A Halloween for the Ages: My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Die Sexual, and Devora Bring Dark Decadence to Concord Music Hall

11/2/2025

By: Evan J. Thomas

If Halloween in Chicago had a soundtrack, it would sound exactly like this show. On October 31st, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult transformed Concord Music Hall into a swirling den of sin, synth, and spectacle — joined by the seductive chaos of Die Sexual and the desert-noir witchery of Devora. It wasn’t just a concert; it was a midnight mass for the misfits, where glam met grit and industrial decadence reigned supreme.

Opening the night, Devora or as it their facebook page says "Goth Dolly Parton" emerged like a gothic gunslinger stepping out of a neon dust storm. Drenched in crimson lights, her voice cut through the smoke with a mix of melancholy and menace. Blending western twang with dark pop and industrial bite, Devora hypnotized the crowd with tracks like “Body Bag,” “Not Dead Yet,” and her latest single “Wildfire.” Equal parts Lana Del Rey and Nine Inch Nails, her performance set the tone — cinematic, dangerous, and unflinchingly cool.

Then came Die Sexual, and the energy went from moody to manic. The Los Angeles-based darkwave/industrial provocateurs delivered a pulse-pounding set that felt like a fever dream in a haunted nightclub. With relentless synths, pounding beats, and theatrical flair, their performance was a collision of fetish art, performance chaos, and pure electronic adrenaline. Fronted by an unapologetically fierce presence, the band blurred the lines between performance and ritual — lights flashing, bodies moving, and the crowd giving in completely.

By the time My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult hit the stage, the room was already vibrating with anticipation. Dressed in their trademark blend of sleaze and style, Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy wasted no time plunging fans into their depraved disco inferno. With pulsing strobes and a wall of vintage visuals, the band delivered a full-blown industrial cabaret — equal parts rock show, dance party, and cult ceremony.

Thrill Kill Kult tore through decades of dark dance anthems — “A Daisy Chain 4 Satan,” and “Kooler Than Jesus” among others — all delivered with a raw, hypnotic energy that had the Concord crowd in constant motion. Every beat, every vocal snarl, every burst of light felt like a flashback to the golden age of Wax Trax!, yet somehow timeless. I do have to say not playing “Sex on Wheelz,” and off of The Crow Soundtrack their famous “After the Flesh,” I was personally a bit disappointed.

Groovie Mann prowled the stage like a demonic ringmaster, his charismatic growl counterbalanced by Buzz McCoy’s electronic sorcery. Together, they conjured a soundscape that was both nostalgic and alive — the soundtrack to a decadent dream you never want to wake from.
As the night wound down, lights pulsed, and the crowd — dressed in their Halloween best — screamed every lyric like a sermon. It was more than a concert; it was a celebration of Chicago’s gothic heart, a reminder that My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult remains one of the most iconic, theatrical, and irresistibly sinful acts in industrial rock history.