KORINE + PLASTIC ESTATE + PORCELAIN DANCER – MOTH CLUB, HACKNEY, LONDON 6.2.25
We at the office are very much enjoying what Philadelphia based duo Korine are producing at the moment. The pair which comprise Morgy Ramone and Trey Frye are successfully blending new wave nostalgia, early emo, and punk with a modern pop sensibility, and contrasting upbeat rhythms. They are set to release their forthcoming ‘A Flame In The Dark’ album at the end of next month (details HERE) and recently announced a sole UK concert, which was set to take place at the Moth Club which is found at Old Trades Hall, Valette Street, London E9 6NU. The evening was put together by LNZRT and was to feature special guests Plastic Estate and Porcelain Dancer. We simply couldn’t resist attending and so plans were made for a special away day and we sent Mark Kelly along to check out the evening’s entertainment.
How this actually came about is as follows: the Brighton and Hove News Music Editor, Nick Linazasoro, messaged me in a state of some excitement the other day to tell me that he had discovered a band “who are as good as Nation Of Language!” Now, I hold Nation Of Language in very high esteem, so I replied with a very doubtful “really?” Before I knew what was happening I was being dispatched to Hackney to review this band that I’d never heard of before, called Korine. Note to self: never doubt the judgement of the Music Editor, or you’ll be sent to Hackney. Still, there could be worse places to be sent I suppose.
So who are Korine? The band are a duo from Philadelphia, USA, comprising Morgy Ramone (this may not be their real name…) on vocals and guitar, and Trey Frey on bass, keyboard and synth. They specialise in new wave, emo, punk and pop. Are they any good? That is a question we will deal with in due course. First we have two support acts to consider. Never let it be said that the Moth Club don’t put on a decent show.
The opening act is Porcelain Dancer. This act is essentially a one man band and is the brainchild of Yiannis D, who is on vocals, guitar, synth and everything else. He is an analog synthesiser engineer, and it shows. However, he is also a very able musician and singer, which is also self-evident in his performance. The music is very gothic, and there is a very strong Sisters Of Mercy influence. Indeed, Yiannis could almost be Andrew Eldritch. However, he plays some beautifully clear guitar lines that sound just like Duane Eddy! I never thought that I’d hear music that was a cross between goth and Duane Eddy! The drum sound is very powerful and again is another Sisters influence. Yiannis clearly has his own Doktor Avalanche.
The guitar is abandoned for the second song whilst manual keyboards are played. The vocals are made even more atmospheric by being drenched in reverb. The chords used are very post-punk – you won’t find any blues chord progressions here! However, this is essentially a Sisters Of Mercy tribute act playing original material. This isn’t intended to be a negative criticism however. Porcelain Dancer do their thing really well and I would be happy to go to see them doing a headline gig.
Porcelain Dancer:
Yiannis D – guitar, vocals, synths
Porcelain Dancer setlist:
‘Nightmares’ (from 2024 ‘Nightmares’ EP & 2025 ‘A Documentary About Nightmares’ album)
‘I’ll Kiss You In The Darkness’ (from 2025 ‘A Documentary About Nightmares’ album)
‘Broken Doll’ (from 2024 ‘Nightmares’ EP & 2025 ‘A Documentary About Nightmares’ album)
‘He Burns’ (from 2025 ‘A Documentary About Nightmares’ album)
‘Porcelain Crow’ (from 2025 ‘A Documentary About Nightmares’ album)
‘Poison Cloud’ (a 2025 single) & 2025 ‘A Documentary About Nightmares’ album)
www.instagram.com/porcelain__dancer
Next we have Plastic Estate. They are a duo from Cardiff comprising Stanley Fouracres and Nic James, who share lead vocals, plus guitar and synth duties. Unfortunately it has proven impossible to ascertain which one is which! They have two albums: ‘Plastic Estate’ which came out in 2022, and ‘Code d’Amour’ which was released last year. Whilst the music is clearly very 1980s influenced, they’ve managed to incorporate those influences into their material without sounding like any particular 1980s artist, which is quite an achievement in my opinion.
Tonight is really excellent electropop. It’s danceable and melodic whilst being gutsy too. Great stuff! ‘2000 Ways’ meanwhile features a very funky programmed bass line which gives the song an identity all of its own. Apparently for live shows they are often joined by a bassist and a drummer. I must confess that I would really like to see them play with a full band. ‘This Place’ is initially reminiscent of ‘Messages’ by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, at least until the keyboard comes in. I’ve found Plastic Estate to be a real breath of fresh air, and I look forward to hearing more.
Plastic Estate:
Stanley Fouracres – vocals, guitar and synthesiser
Nic James – vocals, guitar and synthesiser
Plastic Estate setlist:
‘Kind Of Love’
‘Speak To Me’
‘Divinely Impaired’
‘Tonight’
‘2000 Ways’
‘This Place’
‘Open Eyes’
So, are Korine as good as the Music Editor says they are? In a word, yes. To be fair, his judgement on musical matters is usually pretty good. Opening song ‘Mt. Airy’ has an ace guitar intro, making them sound more of a ‘live’ band, although Morgy Ramone does abandon their guitar for second song ‘Fate’. ‘Cruel’ manages to actually sound like its name, which is pretty impressive. The whole set so far has been quite fast and punchy. It’s what you want from a headline band. I suspect that they’d go down well at festivals as well. ‘Sunshine’, a single from 2021, seems to inhabit a middle ground between electropop and rock. One of the things that makes Korine sound particularly fresh is that they are not constrained by considerations of genre. It really does sound as if they are playing the music that they want to hear. I should point out that Morgy Ramone is one of the most energetic lead singers that I’ve seen for a long time – like a jumping bean. I should point out that Trey Frey isn’t exactly just standing around either.
‘Anhedonia’ is a new song from the forthcoming ‘A Flame In The Dark’ album. It’s probably the best song of the set so far, which bodes well for the new album! ‘Screaming In The Night’, also from the new album, is introduced as “a song that’s familiar”, which puzzles me somewhat. Maybe they’ve been playing it earlier on the tour. Final song ‘Elegance & You’ is completely synth led, but still manages to be really exciting live. That’s a sentence that I didn’t expect to be writing! Korine do play an encore, ‘Captive’, but don’t actually leave the stage before doing so. The epitome of cool! This my friends is rock ‘n’ roll, although it may not look or sound like it. If you’re unfamiliar with any of the bands that have played tonight, I would strongly recommend that you put that right at the first available opportunity!
Korine:
Morgy Ramone – vocals, guitar
Trey Frye – bass, electronics
Korine setlist:
‘Mt. Airy’ (from 2023 ‘Tear’ album)
‘Fate’ (from 2020 ‘The Night We Raise’ album)
‘Cruel’ (from 2020 ‘The Night We Raise’ album)
‘Cold Heart’ (from 2020 ‘The Night We Raise’ album)
‘Sunshine’ (a 2021 single)
‘Lost In The Dark’ (from 2023 ‘Tear’ album)
‘Anhedonia’ (from forthcoming ‘A Flame In The Dark’ album)
‘Burn The World’ (from 2023 ‘Tear’ album)
‘Screaming In The Night’ (from forthcoming ‘A Flame In The Dark’ album)
‘Train To Harlem’ (from 2023 ‘Tear’ album)
‘Elegance & You’ (from 2018 ‘New Arrangements’ album)
(encore)
‘Captive’ (from 2018 ‘New Arrangements’ album)
