Dark Entries is an independent Belgian music webzine with a focus on dark sounds. The webzine itself is completely in Dutch and can be found at www.darkentries.be. This blog was created with the intention to have an additional online place where our editors can post their English articles.
In
these modern times, everything is possible, also and especially in the musical
field. Whereas in the past, the recording of a studio album required the
physical presence in the same space of all people involved, this is no longer
necessary thanks to the ever-advancing technology. Damage Control is a global
electro/industrial project and you can take this literally. 2 of the band
members live in Australia;
the other 2 in
Europe (United Kingdom and Germany). For
the recording of their debut album 'Ultranoia', they have asked even more
international friends for help, among others the legendary Chris Peterson
(known for his work for among others, Front Line Assembly and Decree, and more
recently Ohm) and the equally legendary Claus Larsen (Leæther Strip). Such a
thing is destined to set off fireworks, and as you will read further in this
review, that is also effectively the case.
Bill Barsby, Damian Davis, Jason Podmore and
Markus App are all four experienced musicians and are influenced by a wide
array of artists, among others Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy and Ministry. There
are of course hundreds of electro bands that cite these legendary names as
influences, but in the case of Damage Control, this is not an empty statement. Anyone
who listens to their debut immediately makes the connection with FLA and co. Powerful
old-school electro/industrial, characterized by tight production, mixing and mastering
(and that is really not only the merit of Chris Peterson, who was behind the
knobs when this album was recorded). These men know very well what they are
doing.
From the opening track 'After The Fire', it is
clear that this is serious. Especially the first half of the CD is cast-iron,
with the firm 'Hate Crime' (a potential electro club hit) and compelling 'City
Of Ruins' being
my favourites. I am also really captivated by the atmospheric instrumental
'Ruined'. The second half of the album is slightly more experimental, with
tracks like 'Trauma' and 'Hell's Gate'. The latter is also the longest song
with its duration of more than 7 minutes. Personally, I think it is one of the
lesser tracks, as the up-tempo electro has to make room for ambient here. But
from a purely technical-objective point of view, this is certainly not bad. Just
a bit too long and too calm to my liking.
Last of all, there are 2 tracks to which I would
like to draw attention. 'Angst' is a collaboration with Ohm and an insanely good
song with delightful vocal effects. It is tracks like these that restore my
faith in the contemporary electro scene. And 'Hate Crime' was remixed by
Leæther Strip in a professional manner. Claus Larsen put this song in an EBM
jacket, so that the remix is just as danceable as the original (for which he
also did the additional mixing, by the way).
Damage Control has delivered a very well-made
debut with 'Ultranoia'. The band is currently looking for a label and I would
be very surprised if they would not succeed. Until then, you can order this
release as well as future ones on their Bandcamp.
2017 promises to be a great year for the
old-school rivethead. Recently, the long-expected debut of 2nd Face was
released on Dependent and soon we can expect a fresh portion of old-school
beats on Electro Aggression Records (Pyrroline and Akalotz will release a new
CD this year). At this moment, the brand-new album of Fïx8:Sëd8 is in the
spotlight. Just like 2nd Face, this project was recently signed by the label of
Stefan Herwig. However, a big difference is that Fïx8:Sëd8 is not a newcomer. Martin
Sane had already released 2 albums on his own, but publicity to these was only
given within the small dark electro scene. Thanks to the label deal with
Dependent, this will most likely change. 'Foren6' has just been released and
has already been proclaimed as one of the best dark electronic releases of this
year.
I myself was not entirely unfamiliar with the
work of Martin Sane. I have already seen Fïx8:Sëd8 live 3 times and this year, performances
number 4 and possibly 5 will follow (Fïx8:Sëd8 will play at the WGT next week,
but I am not yet sure if I will watch it; this will depend on the distance
between the different concert venues). As a result, I know very well that
Martin Sane is a perfectionist who will not release/do anything until he is
100% satisfied. Anyone who listens to 'Foren6' hears right away that it is the
result of years of work. Martin Sane makes classic dark electro in the vein of
- among others - Mentallo & The Fixer, a legendary American band which is
well-known for its complex, multi-layered compositions. Skinny Puppy is a big
influence too. If you would not know better, you would believe that a track
like 'Flatline Friend' features vocals of Ogre himself. Aside from this, Martin
Sane delivers a great vocal effort throughout the entire album, accompanied by
carefully selected vocal effects. For example, the overlap of vocals/effects in
'Baptism Of Fire' is a true pleasure for the ear. Just for this, this album already
deserves all praise and I have not even yet talked about the arrangements which
equally excel in diversity. From the subtle, mesmerising electronics in 'My
Mistress' and 'Hermaphrodite' to the (quasi-)club potential of 'X-Shaped
Scratch Mark' and 'Puritan': 'Foren6' has it all.
It is highly recommended to listen to this
album as a whole; it is only then that it will show its full potential. But if
I had to select one loose track as a favourite, it would be 'Ligamentum'. It
had been a while (since Pyrroline's album 'Ruins Outlast') that I have been so
touched by a contemporary dark electro track. 'Baptism Of Fire' and 'Eyesaw'
complete the top 3. And if I had the liberty to take into account the limited
(and nearly sold out) 'Formaldehyde Edition' of 'Foren6', I would also like to
mention 'Force Of Inertia', a magnificent remix (with added vocals) of a track
of MC1R. This is dark electro as I prefer it: intense and beautiful.
Whereas I was slightly critical with regards to
the hype around 2nd Face, I have not a single doubt about the new album of Fïx8:Sëd8.
Very solid release on Dependent and a must-have for the fans of old-school
electro. 'Foren6' can already rest assured it will get a spot in my top 10 of
2017.
"We live in one
world. We are one people." The German dark electro band Pyrroline has returned with a remarkable
concept album after 4 years. The post-apocalyptic theme of the previous album
'Ruins Outlast' has made room for a slightly more politically inspired theme:
the Croatian War of Independence between 1991-1995. Not exactly the most
evident subject in the dark electro scene, but husband and wife Arnte and
Schmoun have done it, anyway. Do not expect lyrics like "I don't remember humans." and samples from 'The
Terminator' this time, but tracks about courage, hope and love in the battle
for people's independence. No futuristic war against fictional intelligent
machines, but a real human conflict which happened less than 30 years ago.
Pyrroline is a band which is known for its
complex, multi-layered song structures which evoke the classic dark electro
feeling of the 90s. 'Ruins Outlast' was a particularly melodic album and 'In
The Dawn Of Freedom' is no different. However, the new album features significantly
more old-school EBM rhythms and other elements (e.g. 'Maria', 'Succeed', 'End
Of The Path'). Another difference is that Arnte uses various vocal effects and
therefore, does not limit himself to his characteristic whisper-like vocals
which dominated 'Ruins Outlast'. My 2 favourite tracks on the new album, 'Divine
Revelation' and 'Dismantled Society', both feature vocal effects which are rather
atypical for Pyrroline. In the more EBM-inspired songs (especially 'Succeed'),
the vocals are even so unusual that I would never have figured that this is
Arnte, let alone Pyrroline. I can only approve of this variation in vocal
effects, especially as Schmoun does not sing on this album for some strange
reason. Pyrroline has even gone further and has invited a certain Emdezet as
guest vocalist. 'With You' features both vocals and lyrics of this guy, but I
cannot say that I like it. As a mellow love song with synthpoppy vocals, this
feels out of place, not only on an album about the Croatian War of
Independence, but just on any Pyrroline album or dark electro album in general.
This is my only point of criticism with regards to 'In The Dawn Of Freedom',
which is truly a lovely album.
Just like the previous album, the new album
features some instrumentals, of which 'Vukovar' is my favourite. And also this
time, there are 2 remixes on the CD. One Eye Wanders has made a catchy, albeit
barely recognisable electro remix of 'Divine Revelation'. kFactor's hypnotising
EBM remix of 'One People' has a clearer link to the original, even though you
have to listen carefully. If you purchase the digital version of the album on
Bandcamp, you will get a third remix: the Soillodge remix of 'Nothing To Lose'.
In my opinion, this is the best one. Michael Renfield has re-made this track in
an exceptionally melodic manner. Especially the part between 1:53 and 3:38 has
been haunting me for weeks. This is a true dark electro gem; I would even dare
to say better than the original. Too bad there was not enough space left on the
CD.
With 'In The Dawn Of Freedom', Pyrroline has
proven once again that it belongs to the top of the contemporary dark electro.
Hopefully, we will not have to wait another 4 years for the next album. Either
way, I am very much looking forward to their gig at the Lauscher Festival in Erfurt on 23 September.
The WGT.
Wave Gotik Treffen. The biggest black festival in the world and an
unforgettable experience every time again. A gathering of like-minded creative
and eccentric people, individualists who exceptionally blend into a larger whole.
It's my
ninth edition already, and I see no reason to leave it after it. This year -
like every year - there is some criticism of the program. Not enough big names,
perhaps. But are we not here to discover
new things, and to see bands that we will never see in our own country?
The program
is very eclectic. There are numerous
stages throughout the city, but there are also exhibitions, lectures,
guided tours, parties... I intend to make it a total experience. As the
performances start only about four or five o’clock, it is impossible to see
more than five concerts a day. On the other hand, you have a lot of time to
experience other things.
The first day
I begin in
a very classical way at the Agra. This is the beating heart of the WGT. The largest concert hall with a capacity
of 5000 people, the camping, a wide variety of food stalls and a large market
with clothes, discs and accessories. Ideal to do some purchases - you want to
look good, don’t you? - and to add some jewels to your CD collection.
I rush to
be on time at the Schauspielhaus - the theater that will be my favorite place
in this edition - to see Herbst in Peking.
That did not prove to be necessary. Against my expectations, not so many people
wanted to attend the concert. You may not know Herbst in Peking, but they are
legendary here in the former GDR. They played a role in the fall of the wall.
Herbst in Peking was one of the many punk bands that existed in the GDR, and
they had a small hit with 'Bakschischrepublik', or backsheesh republic, a tremendous
criticism of the GDR.
The DDR
government didn’t like it, especially since they thought the name of the
group referred to the massacre at Tiananmen
Square in Beijing, a slaughter that didn't want to be mentioned. In
fact, the name from a book by Boris Vian's with the same name, and the band
carried this name since 1987, long before the slaughter in Beijing. However, Herbst in Peking was banned. The ban did not last long, as the wall fell soon
afterwards.
A punk band
in a theater room. Isn’t that exceptional? It will soon be clear why that is
the case. Herbst in Peking has never restricted itself to punk. For instance,
they also made songs with metal percussion à la Einstürzende Neubauten. But
nothing of all this tonight. Here they play atmospheric music with a lot of
attention to the lyrics. The band always had literary aspirations, as was also widespread in the alternative GDR
scene (today Herbst in Peking play a song based on a poem by punk poet Bert
Papenfuss, a central figure from the DDR scene). I'm surprised that the singer
starts in English, but he switches to German regularly. Those who came to hear
the old work might have been dissapointed, but it was an intense and
successful performance nevertheless.
The crows call Jarboe welcome. Once upon a time she
was half of the misanthropic duo Swans, today she plays here alone. Not
entirely alone. A folk guitarist accompanies her. Consider the guitar as a
drone - sometimes the guitar literally plays only one chord per song - supporting
captivating female vocals. It's original, but it’s a hard stretch to keep the
public’s attention for a longer time. Many people leave half way the
concert.
In Gowan Ring used to be part of World Serpent - the record
label of Death In June, Current 93 and many others - and so they are sometimes
counted as neofolk. In reality, they are pure hippies making music for a world
of harmony. A big difference with the world of perdition and misanthropy that is
called neofolk. Masterbrain B'ee - who lives in Leipzig - tells about the drugs he took during the
previous edition of the WGT, and how the hangover following that was the
inspiration for a song about his childhood memories, which is now performed here a
year later.
No big attendance
for Andi Sex Gang. It needs to be
said that he will perform again with Sex Gang Children on the next day, and
they are the real thing, off cource. Anyone who thought Andi would perform his
solo work was at the wrong address. Almost the whole set consisted of Sex Gang
Children songs, performed with Matthew J. Saw on the guitar. It was somewhat amateurish.
The sound check took too long and so the organizers decided that the
performance had begun. In Leipzig, everyone must start and end on the announced
time so that people who change stage are sure they can see the bands of their
choice.
The two gentlemen
want to leave the stage, but are told to play. Andi complains that he left his
water is backstage and asks for a new bottle, which he does not see,
however, until a staff member puts it in front of his nose. As a final
disaster, Andi let’s his guitar fall, breaking his reinforcement element. An additional
micro is added to amplify the guitar in a hurry. Strangely enough, the
performance will be very good from then on, though it remains the question why
this performance had to take place with songs that will sound much better
tomorrow with the whole band.
The second day
One of the
many exhibitions free for visitors to the WGT is 'Modern Times' in the history museum of the Altes Rathaus (Old City Council). This
gives an overview of Leipzig's history in the 19th and 20th centuries. We begin
in 1815 - the victory over Napoleon in the Völkerschlacht in Leipzig - and get
an overview of the 1830's hunger riots, the 1848 revolt (smashed in blood), the
German unification after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the tremendous Anti-Semitism,
the rise of socialism (of which Leipzig was a bulwark), the First World War,
the rise of Nazism (of which Leipzig was also a bulwark) ...
There are links with our scene. The fire in the
Reichstag in 1933 - featured in the number ‘Feurio’ of Einstürzende Neubauten -
led to a process in Leipzig. Besides the arsonist Marinus van der Lubbe, a
number of prominent Communists had to stand trial. The latter were released in the trial,
but the Nazis kept writing in their publications that the communists caused the
fire. Communist Willy Münzenberg wrote a rebuttal of this statement from Paris:
‘Braunbuch uber Reichstagbrand und Hitlerterror’, or ‘Brown Book’, a major and
controversial record of death In June (forbidden in Germany because it contains
the Nazi party song ‘Horst-Wessellied’). We also read that the euthanasia
program for mentally and physically disabled people - the subject of Samsas
Traum’s ‘Poesie: Friedrichs Geschichte’ - started in Leipzig with the killing
of 'Child K'.
The
exhibition also shows the fall of the wall, which began with tens of thousands
of Leipzigers demonstrating weekly with the slogan ‘Wir sind das Volk’. Remarkably, this slogan - meanwhile taken over
by the hateful Pegida - was often accompanied by ‘Wir wollen raus’ - ‘we want
to go’ screamed by people who wanted to leave the GDR (while the current Pegida
is against migration).
The
exhibition ends with a small room with 'Szene-Erinnerungen',
which shows some material about the early gothic scene in Leipzig. Actually, it
is a small follow-up of the 'Leipzig in Schwarz' exhibition held last year for
the 25th anniversary of the WGT. There is not much to see, but we learn that
the museum is still looking for material for a next exhibition about the theme. We are looking forward to it.
The Stasi Museum 'Runde Ecke' is also
showing an exhibition about the early goth scene, in particular explaining the
prosecution of subcultures by the Stasi, the state security of the GDR. There
is also a 'reading', which is actually a performance of a piece by two actors.
The topic is a research by the Stasi about the wave group ‘Schadestof’. First,
a student is called to become Stasi ‘Informele Mitarbeiter’ - there were
hundreds of thousands of ‘IMs’ who spied on their co-citizens in the GDR - in
order to gather information about the band.
That's how
Sabine is approached, a brilliant pupil who appears to be close to the
‘Gruftis’ - a German name for tomb-people or wavers - also dressed like them and
attended various concerts of Schadestof. The performance is based entirely on
true documents of the Stasi, of which only the order was slightly modified to
clarify the story line. Sabine eventually accepts to become Informele
Mitarbeiter. The presentation ends with her written report to the Stasi, the last
sentence of which states: ‘All Gruftis drink their cola with Spee (laundry detergent which, according to some, has
anesthetic effect in combination with cola), but they do not have to do if they
do not want to.’
You can
also read through the numerous Stasi
reports about Gruftis. It's obviously terrifying to see how the police state
kept watch of the youth, but it's also funny at times. For example, reference
is made to 'Codix' or 'Goortik', wrong names that found their origin not only
from the Stasi but also from the young people they interviewed. There are also
references to 'Kürfans' and 'The Chur', as well as to 'New Menticks', 'Depache
Mode' and 'Depesche Mode'.
It's even
more threatening when it comes to fights
with skinheads that took place regularly. Skinheads attacked wave parties
to cut off the hair of Gruftis, in which Gruftis were also wounded with knifes.
The Stasi acknowledged that the violence came from the the skins in the first
place, but found that Gruftis were also guilty of violence and injuries, ‘usually
in response to provocations of other youth groups as skinheads.’
There is a
strange story about Gruftis who wanted to celebrate Adolf Hitler's birthday on
20/04/1989. Luckily, the Stasi concludes that the story is unfounded. The Stasi
recognized that Gruftis are usually against violence and neonazism. Perhaps
there was confusion with Robert Smith's
birthday a day later on April 21, which of course was celebrated. The Stasi
also concluded that Gruftis, when hearing the voice of Robert Smith, raised
their arms and fell on the ground in ecstasy. Hmm, yes ... can be.
Should
there be more music? Of course! Let’s go to the Taubschenhalle. This is the
place were mohawks and deathhawks unite. And you know what that means:
deathrock, postpunk, batcave ... Delicious. Singer Suzy Sabotage of Masquerade looks like a young version
of Siouxie with bleached hairs. Also, her voice and dance moves reminds us of
this great lady, even though it must not be intentional. Together with her
companion and bassist Saph - both have another deathrock group in which Saph
sings: Virgin in Veil - they bring a mix of punk and post punk, which
unfortunately does not totally convince me.
‘After 26
years it's not easy to find new groups,’ the introducer to Soviet Soviet told
us. Soviet Soviet - the council of councils - is such a newcomer. It's one of
countless bands playing postpunk without having something to do with the black
scene. They can bring forth some interesting elements, but they repeat them endlessly until you’ll ultimately get bored with them. Totally unnecessary
performance.
I didn’t
hear anything from The Scary Bitches
for a long time. It appeared no one heard from them in the last five years. But
here, the ‘Lesbian Vampires From Outer Space’ are back for their first concert
since 2012. They are working on a new album that should be released next year.
They already play a song from that album, but rest of the show consists of
classics like my favorite 'You'll End Up Looking Like The Scary Bitches'.
Nothing to take seriously, but enough to get a smile on our face once every
five years.
The first
performance that really touches me today is Bloody,
Dead & Sexy. I remember when I first saw them in The Steeple in
Waregem, as an opener for ... Sex Gang Children! What a coincidence. Today, the band
celebrates its 20th birthday. For the occasion, a compilation was issued:
'Crucifixion, Please!' They play a lot from this new CD, so it is
actually a 'best of' set. It seems like time stood still, since it is as
overwhelming as the first time I saw them.
Yesterday,
I wondered why Andi Sex Gang had to perform solo with Sex Gang Children songs.
Today, everything becomes clear. Sex Gang Children also has a new compilation -
"Electric Jezebel", which collects singles from 1982 and 1983 - and
they play this in full, and with the original guitarist Terry Mcleay in the
band. Matthew J. Saw was referred to the bass for the occasion. (The chance
that the original bassist Dave Roberts will ever play in the band is nihil
after the rumors he has spread over Andi Sex Gang.) The performance thus
consists of the classics of the first years of the group: 'Times of our Lives',
'Salvation', 'Sebastiane', 'Oh Funny Man', 'Mauritia Mayer'... Just genius!
The third day
On the third
day I wake up with a gigantic hangover in the afternoon. I’ve been staying too
long at a dark-romantic party this morning. The musical offer available today
does not excite me much. I've heard enough of all the postpunk and electronic
groups, so I opt for something radically different: black metal. The
Felsenkeller offers a fascinating bill in the genre. It starts with Nachtblut, a band that is clearly very
popular here. The trio looks fantastic, with bodypaint and extravagant
hairstyles. The singer spits his lyrics into the audience as the German version
of Dany Filth. Add some orchestral and acoustic elements to it, and you have a
particularly powerful and varied performance.
From the
dark hollow holes deep in the black forest comes Unlicht, who like to call themselves 'The Black Forest Hell
Ensemble'. They also wear bodypaint and should be careful not to hurt
themselves at the long nails hanging at their arms. Where Nachtblut brings
their black metal with elegance and melody, the intention here seems to be to
produce unsustainable noise. They manage to achieve that, to the extent that leave
halfway through the concert.
Back to my
favorite hall: the Schauspielhaus. Myrkur
recorded her first ep entirely on her own, as is required in black metal. It
contained black metal prolonged with idyllic heavenly singing that quickly got
attention. Her original intention was to stay anonymous and not to release
pictures of herself, but it was inevitable that the world realized that the
beautiful Danish photo model Amalie Brunne was behind the project. From black
metal to neo classical, a big step for humanity, a small step for Amalie Brunne.
She is assisted tonight by a guitarist and two singers, and accompanies herself
on piano, nyckelharpa and drum. The result is beautiful.
We’re in
for even more beauty. Moon Far Away
mixes Russian folk music with electronic elements. Count Ash has included four accomplices
for this performance, including a singer with a beautiful voice. Count Ash's folk
guitar and its multitude of effects is also central, as well as electronics, bass and
percussion. Call it folk, neofolk or post folk, but take it from me that it's
fantastic.
The fourth day
Pentecost.
All good things come to an end. There is no consensus about the bad things.
It's the last day of the WGT, and today I really want something really dark,
something pitch-black.
The hall of
the Haus Leipzig is already full when I arrive in time for the ‘reading’ of Oswald Henke. Henke will perform songs
from Goethes Erben accompanied by piano. It seems a good concept. Oswald is
still singing his dark songs very expressively and theatrically. In addition to
two songs from the fantastic recent musical theater 'Menschenstille', the
emphasis is on the older work: 'Ich liebe Schmerzen', 'Das schwarze Wesen',
Kaltes Licht', '5 Jahre' and 'Der Weg'. A wonderful set. And really dark, so I
am happy.
I leave,
still impressed by the performance of Henke. On my way, I pass a table of
books, with titles like 'Gespräche mit Goth' (conversations with Goth) and 'Ich
war ein Grufti' (I was a Grufti). Their author is Thomas Manegold, and he is the next guest here. He trickled my attention
and I turn right back to the room I just left. Manegold presents his book ‘Gespräche
with Goth’, an episode novel that consists of several short stories that are
connected.
The main
character is a former DJ and music
journalist who struggles with a burnout. Manegold appears to have a
particularly sharp pen and a wide range of humor. His description of the
self-centered amateur music journalist who cynically looks down on the people
he interviews and sees himself as an indispensable link between the artist and
the public must undoubtedly cause some teeth cringing at the Dark Entries editorial board.
When I
finally walk into a concert hall and see Vain
Warr at work, I have to think about my late grandmother. She often
complained that the young generation of artists did not bother to articulate.
It is a generalized cliché that you hear more often in the French-speaking
world. I came here for an additional portion of pitch-black darkness. The program
promised something inspired by The Sisters of Mercy. Well, the drum machine
sounds like Dr. Avalanche on a lesser day and the guitars are reverbing and
delaying like they should. It's not overwhelming, but it's not bad either.
I was
initially afraid Holygram would be the
next thirteen in a dozen postpunk band, and it turned out to be true. The
singer sings his lyrics as if they were terribly boring, and that turned out to
be true too. But hey, at least he’s articulating. Actually, this is a good performance,
at least if you have drunk some beers and do not give too much attention to the
lyrics (I'm better at the former than at the latter).
Back in my
favorite concert hall I notice two cops looking carefully around. After all the
reports about terrorist attacks on
concerts, I get anxious thoughts. Suppose a freak with bad intentions has has
entered the place, how do you distinguish him from all the other freaks? It's a
question you should not think about too long.
I'm here to
see Theodor Bastard. I saw them when they played pitch-blach darkwave. Meanwhile, they have seriously evolved
towards world music, and the result is impressive. How do you mix Dead Can
Dance with goa, folk, world music, dark wave and industrial? Theodor Bastard
knows the secret, but will not tell you. You can enjoy it, though, without
limits.
As a closer
for the festival, Corde Oblique is a
safe choice. It’s not pitch-black, but rather consists of infinite beauty. A
combination of tiredness and excessive drinking makes me unable to enjoy the
performance in a good way, but from experience I know that the neoclassical
group around classical guitarist Riccardo Prencipe sounds heavenly, and in my
moments of clarity, I am reaffirmed in this opinion.
Time to go
to sleep then? Indeed. This edition will have me suffering from the inevitable
Leipzig Blues for the next few days. But I'm returning home with a suitcase
full of great experiences, CDs and books that will keep me going for a while.
And my decision is already clear: I will be back again next year.
Setlist
Oswald Henke: Ich liebe Schmerzen / Das schwarze Wesen / So weiss ich doch du wärst / Traumsuche / Keine Farben / Lilien / Kaltes Light / Der Abschied /
Stadt der Träumen (Artwork) / 5 Jahre / Der Weg
La Vierge du
Chancelier Rolin a construit une réputation culte au début des années 90 avec leur new wave expérimentale plein d’influences folk. Ils se retrouvent le 22 et
le 30 avril pour deux concerts exclusifs à Namur et Bruxelles. Nous pensions que ce serait une bonne
idée de leur poser quelques questions, mais nous avons vite déchantés.
La vierge du chancelier Rolin c’est formé en 1990,
à l'Institut Saint-Louis de Namur, si je suis bien informé. Comment vous êtes-vous rencontré ?
Pierre : En gros, c’est une histoire de cul.
Laurent : Moi je sais pas, j’ai rejoint le groupe en 1992…
Thomas : Si mes souvenirs d'enfants sont bons, ils se sont rencontrés en parlant,
et ils étaient tous habillés en noir dans une école Chevignon.
Sarah : Au départ, c’est Thibaud, Jean-Phi (qui était le petit copain de Odile,
la sœur de Thibaud, qui, elle était dans la même année que Sarah à Saint-Louis)
et Pierre qui voulaient faire un groupe ensemble. Ils connaissaient, via via,
Vincent, un chanteur avec une voix très grave et très gothique et lui ont
demandé de les rejoindre. Et puis, via Odile, ils ont rencontré Sarah qui avait
un synthé. Dans un groupe de new wave, il faut bien deux synthés. Quand il a
fallu faire des concerts, ils avaient besoin d’un batteur. Nicolas qui était
dans la même année que Sarah voulait absolument rejoindre le groupe. Alors il
s’est mis à la batterie.
Vous utilisiez des instruments pas tout à fait
commode dans la new wave, avec beaucoup de sons acoustiques: guitares
classiques, violons, clavecin, orgue, percussions. Pourquoi
le choix de ces instruments ?
Pierre : Pour faire chier les corbeaux.
Laurent : Moi je sais pas, ils me laissaient rien toucher à part mon micro.
Thomas : Ma sœur avait pas les sous pour un MS-10.
Sinon elle aurait fait comme toutes les chanteuses de l'époque. Sarah, elle
avait abandonné le violon pour le synthé car le violon c’était ringard. Puis
comme le groupe était ringard, elle a ressorti son violon.
Sarah : On ne voulait pas faire comme tout le monde,
même si ce n’était pas vraiment conscient. Mais c’est ça qui a collé entre
nous. Ne pas se laisser enfermer dans un cadre, on aimait surtout tester,
créer. Même si on ne savait pas bien jouer. La première répète, on a chacun
pris notre instrument et on s’est lancé à faire des notes en écoutant les notes
des autres. Et étrangement, la mayonnaise a pris. On ne se prenait vraiment pas
au sérieux, même si on pouvait paraître très sérieux. Thibaud jouait de la
guitare classique aussi parce qu’il vivait dans un appartement dans un grand
immeuble et que c’est le seul instrument qu’il pouvait jouer tard le soir sans
déranger les voisins. Une guitare électrique, c’aurait été la guerre.
Une caractéristique de La vierge du chancelier
Rolin était aussi le fait qu’il y avait plusieurs chanteurs et chanteuses au
lieu d'une personne au centre du groupe. Comment ça a évolué ?
Laurent : On avait la chance d’avoir plusieurs gars avec des voix très différentes
et complémentaires : Jean-Phi était parfait dans les ballades douces pour
emballer les filles, hélas Thibaud juste après venait avec ses vociférations et
leur foutait la trouille, puis Nico avec son timbre bizarre les faisait tripper
et enfin Pierre finissait le boulot en leur donnant envie de se pendre… Moi,
ben ils m’ont pris parce qu’ils ne savaient pas chanter et jouer de leur
instrument en même temps.
Thomas : Il y a toujours eu plusieurs chanteurs. Le groupe était le centre du
groupe qui était lui-même au centre du groupe, tout en étant au centre du
groupe. C'était l'aspect idéaliste qui causait aussi beaucoup de larsen.
Pierre : On a splitté, tiens !
Vous avez des textes en anglais, en français et
en allemand, un concept multilingue très sympathique… Vous remettiez vraiment
tout en question, non ?
Laurent: Et vers la fin, on bossait sur une
chanson dont le texte était la même phrase répétée en une quinzaine de langues
différentes. J’ai bien cassé les pieds de tous mes amis plus ou moins
allochtones à l’époque.
Pierre : On a aussi
un texte en wallon, t’es séparatiste ou quoi ?
Sarah : On s’amusait beaucoup en tout cas.
Surtout on aimait l’absurdité et le surréalisme. Pendant les week-end de
création, celui qui prenait le micro pouvait très bien inventer le texte sur
place ou bien faire la lecture de ce qui se trouvait devant lui. Ainsi ‘The Red
Cow in the Sycomore’ c’est inspirée d’une histoire qui se trouvait dans un
manuel d’anglais. Il y a même un texte où c’était la lecture du mode d’emploi
de la table de mixage…. Le sens ou la langue des textes n’a jamais été discuté
collectivement, c’était au choix de celui qui prenait le micro et c’est parfois
plus la tonalité que le sens qui importait. J’ai jamais compris un seul des
textes par exemple, je parlais pas anglais à l’époque.
On cite souvent And Also The Trees et Legendary Pink Dots comme influences mais j’entends aussi des
influences de Virgin Prunes, Clair Obscur, Collection d’Arnell-Andrea et The Revolutionary Army of the Infant
Jesus. Votre son est-il
influencé par certains de ces groupes, ou plutôt le resultat d’une approche
instinctive ?
Pierre : C’est vrai, on n’a rien créé du tout.
Laurent : Comparaison n’est pas raison, mais ça aide quand même à savoir dans
quoi on met les pieds. Moi, ça ne me dérange pas.
Thomas : Instinctive ? Comme chez les animaux sauvages ? Les baleines par
exemple ?
Sarah : On peut
aussi citer Purcell, Vivaldi, Nick Cave, Noir Désir ou les musiques traditionnelles
des pays de l’est. Certaines influences étaient partagées et plus délibérées ou
conscientes que d’autres : And Also The Trees ou The Legendary Pink Dots étaient deux
groupes dont on parlait beaucoup. Là, il y avait une vraie inspiration assumée
par le groupe. Pour le reste, c’était plus épars et individuel et sans doute
plus instinctif.
Vous avez gagné le concours tremplin du festival
Verdur Rock en 1993. Qu’est-ce que cela signifiait pour vous?
Pierre : Qu’on était les meilleurs.
Laurent : « Bien des premiers seront les derniers, bien des derniers
seront les premiers » Amen.
Thomas: Que je pouvais être fier de ma sœur et que je devais faire comme elle,
c'est à dire chanter dans un groupe punk.
Sarah : On s’est inscrit un peu pour rire. C’était à Namur, notre ville, il
fallait le faire. Mais le règlement exigeait au moins une chanson en français.
On n’en avait pas. On en a même créé une juste pour l’occasion. L’expérience de
jouer sur cette grande scène était en soi déjà extraordinaire. Un magnifique
souvenir. Et puis, quand on a raflé tous les prix (sauf un), ça a été le choc.
On ne s’y attendait absolument pas. Mais bon on était jeunes, on ne se prenait
vraiment pas au sérieux, donc on a très bien surmonté le choc. Ça ne nous est pas
(trop) monté à la tête. Ça a été un beau tremplin, et cela nous a en tout cas
permis de vivre de très belles expériences : tant la tournée au Québec que
l’enregistrement du CD.
Votre œuvre principale est le CD ‘Eva King’, paru
en 1995. Malheureusement, la maison de disque fait faillite peu de temps après
sa sortie. Le CD n’en fut pas moins fort applaudi. Que retenez-vous du
CD ?
Pierre : 10 morceaux.
Laurent : Zat maï inglishe pronounciécheunne at
ze taïme waz ôful.
Thomas: Les belles
photos fantômes devant le champ de maïs de Hennet.
Sarah : Tetris. Jean-Phi adorait les jeux vidéo. On a passé des heures sur
ce tetris pendant que les autres enregistraient. Oui, comme on n’était pas des
bons musiciens, on a enregistré chacun à notre tour. Une fameuse expérience.
Plus sérieusement, vingt après : on avait de bonnes idées. Franchement je
trouve que les compos sont très bonnes. Mais par contre, on ne jouait vraiment
pas bien… On devrait le réenregistrer aujourd’hui.
Vous avez fait de la musique pour une
représentation de Bertold Brecht: ‘Combien coute le fer’. Comment ça c’est
passé ?
Pierre : Plutôt bien.
Laurent : Mais ça n’a pas suffi à enrayer la montée de la NVA…
Thomas : Oui oui, c'est bien passé ! C'était il y a 20ans.
Sarah : Très bien, on en est sortis vivants
Le groupe c’est séparé en 1996, un an après la
sortie de ‘Eva King’. Quelles étaient les raisons de la séparation ?
Pierre : L’Islam.
Laurent : L’addiction au sexe
Thomas : Je voudrais dire merci à ma maman de m'avoir donné comme petit
frère à ma sœur qui joue bien du violon, je l'aime beaucoup.
Sarah : L’argent, l’ambition et le goût d’autre chose. Personne ne voulait
financer notre deuxième album. Les journalistes et le public nous aimaient bien,
mais pas les maisons de disque. On était inclassables, mais pas incassables.
Comment le groupe s’est-il reformé après environ
20 ans pour le Saint-Louis Festival ?
Pierre : 2 musiciens alcoolisés sont allés à une fête du souvenir.
Laurent : Notre plus grand fan de l’époque a hypothéqué sa maison et
prostitué sa femme pour nous corrompre et comme on hésitait encore, il a été
jusqu’au chantage au suicide.
Thomas : C'est simple, pour se reformer, ils se sont rassemblés. C'est
l'effet facebook, comme les printemps arabes, d'ailleurs c'est le printemps en
Belgique, depuis quelques jours, et on aime bien.
Sarah : Quand on s’est retrouvés et qu’on a joué c’est comme si on s’était
quittés la veille. Je crois, dans le fond, que La Vierge du Chancelier Rolin ne
s’est jamais quittée.
Y-a-t il une chance d’une réédition du CD ou d’une
nouvelle compilation ?
Pierre : Ca ne se vend plus les CD’s.
Laurent : Sauf chez Cash Converters
Thomas : Je ne comprends pas la question.
Sarah : In sha allah
Vous avez encore plus de projets ensemble ou
allez-vous en rester à cette réunion exceptionnelle ?
Pierre : Bien-sûr que non, on va pas en rester là, on a déjà fixé un
rendez-vous dans 20 ans.
Laurent : Mais pas vendredi, j’ai piscine.
Thomas: Moi j'ai
été viré de St Louis. Je crois que si déjà on arrive à rester à cette réunion
exceptionnel sain et sauf, ce sera exceptionnel.
Sarah : Faut d’abord voir s’il y a du public
qui va venir cette fois-ci.
