THE MICK 49 DJ MARK SPLATTER ~ a maniac on tour March 2009 GIANT PAW Furballs For All with the UK’s most perverse talent THE RABIES THE DROWNING ~ where Punk meets Goth, SEASON but keep them away from wa- ~ a glorious rebirth! ter THE BROTHERHOOD ROME BURNS OF PAGANS ~ deceptive change, perceptive consistency ~ a truly wild return! EDITORIAL VOMIT The progress creeps forward, although it’s been annoyingly slow, vivacious, and Giant Paw, quite rightly our cover stars, are unlike any which is all down to circumstance. I have spent the best part of the other band around, which is always worth celebrating. last month promoting my new book, and that will continue on and off for the next few months, but at least I only just missed the deadline And be prepared people, as I am just finishing of the proof stages of with this issue. Unfortunately I am still locked into an old routine the first of the self-published books I am preparing. Gothic Interviews whereby I arrange the questions and just launch them at a group of Volumes 1 – 3 are all but ready and will be promoted here next month. bands in the same few days which sets them a ludicrous deadline Three massive Gothic Images books will also be coming out, as will themselves. This time around this hasn’t really worked in that Scarlet be my own Author’s Editions of my first four books, of which Gothic Leaves, Deathcamp Project and La Peste Negra simply didn’t have Rock now has over 300 added pages of photos (none of which will time to get things done in time, which is quite understandable, so appear in the other books, as I am dividing my images up carefully so they’re in next month. as to ensure no duplication. Apart from that I think things are going well. We have an individual, Right, that’s enough from me. in Mark Splatter, who many of you will be aware of, but this fills in details, and next month we’ll have the designer Jane Wildgoose which I go now. is something I wish to concentrate on. I’d like to interview Jo from Whitby Gothic Weekend soon as well, actually highlighting people who are doing really interesting, worthwhile things. There seem to be some cat photos in this issue. No idea how that happened, but perhaps Giant Paw are responsible. You will also find some great bands., The Drowning Season bounce back and show how delightful a Goth vibrancy can be, and Goth has been around a lot lately with the fast-dying NME giving it some decent coverage, the amazing Gothic: Dark Glamour book, the G-Word documentary on Radio 2 (both reviewed in this issue), I was even allowed to witter endlessly on Cherry Red’s TV channel about it all. The Ataraxia box set is an astonishing release so I’d recommend you try and track that down above anything else, but there’s plenty of excellent records reviewed in this issue, and the variety again is the key to impressing people about what enchanting times we live in. The other bands are all cool. The Brotherhood Of Pagans are a seriously imaginative French Goth band, The Rabies smash a Goth and Punk hybrid together in the States, Rome Burns represent that rare breed, a UK band who manage to be varied but consistently “You see, this is the level of “But I thought you were bringing the incompetenece I have come sandwiches?” to expect!” ADAM ANT LIVE AT THE BLOOMSBURY EWL For all the pop nonsense that clouded the end of their existence Adam & The Ants probably retain third place in my all time favourites behind Ataraxia and The Dancing Did, and were easily the most exciting live band, so I have also retained an interest in Adam’s antics, although his solo works haven’t been particularly extensive due to his fall in popularity and understandable retirement from the spotlight given his mental problems. I still collect the occasional bootleg, and now and again check out websites although with so much time spent writing I rarely have time for forums. Revisiting ‘Antrap’ recently I was shocked at how small it now seemed, with a narrow focus, and how the official site seemed so bland, with a welter of content expunged, although while there I bought this. I did enjoy reading an interesting interview with Adam where he was admitting how uncomfortable recent TV appearances and book signings had been, in that he knew he seemed like a ghost, due to his medication, but he’s obviously considerably sharper and happier now. One event which seemed to signal cheerier times was this event, doing an intimate evening for fans with his old school friend Dave Pash accompanying him on acoustic, as he read from his book or adlibbed to the devoted. of Elvis rolling as well as some French accents, the cosmopolitan fool. Due to technical problems he’s had to leave some songs out but this is It’s brilliant. The audience rise and leave, disgusted. a tantalising glimpse for those of us who didn’t attend. There’s a cute booklet with Adam reminiscing of the event, and some great photos. No, they adore it. You knew I was kidding. He cuts into a dour, atmospheric ‘Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)’ which is ‘A Girl Named Bill’ is a spoken word piece, about his grandmother, really powerful, jangling and trickling and you can actually hear the briskly handled, which is immediately amusing, given her interesting life surging into his voice as it develops. A raw ‘Cleopatra’ blossoms solo compositions reinterpreting Vaudeville songs, as well as his own disgracefully, the economic approached reaping sordid dividends. early musical memories, often boosted by his childminder’s record collection and gift of his first guitar, with one yodelling outburst ‘Boxing Clever’ is another funny, but rather disturbing, account of having a surprising significance. Then he switches to music with boxing lessons at his school, overseen by a weirdo headmaster, which ‘Young Parisians’, admitting he now realises the b-side ‘Lady’ should also leads to into seriously demented Beatles memories, early music have been the A-side. He eases and oozes through it, with a mini burst lessons and his stirring role as a Ukrainian farmer. Further school It starts with a sorrowful ‘Prophetia’ from the first demo, weighed memories follow which are always a joy to behold, and these ones are down in cloistered sounds and economically imposing like spectral great. church music. ‘Aigues Mortes’ is initially dark and roughly padded with emotional armour and steely quavering vocals. Very moody, like They do ‘Catch A Falling Star’, a very early Ants cover, and a daft Visage in Operatic Hell, turning into some kind of blurry escape treat. ‘Cartrouble’ as Dave chivvies and cajoles his adjusted guitar, through Historical dimensions, strangely interlaced and muddled with and it sounds like Adam meets Billy Bragg, enthusiastic and weird! spoken vocals added, brusquely exhilarating. ‘Tu Es La Force Du The ambitious version of ‘Stand & Deliver’ works on the vivid Silence’ introduces us to the climbing ivy that was to become an character displayed. It’s not as you remember it but it just reveals how intriguing Francesca vocal style, as she ascend any smooth surface or strong the actual feel in the song is, despite sounding well ropey. musical barrier the band erects. Up to the brooding sky, scaring the clouds. The sound is quite stodgy as the rhythm trudges, but it’s still ‘Early Mornings Gene Vincent’ finds him recalling early jobs he exciting as this is the forging their own sound, wading solidly towards needed to buy clothes, records and satisfy girls, and formed his first a flaming horizon. band which apparently included a Rory Gallagher cover (“Crest Of A Wave”)! Full marks, Sir! There’s also a great deadpan joke about a ‘Flée Et Fabian’ is more gentle, almost airy and dreamy, although the blood capsule he used onstage in Bazooka Joe when he pretended to percussion still rattles the windows, and an adorably swirly have a heart attack and be carried from the stage, “they used to come composition. ‘Nosce Te Ipsum’ itself is a frilly, courtly number out of week after week and still believe it….” Arabella Weir was a backing the Elizabethan pages, but switches style into a teeming and singer! If I ever knew that I’d certainly forgotten. He goes through the foreboding passage too, another thing they would excel at, then back very early Punk phase, wittily onto ‘Jubilee.’ to the older approach and why respect traditions utterly when you can make your own? Flamboyant, circumspect, mischievous and They bound into a jaunty, tangled ‘Goody Two Shoes’ which causes a adventurous, all in one. Yep, that would be them. singalong, and it’s fun even though it’s a little naff, but who cares? ‘Zweistimmenstäuschung’ comes through as a murk of post-punk, The brave duo return for an encore of ‘Never Trust A Man (With Egg urgent guitar, slippy vocals across a shifting bed of drums and piano, On His Face)’ and the crowd sing along because it’s that sort of night and another sign of why they admit to having been impressed by UK and this is a lovely little record, which actually does please on all Decay. (In fact imagine if Furyo had actually been genuinely good levels. It’s got depth, unusual details and such charm it’s ridiculous, so instead of simply a good idea?) ‘Torquemada’ is another vibrantly I think if he does play Glastonbury he’s finally on an interesting snappy and slightly spooky historical encounter, then we end with a pathway again.