Substance Festival 2026 (Night One)
October 22, 2026
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco CA
Shot by Fiestaban Photography
Back for it’s third San Francisco run, Substance Festival has become the new tradition for those black-clad heathens and rockers whom cannot get enough darkwave. The opening night of Substance 2026 was something to behold, as headliners A Split-Second and Crash Course In Science were accompanied by God Tongue, Pink Stiletto, Vioflesh and Automelodi.
Seattle-based electronic body music and synth-punk duo opened with pure unabashed energy, a pure smash-and-grab of digitally-driven hardcore.
Back again to dazzle, Pink Stiletto (Valery Kvochkova), toting a new EP and donning warm leatherette, is easily the best thing to happen to synthpop in quite a while. With looks that can kill, she does…and in style. Currently mid-tour across America (with her next shows in Knoxville, St. Louis, Lexington, Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, and three shows in New York), I cannot stress how much you need to check her out and get chained to her rhythm.
From Santiago, Chile, Vioflesh is vocalist Vio and producer Flesh, blending other-worldly vocals with lead-hewn basslines and atmospheric club rhythms.
A Montreal maven, Xavier Paradis (also known as Arnaud Lazlaud) is a one-man show of pure energy and beats, tossing and twirling on stage like a devilish dervish. Not to be missed, Automelodi is pure art and magic that should be seen to be felt.
Pioneers of post-punk from Philadelphia, this trio original eschewed traditional synth-sounds and opted for using toy instruments and kitchen appliances to get their signature sounds back in 1979. Nowadays, the toys are put away, but the freedom is palpable, with Dale Feliciello, Mallory Yago and Michael Zodorozny dancing the night away to massively ear-hooky beats and tongue-in-cheek lyrics reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem.
Considered the godfathers of Electronic Body Music (EMB), A Split-Second’s song “Flesh” seemingly single-handedly created the genre, after a DJ played their single at a slower tempo than intended. Belgian-born, Marc Heyndrickx (who goes by ‘Marc Ickx’) gave a legendary show for those in the know. Literally a IFYKYK event, this show was something special for people who never expected that they would meet their heroes.
