Hemlock for Socrates, a dark but danceable art rock band, will be hosting a Dark Valentine show on Feb. 13 at the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls in Millvale.
“We’d been working with our friends, local dream pop group, Take Me With You, to remix one of their songs, and they were remixing one of ours. We thought it would be great to have a release show for the singles and Valentine’s Day seemed like the perfect day,” bassist/singer Kegan Heiss said. “Summore (darkwave from Columbus) were touring through Pittsburgh that weekend, and the show was born. … DJ Erica Scary will be holding the tapestry together. The entire evening will be saturated with moody synths and electronic beats. Come dance and swoon, bring friends and lovers, dress up (if you want!), pick up a copy of the remixes on a dual download card (and) drink a ‘Tainted Blood’ cocktail.”
Tickets for the all-ages show, which starts at 8 p.m., are available on ticketmaster.com.
Heiss filled TribLive in on what else we should know about Hemlock for Socrates:
Band: Hemlock for Socrates
Band members: Heather Shore (voice, guitar, production, mixing); Kegan Heiss (voice, bass, production)
Founding story: We first got to know each other playing in a band where the idea was that everyone did something they hadn’t done before. We had a very talented bass player on the drums, Heather was a trained singer, so she played guitar, Kegan wasn’t a trained singer, so he sang. That band didn’t last, but we discovered that we worked really well together, and that we loved challenging ourselves to bend genre, gender and musical expectations. Hemlock for Socrates allows us to explore our roots while focusing on the future. We like to say that we sound like the used section of the sci-fi bookstore.
Origin of band’s name: Hemlock is the poison that Socrates was forced to drink for basically asking too many questions. Are we the hemlock? Socrates was a thorny and tragic figure. He challenged moral and societal assumptions by asking people to consider how we treat each other, but was also an infuriating contrarian who never took anyone’s side, even his wife’s. The name appealed to us because we love drama, irony and dark humor, plus it has a nice rhythm.
For fans of: Deerhoof, The Knife, Blonde Redhead, St. Vincent
Influences: We’re pretty omnivorous: Depeche Mode, Pulp, Blue Oyster Cult, Portishead, Faith No More, The For Carnation, Cranes, Tindersticks, Sinéad O’Connor, Massive Attack, Crown Hate Ruin, Einsturzende Neubauten, Billie Eilish, Black Pink, Santigold
Releases: Their newest single, “You’re Not Here,” dropped in August 2024. In a collaboration releasing Feb. 14, Hemlock for Socrates remixed a Take Me With You song, “Chameleon — Never Be A Girl Again Mix,” and Take Me With You did Hemlock for Socrates’ “You’re Not Here — Hands On Your Skin Mix.” A new EP is on the way for summer of 2025.
Next shows: Besides the Dark Valentine show, Hemlock for Socrates will open for Twice Dark on March 23 at The Government Center.
How to find them: Hemlock for Socrates can be found on Bandcamp, Instagram and Bluesky.
Three other Pittsburgh bands to check out: Her Suit, Normal Creatures and Millie Dread
Favorite pizza shop: We would have said Black Lotus Pizza but they closed, sadly! Badamo’s.