- The lights, glowing purple and red, were low; the music just beginning to swell. Smoke poured from the ceiling, engulfing the band. Zola Jesus crouched behind the mic stand, a silhouette on the dark, expansive stage at Berghain. It was everything you'd expect from the goth-pop singer's live performance. She stood up, arms out, reaching for the ceiling, her voice deep and throaty, echoing off the concrete walls. The whole affair seemed almost church-like—that is, until a crash of percussion sent her to the floor again. She rose back up in a fury of unstoppable, maniacal dancing. Say what you will about her pop sensibility—on stage, Zola Jesus is anything but sweet.
Performing tracks from her entire repertoire (Taiga all the way back to Stridulum II), her energy proved relentless throughout: she meandered the stage during''Dangerous Days,'' walked through the crowd and thrashed about before tumbling to the floor again. Her bandmates—a drummer, a trombonist, and a keyboardist—deserve equal credit, effortlessly in tune with her vocal and physical acrobatics. The drummer was particularly impressive, playing on a custom-built kit that was a sight in itself.
The ballads were just as moving. Showcasing her vocal range and intensity as an artist, she rattled through ''Go (Blank Sea),'' and 2010's ''Sea Talk.'' At one point, the music stopped entirely and Zola Jesus belted out the first verses of “Nail” a cappella, before the music exploded once more. After taking a moment to thank her fans for their continued support over the years, she left the stage briefly, only to return to roaring applause and an encore performance of an old favourite: ''Night.''