California-based indie glam rock band, The Scarlet Opera, embarked on their Catch Me If You Can tour, dazzling fans with their theatrical performance across eleven cities in North America. Comprised of members Luka Bazulka (vocals), Justin Siegal (drums), Colin Kenrick (keyboard), Daniel Zuker (bass), and Chance Taylor (guitar), the band formally known as Perta renamed themselves in 2022, inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
They’ve been unstoppable since then, hitting major musical milestones such as appearing on The Late Late Show with James Corden and being nominated for “Breakthrough Music Artist” at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards. In the last few months, they’ve released multiple singles, made festival appearances, and then in May set out to leave their mark on the indie-rock world with their headlining tour. Earlier this month Melodic Magazine had an opportunity to chat with The Scarlet Opera about their creative process, tour preparations, and the stories behind their new music.
Check out the exclusive interview and photos here!
Through their unique fusion of Broadway flair and glam rock music, The Scarlet Opera is forging their own path in the indie music scene and turning heads along the way. Coincidentally, their last show of the tour brought them to Washington D.C. during one of the biggest Pride celebrations of the month, the Capital Pride Festival and Concert on WorldPride Weekend, delivering a timely finale at Songbyrd Music House on the highly celebrated weekend in downtown D.C.
Rising pop star Hayes Warner kicked off the night with her super energetic set, hyping up the Songbyrd crowd with electrifying tracks like “Dead To Me,” “Breadcrumbs,” and “Social Cues”. The singer-songwriter hails from New York, bringing her big-city energy and no-nonsense attitude to D.C., and throughout her performance, Hayes’ charming and animated personality absolutely shined on the intimate stage. During her set she included a cover of the popular Bruno Mars song, “Locked Out of Heaven”, and closed out with “Just a Girl” (ft. Billy B x Kevin Rudolf) – which has been blessed by Gwen Stefani via social media. The crowd went wild screaming out the nostalgic lyrics along with her in a passionate conclusion to her set.
The room vibrated with energy as patrons refreshed their drinks and mingled in anticipation of the main act. Suddenly the lights dimmed signifying the beginning of the performance and each member of The Scarlet Opera was welcomed to the stage with rounds of cheers and applause. Front man Luka appeared last in a dramatic flurry of movement, launching into the first song of the night – the tour’s namesake, “Catch Me If You Can.”
With their mesmerizing stage presence, they performed a dynamic set list that included tracks such as the recently released single, “Someone’s Gotta Love Em,” 2002 single “The Place To Be,” and “Big City Thing” from 2023. Peppered throughout their performance were a few unreleased tracks, like “Slutty” and “Can’t Stop Falling,” as well as a few well-known covers, including a beautiful rendition of Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is A Place On Earth.” The dedicated crowd sang along to the lyrics of every song – impressively knowing the words to even the unreleased tracks – and danced the night away alongside the theatrical stage antics of the band.
After a short intermission, The Scarlet Opera returned to the stage for an encore, inviting fans to sing the popular 2023 track, “Riot.” Luka conducted the audience, and with each round of the chorus, their volume amplified, culminating in a euphoric finale through the powerful lyrics.
With their distinct flair and glam rock sound, The Scarlet Opera delivered an unforgettable performance and remains a must-see band to keep an eye on this year. Even though the tour has ended, their ever-growing fan base can definitely expect more soon as they have announced new music will be released in the near future.
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