Words and Photos by Jose Serrato
Black Satellite have become legit road warriors as of late by joining multiple major tours across the country in the past couple years. As I write this, Larissa Vale and Kyle Hawken are wrapping up the co-headlining Double Trouble Live Tour with Cradle of Filth and DevilDriver in Albuquerque, NM. With many of the dates selling out, the NYC duo have been grabbing tons of attention at each stop. It’s noticeable from following their Instagram account with all the videos and photos being shared from old and new fans. It’s one thing to read all the praise on Billboard and Alternative Press, but it’s another thing to see the band live and physically feel the energy they project every night.
I first saw Black Satellite at the end of 2021 while on tour with guitar goddess Nita Strauss and I have yet forgotten how much I enjoyed their performance that night. When I saw that Cradle of Filth and DevilDriver picked them up for their tour, it gave me even more reason to make sure I made it out to Amplified Live to catch them again. This also turned out to be my last show at Amplified Live as I found out that night they were closing down at the end of the month. As the sun was setting behind the outdoor stage, the band in black took the stage with metal horns up in the air from the crowd. The band had said this would be their heaviest set to date and that was no lie. With her spiked leather jacket and black design painted on her face, Larissa took her spot on her platform to tower over the crowd with her classic retro style microphone and demanded the attention she deserves. Meanwhile, Kyle and Mark, their touring bassist, headbanged with intent from one side of the stage to the other. Black Satellite put together a solid setlist that ended with their cover of Rammstein’s song ‘Sonne’ that they released in 2021. Yes, all performed in German.
There’s a reason why Alternative Press named Black Satellite one of the 12 bands you need to know. The band recently released the song ‘Broken’ along with a music video that has been viewed over 80k times on YouTube. There is currently no release date for the band’s sophomore album ‘Aftermath’ but hopefully the wait won’t be long. I’d expect another tour will happen once the album is released and you should follow their social media to know when that happens. I will be at the next show and so should you.
Watch the video for ‘Broken’ HERE
Photos below..
