Vaudeville in the Void: The Requiem at The Whisky

Vaudeville in the Void: The Requiem at The Whisky

Backstage at the Whisky a Go‑Go, Damien Douleur is calm, loose, and unmistakably in his element. The Requiem have only been Los Angeles residents for a short time, but they’ve already carved out a presence — building community at The Slipper Clutch, reconnecting with their South Florida roots, and pushing their sound into stranger, more theatrical territory.

Tonight’s show is another step in that evolution. Between the history on the walls, the friends drifting in and out of the green room, and the anticipation of what’s coming next, Damien talks about LA life, the band’s growing scene, and the wildly ambitious new record that promises to reshape everything fans think they know about The Requiem.

We’re here with Damien of The Requiem. First of all, you’ve relocated — you’re officially living in Los Angeles now. What do you think of LA and the music scene out here?
I love Los Angeles. For what we’re doing, it’s way better than where we were before. A lot of our friends have moved out here recently too, so it’s been a really cool way to reconnect with people who’ve inspired us for years.

Where we live now, some of our homies from South Florida ended up moving into the house next door — and another moved into the house behind us. So it’s basically a South Florida compound in East LA.

I love it. The shows out here are great, the venues are sick, and they really respect the culture. And the fanbase? Way cooler. People genuinely care about the music.

You’re playing the world‑famous Whisky a Go‑Go tonight. What are you looking forward to the most?
Honestly, just having fun. I’ve heard about this place my whole life. After moving here, I saw so many people play it that it kind of lost its mysticism for me.

But being here tonight — looking at the posters, seeing the history — it brought that feeling back. It’s sick. I’m excited to have fun, see a lot of friends, and party after.

You guys have really helped create a scene over at The Slipper Clutch. Tell me about those shows and how that all began.
That’s mostly Salem with his Goth Night events. It all started back in South Florida — he used to throw those all the time. So when we moved out here, it was natural for him to start doing them in LA and use them to promote our music and his other projects.

Eventually we thought it’d be cool to combine a Requiem set with Goth Night, and it’s been sick. We’ve thrown a bunch of our own shows there, and some people from LA have been to every single one.

What can you tell us about the new record?
It’s very theatrical. The last record had a little bit of everything we were influenced by, but this one is way more concise and consistent — almost a vaudeville vibe. Very theatrical, very wacky, but also using instrumentation a lot of bands don’t touch anymore.

There are tons of violins, pianos — there’s even a song with trumpets. Coming from our last record, it’s going to sound weird with all these new additions, but I’m so happy about it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever made, and Salem feels the same.

More than anything, I’m excited to see how people react. It’s so different from what people expect us to put out. It’s us not caring at all about expectations — just being as artistic, creative, and stupid with it as we could get.

Are you playing any of the new songs tonight?
No, not tonight. We’re saving those for the October 17th show.

Who produced the album, and what was it like working with them?
Austin Coupe — the man, the myth, the legend. Greatest engineer, producer, and writer I’ve ever worked with. He’s also originally from Florida.

He used to be in a band I idolized as a kid — Adaliah. They were the coolest metalcore band from South Florida. Working with Austin was a longtime dream for me and for Salem too. A bunch of Salem’s friends had worked with him in the past.

Austin moved out here a couple years before we did and was already doing so much cool shit. We’d wanted this to happen for so long, and finally the timing was right. He hooked it up, understood exactly what we wanted to do, and helped us make it happen.

We mostly talked a lot of shit during the sessions — just having fun, talking music — and the songs came naturally. He took every crazy idea we had, thought ten steps ahead, and made it real. The album wouldn’t exist without his influence.

Having a producer be such an important part of the writing process is huge for me. I don’t think I ever want to make a record any other way.

Adaliah — were they on MediaScare Records? I’m pretty sure I interviewed them back in the day.
Maybe. I’m not sure what label they were on, but they were so cool. They had two vocalists, which at the time I’d only seen from older bands in the scene. Two screaming vocalists blew my mind.

I was lucky enough to see one of their last shows — insane show. They were one of the few bands doing something really diverse within Florida metalcore.

The coolest thing I ever saw them do was a Linkin Park cover set. Their vocalist had this voice that, when I first saw the video, I thought sounded even cooler than Chester Bennington. His scream was so strong. To this day, he might be the best vocalist from South Florida — one of the best screaming vocalists, period.

Is Nick from Games We Play your official drummer now?
Not technically, no. Since we lost our original drummer, Alex stepped in and became a cemented part of the band. But after moving out here, we can’t always rely on everyone flying in for shows.

Nick has been cool enough to fill in, and now we’re at a point where if we tour, maybe we’ll use one drummer, and for LA shows we’ll use another. It’s up to them too.

We’re lucky — Alex is a beast, Nick is a beast, and they’re both homies from South Florida. It’s crazy.

Last question — do you have any messages for The Requiem fans reading this now?
Share the next thing that comes out. Show everyone — your grandma, your pets, your homies at school.

I want people to get into it the way I got into things as a kid. Modern fans don’t ride for bands the way older fans used to. Back in the day, your fans were your biggest promoters. The whole MySpace era felt like every band had an army — not just the big ones.

If we can bring that energy back, that’d be super sick.

In Conclusion

As The Requiem take the stage at the Whisky, it’s clear Damien’s excitement isn’t just pre‑show adrenaline — it’s the spark of a band entering a new era. Their upcoming record, stitched together with violins, pianos, trumpets, and pure theatrical chaos, marks a fearless leap into the unexpected.

Whether you’ve followed them since the South Florida days or discovered them in the neon haze of LA, Damien’s message is simple: share the music, build the army, and bring back the kind of devotion that once defined entire scenes. If tonight is any indication, The Requiem are more than ready to lead that charge.

(Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)

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