Cinematic rock band Starset took to Fulton 55’s stage on Jan. 29 and performed a high-energy sci-fi rock demonstration.

The Ohio-based band comes with its own sci-fi backstory. It exists to push “The Message” of The Starset Society, an organization aiming to bring awareness to the impacts emerging technologies will have on our future. The society is currently focusing on the brain, the body, automation and space.

Starset, which calls its performances “demonstrations” make The Starset Society a focal part of its hour-long live show.

The band comes out in space suits — helmets included — while frontman Dustin Bates is dressed in more everyday attire that includes black jeans and a black jacket, which he takes off later in the show to reveal a white button-up and bowtie.  

Onstage Bates uses what appears to be a transparent touch-screen computer to adjust the sound of a separate microphone he also uses. Along with the band’s use of stage lighting and videos playing on screens behind it, the overall staging of Starset’s performance adds to the futuristic sci-fi vibes and the cinematic sound and experience.

Visuals aside, Bates impressed the large crowd at Fulton 55 with his vocal range and though he didn’t converse with the crowd, he made up for that through interacting with the audience in different ways such as running across the stage, jumping up on platforms and encouraging the crowd to sing along.

Another aspect that gathered cheers from the crowd were the few times they could actually hear the cello player. Starset has a cello player during their demonstrations and makes everything feel epic and intense.  

Starset made its demonstration immersive and huge on Fulton 55’s fairly small stage. If the band can make such a production work extremely well and run smoothly on a small stage, one can only imagine what it can do with a much larger space.  

Starset will be staging demonstrations throughout February and begins a festival run in April.