Following the release of his fifth studio album Performance in September 2024, TR/ST embarked on an European tour in October. TR/ST, the moniker of Robert Alfons, started out in 2010 as a band, steadily building his audience all over the world. It has been a few years since they found their way to Amsterdam, one of the last shows having been in 2015 already (when they were still called Trust). Fans at the front row have been patiently waiting for years, and they were not disappointed on Friday.
TR/ST didn’t bring his own support acts with him this tour, which means the venue the Melkweg was granted the opportunity to showcase a local band, called Silent Runners. Their stage presence is heavily influenced by 80s bands, showing from things like the choice of microphone to the suited up frontman, or more obviously in the keyboard’s stylistic vibe. They get the audience ready for a hypnotizing night with their synth pop new wave music, drawing easy comparisons to Tears For Fears and Duran Duran.
Waiting for the main act to come on, the floor slowly starts to overflow with people. The sold out show had some fans frustrated, as they wanted more room to move around. The crowd is difficult to place, there’s a lot of diversity in age and the way they’re dressed. Some are art students, others look like they got there straight from the office. The moment TR/ST starts, none of that is important anymore. Everyone there is drowning in the music, forced to be there in the moment.
The dark melancholia of the music feels somewhat overwhelming, the strobe lights and smoke machines forcing you to close your eyes and getting you lost in the movement of the people around you. For a while, the music gets them to drown out the outside world. It’s the feeling of being underwater, where nothing else matters besides your own heartbeat. The music of Alfons is moody, strengthened by his deep voice. It sounds even deeper live than it does on record, bringing everyone into a state of trance. Tonight’s experience is a sensory overload, forcing you to go beyond simply hearing the music. You need to feel it in your bones.
TR/ST’s shows are for anyone that feels a little lost at sea, engulfed by the waves and becoming a drop in the ocean, which sounds both terrifying and oddly comforting. The European tour continues until October 23rd, with its final conclusion in London. North American fans can find him on tour there afterwards, from October 31st until November 23rd.
GALLERY: TR/ST & Silent Runners at Melkweg in Amsterdam (September 11, 2024)
