On February 13, my Taverne Tour continues under the banner of post-punk at La Sotterenea, the quintessential underground venue. The space lends itself perfectly to music that works through tension, repetition, and shadowy zones. I step into this troglodytic environment just as the dark, low-end frequencies of Bonnie Trash begin to resonate.
Formed in 2013 by twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor, the all-female quartet delivers heavy riffs blending post-punk, goth rock, and doom. The singer recites her lyrics in a deep voice that chills you to the bone. She cuts a striking figure: shaved head, leather clothes, tattoos. Chin raised, she locks into a defiant stare. Their horrorgaze songs probe the horror lurking within the everyday—diffuse violence and ordinary mortality. A lucid darkness and singular heaviness give the performance an irresistible pull.
We step outside for some air, then head back underground for Jessica93. After a slightly laborious soundcheck, Geoffroy Laporte jokes, “We’re a bunch of screw-ups, it just takes a bit more time.”
Alone on stage, the French artist launches a track that feels like a rock-infused drum machine. Using a loop pedal, he layers in a thick bass line that reinforces the intoxicating pounding of the programmed drums, then tears into a searing guitar for frenzied solos. Long hair falling over his face, Nike sneakers, Adidas track pants—none of it detracts from Jessica93’s resolutely hard-edged presence. You can sense shoegaze and grunge influences, with touches of desert punk.
The lyrics are muttered in French—at times shy, at times strikingly intentional. “It’s a love song called La colline du crack,” he says at one point. The loops, distortion, and relentless pounding all come together in a DIY, noise-driven result that feels almost post-apocalyptic. It’s impressive to see a single man carry the weight of such an experimental project.
This second night of Taverne Tour at La Sotterenea offered stunning discoveries within the endless underground spaces of our souls..
