Diamanda Galas at St. Thomas The Apostle Church

Diamanda Galas played her first of three shows at Former St. Thomas The Apostle Church (pics)

May 11, 2016

Goth icon, avant-garde diva and autre legend Diamanda Galás played her first of three “Death Will Come and Will Have Your Eyes” shows at the Former St. Thomas The Apostle Church in Harlem on Tuesday night (5/10). Part of this year’s Red Bull Music Academy, the shows mark the U.S. debut of new material from Galás, which she performed solo on piano. When you possess a voice like hers, that can go from a whisper to a scream to an otherworldly falsetto to a demonic growl (sometimes in the course of one composition), you don’t really need much else.

Material ranged from delicate, classical-leaning compositions to cabaret torch songs, all of which were taken from what looked like handwritten sheet music. The performance also included a cover of traditional American folk song “O Death” that has been adapted by everyone from Sam Amidon to Camper Van Beethoven and was famously used in O Brother Where Art Thou? Needless to say, Galás really really put the “death” in her spine-tingling rendition.

“Death Will Come and Will Have Your Eyes” will be performed again on Thursday (5/12) and Saturday (5/14), both of which are sold out. A few more pictures from Tuesday’s performance, below.

—