play as the sound of rain fills the room. Occasional lyrics from “You’re the Only Good Thing in My Life” appear on the screen while film noir-like images slowly evolve into a silent love story. The main theme and lines in the lyric film read “you make me think of storms on the beaches”.
Finally, just past 8:30pm, the band starts to emerge and lead singer Greg Gonzalez takes the mic to open with “Hentai” from their recent album. Everyone is dressed in black while Gonzalez sways easy to his own calming rhythms.
The band has been touring in Europe since early November. This tour comes just after the recent drop of their second album, Cry, released just a few weeks ago at the end of October 2019.
After a quick “it’s always good coming back to Zurich,” the show goes on as the audience stands, slightly swaying or quietly singing along. Once “Sweet” starts, the energy in the room picks up significantly and carries the tone for the rest of the night.
When people start moving around more, I’m reminded that being 5’4 isn’t helpful at packed shows, especially in Europe. The engaging yet trance-like music continues until the end with Gonzalez calmly strumming his guitar, occasionally striding to the edge of the stage to greet fans.
The good vibes continued until the end of the show. After, people started heading to the other room where Plaza would soon open its doors to the club-goers of the evening.
Cigarettes After Sex are a real treat and I’m looking forward to the rest of their European tour.
NOVEMBER 16TH, 2019
PLAZA, ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND
WORDS BY NINA GREEN!
