On Sunday, April 12th, 2014, Swedish dark, electronic dance trio Covenant brought their pulsating beats to Small's for their Detroit stop on their 2015 North American Tour. With a fashion sense akin to Interpol,the three members entered the fog covered stage with strobes flashing and a synth droning. Singer Eskil Simmonson grabbed the mic and the beats hit hard. The crowd of many familiar faces from the likes of Old School Luna and City Club packed into the back room of Small's for a night of throbbing beats of dance club classics and newer songs the band was eager to play.
Second song in was my favorite Covenant track called Bullet. Call the Ships to Port followed along with various tracks from their catalog and a smattering of new songs. The stage was aglow in mostly solid blue or red washes of light and billows of smoke ala the fog machine. The children of the night were dancing and stomping to synthetic beats and squalls of pulsating sounds that permeated into the early 1st hour of Monday morning, but of course, no one seemed to mind. Small's has long been a haven for Electronic/ Industrial bands, both local and touring. Doors were at 8 and by 9:00, local band Pulse State opened the show to a crowd of friends and familiar faces alike. The Labyrinth took center slot before Covenant came on around 11. All in all, it was a fun atmosphere of nocturnal creatures dancing, drinking and supporting a scene that they love. Small's continually hosts alternating bi-weekly events such as Thirst Wave, Industrial is Not Dead and several tribute nights that keeps the dark, dance seen flourishing. Covenant is certainly a stable band to these nights.
