What do you get if you take one italian, one belgian and mix it with Bergen, Norway?
You get Plastik Noir, a darkwave duo consisting of husband and wife Federica and Kevin.
While Norway may forever be more associated with black metal and burning buildings, there have been rumblings lately in a slightly different but still a darker shade, with club events such as Grottegoth, shows put on by the Dark Dome Collective and Dark Wave Bergen, Plastik Noir is just one of the handful of new offerings for the darkly inclined in the perpetually grey and wet city.
On the precipice of their second ever live appearance with a fresh album out, it seemed a good time to sit down with Plastik Noir and introduce them to the S&S audience,
What, if any, is the story behind the name Plastik Noir?
PN: Plastik Noir comes from the French word ‘Plastique Noir’, which is a black plastic bag. Our ‘mascot’ is a body wrapped in black plastic bags with tape. So, it was not hard to come up with the name. It sounds good in any language and that was also something we absolutely thought about!
How does a song typically start, who`s got the initial seed and what usually brings about the thing that develops into a song?
PN: It varies. Sometimes we start with a synthesizer melody, lay a basic beat and go from there. It can also be that we have lyrics first, and we build the music around it to create the atmosphere.
Have either of you been involved with music previously, if so, anything of note?
PN: We both have been involved in bands before! Federica played guitars in a cover band and and she sang in a Thrash Metal band. I was drumming in a Black Thrash Metal band called Inverted Cross.
Besides music you`re also a tattoo artist working at Nidhogg Tattoo here in Bergen, do you think there`s anything you can take from that work and apply to the music? Perhaps on the more graphic design end of things?
PN: Absolutely. I do make all the cover art, merchandise, posters, videos, etc myself. I have a deep passion for art in general and i absolutely love to use my skills in other ways than only tattoo designs.
You`re about to play your second show and the third is scheduled for later this year, is there any interest in longer touring?
PN: That would be amazing. We are open for everything and we are excited to spread our music. We love to travel, and the idea of going to a new city or country on a daily basis would be awesome!
What do you hope to convey to the listener? Both through the music as well as the words?
PN: Plastik Noir is a very personal project to us. We all have to deal with sadness in a way or another, and it’s a though topic to talk about. With our music we hope the listeners an find themselves into what we do and adapt it to their personal situations. Maybe we can fill some kind of emptiness in their lives.
Alongside your debut album you also published a music video recently, what was that experience like? Any chance of doing more videos?
PN: The experience was very special and we absolutely loved it. Our dear friend Joe came over from The Netherlands to shoot 3 videos in 4 days. So, 2 more videos are coming soon. The plan is to, ofcourse, to keep on doing it in the future!
If someone only heard one song off the album, which one would you want them to hear?
PN: That’s a hard one. We are so proud of all of them but if we really have to pick one, let it be ‘Betrayed’.
Follow Plastik Noir and check out their music via the links below
https://plastiknoir.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/plastiknoir/#