deathrat issue 8
DESCRIPTION
A new and exciting issue of DeathRat!TRANSCRIPT
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 [email protected].
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.
Advertising Page
Your Ad Here For As
Low As $7 Per Year
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 Continued…….
Weird Avenue Art Weird Avenue Art is the fantastic world inside the mind of one of Washington’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-and-
deathrock-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 wouldn’t be a surprise…but 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 you’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 isn’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.