Psy'Aviah: continuing with albums with guest singers was a natural evolution for me

Psy’Aviah has released a new album, the seventh already: ‘Seven Sorrows, Seven Stars’. It is the second album - after 'The Xenogamous Endeavour' - since the project took a new twist and appealed to guest singers on CDs, and it appears to be a success once more. Soon, the group will also be back on stage. We went to ask out masterbrain Yves Schelpe about what has happened in recent years.

Hi Yves. You just released ‘Seven Sorrows, Seven Stars’, which gets great reviews, just like its predecessor ‘The Xenogamous Endeavour’. Are you satisfied?

Very satisfied, especially because, after ‘The Xenogamous Endeavour’, I was suffering from a writer's block. So I tinkered a lot and searched for what I wanted to do, what I wanted to write. I'm so glad the songs, as well as the choice to work with guest vocalists are appreciated.

‘Seven Sorrows, Seven Stars’, it sounds almost biblical... Can you say something more about the title?

It is twofold, firstly because this is the seventh studio album, and secondly because life is a bit the same, 50/50 good and bad. I also wanted a reference to the inspiration for this album, the film ‘Interstellar’ (especially on the track ‘Alcubierre Drive’). All this is contained in the title of the album.

Now we're at it, the meaning behind 'The Xenogamous Endeavour' intrigues me even more ...

‘The Xenogamous Endeavour’ was the first full album with a new twist for Psy’Aviah. All the songs had a focus on guest singers instead of one permanent singer. The title is a reference to that ‘attempt’ or ‘challenge’ (endeavor). ‘Xenogamous’ itself means cross-fertilization, the cooperation with all sorts of vocalists and crossing different elements from many genres - something that most people already associate with Psy’Aviah.

Previously, Emélie Nicolaï was the regular singer. The inevitable question: what happened that caused the split with Emélie Nicolaï?

Let us briefly say that there was a discrepancy between the bet, or call it motivation, to further expand the Psy’Aviah project. I wanted to try more, experiment and write more songs and demos. I do not blame others if there is not the same interest or input, but ultimately it is simply a logical choice for a project to survive when you find that the input is not balanced.

Was it an obvious choice to move on and rely on guest singers?

It kind of was, as guest singers were already present on every album. It's something I always did and that I like to do, because it's gives you the opportunity to find the perfect match for each song. So continuing with albums with guest singers was a natural evolution for me, and gave me the freedom to also experiment more in the writing of lyrics and vocals. In that sense, the cooperation is virtually the same as before. I write demos, lyrics and vocals - some guests do write their own lyrics and vocals - and send it, as in the period prior to this new concept.

On ‘Seven Sorrows, Seven Stars’, there are a lot of male singers, while only female singers participated on ‘The Xenogamous Endeavour’. Why?

I was used to work with a woman's voice, so on ‘The Xenogamous Endeavour’, I continued in that direction. But for ‘Seven Sorrows, Seven Stars’, I wanted to use male voices, which often can give a totally different character to a song or story. It also fits perfectly into the story of the new album. And, as always, I wanted to try new things... It's a miracle that some fans still can follow.

Psy’Aviah is known for its many elaborated video clips that you make for the songs. This must be a considerable investment of money and time. Why do you attach so much importance to the clips?

The majority of the videos are own productions, so we usually can save on the budget. But it is certainly very time-consuming. I think a video is important because it can give an extra atmosphere to a song, or even an extra dimension to the story of the lyrics. Furthermore, I think it is always much nicer to see a moving image then a static picture on with the music underneath on YouTube... The value of YouTube is to make motion picture, right?

We now count ten Psy’Aviah releases, if we also include EPs and singles. How do you feel when you look back at it?

Really fine. I never expected that I would ever do those things when I started as a 16 year old boy. It doesn’t amount to so much in ‘the grand scheme of things’ - but the feedback from fans on some songs, the personal stories… They are so nice to look back on. Furthermore, I certainly never expected that after I was busted from the music school by my teacher... Never give up, I'd say.

The sound of Psy’Aviah has become less aggressive over the years. Do you mind if I say that Psy’Aviah has evolved from dance to listening music?

I certainly do not mind. It 's not about making loud music, but about telling a story. Some songs need a harder sound; others need a more synth pop and trip-hop feeling. I always try to add a dark atmosphere in there. A song like ‘Frozen’ might not be the hardest track, but it does have an acid bass line. ‘Not What I Expected’ is not the most aggressive track either, but it does have the edgy feeling with lyrics that stand for something. We’ve actually never done an album full of very hard hitting electro, but it's true that we are exploring more genres like trip-hop, synthpop or ambient. However, each album has its harder songs such as ‘Deliverance’, ‘Wild Ride’, ‘Before I Die’, ‘Not What I Expected’ et cetera... So I can definitely find myself in your comment - but I certainly do not mind. It's an evolution, and that is something Psy’Aviah has always stood for: ‘Open-Minded Electronic Music With Heart & Soul’.

You will be playing live again soon, for the first time since you played with Praga Khan in January 2013. Your first appearance new style will be on the next Dark Entries Night, on September 9 in Kinky Star in Ghent. Did you miss the stage?

I certainly missed the stage. After two albums - and in a sense also the ‘Future Past’ EP - I thought it was time to release the new songs live, especially since the last two albums were very well received, both inside and outside the scene. Several people had already asked if we could perform live, but I had to puzzle to see how to do this, since each song was recorded in the studio with another singer. So it was searching for the perfect singer for this.

Was it difficult to find a new live band?

In terms of guitar player I had already a strong man: Ben Van de Cruys. He knows his stuff and gives the songs an extra dimension live. That was not a problem. For the vocals, it was a quest! I encountered many different singers, who were all very good at their thing, but just were not all-round enough. I then gathered my courage and asked Marieke Lightband - known from KOALA, Talent winner of the Low Countries, experienced with numerous appearances at home and abroad - to see if she would want to sing the varied Psy’Aviah genre... and she did! A long search, but quality always comes first, both in the studio and live. Ben knows exactly how to fill things with his guitar work and Marieke has a nice timbre and a vocal range that can handle all the songs I have made in the studio. This means that we give the songs a pretty surprising twist live. The first rehearsals run smoothly, and we are really looking forward to it! See you there!

Psy'Aviah: website / facebook

Dark Entries Night XV met Psy'Aviah en Karl Hefner & Hugh Lagerfeld

Lupi Gladius: We can say that we’re living the “death of Europe” and there is nothing that we can do.

Fabio Vitelli asked me if I was interested to do a review for his latest single by his project Lupi Gladius. We already knew him from his band Hidden Place, but Lupi Gladius makes dark folk music in the style of old Ordo Equilibrio, so it was obvious I was interested! So interested that after hearing those two songs, I felt the urge to give Lupi Gladius a forum to talk about themselves. 

DE: Can you introduce Lupi Gladius to our readers?

LG: Lupi Gladius has born in 2002 in a small town  from the south  of Italy called Pisticci.Our passion and love with some kind music atmospheres together with our love for art,(literaure, history etc.) nature let starts everything.Then there were not so many bands in neofolk scene.It was really a music for few,yes, as now, but not like 14 years ago.Remembering well it was more underground than now and we have from that time really nice memories , from music to our time spent together.

DE: You and Sara are related, brother-sister?

LG: Fabio and Sara are brother-sister.This is an interesting question because many get confused of it ☺

DE: Can I say Lupi Gladius is a sideproject of Hidden Place, or do we have to see both bands as two different entities?

LG:They’re two different projects but they’re just one entity also because we’re the same members,except the male singer.Obviously both projects make different kind of music,one neofolk, another one new wave. We think that in Hidden Place you can notice Lupi Gladius influences as in Lupi Gladius you notice Hidden Place influences although they ‘re two different bands

DE: While Hidden Place is a darkwave/synth based bands, Lupi Gladius chooses the path of dark folk/martial. In which outfit you feel yourself the most comfortable?

LG: We feel comfortable in both outfits. They’re different but at  the end you feel the same approach to music.It happens sometimes,when we finish to write a song we ask ourselves: “Do you think this song is for Lupi Gladius or Hidden Place?”.So we decide with which project fits better that song .As composition is in a way the same outfit, as arrangements is of course different.

DE: You started Lupi Gladius in 2002, but it took ‘til 2013 before the first cd was published, why so long?

LG:Yes, true.In 2003 we stopped with Lupi Gladius til 2013.This because we spent all our time with Hidden Place.We dont why this ,but it has happened.Maybe we could have published more Lupi Gladius albums but we dont know if we would be satisfied for it.We think that it’s not needed to make many albums otherwise you risk to be repetitive and ,in our opinion, unsatisfied except if you are a “pioneer”of scene like Death in June or Current 93 or Sol Invictus, or you are able to make an album different from the previous one giving something new.Making many albums similar  is quite quite annoying.We focus on quality and variety and not on quantity  and repetitveness of songs.At least we try!Thankfully there are also bands that fit with our opinion.

DE: In the past the members of Lupi Gladius did a guest performance on La Mia Piccola Guerra of Egida Aurea, was that because you were already friends, or how this that collaboration took place?

LG: We have been glad to take part of “La Mia Piccola Guerra” as guests and this happened because of beeing friend with Diego Banchero.It has been a nice experience !

DE: On Lucania, Lupi Gladius’ first album, Spreu & Weizen and Waffenruhe did a remix, two fantastic bands in my opinion. Imagine you have carte blanche, which artist(s) would you love to work with?

LG:We would like to work with Death in June (including old members) and, as well ,with David Tibet.We think they’re fathers of our music scene.We would love to have Douglas P or D.Tibet with their vocals ☺

DE: Is De Sideribus the harbinger of a new album, are you working on it, and if so, can you tell us more about it? When will it be released, and is it on a label, or just as the single self-released?

LG:For now there is not album planned but you never know,things can change and we could release it.We’ll see.

DE: We all know Italy had some of the best bands to offer, especially in the dark folk scene, which automatically brings high expectations to listeners when they know a band is from Italy. Do you see that as an encouragement or more as a restriction?

LG:We are happy to hear that italian bands are followed abroad.We think that in Italy there are many interesting bands and ,as italians,we are so glad for it.The thing we like about italian scene is that every band gives something of itself and ,because of it ,bands are different eachother and so good .It’s hard to find here bands doppelganger

DE: When push comes to shove, what are your favourite albums in the dark folk/martial genre?

LG:There are different albums that we love like “Nada”, “But What ends when the symbols shatter?”, “Rose Clouds of holocaust”of Death In June,” Trees in winter”,”Lex Talions of Sol Invictus”,”Thunder perfect Mind”,” Island” of Current 93.We are quite sure we would say more  other albums of bands mentioned.

DE: In dark folk and martial there will always be the endless discussion about politics. I see music and politics and two different matters, but apart from that, what’s your look at Europa of today, and the world in general?

LG:The european situation is sadly bad and in the way how it goes, let us think that it will be always more worse.Yes this our opinion seems so negative but it is like that.

We can say that we’re living the “death of Europe” and there is nothing that we can do.We ‘re hearing just  nice promises and words but we dont see any facts.

DE: Are there plans to perform live with Lupi Gladius, and if so, where and when can we see you guys play?

LG:Like for a new album we will see also if we will perform live.Just need wait for a bit and see how things evolve.

(Dimi Brands)

Lupi Gladius

The Arch: We have no control over our inspiration and the anarchy of our imagination.

The Arch has recently released ‘Fates’, an album that should resonate for a long time. The band is thirty years old and continues to play live and compose new songs. We wondered how a band could keep playing for so long, and went to them with our list of questions.

You now exist for 30 years, and you still have three original members on board. How is it possible that the Arch has endured for so long?

We suppose it's because we're friends. We really like to meet each other, to be together in our rehearsal space. If we don’t make progress on an evening, we still had a cozy and relaxed time together. We have had a number of ex-members who have stopped, but we can still call them friends, all of them.

How did The Arch start 30 years ago?

Several members knew each other, but played in different bands. One evening in 1985, we were together to jam and ‘Revenge Revival’ was the result. Another song from that memorable jam was ‘Gaga à Gogo’, but that number has completely disappeared in the mists of the past. Anyway, ‘Revenge Revival’ was the trigger to move forward together.

Your first EP ‘As Quiet As’ was an instant success. Songs like ‘Revenge Revival’ and especially ‘Babsi ist Tod’ still haunt you. How do you feel when you hear all those references to work that appeared 30 years ago?

The first record is very important for every band. It is the embryo of the future career. For early fans, the impression lingers longer. But there's more. The big advantage of this first record was that our songs were very simple, one guitar and one sequence. After that, we were less easily satisfied. Songs became more complex: an additional sequence here and an extra guitar there…. Before you know it, you are working too hard on a song, actually ruining it. With music, more than anywhere else, 'more is less' is an important motto. Regarding this point, we had a lot of discussion within the band. While working on a release, we need to take distance from the fact that we listen to that song a hundred times, and may be tired of it. We must always consider an issue from the viewpoint of someone who hears it for the first time, for the first listening is the most important.

You have worked with Ludo Camberlin for many years, the man who produced many important Belgian bands besides his own Poësie Noire. Few people remember that, but the early 90s you, The Neon Judgement and him formed the ‘Louvain-rave-on’ scene. The intention was - if I understood it correctly - to grow more to the dance scene. How do you look back at that?

Musically, we have no plan. We jam together and we don’t know in advance what will come out of it. We have no control over our inspiration and the anarchy of our imagination. We are rather the followers of it, or even the slaves. The people who are kind enough to listen to our work, will label in one way or the other, perhaps leaning towards the dance scene. We have no choice but to accept that judgment.

I was struck by something as I scrolled through your discography: ‘In Sofa’ from 1997 is quite hidden away. It is impossible to listen to songs from this CD. Why is that?

‘In Sofa’ was a disaster in the sense that we mandated the mastering to our former record company. But they just laughed at it: no mastering, everything right on CD, so the sound is flat and quiet. We should let those songs be mastered again by Kenny KGB.

Actually, ‘Fates’ was produced by Kenny KGB of Simi Nah. The CD also appeared on Simi Nah’s Why2K label. How did the collaboration come about?

We were looking for someone new to mix us live. CUVG, Pieter and Ivan knew Kenny. And he went on tour with us. He did the mixing so well that we asked him to also mix and master ‘Fates’. He did so with such skills that we can say that his contribution to ‘Fates’ is essential. No ‘Fates’ without Kenny.

‘Fates’ goes further in the direction you turned to with ‘Engine in Void’. You use more variety, more atmospheric songs, trip-hop influences, background vocals by Chiffon's Tale ... Do you feel that you opened a new chapter in the work of the Arch? 

If a band is presenting a new album with thirteen unprecedented numbers, it's always a new step. That will also be the case with the next album, on which we are already working. In addition, if people as Chiffon’s Tale and Kenny KGB come in, you automatically go in unprecedented directions in comparison to the past. A new chapter, as it is called.

You all have a family and a job. Yet I notice that you are playing regularly in all corners of Europe. How do you manage that?

That is a very puzzling: higher mathematics. Peter, Ivan and CUVG are independent and can take their leave when they choose to. Ian has a crazy job as a forester and can also freely choose his leave.

You spend a lot of attention to the lyrics. These cannot be empty talking, as you once declared in an interview. It is noteworthy that Ian Lambert - who takes care of keys and programming - provides a lot of the lyrics, but also some outsiders work for you. How do you set the standard for a text?

We try to put something in it which will make the listeners think, whether or not with a specific reflection on their own lives. We have always enjoyed working with texts by ‘outsiders’, in so far as that term is valid. As long as they have something fascinating or intriguing as message.

You already had songs with German titles - ‘Babsi ist Tod’ and ‘Die rote Kapelle’ - but with ‘Immerzu’, you also have your first song sang in German.

This text is actually a poem written by a girl who is shrouded in mystery: Pia. Only Ivan knows her, the rest of the group would like to meet her sometimes and learn to know her. But she remains conspicuously absent and invisible. Her poem fitted well on a blues jam that we were working on, and so ‘Immerzu’ arose.

You wanted the new album be your masterpiece. At least you said so in an interview from 2013. I think you succeeded. What do you think about it?

It's up to the fans to decide, but we are very satisfied. We have borne thirteen children, who can now live their own lives. We'll see what becomes of them. We now begin creating the following children ...

Pictures: Xavier Marquis (BIMfest 2015)

The Arch: facebook / website

The Arch: Fates

It's actually surprising how long The Arch are already active. They were formed in 1986. Thus, they are now celebrating their 30th anniversary. That deserves something special, and this new ‘Fates’ album is just perfect as a birthday gift.

The perseverance of the group - 30 years is a very respectable age - and songs like ‘Babsi ist Tod’ - the most famous song of a band so often comes from their very first release - and ‘Ribdancer’ - released in the successful decade change of 80s to 90s - have put them on the map. Not only in Belgium, for The Arch plays throughout Europe and is very popular in for instance Spain and Germany.

Although the sound of The Arch has obviously evolved during these 30 years, there is a clear common thread in their music: the combination of danceable beats and harsch guitars. They are not the only group using this combination, but they certainly have a very recognizable style.

The Arch obviously have tried to broaden their sound in recent years. That was certainly the case on predecessor ‘Engine in Void’ and to a lesser extent to the more danceable ‘Beating The balance’ EP. ‘Fates’ is it just the superlative of the efforts to do so.

Opener ‘Lady Gasoline’ is quite poppy and could even be played on commercial radio, though I have realistic expectations about the prospects in this respect. ‘Robot Sapiens’ should directly appeal to your dance muscles. The title track combines industrial rhythms with melodic guitars, while ‘Spear of Destiny’ may well appeal to the goth rockers. It goes without saying that the lyrics are full of literary and historical references. Ronny Moorings sings on ‘Monsters & I’, and it should not come as a surprise that Clan of Xymox lures behind the corner here.

The second half of the disc is more experimental. The rhythm slows down on ‘Immerzu’, a ballad in ¾ sung in German. ‘One By One’ sounds nothing like The Arch with its bluesy rock, but ‘Brain Duck’ somehow restores the classical sound. ‘Empty Garden’ sounds like an atmospheric dance number, while ‘Deaf and Blind’ does sound a little psychedelic. ‘Frozen Jungle’ does what a closing song should. It is a slow and claustrophobic song with several voices and an extraordinary build-up, breathtakingly beautiful.

I think I can say that ‘Fates’ is the most varied The Arch record in history. That does not come at the expense of quality, rest assured. Rather on the contrary. It is actually their best record ever.

Xavier Kruth 

The Arch: facebook / website

 

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2016, part I: If only it could always be winter and always night... (the music)

When I walk out of the station on Thursday afternoon, May 12, I bump into a traditional long line of extravagant goths who immediately want to receive their wristband for the 25th edition of the Wave-Gotik-Treffen. I have no patience for this and head for the hotel immediately. Along the way, I can still taste the atmosphere Leipzig enjoys throughout the year, when not trampled by black folks. Leipzigers are a colourful bunch. Literally: dyed hair and piercings are everywhere. You regularly see punks and emos. And goths of course, because even outside the WGT, Leipzig can rely on a very big dark scene.

Thursday, May 12

The big jubilee party was to be held on Thursday in a theme park, and again, we can witness an endless line of people waiting to get on the bus. I am not that enthusiastic, and I decide to take a look at the Gothic Pogo Festival, which is organized independently and simultaneously in Werk II. Gothic Pogo aims at batcavers and minimal wavers, and organizes parties all over Germany. The festival is at its 11th edition in Leipzig. At the entrance is a message that racists, sexists and homophobes are not welcome. I feel very welcome, though I found it bit less sympathetic when my friend and colleague Dimi was denied access two days later because of his Death In June t-shirt. On a positive note, there was a very beautiful exhibition by Incestum and Danjela Diamond at Werk II, which showed metal insects and other strange animals in an obscure cellar lighted with red light and candles.

There are no big names on the program, but perhaps it's an opportunity to discover promising new groups. Lizard Pool isn’t one of them, though. Their third-rate English indie rock is full of clichés and deserves to disappear quickly into the anus of music history. Dividing Lines by contrast plays decent batcave including mohawks, tribal drums and screaming guitars. That is what the public what the public here wants to hear, and I enjoy it too.

Friday May 13th

I visit the Agra-plain - the beating heart of the WGT - to pick up my wristband. This place holds the probably largest gothic market in the world, with clothing, footwear, jewellery, CDs, books and other accessories. Something tells me that you can spend quite a lot of money here in only a little time. Fortunately, I restraint and I just eat and drink something I hear the theme park yesterday was very nice, but there were tons of people and you had long queues everywhere.

A goth with hay fever, how is it possible... Oh, if only it could always be winter and always night, it would not happen to me. Fortunately, there is a pharmacy right across the Felsenkeller - one of the dozens of locations around the city for concerts - where I start my musical program with a portion of gothic rock. Golden Apes can be situated somewhere between gothic rock and post-punk. (Please don’t tell me that it's all one and the same, you infidel!) They apparently enjoy great success in Germany, and rightly so. The Angina Pectoris is a goth legend of the German 80s. They perform for the first time in 15 years, and you can clearly hear that. The musicians are not attuned to one another. The guitarists come from the metal scene and do not realize that they should let their guitars echo widely to make credible goth rock. The result is a kind of pitiful hug rock metal. I get out of here.

Before I go to the Shauspielhaus - the stage for connoisseurs in Leipzig - I can overhear a nice conversation at restaurant. Someone explains that it is ‘Wave-Gotik-Treffen’ in the city. ‘It’s a pity that there are not as many here now,’ someone else replies. Goths here have almost become an attraction for the average resident, and that’s fine with me.

In the Shauspielhaus, you will not hear any beats or heavy guitars, but mostly neoclassical music. We can perfectly illustrate this by Kirsten Morrison, a lady who also plays keys with Lene Lovich. She stands alone on stage, armed with a violin, a harpsichord and an impressive soprano voice. All the rest is pre-recorded. Her magical songs are based on poems by Edgar Allan Poe, Rumi, Shakespeare, Rimbaud and William Blake. Kari Rueslåtten is perhaps an odd choice for the WGT, but there is a large and devoted audience in the room to listen to her. This is certainly not intellectual music, but both the texts and the slow music are in line with the better melancholic pop.

The Deadfly Ensemble - the avant-garde folk group of Cinema Strange singer Lucas Lanthier - sound much more batcave live than on CD. It will be up to the guitars played by Steve James - also active in Christ vs. Warhol - and the impressive bass and drums. Only the cello of Marzia Rangel - also active in Christ vs. Warhol - and the folk guitar of Lanthier give the sond a folky touch. The dancing and singing style of Lanthier and especially the horde photographers photographing exhibit a group with a great sensibility for absurdity. Nice concert.

Saturday, May 14

Today, I have only one venue on the program: the Taubschenhall, whit a lot of good stuff for the real batcavers. With Christ vs. Warhol for example. Alas, I am not the only one who wants to attend the concert. On arrival, I am informed that the hall is packed and that I can’t enter. The smartass I am puts himself at an opening at the bar where he can see the guitarist and an occasional glimpse of the singer, and where he can enjoy this delicious set. This is batcave from the top shelf. Several new songs are played, and that’s good since their only album dates back to 2010 (we also found a promo CD from 2014 at the merch stand). I look forward to a new CD from this wonderful band.

We only know Lene Lovitch from the song ‘Lucky Number’, but she appears to have other lucky numbers. She brings a very successful show with wacky new wave. We sometimes found Tragic Black too screamy to be called death rock, but any doubts are professionally cleared by a grand performance by the extravagant trio. The newer work goes back to the classic death rock sound. Guitarist Stich can also excel with a song from his former group All Gone Dead. Tragic Black closes with two songs by Christian Death (‘Death Wish’ and ‘Skeleton kiss’).

With ‘The Grey Eyes of Evening’ and ‘Quatorze exemples autheniques du Triomphe de la musique décorative’, Cinema Strange delivered two classics in the batcave revival of the new century. Then, for some stupid reason, they quit. That’s very sad, but we are so happy to see them perform exclusively here again. Because Cinema Strange was so exceptionally original in almost everything they did: their appearance, the vocals, the melodic bass and guitar lines, the constant rhythm changes, the imaginative lyrics ... They gave a great performance, but without any prospect for new work.

Sunday, May 15

The festival hosts more than 243 performances at 75 venues (I also include all museums, exhibitions and sites where lectures or special events occur). However, you can grab only four or five performances a day. The program is designed so that each venue has a coherent range of bands that are stylistically closely related. Moreover, groups can play here longer than at other festivals, so we can enjoy the concerts even more.

Aargh, a flat tire - I happen to do all my trips by bike - I cannot get in the Volkspalast in time for performances of Winter Severity Index and other beautiful things. Once the defect is resolved, I'm headed straight to Agra. This time, I feel no constraints to spend a lot at the gothic market. But that's not the reason I'm here. Although I believe that Leipzig is an opportunity to discover or see exclusive smaller groups that never come to Belgium, I make an exception tonight and I'm going to watch a few classics in the Agra-Halle. There is some criticism of this hangar which is converted to a concert venue, but it's the only room that can receive 5,000 persons. Thus, the biggest and most popular groups play here. Lacrimosa is one of them, and I never miss a chance to see them live.

Diary of Dreams is playing here too, as on just about every dark festival. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen them live. I have often said that their CDs are interchangeable, but always of high quality, and that goes for their performances too. It is noteworthy that Adrian Hates is very proud of what the group has produced in the current line-up, for there is much from the last CDs in the setlist. These songs, however, are nicely interspersed with older classics as ‘MenschFeind’, ‘Giftraum’, ‘Kingdrom’ and ‘Butterfly:Dance’. Remarkably, nothing is played from the success album 'Freak Perfume'.

Lacrimosa is playing for the seventh time at WGT, which makes them the band that has performed the most at the WGT. It was WGT organizer Michael Brunner who persuaded Tilo Wolff to perform live with a first show at WGT in 1993. Who knows, if not for him, Lacrimosa could have remains a studio project. That would have been a pity, because they are phenomenal live. Their set includes a lot of songs from the last album ‘Hoffnung’. A very dark album, and one that has really touched the fans, as I can measure from the reactions in the audience. But of course, songs are played from all periods. Both Tilo Wolff (in the masterpiece ‘Stolzes Herz’ and the old gem ‘Crucifixio’) and Anne Nurmi (with beautiful ‘Apart’) are in an excellent condition.

I thought I would go to sleep after Lacrimosa. The WGT indeed starting to look like a war of attrition. But there still appears to be a band on the programme. Grandpa Punk John Lydon will occur with his band Public Image Limited. Since I have seen an episode of Reynebeau & Rotten, I have serious doubts about this lad. But I also read that the reunion tour of PiL received much praise. And after this performance, I need to add my name to the praisers. The old sacks play really well and manage to create the right atmosphere. Much to my astonishment, I must add.

Monday, May 16

I’m disturbed. Christine Plays Viola was programmed but neither Christine nor her viola can be seen. Instead, there are five furry guys on stage who play (nice) gothic rock. I want to hear violin and hurry to the Shauspielhaus where Saeldes Sanc will be playing. We first heard from this project of Hannah Wagner by their coopertion with Schwarzblut, and we could not suspect that the project would be so popular. Or could it be due to Ernst Horn, the man behind Deine Lakaien and Helium Vola, who plays with Saeldes Sanc? Hannah Wagner certainly looks disarmingly girlish and authentic with her stunning red gown, her pregnant belly and her bare feet. But she can provoke laughter and astonishment, and above all, she sings like a nightingale. When after a wonderful show, Wagner and Horn intone ‘Withering Heigts’, we feel lifted to withering heights and we realize that we have discovered something really extraordinary here.

I initially had my doubts about The Visit. Only cello and vocals? Is that enough to impress? After a performance by Saeldes Sanc? It is though, as appears after a few songs. Voice and cello complement each other perfectly and can be used in a varied way. The duo from Canada succeeds, to their merit, and they reap the appropriate praise.

When you listen to the music of the Sangre Muerdago, you would not think that they come from the Galician punk and metal scene. It all sounds so soft and harmonious... But it involves some sort of criticism against a capitalism system that reduces people into mindless consumption and production products. Songs from their latest brilliant ‘O Camiño Das Mans Valeiras’-CD - ‘the way of the empty hand’, an allusion to how material wealth should not be equated with spiritual wealth - alternate with older and new works, with also a lot of instrumental pieces. Beautiful.

 
The fight against sleep has increased in intensity, and to avoid falling asleep in the soft seats of the Schauspielhaus - it almost happened during Sangre de Muerdago - I'm going to take a chance to get in at the concert of Pink Turns Blue. Unfortunately, the queue before the venue approximately corresponds to the capacity of the room. Returning to the Schauspielhaus is not an option, because people are lining up there to see the heavenly Irfan. What's left? The Felsenkeller? Well, it’s on the way to my hotel.

Korpiklaani, a Finnish group of forest workers who understand the art to look like a bunch of freaks, are already playing excellent folk metal with violin and accordion. I will not fall asleep here, that’s for sure. Though the inevitable last notes resonate here also. On the way to the hotel, I wonder whether I should be sad or glad it is over. It was wonderful, but it would have been impossible to keep up at this pace much longer. Sleep well Leipzig. Make beautiful dreams. We’ll see each other again next year.

Xavier Kruth

Pictures by Xavier Marquis: Cinema Strange, Tragic Black, Christ vs. Warhol, Public Image Limited, Lacrimosa (in Roeselare)

Read part II: There once was… (the history)

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2016: Part II: There once was… (the history)

25 years WGT. That's quite a while, and I hope this will continue for many more years. It is also a time when we can look back. For this jubilee, there are various exhibitions that focus on the history of the festival and the Gruft scene in East Germany. The main exhibition is undoubtedly the ‘Leipzig in Schwarz’ historical review in the Stadtgeschichtliger Museum.

The WGT arose in 1992, or more precisely even in 1993 when the original ‘Moonchild Festival’ was renamed the ‘Wave Gothic Treffen’. But there was a whole history even before these dates. In the second half of the 80s, the ‘Gruftis’ - the German word for tomb people - also surfaced in the communist GDR. The Gruftis were often viewed negatively, and the Stasi - the East German secret service - kept a sharp eye on them.

More or less legal events were organized everywhere. CDs and cassettes were smuggled out of Hungary or from the West and then copied endlessly. There also was an underground circuit in which local music circulated on cassettes.

Michael Brunner played a central role in the Leipzig scene. This mystique young man went to take a course in Potsdam, where he also met kindred souls. He took the initiative to celebrate Walpurgis Night at the ruins of the castle Belvedere in Potsdam, and invited his friends from Leipzig to come over. The turnout was unexpectedly high: 150 participants from all over the GDR, with even some West Berliners among them. Most of them were arrested by the police, unfortunately, but for a minority, the party on the Pfingstberg got along.

It was not only police and state who were hostile. Skinheads often attacked the passive Gruftis too. In August 1990 - the wall had fallen by then - there was mass violence against Cure fans who wanted to see their idols at work in Leipzig. Extreme right-wing groups were scattered among the road from the Leipzig station to the arena where the concert took place, and attacked the concertgoers.

However, it was not all hostility. At that time there were many links between Grufties and punks. Punks often got along well with metalheads, but the latter often looked down on the soft Gruftis. All have had a common enemy, though: the Stino or Stinknormaler (stinking normal people). These bonds between subcultures, however, would disappear along with the GDR.

Michael Brunner was also the man who, in 1991 - the GDR was now absorbed by the Bundesrepublik - founded the organization ‘Moonchild’ along with his friend Sandro Standhaft, and began to give parties at the Villa. The Villa was of course too small for the larger plan of the two men: organizing a Moonchild festival. They had to move to the Eiskeller at Connewitz Kreuz for that end. That soon proved too small too, because the capacity of 800 men was nothing compared to 2000 people who came to attend (mainly through word-of-mouth). For those who could not enter, there was also a street party outside with bonfires and drinks. 

That may have been the impetus for the second edition - in 1993 - to be renamed a Treffen (a meeting in German). The nostalgia for GDR times - when togetherness was more important than the commercial aspect or the program - plays a part in this. The location moved a few hundred meters to Werk II and even more goths attended. And so the anticipated criticism resounded that there was indeed more programme and commerce, and less contact between the participants.

Goths like to complain, which is known, but despite all the criticism, the festival grew year after year. For the third festival, a new organization was formed: Sol et Luna, led by Brunner. Standhaft was removed and for many years pulled out of the city as the festival took place. The name of the festival was changed to ‘Wave-Gotik-Treffen’ as a counterweight to the ubiquity of English in the scene. It was also the first time that there were multiple venues.

In 1998, the number of visitors totalled 12,000 ghosts, and in 1999 20,000. The festival was bursting at the seams. The organizers aimed too high in 2000. They invited no less than 349 groups, where there were only 112 the year before. As a result, the festival could not pay the fees of the groups. The organizers didn’t get along and the coordination was flawed. A lot of gigs had to be cancelled. On Sunday, the security personnel stopped working and suppliers started breaking down the stages.

A number of people took the initiative to save what could be saved. Bands played for free and offered their material. There was even a gothic security service. The police also helped, if only to avoid greater chaos. However, that did not appear to be necessary as the public remained unbelievably calm. This can only happen at gothic festivals. (Is there anyone who has not made the comparison with the Belgian Eurorock festival last year?)

There’s more that puts this ‘Chaos-WGT’ in a bad light. Since a few years, there are complaints that the festival gives space to right-wing extremist ideas and bands. For example, the right-wing magazine Sigill gets a yearly stand at the gothic market. In 2000, Von Thronstahl is invited to play. Singer Josef Klumb - whose ringt-wing publisher Verlag + Agentur Werner Symanek also receives an annual stand on the market - is known as a supporter of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and gets a prohibition to perform by the city council. The group then performs without singer, but with masked men waving flags. On the flags: an image of the black sun, an occult symbol that was part of the SS castle in Wewelsburg. (WGT got criticism again in 2009, when an image of the black sun was printed on the camping tickets of the festival.)

Anyway, the festival is bankrupt in 2000. The organization is taken over by Move GmbH in 2001. They restore financial order, although this inevitably involves criticism that it has become too commercial and that the festival lost its alternative spirit. The program is even more diverse and now includes events at the opera and exhibitions in museums. With sales of 3 to 4 million annually, the importance for the municipality cannot be underestimated. It is no surpise, then, that the festival got awarded with the Leipzig Tourism Prize in 2014.

The jubilee edition of the WGT also offers some smaller exhibitions. In the station of Leipzig - the biggest in Europe - an exhibition gives some basic information about 25 years of WGT, but especially displays beautiful photographs by different photographers. One of them is Gerd Lehmann, the man who released the ‘Gestus-Moon Calendar’ between 2007 to 1997. He is entitled to a separate exhibition at Haus Leipzig.

Lehmann was a famous fashion photographer in the GDR, but stopped in 2007, after a career of more than 40 years. Not only because he had a beautiful and long career. He was also reluctant to adapt to the requirements of digital photography. However, he still likes to exhibit his work in a scene where he has always felt at home. The Grassi Museum - finally -  offers an exhibition titled ‘Faces of the Wave-Gotik-Treffen’ with pictures of Marcus Rietzsch, a man who makes beautifully staged photographs of festival goers and issues them since 10 years in the yearly book Pfingstgeflüster.

There is a second important historical exhibition, this time about the time before the WGT. It is no coincidence that after the ‘Wende’ - the fall of the Wall and the reunification of Germany - a big festival was founded in Leipzig. After all, a great Grufti-scene appeared in the GDR in the second half of the 80s.

There is an exhibition at the Runde Ecke, the former headquarters of the Stasi in Leipzig, with the focus on how the Stasi monitored alternative youngsters. The exhibition has changed considerably since I visited it for the first time in 2012. Where the earlier focus has been on the Gruftis, there is now more attention for other types of ‘negative-decadent’ groups: Tramper (hippies), Punks, Skinheads, Heavy's, New Romantics and Popper.

The Stasi - the espionage service in the GDR - could count on a broad network of ‘Informelle Mitarbeiter’, people who reported regularly about suspicious events and friends. In the goth scene, the number of spies was even larger than in the total population, as we learn from a lecture by John H. Nicholls, a man who writes a PhD on the whole issue. Where in the population an average 1 in 50 cooperated with the Stasi, it amounted to 1 in 6 in the scene.

There are several factors why the Stasi could count on so many people. On the one hand, they could get access to Western goods and alcohol, on the other hand there were also people who participated by conviction, because they believed they could help building a socialist state in this way. This could lead to the contradictory situation where people who were very important and dedicated in the scene also went to report to the Stasi. On the other hand, cooperation with the Stasi could always be rejected without serious consequences for the person concerned.

The exhibition shows numerous reports of interrogations of Gruftis. It is striking that these usually give a very honest story. There are reports of night trips to cemeteries. This usually happened after a night out. There’s even a picture of a grave that has been desecrated with a graffiti of ‘Boy George’.

However, the information from the Stasi was not always correct. Thus, in a report, Gruftis were seen as listeners of psychedelic music (which then is defined as ‘dark, depressive music’). Even funnier is the remark that ‘Codix’ - yes, that’s how it’s written in the text - are an extreme form of Gruftis who are coming from the metal scene and like vampires and The Cure. You can recognise the ‘Satansgruftis’ by their red belt and shoelaces. They sleep in tombstones and destroy cemeteries. If you see a Grufti with his legs crossed, then you can bet he’s a supporter of Lucifer, because only they exhibit this kind of behaviour.

The Stasi also mentions more positive things, but even they are not always correct: Gruftis believe in an afterlife, feel connected to the church but are hostile towards the leadership of the churches, they want to help people in need and are characterized by a passive attitude. Because of this passive attitude, they are a favourite target for the much more violent skinheads.

We still don’t know when the Gruftis exactly appeared in the GDR. A document speaks of 1987. Another document states that The Cure got a lot of attention in the West German media in 1985 and '86, which certainly had an impact on the youth in the GDR. The already mentioned John Nicholls told us that the funding for the surveillance of ‘negative decadent youths’ diminished after the ‘Punk-Problem’ was declared to be solved by the Stasi in 1983, but that the budget was increased again in the years 1985 to 1987. Someone asks whether the first Gruftis might have arrived in the vacuum that the repression against punks in 1983 had left, or only at the rise of the second wave punk from 1985. If someone has an answer, please let us know.

The exhibitions offered a lot of information for those who want to study the history of the WGT and the Grufti-scene. The scene his far from dead, as the annual turnout at the festival shows. It has since stabilized around 20,000 to 25,000 participants every year. I hope this will last many more years, because knowing the history is one thing, but writing history is even more fun.

Xavier Kruth

Credits pictures:  poster for the exhibition '25 Jahre schwarz' / cartoon Uwe Roesch / Jennifer Hoffert-Karas / Runde Ecke / unknown photographer

Read Part I:  If only it could always be winter and always night...