Two silent men with machetes stood guard as Prayers opened for Kat Von D at Liseberg in June 2025. Led by Rafael Reyes, the cholo goth project combined ominous stage imagery, dark synth-driven music and unapologetic intensity, leaving a lasting impression on the Gothenburg audience.
Concert Review: Prayers at Liseberg, Gothenburg – 28 June 2025
Few contemporary artists occupy a space quite as peculiar and uncompromising as Prayers. The project, currently a solo venture led by Rafael Reyes (also known under aliases such as Leafar Seyer and Nite Ritual), has long stood apart from conventional genre boundaries. Reyes is widely credited with coining the term “cholo goth”, a hybrid subculture and musical style that fuses gothic aesthetics with Chicano street culture, darkwave electronics, synth-pop, post-punk, and elements of hip-hop and industrial music.
Originally formed in San Diego in 2013 as a duo with producer Dave Parley, Prayers quickly gained attention for its stark visual language, bilingual lyrics in English and Spanish, and an unapologetically confrontational attitude. While Parley later departed the project, Reyes has continued under the Prayers name, shaping it into a deeply personal and often provocative artistic outlet. Over the years, Prayers has collaborated with artists such as Travis Barker (Blink-182) and Kat Von D, bringing additional rock and synth elements to Reyes’ already distinctive cholo-goth sound.
On the evening of 28 June 2025, Prayers took the stage at Liseberg in Gothenburg as the opening act for Kat Von D, in what would prove to be far more than a conventional warm-up set.
A Menacing First Impression
Before a single note was played, the audience was confronted with a striking and unsettling tableau: two heavily built, tattooed men in bomber jackets and fingerless gloves, each wielding large machetes. Positioned on opposite sides of the stage, their expressionless, deadpan faces radiated an ominous presence.
For a brief moment, it was genuinely unclear whether this was part of the show or some kind of hostile takeover of the stage. The initial assumption was that this would lead into some sort of knife-juggling interlude or theatrical intro. Alternatively, there was the uneasy thought that someone might leave the concert missing an eye or a limb. These were not props that looked remotely harmless.
What actually followed was, in its own way, even stranger. The two men remained on stage for the entire duration of Prayers’ set, silently cycling through a rigid choreography. At times they held the machetes crossed in front of their faces, at others they let them hang at their sides. The movements appeared meticulously rehearsed and synchronised with the setlist, yet their symbolic connection to the music remained unclear.
Regardless, the effect was deeply unsettling. The knives introduced a constant sense of danger that lingered throughout the performance, making one quietly wonder whether everyone would, in fact, make it home in one piece.
Music as Confrontational as the Imagery
The music itself was no less unconventional. Prayers’ sound live was a dark, pulsating blend of synth-driven beats, gothic atmospheres, and rap-inflected vocals, delivered partly in Spanish. It was abrasive, hypnotic, and deliberately uncomfortable at times, very much in line with the visual tension created on stage.
In stark contrast to the stoic knife-wielding figures stood Rafael Reyes himself. Alone on stage, armed primarily with a microphone and a synthesiser, Reyes was intensely expressive and emotionally exposed. Clad in dark clothing and hiding behind oversized Wayfarer-style sunglasses, he nonetheless commanded attention through sheer physicality.
With no live band accompanying him, much of the music was pre-recorded, though Reyes occasionally hammered out some chords on the synth. He swung the microphone stand, dropped to his knees, and hurled himself back and forth between mic and keyboard. At one particularly visceral moment, he spat forcefully and unwittingly onto the synthesiser, only to place his hands back on it moments later, entirely unfazed.
Profanity and Irony
Reyes is nothing if not outspoken. He addressed the crowd with frank language, at one point noting, with a hint of self-awareness, that he was “censoring himself” due to the number of children present around the amusement park stage.
This self-restraint, however, only went so far. The lyrics, still delivered uncensored, were peppered generously with F-bombs – an irony that added a touch of unintended humour to the moment.
As the set neared its conclusion, Reyes declared his love for Kat Von D, accompanied by video footage of her displayed on the venue’s screens. To an uninformed observer, the gesture might have seemed unexpectedly over the top, suggesting overzealous fandom rather than a fellow artist. In reality, Reyes and Von D have been married since 2018, a fact that recontextualised the display entirely. Given the moniker Prayers, perhaps devotion and worship are never far away. If one must adore someone, one’s spouse seems as good a choice as any.
A Shared Spotlight
Later in the evening, during Kat Von D’s headline performance, Reyes returned to the stage to close the night with a duet on “Black Leather”, mirroring the studio version on which Von D also appears. The collaboration reinforced the sense that these were not two separate performances, but rather two halves of a deliberately intertwined experience.
Both sets were similar in length, blurring the traditional distinction between support act and headliner. The structure felt closer to a split album brought to life, where each artist is granted equal weight, rather than a brief opening slot followed by a dominant main act.
Final Thoughts
Prayers delivered a concert experience that was undeniably unique. Rafael Reyes is fearless in his willingness to stand apart, to provoke, and to wear his emotions openly on stage. For that alone, he deserves recognition. The silent, machete-wielding figures, whose precise purpose remained elusive, pushed the performance further into the realm of an edgy art installation and amplified discomfort as an intentional aesthetic choice.
Whether unsettling, confusing, or compelling, Prayers at Liseberg was anything but forgettable.
Our coverage of Kat Von D’s performance will follow shortly, scheduled for publication later in January 2025. Keep an eye on our social media channels so you do not miss our next update.
This show was shot with
Camera Bodies
- Sony a7 IIIMidrange shots
- Sony a7R IIWideangle, telephoto shots
Camera Lenses
- Tamron 28-75mm f2.8Midrange Zoom
- Tamron 70-180mm f2.8Telephoto Zoom
Concert Photo Gallery
