Russian Circles and Pelican, Mar 19, 2025, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO Photos and Recap

Last night, the Gothic was packed for Russian Circles and Pelican. Denver showed up in full force for this sold-out show, and I was stoked to catch my sixth Russian Circles experience.

Russian Circles

Having caught Russian Circles five times before, starting in 2006 at the tiny Sokol Underground in Omaha, NE, I’ve watched their live show evolve over nearly two decades. Back in 2006, it was just three dudes on a dimly lit stage, relying purely on the power of their sound, and only one full length album under their belts.

Fast forward to last night, and while the musical core remains the same, the experience has transformed. The light show has become as much a part of the experience as the music itself. Each song now has its own visual identity, with lighting that enhances the intensity of their music, and makes their show just that much better.

Dave Turncrantz, Russian Circles, Mar 19, 2025, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO. Photo by Mitch Kline.

What hasn’t changed is the band’s tightness. These guys don’t miss a note. There’s never a word from the stage, and rarely a break in sound, with some type of sonic segue between most of the songs. The ten song set leaned heavily on their latest album, 2022’s Gnosis, but included plenty of heavy hitters and mainstays like “309”, “Harper Lewis”, “Youngblood”, and set closer “Mladek.” Although I haven’t given as much attention to their latest album, those songs, along with “Quartered” off of Blood Year hit hardest for me during this show. “Conduit”, “Betrayal”, and “Gnosis” felt fresh and especially dark and intense.

The sound was absolutely crushing, perfectly mixed between Brian Cook’s bone-rattling bass notes and Mike Sullivan’s intricate guitar layers. And I’ll just add that Dave Turncrantz is one of my very favorite drummers to to photograph and witness live. Precise, powerful, and fluid.

I usually wander around at shows, but for this one, I stayed dead center front row for the entire set. Most of the fans around me, sporting an array of band shirts from Slayer to Blood Incantation to Black Sabbath, had seen these guys many times before, and as the last notes of closer “Mladek” we all had ear-to-ear grins on our faces, once again blown away by the hour long sonic journey that Russian Circles just took us on.

Brian Cook, Russian Circles, Mar 19, 2025, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO. Photo by Mitch Kline.

Mike Sullivan, Russian Circles, Mar 19, 2025, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO. Photo by Mitch Kline.

Russian Circles, Mar 19, 2025, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO. Photo by Mitch Kline.

Russian Circles, Mar 19, 2025, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, CO Setlist

309, Harper Lewis, Conduit, Quartered, Mota, Geneva, Betrayal, Gnosis, Youngblood, Mladek

Pelican

Russian Circles and Pelican. What a perfect combo for dedicated post-rock and post-metal fans. The legendary Chicago instrumental quartet released their first album, Australasia, over twenty years ago. They have a new album, Flickering Resonance, coming out May 16th, and the band decided to jump at the chance to tour with Russian Circles, and preview a few new songs leading up to the album’s release. The only stage banter of the night came the couple of times that guitarist Trevor de Brauw addressed the crowd, apologizing for going eight years between playing in Denver, and expressing their gratitude for the warm welcome from the Denver crowd. These guys have been playing music for a long time. They’re tight, and their music is dynamic, ranging from pummeling distortion to serene passages. The band really leaned into their new material for this set, with six of the nine songs coming from the upcoming album. I’ve casually listened to Pelican over the years, but had yet to see them live. After this set, they’ll be heavier rotation, and I’ll definitely be back for more when they return to the road.