Letter from the Editor
Hello my darlings! So I have endeavoured to make this an issue worth paying for! I do hope you enjoy. We have music and art reviews, interviews, short story, and features on various different things to give you an enjoyable read.
I hope that in this New Year I can make this something truly valuable to you all and please never forget that your input is always welcome.
Don’t forget that you can always order paper copies, advertise for a whole year at great prices, read back issues for free, and if you would like your work to be reviewed, you are welcome to send it to TheBatGirl@live.co.uk.
Rats and Kisses! Hannah
Contents
Band Reviews
Page 2
The Hungry Gorge
Page 5
Weird Avenue Art
Page 8
DeathRock DVD
Page 9
Interview with Alethea Carr Page 10 Interview with Simon York
Page 15
Linea Aspera With an upcoming EP, Linea Aspera have made a great start in making their mark on the Goth music industry. Vocalist Alison Lewis brings haunting melodies to the electro-goth sounds of this new act. Already booking gigs, their music is bound to be played in underground goth clubs worldwide. Lyrically, “Preservation Bias” grasps your attention in a way that few acts manage to do. I have absolute faith that Linea Aspera will be seen and heard soon, wherever you may be.
Covered Faces From the man who brought us Txarly Usher (reviewed in an earlier issue) we have Covered Faces, an electronica project with a post-punk twist. If you’re like me, and you admire excellent programming and combination genres, you will love the sounds of this project. Each track on the debut, 5 song album has its own uniquely bizarre blend of computer modified sounds with just enough melody to reign in the Gothic listener. Vocals from Madame B and Jessica White round off a beautifully creative album. Available through Zorch Factory Records, this is one download you will not regret making.
The Ex-Tracts If The Scary Bitches has babies with Specimen, Samuel Demon would be the product. Synthpunk’s new face has begun a project called “The Ex-Tracts” which features post-punk programming and spoken melodies that are strongly reminiscent of the early Goth scene. Percussion on tracks such as “Love is in the Air” and “In the Midnight Hour” define the sound of this solo artist. Samuel’s voice is ideal for the genre, as is the lo-fi recording. Synth tracks that make your mouth water are added to complete masterful pieces that take your mind to a totally new place that Samuel has created where walls are white, the sky is black and colour has no meaning.
Luxury Stranger One of the UK’s biggest Goth bands, Luxury Stranger, is no stranger to big acts, large crowds, or sold out venues. Having supported Gary Numen to March Violets to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Simon Jorvik has taken his band to places that most post-punk acts only dream of. Reminiscent of bands from Ausgang to A-ha, there is a light among the Gothic spirit of their music. What I love about these guys is that they are true to the original spirit of the post-punk genre without feeling the need to section themselves into the Joy Division rut that many get stuck in. Luxury Stranger has an inherent ability to be unique every bit as well as they fit the label. The acoustics of “Don’t Go” are evidence of this ability and would make a great addition to the soundtrack of a modern gothic film.
Cocktail Party My definition for this band would be “pure, non-boring deathrock”. There is nothing better in this world than innovation of things already loved and Cocktail Party brings this concept to life. There is something intrinsically ‘old school’ about these guys and while some may hear that less-than-perfect recording quality as, well, less than perfect, I actually find it adds to the atmosphere created by these guys. Cocktail Party is definitely worth checking out and I highly recommend you find them on facebook and give them a like for their hard work and beautiful sound.
SINthetik Messiah Industrial rarely manages to find beauty among the programming, but Bug Gigabyte of SINthetik Messiah achieves this perfectly. Undeniably interesting and intriguingly unique, the occasionally slow rhythmic drums and the rarity of the vocals make for a distinct sound that one can hardly deny they want to hear more of. The expert programming of SINthetik Messiah deserves to be heard by many and with the gigs he has done, this industrial dubstep act is sure to find its way to a Goth club near you.
Drunken C- Whisper Album The album ‘Whisper’ from Drunken C is a beautiful follow up to ‘Dreamville’. The many talents of this lady have clearly evolved to a harder post-punk while still keeping with the melody that got me so interested in the first place. Like the soundtrack to an indie-French film, ‘Whisper’ takes us on a journey where each song is an adventure. If you aren’t as much of a visual person as I am, you should check out the music video for ‘Lick my Lips’ which will hand you your ticket to join the rest of us on this route to some mystery ending. I am genuinely falling in love with this album the more I listen to it and, as much as I loved ‘Dreamville’, I hope it is ‘Whisper’ that we get to hear more of. Don’t even get my started on my love of the cover photo. Her artistry never ceases.
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The Hungry Gorge (Continued) 29th of December This evening, Victoria woke me from my room and the first thing I noticed (apart from her eyes which always come first) was the long black gown with green pieces of fabric throughout it, lace running across and down and diagonal and everywhere, covering her arms. She looked like a dream. When I left my room, led by her hand, she gave me a glass of blood and brought me to the library. We sat and read and talked. And finally, she looked into my eyes. We stared for a moment. Her head moved closer, as did mine, and they tilted together and our lips touched. We held a long kiss, I being very careful of my teeth; her lips were a cloud. I wanted to take her and hold her and kiss her, but had to restrain myself. I was hungry, very hungry. I had finished my cup of blood and needed more. The kiss lasted only seconds before I pulled away, tempted by her magnificent beauty and the scent of blood rushing through her veins. It was a moment so strange and terrible and wonderful I can hardly confess that it happened. >~< 4th of January 1884 Victoria has to leave for a while. She must live with her aunt in England until she is married. This means I must remain here alone. We wept for hours, holding one another. We have kissed every day now, just for a moment, too brief for either of us to accept. But she is a young lady, I am a monster. She looked into my eyes for a moment as I held her there. Fresh tears stained her cheeks and the river continued to flow down her face. She held my cheek in the palm of her hand and whispered a soft "I love you". I choked out the echoed words in reply. She leaned her head back into my chest and soaked my shirt through. Our lips met again, not so briefly this time. And I wasn't so very hungry for blood anymore.
>~< 11th of January She's leaving tomorrow and neither of us knows what is to come. She quickly stood from the couch and ran to the wall on her left filled with books. My sweet Victoria fiercely grabbed at three of them in a mad rush. She ran to the opposite side of the room and frantically searched through the 'T' section for any authors there. She paused for a moment and I wondered, would she even be allowed to read? Or would she be too busy being forced to go to tea parties instead? Victoria moved the ladder to the 'B' section and climbed upward one handed, searching for as many volumes of Blake's calming poetry as she could find. She stroked a book containing his complete works and hopped back down to the floor. She threw all the books into a pile and took my hand and led me to stand, giving me a quick but desperate kiss...in case we never see each other again. Victoria left me standing there as she took off prancing about the room, nervously lifting novels and encyclopedias and volumes of information off the shelves, dusting them with the sleeves of her gown. She bent to the ground and pulled out more. Suddenly she was gone from the room. I heard her shoot upstairs rapidly and she returned with her carpet bag, clambering into the room. She frantically threw her books in. "What if I don't have enough to last me? What if I can't get anymore or they say ladies shouldn't read?" she asked me, mirroring my fears. I placed my hand on her shoulder and she stepped forward to give me a simple kiss on the forehead, then she walked back slowly toward the books. "What if?" she asked again.
Her nerves had intensified.
She began to tear books off the shelves and throw them. I could see in her anger she felt it was better for them not to exist than to experience them just to be forced to live a life without
them.
Again I wondered, what if she had to?
She stopped throwing them and slowly, one by one, picked them up and put them back. She came and sat beside me and we kissed for what seemed a very long time, but it is never long enough. >~< 12th of January Victoria left today. We shared her last hours in the library. We wept again and kissed, more then than before, knowing our time was short. I shall miss those lips of hers. They have brought me such love, something no one else has done. And the temptation of blood-lust has faded drastically. I hear them at night, when I sneak around. Those men who wish for my death. They worry I might kill their wives and children. Those they love so dearly. They do not realise I fear them more than they fear me. They are always searching. Earlier I found myself remembering every moment with her. In the library, especially. I think about when she would pour me blood so we could kiss without fear. I looked at the cup in my hands. The chalice would be my only company now. Since my love has gone, my focus would be on survival. In a daze, I thought about who made the chalice. Did he know that one day his commission to make a family heirloom would be the salvation to my starving nature? Snapping out of my captivation, I set it on the marble table where the golden base reflected the stone patterns.
To Be Continuedâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;Ś.
Weird Avenue Art Weird Avenue Art is the fantastic world inside the mind of one of Washingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s darkest artists. What I wanted was to simply give you all a taste by featuring his art in this issue. Rarely using colour, the dark pencil strokes depict images reminiscent of caricature Max Fleischer and vintage dark-Disney. Weird Avenue Art is sold at low prices and can be easily accessed on facebook. What you see here is only a fraction of what can be found so check it out and buy some art!
DeathRock DVD
For those of you like myself, living in small-town, suburban America where minds are narrow and clothes are nothing but a necessity, you have to find ways of feeling a part of the scene. While I was previously living in a place I could dress and be and be with whatever whomever and wherever I wanted, that is simply not the case is Richland, Washington. So when I miss going to clubs and gigs surrounded by people in black leather and PVC with deathhawks and no eyebrows, I watch “This is Drop Dead”, a documentary by Jessica Gallant about the Drop Dead Festival. With interviews from some of the leading DeathRock bands in the scene, “This is Drop Dead” reminds me of what I am proud to be a part of, even if I can’t be actively involved with other people. Contact her on facebook to get a copy!
Alethea Carr of the Age of Decay Festival
What inspired you to start the Age of Decay Festival? The Age of Decay festival was really Kris Prudhomme’s idea. He sent out a general sort of ‘who would be interested in seeing this happen?’ message, and I and a few others really pounced on it. There’s a lot of discontent with the way the goth scene has strayed from its musical roots and this is the perfect way to give goths the music they love in a live setting, while highlighting new bands who play solid goth and deathrock songs (and there are an incredible number of bands across the world doing this!).
How long has it been between dreaming of this and actually seeing it happen? Things have moved extremely fast, just a few months since Kris put out the call, and I think it’s because the people involved are so motivated – not just the organizers and bands, but the public too, who have been enthusiastic about spreading the word and supporting the festival.
How has the public responded and what numbers can we predict? The venue we’ve reserved, Brewster’s Pit, will be able to accommodate around 250 people, and at this point I wouldn’t surprised to see the event sell out! The public have been so keen to get involved and so excited that I am continually blown away by their generosity and passion. Many have used their own time telling friends, linking to our official site, facebook page, and kickstarter page, and by volunteering to pass out flyers when the event draws nearer. Others have offered their talents - our photographer, Anthony Tornatore , is a volunteer who simply said ‘I can help this way!’ And we have two artisans who are donating items to a raffle: a commemorative Age of Decay etched Pilsner glass by Eric Zay of Memento Mori Glasswears and a handcrafted Age of Decay quilt made by
Bunny Drueke, who describes herself as a “proud mother of a goth”. A portion of the proceeds from the raffle are promised to the S.O.P.H.I.E. Foundation (www.sophielancasterfoundation.com), as their work touches each of us - goths, mothers of goths, friends of goths, and hopefully all of society, eventually - in a fundamental way. Many other people have donated to our kickstarter fundraiser in amounts from $1 to $500, and each donation makes us so grateful. One of my favourite notes was from a woman who said, “I’m broke, but I’ll spread the word”, then dug in her couch cushions or in her car and came back and said, “I have a dollar. And it’s yours.” What incredible passion. What a feeling of support!
How was the experience of putting the festival on Kickstarter? Was it difficult to find support? We were a little nervous about kickstarter at first. They have notoriously high standards for the projects they back, only giving the nod to proposals they believe will benefit art for art’s sake, and we were hoping they’d see the value in ours. They surprised us by immediately approving Age of Decay, and we met our initial goal before the deadline, thanks to 17 backers who came from all over the world. We got a few notes afterward from people who expressed a hope we’d set up another kickstarter fundraiser, as they hadn’t gotten to contribute to the first one. Kickstarter readily agreed (they even suggest as a matter of planning that projects do two or more fundraisers as a way to make it more manageable), and that new page is up and going right now (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1425698659/age-of-decay-goth-anddeathrock-festival). An added benefit to this is that the more money we can raise before the event, the better we can make ticket prices and the more we can offer to everyone who attends.
Why Jacksonville? Our first goal was to find a place within the US to hold an event like this. There are brilliant festivals, like Whitby Gothic Weekend for example, going on in other places around the world; but there are not so many annual events in the States as there once were. Florida’s weather and tourist infrastructure made it a natural candidate, and Jacksonville itself was chosen for its support of arts and music festivals of all kinds. We knew Age of Decay would be a welcome addition to the city.
When will tickets be on sale? Tickets will go on sale near the end of winter, after everyone’s had a chance to recover from the holidays and the craziness that is the postal system during that time. We’ll make announcements about the specific sale dates and price in the next couple of months.
How many bands are booked? Will any be added to the bill? We’ve booked 8 bands, all fantastic within the goth, post punk, and deathrock genres, and we may be adding one more headliner to the mix – can’t spill any secrets just yet!
Ex-Voto http://www.pooralicemusic.com/id1.html
Lestat http://www.lestatmusic.com/
The Drowning Season http://www.reverbnation.com/thedrowningseason
Strap On Halo http://straponhalo.com/
Entertainment http://www.entertainme-nt.com/ Sapphire Rebellion http://www.sapphirerebellion.com/
Ending the Vicious Cycle http://www.reverbnation.com/endingtheviciouscycle
Asylum XIII http://www.facebook.com/asylumxiiiofficial
Will there be any surprise guests? Well, if I told you that, it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a surpriseâ&#x20AC;Śbut I am keeping my fingers crossed for one special person who has to travel quite a long way.
Do you think America is finally ready to experience a DeathRock revival? Without a doubt. Just scratch the surface and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find dozens of new websites, forums, online and real-life groups, club nights, bands, and even fanzines, all actively bringing together fans of deathrock. The revival isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t limited to deathrock, either, but energetically champions goth rock and post punk as well. People have had their fill of sitting in their local clubs and complaining about the influx of ebm, metal, techno, and dubstep; they are doing something about it. Apathy is no longer synonymous with goth, haha.
Interview with Simon York from Luxury Stranger (December 2011)
Can you tell us a bit about how you started Luxury Stranger? Well at the time I'd recently come out of a period of studying and decided it was time to get another band together. I'm a musician, it's what I do... Obviously there has to be a start to everything and I found it best to produce a body of work to help in the recruitment process. I wrote and recorded over 60 songs in a two month period in 2007, out of which I selected 10 tracks which I felt would be a strong direction to start from. These tracks became Luxury Stranger's debut album Desolation. After loading material up on Myspace, I started getting a band together.
After one 'tryout' line-up, a committed live band came together and we started booking shows and just went out there to do our own thing. There have been several line-up changes due to other responsibilities/commitments and fall outs but now we're at a point (touch wood) where I think we're settled. Bass player Chris Tuke has been a key element in Luxury Stranger for over a year now and we recently recruited drummer Tim Smith who has settled in very nicely and is coming out with some fantastic creative suggestions.
What was the process like to find your sound? I established the first step on the path so to speak but everybody who has been in the band since then has helped to develop the sound into what it is becoming at this moment ready for our third album. I think other music we're listening to is obviously helping us develop too - allowing us to see where and where not to go... at the end of the day we haven't thought "we want to sound like this band". Other acts/artists have and will influence us but sometimes it's been subliminal -
for example when someone told me in early 2008 that we sounded like the Chameleons, I was actually (possibly to my embarrassment) blissfully unaware of the band.
Who are some of Luxury Stranger’s biggest influences? This is a list that's always changing and growing... and we're not just influenced by music - other influences include literature, art, film and I suppose the everyday and how it is perceived. If I had to narrow it down to a few bands/artists though I'd probably guess at the following: David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Echo and the Bunnymen, Genesis, Bauhaus, Adam and the Ants.
It's interesting how many bands we do get accused of being influenced by - eg early Manic Street Preachers or early the Cure... sure these are band we've listened to, possibly even big fans of, but the intention of influence here is coincidence. I guess the whole influences label makes it easy for people to understand a band but if I was to say I'm more influenced by Erasure than the Cure, this doesn't mean we're a pop electro band, it just means that I acknowledge that Andy Bell is a better and more skilled example of a singer than Robert Smith. What was your first gig? Luxury Stranger's first gig was on 5th September 2008... it was at the now slaughtered Junktion Seven venue in Nottingham. It was a fun show to play and certainly was the first step for us as a band in showing that there's something happening. Going by things said to me by the other band members at the time, we woke a few people up and possibly upset the other bands… not the intention in my opinion but hey, everyone’s allowed an opinion.
How has it been playing with such major acts like Gary Numan and The March Violets? It's been brilliant! Playing with larger artists is a test of sorts mixed with an idea of a prize. These are bands/artists who were about 'back in the day' when the style of music we do was in its early days - pioneers if you will - and they've survived. Longevity - that's something I would dare say that most bands from the last 15 years do not have. It's the classic 'fame' versus 'success' discussion... For example you can be famous but not making any money, like Bowie - he didn't make any money that he could call his own until he released Let's Dance and then you've got Billy Bragg who’s always made a living from his music and has gained only a small fraction of 'fame' while moving in and out of the music business and public eye over the last, what 30 odd years? It was interesting when I once met Billy Bragg while I was recording in London how honourable he comes across - like he's properly worked his balls off and kept his head up despite whatever issues have worked against him. I've played with larger artists while I was working in other bands in the past, so to have to have this occur with Luxury Stranger too is a great personal feeling. I think our first taster of playing with larger artists was when Luxury Stranger supported Lol Tolhurst's (the Cure) band Levinhurst in Holland and Germany. From there we’ve played with Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and then it was a tour in Europe with the Chameleons (now Chameleons Vox) who were brilliant to work with - in fact we've become good friends with some of the band members. We’ve also played with the Damned, O Children, Noah and the Wale, the Futureheads, the Subways, the Mystery Jets, No More and Psyche. Hopefully this will be the sort of thing that will continue for us… and I hope that, all being well, we’ll be one of those bands for a younger band in the future.
What have been some festivals and venues you have played at? We've played festivals which cater for various genres - Y Not festival, Whitby Gothic Weekend, Out of the Box festival, Dark Waters, Wave Gotik Treffen, DV8. I like festivals; they're like a celebration to some extent. They also take a lot of pressure off the artist - ie they're not alone (unless of course they feel they're there to prove something, but at the end of the day - it's not a competition). Venue wise - so many... Three of my favourites though are the Classic Grand in Glasgow, the Old Angel in Nottingham and the Barbican in York.
How has the audience reacted during your sets? It's been very positive. They feed off the energy and we feed off that in response. There's certainly a reaction/action loop going on there. It's so encouraging when we see how much people care. We get the "that was a great set" or "you played really well" comments like most other bands but it goes further than that - people actually give a damn. There are on-going conversations weeks after a particular show and feelings of a friendship of sorts being built. It's like someone in the audience has fully understood and related to something I've sung about and there's that look of "I know what you're going through" and that's it - the bond. When someone can truly bond with what a band/artist plays or sings about then you're half way there. Okay, a lot of bands will sing a love song and it's like "oh that's so sweet" but true deep emotional turmoil can probably outlive love. Love is a chameleon, it changes with the seasons. Pain is there or not there - it's honest.
How was the process of making the music video? It was good fun - early mornings were not on my like list though. It's funny how much time goes into making a film properly and then when it's all edited and graded etc you've got a tiny pocket of three minutes or so reflecting a visual
interpretation of your song. I'm looking forward to doing the next one for our next non-album single Nothing Holy. What have you got coming up in the near future? Well we're currently in a writing/recording period as Luxury Stranger. We're pencilled in for recording the Nothing Holy single and it’s b-side in mid-January, and then we're going to continue with developing material and the sound for our third album. We're playing a couple of 'warm up' shows where I'm hoping we'll be trying out some of the new songs to see how they sound live... and then all being well, we're going to be playing a series of tours in the UK and Europe. For these tours, I’m starting to develop ideas for the stage show… gigs need to be events again rather than a sloppy piss up with a band in the corner telling bad jokes and playing the same cabaret style songs.
Meanwhile Chris has been playing some solo shows as Berlin Black with his band the Shades of Grey. Tim's been doing some recording for some bands in the Nottingham area... and I'm sorting the final steps toward the start of releasing about several solo EPs as Simon York.
Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers? Keep reading, keep listening and keep supporting. Thank you very much.