VIVE NEW MODEL ARMY

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Concert Review

Artist: New Model Army

Supporting Artist: Divine Shade

Date: 29 February 2024

Venue: La Laiterie

City: Strasbourg France

I can die a happy man now

Certain bands always seem to elude a “style” or a sound, genre, or whatever. They can be defined by their lyrics, and sound, type of guitar playing, or any number of traits. From political, hippie, Christian, Folk, Metal, Punk, New Wave. Most of what we enjoy listening to for years on end can be labeled in some way. For the bands you can’t label or define, well, we have Bradford England’s NEW MODEL ARMY.

Named after Oliver Cromwell’s political-military from the 1600s, New Model Army appeared out of nowhere in 1980 and has enjoyed underground success, having released 16 studio albums, a stack of live albums, and countless singles, charting all over Europe, they have never had a “hit”, nor have they ever really been cornered into a style. They will release an album, and read the reviews, and say “This was folky… OK then, next album is gonna be more punk”. I spoke to the singer Justin many years ago, and he told me about the summer of 2010, they played several major festivals, a Hippie Folk Fest, a Metal Festival, a Goth Punk Festival, and a Christian Rock Festival, and they played the same set every night.

I got into these guys in 1988 when someone handed me a tape, one side “Ghost of Cain” and the other side “No Rest”. I fell in love then, and have followed them ever since. Swaying from one end of the spectrum to the other, back when I was a happy Christian Anarchist, and proud Conservative American, to now, their music was disruptive to my thinking and taught me a lot about how the world sees America, and England for that matter. They are proud of their English “folk” heritage, in lyric and general themes, but so much of is not exclusive to just that, Justin Sullivan was raised a Quaker, and that spills over more into his solo work than the NMA catalog.

All of that said, New Model Army has been on my “Top Ten Bands To See Before I Die” list for a long time. Every time I have tried to see them, it never happened, The gig was canceled, or rescheduled, or I was in surgery early the next morning, and they played several hours away. I am currently living in Wiesbaden Germany, and I was hoping to see them in Cologne in December, I got pulled into something else and missed that one. The stars never aligned until I saw the date February 29, 2024, in Strasbourg France, two and a half hours away, and this time nothing was gonna stop me. I drove down, just half a mile into France, to the venue, the same one where I shot Peter Hook & The Light in November, I parked in the same place as that gig even. And as I was walking to the venue, I saw myself in a parade of New Model Army fans. They appeared out of nowhere to get to the long line waiting outside.

I met with the tour manager and he and I walked inside to get my photo pass, and the merch table was something to see. I scored my shirt to add to my collection, however, the venue was filling in with so many people wearing different vintage NMA t-shirts, and I felt like a newbie around so many die-hard fans. The manager said they were almost sold out, and those last few tickets went to the few remaining punters. This was the only show that wasn’t sold out til the day of the show.

Divine Shade

The opening act Divine Shade took the stage, and the venue was packed by then. They came out and delivered a great performance of music, sounding like a perfect mix of Gary Numan, and Killing Joke. A 3 piece from Lyon France, their sound was still original, with familiar vibes from bands we all love. You need to check them out, they were intense, dark, and very enjoyable.

NEW MODEL ARMY

The intro tape was played, the sound of old skin drums tapping, and what sounded like a horse walking on stone, creating a nice mood. Justin picked up his guitar and stood front and center and sang “Whichever Way The Wind Comes Blowing” and the show was on, with “Coming or Going” from the new album. They went straight into “States Radio” from 2009’s “Today Is A Good Day”, they were already jumping around the catalog, and I was LOVING IT.

Song three on this set was “First Summer After” also from the new album “Unbroken” and it was far more intense live than the album with everyone singing along to the chorus, man, I LOVE the new album, but this was better than I expected.

Language from the new album was also intense, and a twist of thought for these guys, with a bassline like it was highly influenced by “The Stranglers”.

The language of love will bring us love

The language of war will bring us war

The way that all the words become true

The way that all the words become true

By now we were all in this together, feeling the message so much with the closing “We chose it, and we own it”.

Justin took a moment to explain why Strasbourg is one of his favorite places to play because there are people from everywhere. (France, Germany, Belgium, and Holland, all converge there). He said “This is a song about attitude” and they rolled into “Am I Still Me” almost with a guitar line sounding like something out of an old western film. It is an introspective song, as Justin has never shied away from letting the world know his thoughts. This song lets you see his insecurities against what he doesn’t trust.

Their song “Stormclouds” is about the great storm coming, blowing you whichever way, but it also has a very dark story and meaning, it’s a great song, but for a mood piece live, I was surprised at how powerful this one was.

Carrying on with the theme of storms and clouds, those themes bled into one of gratitude, and somber regret, knowing that you had to leave, but knowing what it cost those you left behind, “No Greater Love” gives tribute to the world a young man left behind to go better himself. Again, another very personal song, that resonates with many happy lost souls. These songs are wonderful, and powerful, but live they are not just “played” but delivered as an experience.

While bantering with the audience Justin Sullivan said “We are gonna play you a couple of old songs, that still ring true”. As if the last couple of gems weren’t enough, Dean White started just playing what sounded like “The End” by The Doors, for a few measures, just letting a psychedelic vibe set in, and the Ceri started playing a bass line that could have flown into “One Of The Chosen” (Which would have been amazing), but then as this, just sort of progressed Justin started singing the “She stares at the screen at the little words of green, trying to remember what to do next”, and we all knew it was “225” which many of us thought it was a number for either a subnet mask in networking, or some other odd number piece of computer code. But Justin told me ages ago that it was named that because it was two hundred and twenty-five beats per minute. Though, this part was going slow, then, after the first verse they amped it up and we were into one of their most notable songs. This one is a staple for any live show, it was about technology, overwhelming our lives, and how it all goes to the military-industrial complex. With the final line, “I swear we never asked for any of this”.

This theme was also present earlier in the set, showing ever-growing suspicion of technology, and those who listen, in the song from the new album “I Did Nothing Wrong”, with a lot of anxiety around the distrust, being accused, and under suspicion.

Reverting to the theme of the one who left where he was raised, and never came back. They played the somber anthem from the point of view of the one who stayed with “Green and Grey”, which calls the young man out for walking away, never looking back, and leaving a gap and his absence could be felt in how attitudes have failed everyone, wondering what could have been so bad that the guy never returned to the “Valleys of the green and the grey”.

It was at this moment that I felt that this concert was not just a song-by-song set, but a tapestry of themes woven between these songs, showing the different points of view on the same idea. There is so much to unpack in their music, stories, and lyrics. Especially after 44 years, and 16 albums. New Model Army is unlike so many bands out there of the same age in the fact that their content still sounds new, and current. They have so many timeless songs, that you can’t tell if it was written last week or 20 years ago. One of the few bands who is still making new music, and not using a “Formula” to crank out similar-sounding songs, that people dread when they see the show, just wanting to hear “the hits”. New Model Army keeps you just as excited about the new material, exactly like they have for every tour.

After a brief statement about Brexit, he started in a tirade about English Nationalism, and much like the American flag becoming suddenly an icon for the right being aggressive and racist, it’s the same with the Union Jack for the British as of late, in the song called “Reload”.

There is a certain dance that the fans do, it’s hard to explain but it is a sequence of arm movements, usually done by women, usually while sitting on a dude’s shoulders. No one is sure how it came about, but it is something that you will see at their shows, and this evening was no different, there were several “Punk” or “Rockabilly” styled women tatted up, and sitting on someone’s shoulders over the crowd doing this fan dance, and singing along. After so many concert films to this, it was cool to see it happening with my own eyes during “Purity” and “Wonderful Way to Go” as they finished the first part of the set.

After a several-minute break, the punters were getting restless wanting an encore. It was noisy enough that the band finally took the stage again to give us three more songs, ending the 20-song set with “GET ME OUT”.

The evening was over, and I can honestly say, that having been on my list of bands to see before I die, this show exceeded my expectations. I was not just entertained but angered, and inspired, and felt a lot of joy, there were so many emotions hitting all extremes in my mind that night, and the music was superb, I have seen many bands of this vintage as of late, but none of them delivered like New Model Army. Bucket List Item Checked off.

On the way home, as I was just driving over the border into Germany from France, I heard for the first time on the radio New Model Army, ON THE RADIO. That has never happened in my life, they played “Green and Grey, and then “Idumea”, and the announcer talked about the tour that was happening and said, “They even played a show this evening in Strasbourg France”. This was a crowning moment, to a perfect evening.

Should any of you find yourself blessed with the opportunity to see these guys, take it. If you don’t know their catalog very well, go give them a listen, it’s a rather fun rabbit hole to go down.

AND like most New Model Army concerts, this one is easily available on youtube. (You want to see it I promise)

https://www.newmodelarmy.org

https://www.facebook.com/NewModelArmyOfficial

https://www.instagram.com/newmodelarmy

https://www.youtube.com/@newmodelarmyofficial

#newmodelarmy #justinsullivan #bucketlistshows

RETRONOMICON on ParaLuna Records

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  I love it when this scene comes together to step up for one of it’s own. Legendary Bass player for My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult/Pigface/ect Charles Levi was diagnosed with vascular dementia. He had a stroke. Has been taking expensive medications and is in the fight of his life. A ton of great artists and ParaLuna Records stepped up to release this compilation of 80’s covers to help offset the costs of his treatment. It is a heartwarming tribute to a beloved figure in our scene that proves what we are capable of during folks darkest moments. In addition to the album I have also posted Charles’s gofund me page.

Fundraiser for Charles Levi by Wolf Dodge : Charles Levi housing support (gofundme.com)

RETRONOMICON | ParaLuna Records (bandcamp.com)

I want to thank all of these talented people that stepped up for our dear friend Charles. I will go through and call out a few tracks I thought really knocked it out of the park

  1. Apology Kink- “West End Girls” / Pet Shop Boys >> Augustus Watkins – programming/synths/vocals/mixing, Carlos Bueno – additional mixing
  2. LeviLevi vs Bangalore ft. Betty X / Hit me with your Best Shot” / Pat Benatar >> Betty X – vox, Charles Levi – bass, Tim Pethtel – guitar, Christopher Rodriguez synths/programming
  3. Precog- “Oh Father” / Madonna >> Gerald Josef, Jason Thomas, and Bret Pemelton
  4. SU – “Smothered Hope” / Skinny Puppy >> Ursa Minor and Sarah Emilie
  5. Microwaved – “So Alive” / Love & Rockets >> Gabe Wilkinson – programming, synths, vocals, mixing
  6. Betty X- “The Chauffeur” / Duran Duran >> Betty X – vox, Nathan Kaylor – Engineer/Producer
  7. Doors In The Labyrinth- “Dead Man’s Party” / Oingo Boingo >> Josh Loughrey
  8. Giant Monsters on the Horizon – “It’s a Sin” / Pet Shop Boys >> Vinnie Saletto – programming, Madison Davis – programming, Cara Ristau – vox
  9. Missing in STARS – “Hold Me Now” / Thompson Twins >> Dan Guenther
  10. Planetdamage – “Sunglasses at Night” / Corey Hart >> Mariusz Bari
  11. Stabbed By Prongs ft. Bow Ever Down 0fficial – “Heat of the Moment” / Asia >> Kimberly of Bow Ever Down – vox, Craig Drabik – guitars/synths,/programming
  12. Violet Wanda – “Discipline” / King Crimson >> Tess LaCoell
  13. Dogtablet- “Hollow Hills” / Bauhaus >> Martin King
  14. Glitch Factor – “Strangelove” / Depeche Mode >> Justin Fisher and Vinnie Saletto
  15. Hororhaus ft. Bow Ever Down 0fficial – “Take My Breath Away” / Berlin >> Scott Harris with Kimberly of Bow Ever Down
  16. Renegade Sl8ve versus Giant Monsters on the Horizon – “Desperate, but not Serious” / Adam Ant >> Nick Void, Vinnie Saletto, and Madison Davis
  17. Stoneburner – “The Crab Song” / Faith No More >> Steven Archer

Apology Kink – West End Girls (Pet Shop Boys) – Augustus Watkins the co founder of GIVE/TAKE records from Minneapolis with a glitchy synth sass take on the iconic PSB hit. I really like the sax solo synth breakdown. The vocals do a nice homage while adding a bit more whisper and smoke.

Music | GIVE/TAKE (bandcamp.com)

LeviLevi vs Bangalore ft. Betty X – Hit me with your Best Shot (Pat Benatar) – So here you had Charles playing bass, Betty X lashing vocals like a whip crack, Tim Pethtel on guitar, Christopher Rodriguez on synths turning the pop classic into an acid static club banger. Feels very true to the original while turning the chaos up to 11. Betty X in particular has done a great job of shouting out from the rooftops about this compilation. Love this energy.

THE DEVIL’S DUE | Betty X (bandcamp.com)

SU – Smothered Hope (Skinny Puppy) – I hadn’t heard a ton from Ursa Minor and Sarah Emilie out of Montreal, but I adore the fact they did a Skinny Puppy cover among a lot of synthpop so far. They absolutely crushed this too. Elegant beauty with fairy fire intensity. The cadence on the vocal delivery is spot on with such lovely contrast to the original. This cover really showed me their best.

Novelty (Single) | SU (bandcamp.com)

Microwaved – So Alive (Love and Rockets) – I was obsessed with this song when it was in heavy rotation on MTV. It lived in a non-stop rotation in my head. Des Moines Iowa artist Gabe Wilkinson did a wonderful flip of the script with this grungy wall of sound pushing forward across hot sand. The vocals have a cool gang style doubling punk flavor. Distinct but immediately recognizable. Gabe is well known for his collaboration and remix work, so this cover really highlights his talents.

The Dead Shall Walk Remixes: Volume 6 | Microwaved (bandcamp.com)

Doors in the Labyrinth – Dead Man’s Party (Oingo Boingo) – I’ve heard a few cover songs now from Pittsburgh doom folk artist Josh Loughrey. He always finds a really fresh take and makes the song his own. This was my favorite yet. Classic Danny Elfman darksynth bop was stretched into a misty translucence like a funeral dirge which matches perfectly with the title. A completely different vibe from the original but one I will always hear in this song now.

In Memoriam | Doors In The Labyrinth (bandcamp.com)

Missing in Stars – Hold me Now (Thompson Twins) – This I fell in love with less from how different it was from the original and more how different it was from the usual vocal style of  Dan Guenther. It sill holds that ethereal synth beauty but behind the smile are large sharp teeth barely holding back a menacing growl. That double bass drum breakdown is grinding with pure power. Chefs Kiss.

Hurt | Missing in STARS (bandcamp.com)

Dogtablet – Hollow Hills (Bauhaus) Living Legend Martin King and the project Dogtablet with this percussion sorrow jazz cover of the Bauhaus classic rising from the boggy depths. I’m not sure who was doing the amazing banshee backup vocals but they are a perfect compliment. Martin always captures a moment.

The Summertime EP | Dogtablet (bandcamp.com)

Hororhaus ft. Bow Ever Down – Take my Breath Away (Berlin) – This lovely shadow ballad appeared on out S & S singles chart previous. Kim’s voice rings with passion and power and Scott has taken the original down temp and seasoned it with chaos and static. Great use of his growling backup vocals to sharpen the angles. A perfect addition to your next goth prom.

next door neighbor | hororhaus (bandcamp.com)

Goodbye | Bow Ever Down (bandcamp.com)

Stoneburner – The Crab Song (Faith No More) Leave it to Steven Archer to make things weird. Instead of covering an 80s synth song, he chose chaos prog rock band Faith No More, and then converts it into worldbeat chaos apocalypse industrial. I love it, I love everything here. From the chanting, the screaming, the glitch, and the operatic explosive anger. When Steven covers a song it becomes his own.

The Great Filter | Stoneburner (bandcamp.com)

This entire album is a great way to find new talent you will love, as well as support Charles Levi who has been an important part of the scene and inspired so many.

Sounds and Shadows 2023 Top Darkscene Albums

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  This has been a tough year for a lot of people personally. A year where we lost many friends and beloved artists in this scene. Though history strife and conflict have often been the inspiration for great art. A catalyst that helps us search for truth and test boundaries. This was a year of amazing new music that touched my heart and inspired me. As always I won’t try and rate or list every record I enjoyed. I think to cover everything and try and place it in a tidy box of genre is to lose the magic I feel getting to tell you all about something new. So I will tell you all about the Albums and Eps that touched me deepest in 2023. I hope in 2024 I discover even more and make twice as many friends like you to share it with. I’m not going to write in any particular order. If a record is on this list, I hold it in high esteem.

unitcode:machine – Critical Fault – The growth and innovation Eric Kristoffer achieved with this release is staggering. Signing with COP International to release this cold icicle dagger of EDM pop hooks and pounding industrial machinery. Eric’s vocals are captivating and unexpected. Chris Hall (Stabbing Westward) did the a masterful and modern job of the mixing and you can hear both his influence as well his belief and passion for what Eric wrote. I expect by this time next year A Lot of fans of electronic music are going to be talking about unitcode:machine.

Critical Fault | unitcode:machine (bandcamp.com)

A Cloud of Ravens – -Lost Hymns– Another story about huge achievements this year are the Brooklyn based duo infusing sharp jagged punk rock with the mystery and romantism of gothic rock. Produced by Jackknife Studio’s the heavy bass and exaltation in the vocals melt together into something spiritual that burns with passion. I love that Matt’s vocals aren’t afraid to be dramatic. His delivery adds so much to the narrative. The dedication to gothic driven rock is what ties together the record. The thing that makes it stand out in 2023. My favorite track is one of the most synth heavy electronic crooners “Old Ghosts“. A top to bottom stand out that explores the vocal range sense of exploration that makes ACOR shine brightest. This record is the perfect accompaniment for almost every activity. It longs to bring you on adventures.

‘LOST HYMNS’ | A Cloud of Ravens (bandcamp.com)

BELLHEAD – Good Intentions – Chicago based double bass duo Karen and Ivan are supporters of one of the largest scenes in the US. They play eclectic dark alt horror that confronts and energizes. The May release is a roller-coaster off the tracks, chaotic, dangerous, and alluring. Image rich poetry bouncing in a dialog of vocals to bouncing bass and stabbing guitars. Ivan’s voice is a whispered menace that gnaws the back of your neck while Karen’s cadence draws you forward. Favorite track: Valentine – This sad pop bopping guitar crossing something sinister and a blissful ignorance of what stalks you is an amazing sensation.

Good Intentions | BELLHEAD (bandcamp.com)

The Bellwether Syndicate – Vestige & Vigil – This record is a modern day classic. Released in 2023 to great acclaim by darkscene insiders, this is a record I think will keep gaining momentum in 2024. William, Sara, and Phil all hold impressive pedigree in this scene. Vestige & Vigil was their chance to place their stamp on the modern conversation of post punk by drawing in the collective anxiety and rage of the modern world, pressing it into a cool thrumming gem, then hurling it with a snarling curse at an unfeeling world. It takes true expertise to hone the ethos of filthy punk rock into something this smooth and concentrated. I can’t think of higher praise than saying picture “Raw Power” recorded by Martin Hannett in Manchester with 2023 gear. William just took a break from his role in March Violets to focus on The Bellwether Syndicate and touring, so please make sure to look for them coming to play near you. This will be the band everyone is talking about.

Vestige & Vigil | The Bellwether Syndicate (bandcamp.com)

Beborn Beton – Darkness Falls Again – We waited too long for a new release from legendary German electropop from Beborn Beton. When the wait was over, dear gods was it worth it. This record is a master class on songcraft, beauty, and emotional complexity. Stefan Netschio croons away with a leather whip delivery. All eight tracks are a spinning cyberpunk ballroom to get lost in. Dancer In The Dark is an all-time own the floor banger. One of those tracks that has longevity to break through the surface of todays vast ocean of new synth music.

Darkness Falls Again | Beborn Beton (bandcamp.com)

Antipole & Paris Alexander – Crystalline – Antipole is a Norway based post punk band I first fell in love with in 2017 with Karl’s first release “Northern Flux“. They have collaborated with many European top darkscene talents. In my humble opinion Karl has the best guitar tone in the genre. However that is something I have come to expect from all of Karl’s albums. That is not what made this record shine so brightly. This record was a far more collaborative effort which highlighted the soul and range of Paris Alexander and Eirene. This made characters and voices of complexity to dance on the shining crystal world Karl had built. Gorgeous and impactful, below is a link to a rare interview I did with Karl about the record. This is an album that transports you.

Crystalline | Antipole & Paris Alexander | Antipole (bandcamp.com)

A Covenant of Thorns – Ashes – Scott-David Allen has been making some of the best romantic goth since The Cure “Disintegration” for the last couple decades largely below the radar of the world discussion. Bringing in Gordon Young the legendary goth guitar whisperer to master and provide presence was a match made in heaven. Cascading minor tones wet with sorrow and storm cloud beauty. Some artists just know how to stab me right in the heart with emotional presence. The track “Idols” is a full on melodramatic John Hughes standing in the rain as you watch her walk away experience. Plunge headlong into the forlorn and broken beauty.

Ashes | A Covenant of Thorns (bandcamp.com)

Odonis Odonis – ICON – Toronto dark spectrum artists Constantin Tzenos and Denholm Whale flipped the script again with this new EP. Bringing in a series of great contributors like Tobacco, A Place to Bury Strangers, Actors, SUUNS, and Patriarchy to turn up the heat on a sizzling 90’s alternative chaos. ICON shifts boldly between styles and texture while tying each song back to the badass black leather jacket metric. Walking around with earbuds through the world, every song makes you feel cooler. A little more invincible, a little more fearless. Brilliant Things Feat: Terror Bird was my standout track on an album full of them. Bold longing flung forward as confident vulnerability.

ICON | Odonis Odonis (bandcamp.com)

Black Rose Burning – Ad Astra – The September EP from NY’s George Grant. The man I refer to as the Peter Gabriel of goth. Transcendent stories in distant galaxies, a hyperdrive range and astral bardic delivery. All of these songs feel so timeless, vibrating on a frequency between the past and future. Jason Corbett did the mastering to create sleek lines for maximum warp. Folks are finally starting to take notice of George’s talent and vision. Your collection deserves “Ad Astra“

Ad Astra | Black Rose Burning (bandcamp.com)

MALE TEARS – KRYPT – LA Futurewave artists that have gone through a lineup change since this album give me hope for the future. A Young vibrant addition to the scene that forged their own path. Some people dream in synth sounds, bright fractalated hyper colors. James has a soul for the dramatic and a beautiful voice to carry the message of cleverness. This record is the ideal for the 13 person rager. Lit, but exclusive.

KRYPT | MALE TEARS (bandcamp.com)

Choke Chain – Mortality –  Mark Trueman the Hardcore Industrial Punk artist from Wisconsin is one of those pure souls you love to see succeed. Taking hard industrial beats and unleashing vocal wounds with genuine intensity that never feels like a performance. Mortality is another step in the evolution in this synthesis of chaotic electronic club thunder, with piercing confrontation of depression and rage. The truest art should take us to the edge of a precipice, beholding excitement and terror. That is the place Choke Chain takes us. I think this record is something that won’t be fully appreciated until we have had a decade to reflect on it.

Mortality | Choke Chain (bandcamp.com)

BRIDES – The Earth Defeats Me – I have been a major fan of Norway’s modular doom rocker Adrian Borgia for some time, through several projects. This is the record I have been waiting for. The promise of potential I have always seen brought into that perfect moment. Stirring the shadowy depths of the primordial ooze that made that first proto goth sound touch that place in the hearts of everyone on the outside of the circle. Chalices is a 10/10 eerie live in your dreams balled as familiar as it is unique. The religious dedication to modular sway pans like dark water in the underworld. Lean desperate wolf growls which have latched onto fresh meat clarity which allow the poetry to shine. For everyone waiting on the bridge between the earliest death rock and stripped down modern coldwave, it has arrived.

The Earth Defeats Me | BRIDES (bandcamp.com)

Ashes Fallen – Walk Through Fire – Sacramento dark rock trio Ashes Fallen had another blazing guitar forward September release from their “Chapel” recording studio. The vocal duties between Michelle and James have found a wonderful balance. The tone is a reflection of the foreboding world closing in. Sprinkled liberally with a sparkle and glam of London After Midnight. Gordan Young has yet another mastering credit on my best of list by bringing the sharpest edges to these shimmering riffs. Favorite Track: Scar , which is definitely not a single at 5:16. it is a captivating slow build emotional exposition that really highlights the range and sincerity of their collective experience. Ashes Fallen continues to be a standout example of the place where passion and execution meet in the modern era of music.

Walk Through Fire | Ashes Fallen (bandcamp.com)

Sapphira Vee – Fortune – Sapphira from New York state is a great example of an artist I have gotten to watch the growth and development of in real time. The daring courage of her voice and the added components of her collaborators have expanded the limits or motion and image. I feel enraptured by the emergence of a woman’s experience and sensuality expressed unfiltered. This album is intimate, nuanced, unburdened by the insecurities of the past. It harkens 90’s trip hop balanced with the soul and execution of modern darkpop. Favorite Track: Those Words feat Jean Marc Lederman – The Belgian composer is well known for finding the perfect backdrop to highlight a story. The cadence that Sapphira uses in this track is the perfect exposition of her beauty and power. The music evaporates when she steps forward, and rises as she whispers a secret. I love when a story shines in a perfect moment. There is nothing more beautiful then watching an artist evolve in a heart stopping moment.

Fortune | Sapphira Vee (bandcamp.com)

NIGHT NAIL – Fates Explained – This record was a late comer releasing in November from the Berlin Germany transplants Night Nail. Finding a third home of Metropolis Records and mastered by sonic sculptor Pete Burns (Kill Shelter) this abstract concept darkwave has ridden the cusp of the modern scene staying under the radar of popular post punk audiences. Brandon Robert brings an expressive Mark Sandman baritone I feared we may never witness again. I know I said I wasn’t going to rank these records as they all have a distinct brilliance, but this record really hits with an intention, an impact, the transcends enjoyable club music. A complex puzzle to patiently unravel over the next decade. Favorite Track: Narcoleptic Dream Catcher – This one has a throwback Ian McCulloch beauty and depth. Valentine’s backup vocals cast the perfect backlight against the slithering groove. A forgotten hit plucked out of time.

Fates Explained | NIGHT NAIL (bandcamp.com)

VNV Nation – Electric Sun – Confession time, I slept on VNV Nation for WAY too long. Ronan Harris released his first full length since 2018 and it is absolutely breathtaking. The craft, the expression, the undeniable honesty of this record gets beneath your skin. I felt things, ask questions, experienced what art is meant to mean. The art of lyrics as the primary focus in modern songcraft is a sadly lost focus in 2023. This album is everything you ask from modern production while delivering Leonard Cohen level poetry. I am a convert. A believer. I will never sleep on the power and impact of VNV Nation again. Favorite Track: The Game – I have played this song 100 times and the hair on the back of my arms stand up every single time. Some songs just hit a perfect spot, in a perfect moment. They become unforgettable. This is one of those tracks.

Electric Sun | VNV Nation (bandcamp.com)

Bedless Bones – Mire of Mercury – Another late release November 2023 from my favorite band in Estonia. Kadri Sammel has such a unique vocal cadence and energetic world beat percussion texture. A flowing aquatic fantasy of motion and prophesy. This album is shrouded in mystery. An internal exploration of body and soul.

Mire of Mercury | Bedless Bones (bandcamp.com)

Gazelle Twin – Black Dog – Awesome UK band I just discovered this year. Lot’s of gorgeous textured analog synths. Powerful psychedelic Grace Slick style vocals. This band immediately capture me by being creative in a way no one else was doing. A tempo and attack outside the box of what is popular in this moment. The growling industrial version of the Doors of Perception. The lyrics are delivered with poetic intensity. From the moment I heard that first single Black Dog I was hooked. Music without boundaries and rules that captures my dreams. This will always move me.

Black Dog | Gazelle Twin (bandcamp.com)

HEALTH – RAT WARS – LA band that waited until the end of the year to put out one of the most groundbreaking and emotive offerings I heard all year. I know I said I wasn’t going to rank these albums but this was an instant classic banger. It perfectly rides the pipe of beauty and destructive power. Lightning in a bottle of honey dripping warm amber vocals and sand blasting cannon guitars. “Hateful” is an inferno club banger that builds an obsidian castle in your brain and never lets go. This album came out December 2023 so I didn’t get to spend as much time with it as others on this list. That in no way diminished that the first time I heard it I was floored with just how perfectly it balanced the range of human emotion. This record will be something people talk about for years to come.

RAT WARS | HEALTH (bandcamp.com)

Aurelio Voltaire – The Last Halloween Party – As a comedy goth artist the niche pool of artists to look up to is not a vast pool. It is no secret that Aurelio Voltaire is a bit of a personal hero, getting to open for him in 2023 was a highlight of my musical career. Getting a chance to drive him around while listening to this record pre-release was one of those moments that reminds me why I do this. Dark music can be fun, it can be clever, it is diverse and connects with us in all aspects of the human experience. I remember him saying to me “I am a goth who plays music, not a goth musician.” It’s jazz, folk, fusion, all prancing around the fire, stories to send a chill up your spine. There is a very good reason he has continued to entrance fans around the world for decades. An understanding that exploring the darkness and gallows humor within us all is what connects all the misfit children around the world. I can’t wait to play with him again in Detroit in May.

The Last Halloween Party | Aurelio Voltaire (bandcamp.com)

SOPOR AETERNUS & The Ensemble Of Shadows – The Rules – German band that continues to do some of the most impactful and unique darkscene music year after year. An intelligent and abstract experience in a completely different category than the rest of the genre. A little Dead Can Dance, a pinch of The Swans, a smattering of Legendary Pink Dots, all whirling through a Nick Cave mist so theatrically their own. As a reviewer it is so difficult to try and define an experience so unique. No matter how many times I discover a new Sopor Aeternus album I am always struck by how glorious and innovative it is in a sea of ships moving closer together.

The Rules (2023) | SOPOR AETERNUS & The Ensemble Of Shadows (bandcamp.com)

Lana Del Rabies – STREGA BEATA – The impressive 3rd record from Arizona artist Lana Del Rabies. A sinking bog ritual of strings and vibration. A longing prayer to darker forces. This is soulful pleading music felt in the bloodstream. Something old and dangerous called forth from dark woods to transform your dancefloor into a spell of summoning. Don’t enter into this album lightly. It is a summoning. It is a crack in the doorway between dreams and reality. To create something so unnerving and captivating is an act of courage. A thing of defiance. A challenge to the other side.

STREGA BEATA | Lana Del Rabies (bandcamp.com)

genCAB – Signature Flaws – Philly electronic artist David Dutton has captured an idea which seems elementary, but has continued to illude the masses. The lilting anthem driving vocals of emo, and the complex vibrating impact of electronic dance music. It’s bouncing expression you feel in your bones, while vulnerable narrative lyrics offer up something relatable and transformative. The title track Signature Flaws I takes two complex ideas and curls them into perfect synthesis. As someone who came late to the game with emo music, this record blends the best parts of the early 2000s into something fresh and progressive. An album for the future blending ideas not fully realized.

Signature Flaws | genCAB (bandcamp.com)

Korine – Tear – Another incredible Philly band blending the most pastel beautiful aspects of Jesus and Mary Chain shoegaze, Synthwave, and 90s Britpop. The wispy sass of the vocals are a sonic cotton candy I can always get lost in. Pure dopamine poured into your ears. Korine have major star potential and are high on the list of bands I must see live in the near future.

Tear | Korine (bandcamp.com)

SWANS – The Beggar – Return of New York electro doom folk and controversial songwriter Michael Gira with a record that both surprised me and lived up to high expectations. Winding freeform psychedelic murder ballads all clocking in over 6 minutes. Only one single Los Angeles City Of Death, mostly a hard diet of brown acid campfire tales of cosmic horror. A revealing soul exploration that left me inspired and frightened in equal measure. Don’t try and digest this in one go. You need to take many bites before settling in for the meal. It is a meal well worth the wait though. Staggering, brilliant, tortured.

The Beggar | SWANS (bandcamp.com)

Randolph & Mortimer – The Incomplete Truth – The Sheffield, UK artist released this bouncing electropunk symphony of gears and pistons in perpetual motion. It walks heavy with blue collar confidence through a warehouse district after dark. I think one of the hardest things to master in electronic dance music laden with samples is the exact moment to drop them for maximum impact. To not overuse so that the single spoken line sets the scenery without the need for poetic lyrics. The Incomplete Truth achieves an almost robotic precision in it’s efficiency and impact. Never a wasted line, never a bridge that wears out it’s welcome. A place for everything and everything in it’s place.

The Incomplete Truth | Randolph & Mortimer (bandcamp.com)

OMD – Bauhaus Staircase – Another big name legacy band with a return to form in this dystopian fantasywave. I really love how they found new ways to attack the same vamp. A whimsical dance through the streets of a crumbling society. Kleptocracy was my favorite single, the vocals had a slippery magma quality. Bright pop with a thoughtful political relevance. I don’t know if anyone had thought OMD had started to miss the beat, but they most certainly have not.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Bauhaus Staircase – Amazon.com Music

††† (Crosses) – Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. – LA band that folks are always recommending to me but I never really dug into until this year. I real David Gahan sensuality in the vocals with a more modern glitchy vibe to the darkpop sound. Lot’s of club singles to choose from, an album of dance floor bangers. The occasions when things turn up to 11 quickly against the smooth poppy hooks to smash you with morning star intensity. It’s deceptive in ways that keep you on high alert. Unexpected depth, unexpected intensity, a return to mystique I have longed for.

Amazon.com: Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. (2 LP): CDs & Vinyl

thePicassos – Divination Scars: among the dead in symmetry – As a big fan of the Detroit band the thing that has always impressed me most about Charles and company is the intention and thought that goes into every aspect of their performance. Such an eclectic bizarre mixture of styles from 50s doo wop to 90’s Pixies dark alt. Charles has a slippery devotion to every story he sets. Another of my favorite 2023 discoveries that the wider world needs to jump on board with.

Divination Scars: among the dead in symmetry | thePicassos (bandcamp.com)

Ritual Howls – Virtue Falters – 5th record from Detroit post rock Ritual Howls. My obsession with Yee haw goth is well documented and Virtue Falters really plays up the Johnny Cash aspect of country caught in the current of Fields of the Nephelium tragic guitars. The real power comes from how much complexity the songs have while maintaining a very straight forward groove. it’s no easy feat to capture both ideals in equal measure. It feels like one of those old school records where 3 humans locked themselves in an abandoned warehouse and got weird together for two months. Something that either leads to brilliance or madness. Never in between and Virtue Falters tapped the former.

▶︎ Virtue Falters | Ritual Howls (bandcamp.com)

ASSASSUN – Chronic Quicksand Depression Morning – Alexander is one of those infuriating brilliant humans who puts out such a vast amount of quality work I often wonder if he is a person or a fey. Not only is it always amazing, it is always vastly different and mind jarringly weird. I’ve never followed a stranger into an abandoned train station in Berlin in 1987 where 12 people in masks were playing abstract electronic brap music as a party performance piece. I have to imagine this would have been what it felt like and it is awesome. I think the most impressive aspect of this ambient mind goo is that it never feels pretentious. It should, but it never does.

Chronic Quicksand Depression Morning | ASSASSUN | Blackjack Illuminist Records (bandcamp.com)

C

Witch Pop | CRUNE (bandcamp.com)

Jean-Marc Lederman– Soul Music For Zombies – Legendary Belgian composer Jean-Marc Lederman has an uncanny ability to constantly will into being something my heart had no idea it yearned for. A dark funky industrial blender on roller skates spinning under a disco ball. Frequent contributor Emileigh Rohn does another vocal contribution which soars and cascades with waterfall beauty. Diverse as the shades of human emotion. Jean-Marc spews forth brilliant concepts that need to be shown the light. Underappreciated in our scene doesn’t tell the whole tale.

Soul Music For Zombies | Jean-Marc Lederman (bandcamp.com)

Scorpion Tea – Scorpion Tea – Finally a band that is equal measure fresh on the scene, as well as brimming with OG street cred from drummer Edley ODowd (Psychic TV). Hard mean motorcycle revving skids on the floor of a condemned church. Untamed death rock with tube amp crunch and Raw Power sensuality. I expect 2024 to be a meteoric rise for the NYC band that could find a place in three different scenes.

Scorpion Tea | Scorpion Tea (bandcamp.com)

November 2023 Sounds and Shadows Darkscene Singles Chart

Featured By
  1. Bow Ever Down – Goodbye
  2. Twin Tribes – Monolith
  3. Daddybear – Antisocial
  4. Sword Tongue – To My Apparition
  5. Object X – Insomnia
  6. Brides – If Love Was A Color
  7. Mari Kattman – URGOD.AI
  8. The Mystic Underground – Famous Last Words
  9. Dogtablet – Summertime
  10. Tears For The Dying – We Are The Darkness

Time for the November Darkscene Singles Chart. This year has been flying by and full of amazing new music. I put out this chart every month to recognize incredible bands from around the world who don’t always get seen on other charts. Every bands here is chosen by our Facebook/Patreon group of Artists/DJs/Reviewers/Promotors/and Super fans. If you have a single releasing in December or know someone who does, please add it to our poll for consideration.

I will always keep supporting new darkscene music because it is my passion. I don’t like for this to feel like a business and will offer the same content for free. However the webpage/zoom account/mixcloud ect cost money. If you like what we do and want to support us for $1 a month. This is our Patreon page and Tshirts 🙂 For those that can, we really appreciate it.

Sounds and Shadows | Music Reviews, Interviews, Videocast Connecting the Darkscene | Patreon

Sounds And Shadows – SOUNDS + SHADOWS Products (teespring.com)

  1. Bow Ever Down – Goodbye – The fact that the absurdly under recognized Kimberly Kornmeier took 1st place in our chart this month fills me with emotion of why I started this chart in the first place. A talented professional that has been a part of the scene since 1998 with a soulful piercing voice and an empathetic heart being chosen by this group over more recognized names. This song was a tribute to Ghost-Youth an artist taken from this world far too soon. Lovely trancey production and sorrowful delivery. It’s hard to know the story behind this song and not mist up a bit.

Goodbye | Bow Ever Down (bandcamp.com)

2) Twin Tribes – Monolith – One of the hottest acts in modern goth dropped a new video and single from an upcoming album under the radar. Of course it is an absolute banger. Luis gives that whip crack delivery and the music has a gorgeous darksynth that was giving me Ultravox vibes. Some of the dark skies of previous releases were pulled apart to reveal clean beams of light and hope to the familiar Twin Tribes sound.

Monolith | Twin Tribes (bandcamp.com)

3) daddybear – Antisocial – Matt Fanale and Marie (Grabyourface) are two great tastes paired perfectly I am coming to associate together. Each of these new singles feels smooth and impactful. That fresh electropunk energy of intelligent message, effortless delivery, and fervent devotion to the cause. This vibrating bass beat is eroding pores into my bones. I’m here for it.

Antisocial | daddybear (bandcamp.com)

4) Sword Tongue – To My Apparition – Awesome Cali couple duo that has a strange mixture of Projekt Records and Prog Rock added an ingredient that makes everything better. Drum Daddy Dan Milligan (The Joy Thieves). Jennifers vocals really sail over a frozen fantasy world like a shield maiden bardic warrior. This track feels expansive and full of adventure. Exciting new direction.

To My Apparition | Sword Tongue (bandcamp.com)

5) Object X – Insomnia – Super cool father/daughter duo from Reno NV. Great synthesis of dreamy trance beats and 90’s alternative. The beautiful harmonies here carry an extra layer of soul from the family connection. This song makes me want to fall backwards through the bed into space.

Insomnia | Object X (bandcamp.com)

6) BRIDES – If Love Was A Colour – I know we have seen Adrian a lot in this poll lately, but every song just keeps getting better. More abstract and reckless, more simple and to the roots. That dichotomy living together in real time. This project is the best thing he has ever done.

If Love Was A Colour | BRIDES (bandcamp.com)

7) Mari Kattman – URGOD​.​AI – Another smash for Boston producer and digital disco priestess Mari Kattman. This one whirls like a sonic tornado through the club. The soundtrack to flying car you into the cyberpunk dystopia.

URGOD.AI | Mari Kattman (bandcamp.com)

8) The Mystic Underground – Famous Last Words (Of A Generation) – Great opening thrum from the New York band. Vladimir Valette has a beautiful voice that crackles with energy and hops on a distinctive cadence. The lyrics are poignant and powerful. Great video as well linked below.

Famous Last Words (Of A Generation) [Single Edit] | The Mystic Underground | Re:Mission Entertainment (bandcamp.com)

9) Dogtablet – Summertime – The always percussionally epic industrial legend calls in friends Dirk Flanigan, Mike Reidy & Roger Ebner on this filthy slinking jazzdustrial banger. I’m stumbling home from the warehouse district at 3am past mystery moisture rising from the manholes. This song is hot and wet.

The Summertime EP | Dogtablet (bandcamp.com)

10) Tears for ʇhe Dying – We Are The Darkness – I had the absolute pleasure of seeing TFTD do this song live opening for Twin Tribes and Vision Video. Adria shines like a star on stage. One of the top Death Rock bands in the modern era and this album will be something to get excited about.

We Are the Darkness (single) | Tears for ʇhe Dying (bandcamp.com)

Peter Hook & The Light

on By

LIVE CONCERT REVIEW

Artist: Peter Hook & The Light

Date: 23rd November 2023

Venue: La Laiterie

City: Strasbourg France

Peter Hook is my musical idol.

He learned about this when I spied him out from the audience during the PIL set in 1989. I held up a banner saying “Peter Hook you the greatest” (misspelled, but he got the message). He talked to me for a minute and signed it, mostly to get a freaked-out 15-year-old fanboy to shut up. When I met him again in 2013, I mentioned that to him, he said “Wait, was that you?” I said “Yes,” and he said, “Well you fucking grew up then”.

When I was interviewing dUg Pinnick from the prog metal band “King’s X” we talked about other bassists. Pinnick himself, a legend in so many circles said “Man, Peter Hook is so innovative, he invented a style, and championed it, his work stands out in bass playing”. (He also said that Killing Joke was one of his favorite bands too, seriously high praise)

In the long history of “Non Top 40” music, there have been few bands to hold the title to have conquered the music world, and influenced so many bands, as have the Joy Division flowchart.

Joy Division was the 2nd only to The Velvet Underground as far as who influenced so many bands that said ” I can do that”, and then tried, and so many succeeded, and we have all been blessed by it. None of us can say we don’t owe it to the Manchester band that shook the world for music fans.

We know the story of “Joy Division”, in the tragedy of the death of Ian Curtis, rising from the ashes to become “New Order”, then to move into countless other bands and projects.

For now, we have Peter Hook, the bassist who created his signature sound, that inspired so many, but no one has been able to steal his sound. He has everything in the world to be proud of for that.

Peter Hook picked up with a local music school project in Manchester England, called “The Light” to do a cover with Rowetta of Joy Division’s haunting epic “Atmosphere” which sparked the urge for Hooky to pull “The Light” into a long-term touring outfit, with grueling tours, playing marathon sets of the New Order and Joy Division catalog.

Living in Germany at the moment, I saw that Hooky was playing a gig just over the border in Strasbourg France, another country I once called home. I have been ALL THINGS PETER HOOK, for 36 years, so naturally, I had to go.

I drove down with a friend from high school, and we got in line and met punters from Germany, France, Belgium, and even England.

While I was in the pit waiting I spoke to some punters who were much older than I am. One guy told me he had seen Joy Division in Paris, and Brussels, among countless Hooky and New Order shows. It seemed a strange honor to meet someone who had seen Ian Curtis perform. This guy had a solid opinion on the subject.

As I waited, I saw the venue was half full 10 mins to showtime. I was thinking this was going to be a bust, then 5 minutes to showtime, the venue filled in. I had no idea you could fit so many people in a venue like that.

Hooky came onto the stage with the same classical horn music for the intro he has had for years. He greeted the crowd with “Bonne Soire” and kicked off the “Substance” set thumping out on the two lowest strings, playing the tune I know so well, the first New Order song I ever learned to play “Ceremony”. From the 2nd note, the crowd went mad. Peter Hook sang the first verse then at the chorus “I bring them down, no mercy SHOWN!!!” The entire venue erupted with “HEAVEN KNOW’S IT’S GOT TO BE THIS TIME!!!”

I have seen Peter Hook & The Light several times, and a privilege every time, this was by far the loudest I have ever experienced.

“Everything’s Gone Green” did exactly what it was supposed to, we all found ourselves in a trance with the early new wave/post-punk synth on dark foreboding basslines that once they were first played, no one knew what to think. 40+ years later, we still don’t, just let the beats take over, and feel what the song makes you feel. “No More Mistakes”, it’s not a song to remember the lyrics, or even make meaning of them, they just take over your mind while you sway to the music.

My 2nd fave song, which is a staple of every show “Temptation” began and the punters were all howling the “Ooo ohhhh oooh oooh” so loud Hooky and the Bernard “Stand in” David Potts was overpowered. It is one of those songs that everyone knows, and we sang with them, it was a loud joyous experience. In taking on lead vocals, Hooky has been singing this one with as much intensity as when they recorded it in 81. We didn’t feel the haunting from the original version, but were thrilled to be in the substance version of this great song. A song about someone in your life that you can’t live without, never invited, always welcome, but as much as this person means to you, there is no place for them in your life. This song is an anthem to the great friendships that you just can’t understand. During Temptation Hooky came right in front of me and posed with his guitar as if it was a weapon or a Harley Davidson. Only Hooky could be so cool.

Everyone danced their way through “Blue Monday” with Hooky’s most famous bassline, half James Bond, half surfer rock.

David Potts, Hooky’s right-hand man since the Revenge project in 89 took lead vocals for “Thieves Like Us”, a song that had escaped setlists for New Order for a very long time, and it is always a welcomed tune in the Hooky setlists, otherwise no one hears it anymore live.

A gem from the “Low Life” album “A Perfect Kiss” rode on top of the Bach-esque synth lines, and is the only New Order song that Hooky played “Traditional” bass in sound, and technique, up till the haunting bass solo, among so many other greats on the most underrated album in the world. This was New Order’s intensity at its purest given to us in those basslines.

By the time we got to “Bizarre Love Triangle” the venue was bouncing up and down through the intro, and the fun nuances added into the “Substance” album. However, by this time I found it hard to dance when the place was so packed you couldn’t fit a razor blade between the punters.

They finished out the New Order Set with “True Faith” with Pottsy singing the higher vocal sections, and he did sing the original lyrics “When I was a very small boy, a very small voice talked to me. Now that we’ve grown up together, they’re all taking drugs with me”. Giving it to us the way they meant to all those years ago.

A short intermission, and the crowd wasn’t going to back off, I managed to get back up front for more pics, but the bouncers wouldn’t let the photographers back into the pit. So I stood right in front of the PA system for the Joy Division segment. We all knew what was coming, and were fine with knowing what was coming. For shows like this, there is no pressure to get in the songs from the “New Album”, we were all there to hear these songs. So many of us never got the opportunity to hear the Joy Division songs, so this is something that fans will jump on to get in to hear these songs that never got played, or run their course like other great music. We all wanted to hear these live, and Peter Hook is giving that to us almost 50 years later.

They gave us “New Dawn Fades” to sheer AWE, at this moment the crowd became irreverent showing their appreciation for this number, then without missing a beat we got “From Safety to Where..” then “Failures” songs normally missing from some of the Joy Division “Substance” sets I have heard over the years, but no one was complaining.

They played “Disorder” the opening track from “Unknown Pleasures”, and I have heard it performed by Peter Hook & The Light, and even by “The Slaves of Venus” but tonight it was so powerful, we felt like we were on a space ship being catapulted through space for this song. For some reason, this performance of the song could have been the audio soundtrack to a Stanley Kubrick flick.

He played “Warsaw” the opening song, sort of out of sequence, but what was so cool about it this evening was Hooky was playing it with the “New Order-esque” sounding bass, and it was so amazing hearing it this way, I had to snag this on my phone and share it here, for you all to “Get it”. I was honored to hear them mixing the New Order sound into the Joy Division songs. Somehow it felt like this was the way it was supposed to sound, or would have if Joy Division had stayed the course, thank you Hooky.

At “Digital” there was a supplied chorus singing “Day In, Day Out, Day In, Day Out”, as the band watched us kind of smiling knowing that we were going to be doing those parts for them. Maybe this one stood out to New Order fans because of the way it caught the moment watching the semi-biopic film “24 Hour Party People”. ( I have spoken to several people who were in that story, and they all said it didn’t happen quite that way, but it was a great movie anyway and caught the spirit of the story, even though as Hooky has said they got much of it DEAD WRONG.) This time “Digital” had more of the “Tuned” bass from the “Brotherhood” vintage.

Now, I will just describe it as this, a completely packed venue, covering the span of age from teenagers, to people well into their 60s, all howling along “Dance! Dance! Dance! Dance! Dance! TO THE RADIO” in perfect key as if it was a well-orchestrated sing-along, imagine that, because that is exactly how it was.

Hooky in his book “Substance, INSIDE NEW ORDER” realized how hard it was being the one to sing and play guitar. I have noticed that singing on top of basslines is really out of the wheelhouse of rock and roll. The bass is to give a rhythm for the guitar to ride on top of, but not play the notes that the vocalist had to focus on. Hooky has been able to master doing this with a 2nd bassist who can play the lines exactly from the album to play off of, while he also sings. In the multiple shows I have seen of Peter Hook & The Light, I have come to appreciate the “Jam” band experience of having two bassists in there playing the same style off each other. If you are a Peter Hook bass line fan, seeing them live like this is rather a remarkable experience. It’s not just the bass player’s ego, it’s how these songs were meant to be played, and adding to the dynamic like this makes the music almost 3 dimensional.

During “Dead Souls” Peter Hook walked over and pounded the electric drum pad with his fists, off of Paul Kehoe the drummer, smiling at him also looking like he was taking out aggression and smacking them so hard.

For anyone who has seen Peter Hook perform live, you know that the guy has this charisma on stage, in how he plays, moves around, and interacts with everyone. He has a serious amount of swagger that I don’t see in bassists, but more in vocalists. His stage presence is tantamount to guys like David Gahan, Peter Murphy, and even Mick Jagger. He is on stage, and you just watch him while he does his thing, strangely, he has always been that charismatic frontman.

He closed out the show, dedicating the song “Atmosphere” to the memory of Ian Curtis, stating that it was no different tonight than any other performance of the song. We all enjoyed it and respected the performance for what it was.

The 16th beat and world-famous chords on the bass started the anthemic “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. The masterpiece of history, that will go down in the annals of music with Beethoven’s 9th, and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny Be Good”, and I’m sure with Handel Messiah too. It is the most covered non-pop song of all time. It has stood the test of time and will live on long after any of us. It was just an honor to hear it played by one of the original musicians.

Peter Hook & The Light gives you the nostalgia for the music you got to hear as New Order, and the music few ever got to hear live as Joy Division. I have flown to San Francisco, and Denver to see them, and now even driven to France. Once you see them live, you will understand why.

#peterhook #peterhookandthelight #joydivision #joydivisionforever #davidpottsmusic #bassgods #postpunk #newwave

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