New York’s internationally renowned gothic and post-punk festival, A Murder of Crows (AMOC), returns Labor Day weekend, August 29-30, 2025, heralded by a spirited opening bash at TV Eye on August 28. The storied Bowery Ballroom, host in 2022-23, opens its doors once again, ushering a decade of dark revelry to its revered halls.
Born from twilight musings between NYC promoter Sean Templar, known for curating acclaimed goth nights The Red Party and Underworld, and fellow scene veterans Dave Bats (Los Angeles) and Martin Oldgoth (London), A Murder of Crows first took flight after a nocturnal epiphany at Leipzig’s Wave Gotik Treffen. Launched modestly in 2015 with just three bands and a quartet of DJs at Mercury Lounge, it swiftly expanded to two nights in 2016, augmented by a marathon Twitch stream in 2021, and further bolstered by a pre-party since 2023.
Templar reflects warmly on the festival’s journey: “We had such an incredible time during A Murder of Crows 2024. There was so much love from our tribe, fantastic bands, unforgettable parties, top-notch gothic and post-punk sounds, and countless friends gathered from North America and Europe. We had to return with a bang for our 10th birthday in 2025 and can’t wait to gather our people for an amazing weekend celebrating our scene. Each artist has been thoughtfully chosen, mixing revered legends of deathrock and post-punk with newer acts captivating audiences through dynamic performances.”
Kicking off festivities, the pre-party at TV Eye features shadowy sounds from The Brickbats and The Long Losts, supported by a globe-spanning collective of 17 goth DJs. Friday’s bill summons German luminaries Pink Turns Blue, flanked by US-based torchbearers Hallowed Hearts, Astari Nite, Soft Vein, and Ritual Howls. The festival crescendos on night two with the chilling resonance of Octavian Winters, the ferocious theatrics of Altar de Fey, Nox Novacula’s sharp gloom, and Vision Video’s cinematic presence, culminating in the death-rock grandeur of legendary headliners 45 Grave.
Rev up the Munstermobile and cruise over to the show! Here is the full lineup:
Thursday, August 28th, 7:00 PM: The Official Opening Party at TV EYE, 1647 Weirfield Street
Come on out to the Meet & Greet Dance Party! Join some of your favorite dark DJs from around the world spinning goth, deathrock, post-punk, and darkwave with live performances.
- The Brickbats
- The Long Losts (with George Grant)
The Brickbats are New York’s original deathrock, horrorpunk, and undead rock and roll music makers. They formed in New York in 1995, played gigs until 2000, then went on hiatus until a show and a comp in 2013. They reformed in 2015 and, for some “stupid reason,” haven’t stopped since.
Formed in 2012, The Long Losts are a gothic rock duo known for their haunting harmonies and spine-chilling narratives, fashioned as much from the fabric of fantasy and horror as from the threads of personal emotion. Comprising the couple Patrick and Anka, their music weaves a tapestry of love, death, and the supernatural, encapsulated in Anka’s ethereal vocals and Patrick’s atmospheric guitar work. They’ll be joined on stage at the pre-party by George Grant from Black Rose Burning, former bassist for Aurelio Voltaire, and previous leader of the Serpenteens.
Friday, August 29th, 7:00 PM: Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street
- Pink Turns Blue
- Ritual Howls
- Soft Vein
- Astari Nite
- Hallowed Hearts
Formed in 1985 in the first generation of gothic rock, today Pink Turns Blue is Mic Jogwer (vocals, guitar), Paul Richter (drums) and Luca Sammuri (bass). Named after a Hüsker Dü song, they debuted with ‘If Two Worlds Kiss’, a seminal post-punk album that also advanced the darkwave sub-genre. Known for their trademark blend of post-punk, alternative rock and new wave, they have released a dozen full-length LPs since emerging from the fear and uncertainty of a divided Cold War Germany. From their early breakthrough with If Two Worlds Kiss to their newest release, Black Swan, the Berlin-based
trio has remained a vital force in the international post-punk community, shaping and reshaping the genre across decades.
Ritual Howls create a cinematic blend of twangy industrial-rock that could fuel a post-apocalyptic dancefloor. A collaboration between Paul Bancell (vocals, guitar), Chris Samuels (synth, samples, drum machine), and Ben Saginaw (bass), the Detroit trio creates expansive arrangements sculpted with masterful production.
Soft Vein was formed in 2022, garnering a cult following in the Los Angeles darkwave scene, which would continue to grow. Their second album was inspired by a sense of loneliness. Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Justin Chamberlain expands and evolves with his unique brand of darkly romantic, industrial-tinged electronic music, creating a unique blend of “nostalgic futurism” eschewing the icy cold landscape and aesthetics of the first album in favour of heat, desire, and fantasy.
Astari Nite is an alternative rock band that has made a significant mark in the dark wave music scene. Originating from Miami, Fl, their music blends elements of alternative, post- punk and new wave, resulting in a distinctive dark glam sound. Their style is reminiscent of classic alternative bands like Clan of Xymox and Placebo, yet their modern production and unique lyrical content give them a contemporary edge.
Evoking the spectral fire of the ’80s, filtered through the dystopian lens of the 2020’s, Hallowed Hearts is memorable post-punk. Singer Alex Virlios leads a winding journey of love and loss, while multi-instrumentalist Andrew Sega (ex. Iris) paints a three-dimensional canvas of angular guitars and distorted ambience.
Saturday, August 30th, 7:00 PM: Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street
- 45 Grave
- Vision Video
- Nox Novacula
- Altar De Fey
- Octavian Winters
45 Grave was born in the chaos of the Punk movement in 1979 and churned out their own brand of Ghoul Rock. 45 Grave is recognised as one of the first American gothic bands. The 45 Grave song Party Time (Zombie Version) made it onto the movie soundtrack for Return of the Living Dead. Party Time also made a full rotation on MTV in 1984.
Formed in Georgia in 2020 by Dusty Gannon (synths and vocals), whose character videos featuring “Goth Dad” have won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of followers, Vision Video creates accessible modern goth rock with a message. Intense and uncompromising, their music injects modern malaise into classic post-punk and new wave, bringing in a refreshing modern element while paying homage to artists like the Chameleons and the Cure.
Emanating from the pallid, meagre cemetery known as Seattle, Washington, Nox Novacula assumed the form of flesh in 2017 in an attempt to spread their hymns of gothic rock n’ roll to the unassuming masses. Nox Novacula breathes a breath of cold, dead air over the corpse of the modern goth and death rock scene. While homage is certainly (and devoutly) paid to their 1980s predecessors, a distinctly modern approach to personal and political struggle places Nox Novacula in a category of their own.
Altar De Fey originated in San Francisco in the early 1980s as part of the emerging musical form that would come to be known as Deathrock. Out of the Zeitgeist flash of ’70s Punk Rock, the new sound took the darkest elements of the counterculture into ever deeper gloomier and more mature territory.
Octavian Winters was born into the ghostly isolation of San Francisco in 2022, during the third winter of the pandemic. Octavian Winters is guitarist Stephan Salit (Thrill of The Pull), drummer Randy Gzebb (Thrill of The Pull, Love Club), bassist Jay Denton, and Ria (Amenti) Aursjoen on vocals and keyboards. Together, they weave their visceral and ethereal sound into stories once told but half-remembered, under a dusk of shadows and stars, in an abandoned city under the winter moon.
Sunday, August 31st, 3:00 PM-3:00 AM (EST): Closing Twitch Party
All the DJs from the pre-party and festival will be spinning sets during a special Twitch stream. Livestream the event here.
- Sean Templar
- Dave Bats
- Martin Oldgoth
- Patrick
- Mortasja
- Kinski
- Mark Splatter
- Mistress McCutchan
- Hi-Fi Hillary
- The Pirate Twins
- Ralphie Nigma
- Detra Kangal
- Asurasunlin
- Aiz Marco
- Matt V-Curist Cinis
Tickets and Further Information:
Tickets for the 2-day festival pass went on sale Tuesday, May 6th, via Ticketmaster. While Super Early Bird and Early Bird 2-day passes have sold out, general admission 2-day tickets, which include entry to the opening party, remain available.
Single-day tickets are priced at $45 in advance and $50 on the day of the show. Additionally, individual tickets for the opening pre-party are also now available for purchase.
- Official Opening party – Thursday, August 28: Included with 2-day tickets, or $15 without 2-day tickets
- Friday, August 29 only: $45 advance / $50 day of show Tickets
- Saturday, August 30 only: $45 advance / $50 day of show Tickets
- 2-day Festival passes here. *2-day tickets include free entry to the opening party at TV Eye. Advance / Day of Show: $75
** All ticket prices exclude agency/booking fees.
Helpful information with suggestions of where to eat nearby, where to stay, places to visit, and more information about all the A Murder of Crows artists and DJs can be found here.
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