Photos by Stephanie Heath/Smiling Eyes Media

Siren Rockers of persephone Captivate at Vinyl

Daniel KarasekApril 20, 2022

I have been wise enough to curate my social feeds with mostly music-related things to avoid a lot of the nonsense that is attributed to social media. This practice helps me find shows around Atlanta as well as discover blossoming artists. This is how I found local gems like Stardust Sonata, Rae and the Ragdolls, and many others.

About six weeks ago, I came across a new artist on my Facebook feed named Sarah Rae. At the time, Rae was promoting the release show for her debut album Bridge to Neverland at Vinyl at Center Stage. Intrigued by the music and her self-declared genre of “siren rock,” I reached out to Rae about working press for the show. I figured I could explore some new stylings of Atlanta rock while hitting up a venue I hadn’t seen since the before-times.

Leading up to the album release, Rae was a spitfire doing all kinds of DIY promotions. From crafting huge, colorful cardboard signage posted at Krog Street tunnel and Jackson Street bridge to hosting four square games in Little Five Points with free ticket giveaways, Rae was tireless in hyping the show. In my six years of writing, it’s been rare to see an artist sparkle with so much passion to promote their music. That kind of energy is rather contagious and it ultimately pulled me into helping with her promotional shenanigans.

The release of Bridge to Neverland at Vinyl was spectacular from head to toe. Athens-based indie-punk outfit Open was a sultry surprise. The trio consists of two bass guitarists and a drummer with one of the bass guitars modulated to sound more like a guitar. The group made an impression with their stage antics and embraced their punk spirit with gusto. Following Open were local alt-rockers the Sunsets who were playing their first live show in a couple of years. A six-piece band equipped with keys, double percussion, electric bass, guitar, and a silky smooth saxophone, the Sunsets brought the heat and turned Vinyl into a dance party.

Of persephone then took the stage to captivate the crowd with their clash of shoegaze, surf rock, indie synth-pop, and post-punk vibes. I’d been looking forward to hearing Rae’s vocals live and I was a bit blown away. She told me that her operatic style had an entrancing effect on folks, and any skepticism in me melted away as I too was mystified, gawking as she owned the stage. Equal to the task, her band balanced the scales with some slick licks layered with an air-tight rhythm section. Culminating with the title track “Bridge to Neverland,” it was a real treat to catch a live playthrough of this album. It really highlighted the intrinsic technical skill behind their alluring siren rock. Give it a listen on your favorite streaming service to hear what all the hype is about.

Check out some photos from their performance below, courtesy of photographer Stephanie Heath of Smiling Eyes Media.