peek edition October/November/December 2024 free ofcharge, not for sale aboo music & subcultmagazine quarterly publishedmusic magazine 48 LLUMEN- AHRAYEPH IRDORATH- PARTIKUL -UKSUBS THECURE: SONGSOFALOSTWORLD
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peek aboo contents music &moviemagazine 01 LLLUMMEN © PIETER COUSSEMENT 04 Interview LLUMEN 08 Interview PARTIKUL 10 Reviews 12 Interview IRDORATH 16. Interview UK SUBS 18 Interview AHRAYEPH 21 ReviewTHE CURE: Songs Of A Lost World 22 Reviews 24. Reviews 25. Reviews 27 Calendar Want to support your sene & contribute to our magazine? English, Dutch, French, German … It’s all good! Come and join us and send an to e-mail [email protected] peek aboo music &moviemagazine ORGANISATION BODYBEATS PRODUCTIONS Marleen MASTBOOMS www.BodyBeats.be PORTA NIGRA Peter Verreycken www.PortaNigra.eu LE FANTASTIQUE Frédéric COTTON www.LeFantastique.net YOUR ORGANISATION HERE? Join us & support (y)our scene! WE NEEDYOU! Peek-a-Boo is always looking for new partners, distributors, writers, editors and translators. Mail to: [email protected] LAYOUT Fred GADGET Veerle DE BLOCK EDITORS / TRANSLATORS Leanne AITKEN Kevin BURKE Michael BOGHE Tine SWAENEPOEL Gea STAPELVOORT PHOTOGRAPHERS Elke BREDENBRUCH Luc LUYTEN Yvo Moeys WRITERS Jurgen BRAECKEVELT Dimi BRANDS Jan DENO Peter DOLPHEN Fred GADGET Hamis HIREK Kurt INGELS Xavier KRUTH Lena DAUTEL Tom PLOVIE Dany QUETIN Hayley CLX - 3 - colophon WRITERS (continued) Henk VEREECKEN Malcolm Nix Chris WHEATLEY William ZIMMERMAN François ZAPPA PARTNERS & DISTRIBUTION BODYBEATS PROD. (Antwerp) www.BodyBeats.be DARK BALLOON (Retie) www.darkballoon.be BUNKERLEUTE (Leuven) www.bunkerleute.be DARK ENTRIESMAGAZINE (B) www.darkentries.be GOTHVILLE (Hasselt) www.gothville.com INFRAROT (Germany) www.infrarot.de PORTA NIGRA (Aarschot) www.PortaNigra.eu CONCEPT / WEBSITE Ward DE PRINS (RIP) Peek-A-Boo Magazine • Heilig Geesthoek 87A • BE-2070 • Zwijndrecht • Contact: [email protected] / Promo: [email protected] www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
LLUMEN Llumen has released their third album ‘The Breaking Waves’ in May. It has become an exceptionally strong future pop album, which revolves around the ebb and flowof life, and which is interspersed with the personal experiences ofmastermind Pieter Coussement, ranging from his difficult recovery from two minor heart attacks years ago, to the struggle with psychological problems and the suicide of his own brother. Yet ‘The BreakingWaves’ is not just a deeply sad record full of serious reflections. It is also an extremely successful electro record that will undoubtedly make you dance. Hi Pieter. You recently released your third album ‘The Breaking Waves’. Congratulations, I think it’s a very successful work. I understand that there is a deeper concept behind the album. Can you explain to us what that concept is? Thank you Xavier, the songs on ‘The Breaking Waves’ often had a hard time forming an album in my head. That's why ‘The Breaking Waves’ didn't start as an intended concept album, but rather became one along the way. I noticed that the lyrics I wrote were intertwined with seas and oceans, and that water as an element came to play an important role. Oceans and seas often become metaphors inmy lyrics for both the good and the bad sides of my life. It was when I discovered the cover image, made by Emmanuel Snyers, that it all came together. That’s a kind of serendipity that I like to embrace. The concept of ‘The Breaking Waves’ is based on a number of personal experiences from the past few years. What can you tell us about that, not only about the events, but also about how they inspired you to make ‘The BreakingWaves’? When I reflect on my life, it is always ebb and flow.There are moments of great happiness and peace, and then there are all those other moments that weigh on my mind and sow unrest in my head. After ‘Polygon Heart’ I didn’t want to write another moody album, although I don’t think I succeeded this time either. But songs like ‘Desire’ and ‘Torn Skin’ are written from a positive desire rather than from a gloomy attitude. I do try to write from an autobiographical point of view. Often that starts with a single sentence that comes to mind, and that is then supplemented with a story that is somewhere between fiction and reality. My life is not always easy, and I am www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 4 - always looking for a good balance that I often don’t find. As a result, songs remain interspersed with hope and love, but are at the same time also characterized by sadness and disappointment. The duality between both extremes is something that my melancholic self has perhaps become too used to. Your personal experiences also played tricks on you during the recording of its 2021 predecessor ‘Polygon Heart’, although I understand that the recording process was alreadywell advanced when the problems arose. How did that affect the recording process? This is quite a few years behind me now, but you consulted your sources well. It is true that after my first album I worked on the successor with great enthusiasm. However, somewhere halfway my heart decided otherwise. Two (small) heart attacks later I had to find myself again, which took a long time. It weighed on me. It took me almost two years to get back into my groove, not only mentally but also physically. My voice was severely tested by side effects of medication, and I actually had to learn to use my voice again.You can hear this here and there on the album. ‘Lifeline’ is the first song I wrote after a longmental battle,and it is therefore a song that is very close to my heart.When I sing it today, that feeling still prevails, and every syllable is 100 percent sincere. How did Llumen actually come into being? I heard that the group originally consisted of three members, but that you later continued the project as the only member, from 2009 onwards. A long time ago I had a band with Ivan Van der Herten, Sad CBA, which was then supplemented by my brother Joris. Afterwards we renamed it Llumen. But as is often the case, life gets in the way and ambitions grow somewhat apart. Everyone concentrated on their own path in life. I then decided to continue Llumen myself, because I cannot imagine a life without music. It is still high on my priority list. Without music, a part of me is missing. At the moment I take care of all the tasks, Joris plays live and Ivan is still a good sounding board. In fact, he still plays a little on every album.There is often still a piece of a lyric by him. Your debut ‘The Memory Institute’ dates from 2017, with a preceding single in 2016. In other words, it took a long time before your debut was released. How
© Unknown @ time of printing come? That has to do mainly with time pressure. During that period I was doing my PhD at the Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music (IPEM), and that took up a lot of time. That’s why it took a bit longer than planned. On ‘The Breaking Waves’ you sing a bit in German in ‘Die Stille Totgeschwiegen’. Why did you do that? Was that a tough work, or do you have a good command of Goethe’s language? Have you ever considered singing in Dutch as well? I heard the sentence ‘Ich habe die Stille totgeschwiegen’ somewhere (wrongly) in an Après-ski bar in Austria, and it stuck ever since.The sentence simply sounds very good in German as well as in Dutch,but lacks power in English. I also have a great affinity with German. I had pen pals in Germany from an early age, loved to look across the border as a teenager, went to the Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT) in Leipzig every year, was a big fan of Goethes Erben and Das Ich, and also had a grandmother who, in addition to Polish (which I can’t speak at all),had German as her mother tongue. So it wasn’t that big a task. Even - 5 - the entire German version on the double album was written quite easily.Dutch is a language that doesn’t suit me for songs. I think more in English than in Dutch. ‘A Part Of Me With You’ is about your brother’s suicide. In a Facebook post about it, youwrote: ‘Ifyou feel down in any way, talk to someone. If you feel you have nobody to talk to, reach out even to me, even if we've never met.’Do you believe that we can prevent suicides by paying more attention to the mental health issues around us? I would have liked to hope so of course. It was and is an open invitation to keep talking about what you feel. I sincerely believe that more attention to mental suffering can prevent a lot of sadness. Suicide in itself is of course a very drastic act,but what precedes it is, if possible,even worse. I can’t really describe how it feels when you become a kind of expert by experience because of the suicide of one of your loved ones, but it is the thought of loneliness and not finding another way out that sticks with me the most. It is also that which I think of most when I think of my brother, which also makes me feel very powerless and sad. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
LLUMEN Several people have pointed out the standout track ‘Harbour’, which again has serious lyrics. Can you explain the deeper meaning of it? Is there also a reason why you put this song as the penultimate track on your record? I actually put it as the last track on the CD.‘At Nadir’ is the first track on the second CD, but with streaming services that is not so clear of course. ‘Harbour’ came about somewhere during a discussion. It is about being part of the same whole, but still not finding a connection, about wanting the same thing, but not succeeding in reconciling it, about the ocean as a driving force for good or for evil. Can I say that your music evolved from classical and orchestral dark electro towards future pop in the years? I remember a time when future pop was often looked down upon – completely unfairly, by the way – even though it was hugely popular, or maybe just because of that. How do you look at this? I do think I have evolved more and more towards future pop, or at least more complex electro. That has mainly to do with the fact that I can’t identify with the minimal trend that is (or was) prevalent. I like chord progressions and melodies. In my opinion, they get lost a bit if you stay in the more classic electro. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it is not something I can express myself in. Future pop simply lends itself more to telling stories. It is sometimes looked down on, but then it is also good to note that bands like VNV Nation, Covenant or Diorama – to name but a few – still manage to have an identity and continue to produce a series of timeless classics. I also just make what I want and don’t have to justifywhat style that would or wouldn’t be. If you take the new Implant, or the latest from Haujobb, you know that pigeonholing is not necessary. ‘The Breaking Waves’ did well in the German Electronic WebCharts (GEWC). You were number 4 there for two weeks. Did you experience much of a consequence from that? We entered the GEWC at number 7 and a week later we were at number 4 with Diary of Dreams, Solar Fake and Funker Vogt above us. We also held out at number 4 for the entire period, something I am proud of.Unfortunately, I don’t really see any consequences of that. I have the impression that organizers are more concerned with Instagram likes and Facebook. You have a PhD in musicology. Now I am no longer www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 6 - surprised that people with a thorough knowledge of music also get involved with metal, rock, pop and even electro. But can you explain to us how these studies have influenced your work as an electro musician? It may sound counterintuitive, but it is mainly by writing my PhD that I started experimenting less in Llumen. When you do the craziest musical experiments every day at your job, you are sometimes glad that you can just focus on writing a song instead of doing a new kind of embodied sound experiment. Of course, that urge to experiment is still contained in Llumen songs and I love to keep looking for new ways to generate sounds and images. When I hear that you were able to play the Mechanismus Festival in Seattle twice, in the United States, and recently also performed in Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, I wonder why you can’t performmore often in Belgium. I’m glad that it can happen on a Dark Entries Night, because I also expect that a lot of people want to see you here. How do you look at that? Well, I’m kind of giving up trying to find an explanation for that. I think Belgium is a difficult country to find gigs in. Abroad, however, it’s not much easier. It really takes effort to get gigs.Most of the time it’s all about likes and exposure on social media. It might be a joke, but all the time you put into your socials, you don’t put into your music. I’m looking forward to playing in my hometown. It’s been a long time, so we’ve made sure that October 12th will be something really special. Live, Llumen consists of three people. Can you introduce your band members and their role in the group? We are indeed back with three live, Joris is ‘back’ there, and he takes care of visuals and light. We also play this aspect live. Manu plays synths and makes sure that nothing goes wrong technically. It is more fun to perform with friends anyway. Xavier KRUTH https://www.llumen.be/CID.html alfamatrix.bandcamp.com/album/ the-breaking-waves-deluxe-edition www.facebook.com/people/Llumen-official/
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PARTIKUL On Saturday, June 15, we’ve organized a Dark Entries Night in the Kinky Star. There was a concert of Partikul, a Brussels group that has already caused quite a stir with just two albums. The group consists of Aly (synth and vocals) and Stef (guitar and vocals), and they also appear to be a couple in real life. We asked them some questions about their history and their music. Hello Aly and Stef. If I understand correctly, Partikul was born in 2019. I know you are a couple in real life too. Did the group arise from your meeting, or did it come about later? Hello Xavier, thank you and Mattias for inviting us to this interview and to the Dark Entries evening this Saturday. We are indeed a couple and we were together for four years before we founded Partikul.We started this project shortly before the covid blackout. We first started with an EP with the prescient title ‘Venus-Virus’ (laughs), so much so that due to the lockdown we couldn’t perform a concert one month after its release to give. forward quickly.We talk about our joys and our sorrows, linked to what is happening to us in life.We have a very minimalist approach, we don’t intellectualize too much what we create, it's quite spontaneous. Critics immediately spoke of a resolutely eighties sound. How do you try to recreate the sound and atmosphere of the 1980s while staying rooted in today’s world? We are more of a hybrid group, we mix everything and make a cocktail of everything that was done best 40 years ago, humbly and for our pleasure. Regarding the production of the two albums, Thomas Stadnicki, the sound engineer, is not so focused on the eighties, but has a modern approach to sound, which we love. We have a lot of influences: punk, no/new wave, noise, industrial, etc. but we also really like current groups like Boy Harsher,Moon Duo and The Soft Moon. We mix everything and make a cocktail of everything that was done best 40 years ago, humbly and for our pleasure. You called your project ‘Partikul’, with this very specific spelling that we sometimes encounter in Brussels, the city where you operate. What is the history of this name? The name of the group has nothing to do with Brusseleir. We had not made the link, thanks for the reference. We were with friends on the parvis Sint-Gilles, at 'Verschu'. We were discussing pollution and our way of consuming in general, and the words ‘particul’ came up ('particules' in French). Besides the meaning, the sound also appealed to us and visually we preferred to put a K instead of a C.Then we realized that ‘PARTIKUL’ was also a Turkish word. (laughs) Indeed, a first EP with four songs was released in 2019: ‘Venus Virus’. Were you immediately full of inspiration? The fact that we composed together allowed us to move www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 8 - The next album ‘Related Memories’ was largely written during the lockdown and was released in 2021.Was the lockdown a painful period for you, or a period of inspiration? It was a bit difficult, especially for the social side and the outings, since 99% of our activities are related to music... On the other hand,we were lucky enough to be able to rehearse in the studio in underwater mode, and rehearse and compose this album. The last album to date was released in 2023: ‘Having Gone’. Ifwe compare the three albums,we can say that the sound has become increasingly dynamic. The rhythms and bass are more pronounced on your latest opus.Was it a natural evolution or an explicit choice? Yes, we wanted to write more danceable songs. We want to make people dance!
You have founded your own label: ‘Exit does not exist Records’. Is that only for your own productions, or do you plan to release other bands on this label? No, not right away, we founded this label for our music. All groups should do the same! The latest album ‘Having Gone’ was also released on Wagonmaniac Music. So you look beyond your own label. Why do you do that? If we are offered a collaboration and it seems cool to us, why not? This is the case with Wagonmaniac. They offered to release us digitally. These are people who are passionate about music, just like us. We don't want to be closed in on ourselves. Producing our own albums is also a pragmatic approach. But the freedom to decide for yourself is also cool. - 9 - I see you have a lot of shows. You're even playing at Castle Fest in Poland this summer. What are the plans for the coming period? That show at Castle Fest was a nice surprise. We can’t wait to be there! Obviously we've had a chance to play a lot over the last three years. We never thought we would ever play with bands that we listen to and respect musically. At our level everything is just a bonus, so when we were contacted to play at Castle Fest... We're working on new songs, so we'll see if we like them enough to record a third album...We'll see! Xavier KRUTH www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
RED LORRY YELLOW LORRY - Driving Black (Vinyl/Digital EP) (Self-Released) More than 30 years after their last ‘Blasting Off’ album RLYL are now back with a brandnew EP ('Driving Black') and, yes! Next year, February 2025, a whole new studio album (‘Strange Kind Of Paradise’).To be able to listen to the full EP you will have to wait ‘til it’s released on December 6 but in the meantime we can already present you their new single‘Driving Black (Ding's Remix)’.And as we are used fromRed LorryYellowLorry; they do not disappoint… Driving Black' features three exclusive tracks alongside three distinctive mixes from the upcoming newalbum…6 tracks 100% Full-Steam-Post-PunkPower, as we are used fromThe Lorries.You are going to put your finger on the ‘volumeup’ button of your music player! Curious? The new EP is available as a pre-order both Digitally and on Vinyl, but know that the Vinyl is only being released in a limited edition of 1,000 units. So if you would like to get your hands on one; don’t wait too long! [HC] THE LIGHT DREAMS -Tricks of the Light (Digital) (Self-Released) With influences from science fiction, travel and dreams as numerous pioneering artists and composers such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Gary Numan,Tangerine Dream, Depeche Mode & David Bowie (to name a few),‘The Light Dreams’ is an instrumental Synthesiser project founded byAlex Storer in 2006.‘Tricks of the Light’ is Mr.Storer’s latest ‘The Light Dreams’ creation.The genesis was a trip he made to Iceland in March 2022. Seeing the Northern Lights from a glass cabin at 3am in the morning made him want to capture that experience in music. The inspiration however goes beyond seeing the Northern Lights. The idea for ‘Tricks of the Light’ for example, the title track, came when he saw Peter Gabriel in concert in 2023.One of Gabriel’s new songs included a majestic ‘wall of sound’ and that immediately sparked new creativity. ‘Subliminal Resonance’ is a leftover unfinished demo track dating from 2013. The Result? A concept album with 11 mesmerising ‘Synth-Spheric’ tracks that will take you on a trip to the Aurora Borealis.All you have to do is close your eyes and listen! [HC]. GROUND NERO - Blood Never Sleeps (CD/Digital) (Dance Macabre) Ground Nero's new album, 'Blood Never Sleeps'. The album had been around for a while digitally, and is now coming out physically. After 'Divergence', it took a while to endure, until British vocalist Mark Sayle joined the troops following previous vocalist Guy who regretfully left the band. The basic ingredients remain the same: solidly rocking Gothic Rock, with a solid flurry of Darkwave. The opening track is immediately a lingering Goth Rock song of the kind they may continue to make for me,An economical melody, stealthy and harmless, and yet there is menace emanating from it. Sayle's voice is made for the genre. So in that regard, a more than worthy vocalist following Gwijde[…] Album after album, Ground Nero remains true to their typical sound, but without the problem that other bands sometimes get into: that it becomes boring.That is not the case with Ground Nero […] The album closes with 'Stars'.A song dedicated to Sofie Taeymans (RIP) […] It is a great tribute, and immediately one of the catchiest, darkest and most loaded songs, making this album a more than worthy, deeply dark successor to 'Divergence'. [JB] ROSETTA STONE - Under The Weather (CD/ Vynil/Digital) (Cleopatra Records) “It was hard enough before the changes came …“Emerging in the late 1980’s UK band Rosetta Stone came out of the influential second wave of Gothic Rock, leaving an indelible and undeniable mark on the Gothicmusic scene.35 years since debuting with the,in 1989 released, ‘Darkness And Light’ EP Rosetta Stone is now back with a brand new (No. 7) studio album! (‘Cryptology’, the previous album, already dates back from 2020) Bandleader Porl King sure hasn’t lost his touch. From the opening title track to the practically instrumental 'Goth-Floor' filler 'Change',‘Under TheWeather’ is a,as we are used from him,10-songs counting albumwith the so characteristic chiming guitars and lush keyboards.The somber &dark romanticmood fits perfectly with the this-time-of-year (almost Hallowe'en) fall season. In other words; Soulstirring Goth Rock, high on my list of favorite albums released in 2024. If that is the same for you I gladly let you decide for yourself. [HC] www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 10 - Read full reviews on http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/reviews/
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IRDORATH Two years in prison. That was the sentence for Nadia and Vova Kalach, frontwoman and frontman of the fantasy folk band Irdorath. Their crime? They have played music at rallies during the mass protests against the rigged 2020 presidential election in Belarus. Three other musicians associated with Irdorath received a year and six months in prison. In the meantime, all musicians have been released and left Belarus. Nadia and Vova have gathered new musicians for Irdorath from their new home in Germany. We were able to talk to them about the history of Irdorath, but also and especially about the repression against anyone who dares to raise their voice in Belarus, a country that currently has more than 1400 political prisoners. Hello Nadia and Vova. Thank you for this opportunity to have a conversation together. Let’s start where you started with Irdorath. I think Irdorath was founded in 2011 in Minsk… Vova: It was a bit earlier,like 2009.Later,we collected a band and moved to Minsk. Nadia: 2011 was when our fresh band started to play in Minsk. Vova: It was then that we released our first album. So you met in 2009? Were you already a couple at that moment? Nadia: Yes. We met and immediately started to make music together. But it only got serious in 2011. Before that,we just learned how to play our instruments. We played in the streets.We were students and we had fun. 2011 is perhaps the moment when Anton Schnip joined the band, with whom you recorded your first CD‘Ad Astra’. Nadia: Yes, we finished studying at the university in Grodno in 2011, and we moved to Minsk. Me, Vova and Anton were living together, and we started to record our first album.We had no connections in Minsk, no experience, no money, but we were very motivated, and together we did it. Vova:We started to work on‘AdAstra’it in 2011,and released it in 2012. The second CD‘Dreamcatcher’followed in 2016. So it took four years to work on a follow-up.Why did it take so long? Nadia: We were young, and we needed time to learn how to do this. It never was our aim to release as much as possible, or to make a very simple product according to a strict timing. Vova: I don’t remember why it lasted four years, but there were a lot of festivals, a lot of concerts, a lot of changes in www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 12 - the band. You can hear the difference between the first album that we recorded with three persons, and the later albums, which are much more musical. They’re not so medieval. Nadia: We wanted to make something profound, something very beautiful. We used a lot of strings on that album. The music was noble and complicated. Since it was our first global work,we wanted tomake something really good.That took some time. I hope we succeeded. Yes, I like the album very much. You released your third album ‘Wild’ a year later. At that time, Irdorath incorporated more musicians. I think you were five or six musicians. Vova: Yes, we were six. We had two drummers, a guitar, a violin and the both of us. Nadia: When we had opportunities, according to the possibilities in Minsk or our hometown, we always invited friends and musicians to play with us, in order to make it bigger. But this is costly, and now we need to survive on a much more limited budget. You had some international success. You toured in Europe. You played a lot in Germany, but also in Belgium, at the Na Fir Bolg festival, where you also played again this year. Nadia: Yes.That was the only time we played in Belgium.But we played in Germany several times, including at Wacken and at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen, and also in Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, the Netherlands and the Baltic states. Let’s move to the more tragic story. In August 2020, there were presidential elections in Belarus. I’m absolutely convinced, like many people, that the elections were rigged. I don’t think the dictator Lukashenko,who has been in power since 1994, really won the election. There was a broad protest movement against the election fraud. Many people took to the streets, and you also decided to go to the protests and the play music at the gatherings. What was your motivation? Vova: I think the most powerful trigger for all of the people was the violence. The police reacted very violently to the peaceful protests. Nadia: It’s kind of a tradition. After the elections, people go out and wait for the results of the elections. It was the same here. But what they saw was cruel. They were attacked, beaten, arrested, even killed. Vova: They were shot at. They even threw grenades in the crowd,right in the center of the crowd.It was incredible.A lot
of the people we knew were impacted by this. We couldn’t stay at home. Nadia: The police arrested a lot of people. They got ten or fifteen days in prison, I don’t remember.And when they were released from prison, people saw in what condition they were. They were blue from the beatings. They had broken noses, legs and arms. Some were raped. All this information was in the air. You could of course try to pretend that you did not see this. You could do this, and your life would be much easier. But you can’t do this if you’re a human being.We are humans.We were not able to shut up and to stay at home.We spoke out against it, in the way that we could. We are musicians.We put flowers on our bagpipes, as a sign of peace. We took to the streets and played. We supported the people who protested after this incredible evil happened. We had no chance to act differently,because we are humans. But youwere conscious that this was dangerous.Therewas always this threat of police violence. Vova: Of course.But it was also dangerous to stay at home or to go to the grocery store. The police worked in civilian clothes. They were everywhere. They arrested everyone they suspected of any opposition. It was really dangerous to just go outside. So it didn’t matter. We knew that we could be beaten, or that we could be imprisoned for several days. Nadia: In this period,the prison sentences were still days,not years. - 13 - Vova: We knew that our bagpipes would be destroyed. But it was not enough to stop us, because of what they did … Nadia: It was very scary to go there.We saw what happened, with our own eyes. It was very scary, but still we did it. I have also heard that theywere especially looking for the musicians at the protests. Were they really tracking the musicians, or just everyone. Nadia: No. I would say they were tracking everyone. People in Belarus are incredible.Doctors took to the streets in white coats and the symbols of doctors. IT professionals went to protest with keyboards. A lot of people made cool art and installations. There were a lot of funny signs. It was so creative and bright. It was scary, but at the same time it was beautiful and creative.There was a lot of humor.The protests were really peaceful. I don’t think that we attracted more attention than others. But of course the video where we were playing the bagpipes went viral.People inAmerica sawour video,and that was the reason they tracked us, I believe. It was too beautiful for them. You also recorded two new videos at that time of the protests. These were songs you had alreadywritten: ‘Kryly (Wings)’, which is really beautiful, and ‘Быў. Ёсць. Буду. (I Was. IAm. Iwill be)’.Did you connect these two songs to the protests? Vova: We did our best with our bagpipes at the protests, but www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
IRDORATH we had to do something more.We wanted to do something else with our art. It was the only way to act. Our music, our band, was not political at all. But we felt we could not continue to produce and release songs about fairy tales and mystical creatures, like we usually did. We found two songs that really fitted for what was going on. We hoped that it would sheer up a lot of people. Nadia: The lyrics to those two songs are very cruel, but they fitted the situation.‘Быў. Ёсць. Буду. (I Was. I Am. I will be)’ is a prayer for everyone who suffered in an attempt to build a castle for humanity, a kind of new world.There is a phrase: ‘I pray for those who will make a revolution, even against god, if it would be needed for the people.’ ‘Kryly (Wings)’ is connected to the women’s manifestations that were happening in Minsk at the time when we recorded those videos. It’s a hymn to Belarussian women.Women took to the streets in white and red dresses, and with lots of flowers. They were brutally repressed. The police attacked them. A lot of women were arrested. They convicted a lot of them in real criminal cases. Their punishment was years in prison. We dedicated this song to all the great women who stood there, attacked by weaponed men. We played a lot, also next to what was visible on YouTube. If you know the story of our revolution, you know about those tea parties in yards. Yes, the yard parties. I wanted to ask you about that also. Nadia: We played there five times. It was as in a spy movie. We played at one place,and then tried to go to another place secretly. Vova: We travelled with several cars, so as not to be together in one car. It was really scary.They knew that we were doing this.But we were lucky.Friends who did the same thing were arrested. But they did not get criminal cases. In this period, that was not the case yet. But anyway, to go for fifteen days in that hell, Okrestina (the prison where a lot of opposition figures were jailed),must have been really hard. Nadia: People will remember what happened in Okrestina. The people who work there are real nazi’s. It’s the most cruel thing that I ever saw with my eyes. Hopefully, the day will come that all these people will be punished by law. I hope they will be punished for what they did as public servants. You were also punished for doing the yards concerts. You had jobs at the Victoria youth center, and you were fired. Vova: We don’t take that as a punishment now.After all they did to us,we understood that it was just a little trouble. Nadia: We were teachers at that education center for eight years.We were ideal teachers and we evolved quickly. I was a teacher of the first category before I was fired.That’s a very good result for eight years. They appreciated us because we www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 14 - spoke different languages. We were very good workers for them, but when they understood that we were participating in the protests, they started to be afraid for their own asses. Our bosses were afraid that they would be fired because of us.They chose their own comfort. We had talks,several times.They asked us to stop this,or they would fire us. But we didn’t agree. Should we stop fighting for human rights? Who is crazy? They asked us to stop fighting against violence.Did they support violence,or what? They answered that they were doing their work, that they brought education and culture to children. They spent so many years working there, and they didn’t want to lose it. This is a choice people have to make. They made their own choice.They supported what happened there.Or maybe they didn’t support it, but they just supported their own ego. Vova: And now, after four years,we still have friends who are trying to work there.They tell us it’s like the Soviet Union,full of KGB spies.The spies knowwho is who and tell you how to behave. They walk in as in North Korea. It’s not a cultural or artistic place anymore. It’s just another place with KGB spies. Is this the way the Lukashenko regime manages to survive? The protests were massive, and sociological studies showed that the majority of the people in Belarus supported the protest movement. But this system where every director fires the ones who protests, and where everyone spies on each other… Is that the reason why the regime is still in place? Vova: Unfortunately, Lukashenko has a very strong power vertical.His main weapon is fear.He uses it,and it works well, really well. Nadia: People do not support the games he has played in Belarus, and they have shown it in 2020. We come to that fateful night, on the second of August 2021. It was your birthday party, Nadia, and this was the occasion when the police came to arrest you. Can you tell us what happened that night? Nadia: I can show you a video if you want. I didn’t see the video, but I saw pictures. It seems to have been very violent. The police was firing with weapons during the arrests. Nadia: They behaved like animals. They had surrounded our house, and when they came in, they were shooting in the air. They were extremely brutal. I think they had fun. Vova: It was quite early in the evening, we hadn’t really begun to party. People were arriving with their cars, and we had just poured out the first drinks. We were not really drinking alcohol, because people had to work on the day after.Then they came in, very violently.They were dressed in civilian clothes, but were heavily armed. That was the last time we saw our home in two years.
Nadia: They were real monsters. Outside, the dog was attached to a tree. They left the animal like that. They knew the dog would not be able to drink or to eat if he remained attached. Only the day afterwards, the neighbors came and gave the dog water and food. Vova: Afterwards, we realized that they broke into our phones. They knew everything about us. They had read all our text messages.They knew that all the participants in the protest marches would be there that evening, which is why they decided to arrest us there. This is not a very good way to celebrate your birthday.We do not recommend it. You got two years of prison for attacking the police with bagpipes. When you were convicted, it started an international solidarity movement. This is where I first became aware of your story. Bands as Corvus Corax and Faun were protesting against your arrest. A lot of other bands joined in the protest. There was an action where musicians covered the song ‘Peremen’, that you played at the protests. Were you aware of this protest movement while you were in prison? Nadia: Yes, we got some information, and it cheered us up very much.You know,we didn’t see the sun in the first seven months of prison. It is a place where you do not have sun or fresh air.You just sit there in darkness. It’s very lonely.To get small messages that something is going on... It gives you so much warmth. You are smiling in this dreadful place.We are very grateful for it. It gave us power to survive, especially in these very hard first seven months. You were released in April 2023. Did you immediately decide to continue with Irdorath? Nadia: We did not think about this. After we were released, we were under huge pressure from the police.They came to our house at night. They took our phones to install their spy programs.They called us to their post and so on.Again, they were rude. We were under such a pressure that it was not about what we would do.We were in chock after everything. They forbade us to leave the country until August 2025, which was illegal. That is something they sometimes do to people with depts, but for us, there was no reason why. We understood that this would not lead us to something good. If they can come to your flat whenever they want, you will not feel protected.So we decided that we had to escape. At the beginning of June 2023, we crossed the border with the EU with the help of some very good people who were part of the BYSOL Foundation. They helped us, and we escaped. We are very grateful to them and to Libereco for their help.They work in different countries. Vova: To come back to your question, about how we decided to continue or not … They sent us to a labor camp, a colony. It’s a real prison where you have to work. There, we could communicate by writing letters. They allowed us to - 15 - communicate, because it’s in the law. As husband and wife, we had the right to communicate.We sent each other paper letters.Theywere reviewed by two censors,one frommy side and one from her side.Anyway,we found a way to do this. We knew that if we would survive, and when we would be in a safe place,we would continue to make art.We didn’t know what kind of art it would be.After prison, it’s hard to saywhat you will do. But either way, it would be Irdorath. Nadia: I would say it’s not a correct question about when we decided to continue Irdorath, because we did not stop. Vova: Yes, Nadia wrote lyrics and composed melodies for a new album while we were in the labor camp. I spent some time on making new designs. Nadia: If you see this bird, that we use for the solidarity movement (points at her t-shirt) … It was drawn by Vova on the cover of a letter.Vova creates our visual part,and I create our audio part.We did not stop, but we were just not able to leave this place. […] s there anything else you want to mention? Nadia: What is going on right nowwith political prisoners in Belarus is making us crazy. The Belarusian dictator Lukashenko has announced that he will release at least some deeply ill people, including people with cancer. Yesterday, they released some people.We check it every hour, you know. We know several names. It seems they released some people we know. But it’s nothing. One of them is a really old man. I personally know such heavy stories. People are in such bad conditions,physically.One woman lost the ability to walk.Me and another women brought her to the hospital on a blanket. That was one and a half years ago, and she is still there. Another girl had brain cancer and an operation before going to jail. She certainly needs special treatment now. Everyday, she took painkillers, not with pills but with injections. She is still there. We are doing the best we can to bring people positive energy and to represent this story. But so far, people are still there in prison.And we continue to suffer.The biggest part of our soul will suffer with them.It is a hard time for us,because we really feel like we are still there,with them.We are a part of them. Vova: My message, I would say, is that if this interview reaches someone with economical or political power, or someone with other ideas on how to release Belarusian political prisoners – it’s time to do it. Their life is more valuable than any money and any principles. It’s not about political views anymore. It is about the lives and health of simple, good people. Nadia: These are people who are against evil, and they are suffering.We just would like somebody to help us so much. Xavier KRUTH (Read the complete interview on www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be) www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
UK SUBS Punkrock is an endless struggle. The umpteenth edition of Breaking Barriers will take place in Het Depot on September 21, 2024. Breaking Barriers was created in 2016 to celebrate forty years of punk, and has since wanted to remind us every year that punk is not dead. In September, fans of the British punk pioneers will really be enjoying the festival.After all, Steve Ignorant will be playing songs from his legendary anarcho-punk band Crass. But equally legendary are UK Subs, whose frontman Charlie Harper just turned 80. Organizer Malcolm Nix asked a few questions to the ever-persevering grandpa punk. In September, UK Subs are returning to Belgium. Do you have any idea how many times you've played in Belgium before or have you lost count, like the most of us? My guess would be around 40 concerts, starting with a concert with Ramones in 1980. UK Subs have always had a solid fanbase in Belgium. Is there a difference between the audience you get over here and other audiences in other countries? Belgium is an exciting place. It's more chaotic than anywhere else and the beer is good. Before we move on: congratulations on your 80th birthday! You've been around for a while, as they say. Do you still feel the fire burning like you did in 1976 or do you think you've achieved everything you set out to do? Punk Rock is an endless struggle. We're surrounded by shit, now more than ever. The fight goes on! The band have been touring a lot (to put it mildly) the past few decades. What has been your worst experience on the road ever? Are there concerts that went horribly wrong? In Eastern Europe we have had a few bad storms suddenly coming in. People even died then. We obviously hope to do better at Het Depot and make sure everyone has a memorable experience all night long. UK Subs will undoubtedly do their bit, but you're not alone on stage, as there are four other bands performing as well, with Steve Ignorant headlining. If I'm not mistaken, UK Subs and Crass toured together in the late 70s. Do you remember those concerts? We did play a few shows together, before Crass or UK www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 16 - Subs ever toured.Those shows went well.A few of them are mentioned in my book, which will hopefully come out next year. Do you think this political strand of punk is still relevant? Or do you think people listen less and less to the lyrics and don't care as much about the message as they used to? Not in the UK Subs community. The young bands have a harder message, but, as you say, the people who should be listening, will never hear it. Floods, war and fire still kill thousands of people. The political situation has indeed evolved a lot since UK Subs started in 1976, when people couldn't even imagine that Margaret Thatcher or Ronald Reagan would one day become the most important political players in the world. What, in your opinion, is the most important political change we've seen in these 48 years? Right now we’re facing an enormous challenge. Wars and corrupt governments are moving millions of people out of their homes.The result is a backlash on the right,
with a lot of 'little Hitlers' rising up. support for getting you awarded a KBE (in full: Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Of course, it's not all about taking a political stand. There's also the music. You've completed your mission to release 26 albums, one for every letter of the alphabet. Did people believe you would actually reach that goal when you had only released the first three or four albums? It didn't matter.We just went on with it. It was all a lot of fun. If no new UK Subs albums are coming, does this mean you'll be concentrating more on other projects? The past few years,we've seen you do more solo concerts. Is it your intention to focus on this musical approach the next few years? We have always taken life as it comes.We may yet record one more album, but let's wait until all the reissues have come out this year. My solo gigs will get better and I'm mixing a new solo album right now.We can’t concentrate on one single thing.We work on all kinds of projects. I once saw an online petition to gather signatures and - 17 - Empire). Any thoughts on that? It was silly, but... Thank you, guys! What is actually the best accolade or form of acknowledgement a band can get? What's the best way people can show their appreciation, including those people who, for some reason, can't attend the live concerts? I would say it's coming to see us. We know they have given us the lives we’ve led and we really appreciate that. Finally, do you have any advice for young kids starting a punk band or alternative band nowadays? Given your massive experience, what do you think is the one mistake that's easily made but should be avoided at all cost? Don’t quit. Just carry on and follow your dream. Malcolm NIX www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be Photo © RAVEN's HeartCore Photography
AHRAYEPH Music has the ability to take you to the distant corners of the sky. To see the Fallen Ones enter our earthly ground. A world taken over by the Offspring of Angels. We had the privilege of talking to a musician who knows how to perfectly portray this world in his music. And although he has spoken to Peek-A-Boo many times before, living in our small country, he certainly deserves to be brought to the attention again. Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you; RafAhráyeph. To us you are no stranger but to introduce yourself a little to those who are not yet familiar with your music, how would you put it into words? It's at once an easy and a tough question to answer... I could say my music is a reflection of me and how I view the world at large, which is the philosophical thing to do. I suppose I could take a description my late best friend bestowed on me and say it's 'Progressive Gothic Rock' or 'Prog Goth' for short, which is what I think most people will understand. But I guess what comes closest is that Ahrayeph is an expression and externalisation of the dark aspects of my life and what I observe around me. It's a better form of expressing darkness than being depressed, I guess... Say you could describe your music by naming both movie and classical literature titles, which would you choose? Well, coincidentally, I just rewatched Coppola's take on 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' last week. I felt that that's the perfect visual - and narrative - illustration of the kind of music and lyrics I write. Ever since I discovered Romanticism as a literary, and later visual, art form (thank you, Iron Maiden!), I've been partial to that form of expression. My literary influences are the usual suspects : the Shelleys, Byron, Pope... But there's also quite a bit ofmore modern influence like Sartre and the Beat Poets by way of JimMorrison. The start of Ahráyeph was with the 2006 ‘Heralding The Marooned’ EP. Was it a at that time conscious decision to take the direction that characterizes your music today? In one word, no. That came long before the E.P.'s release. At the tail end of the period when the band was still called Crucifire, I was jamming with David and Peter,my then band members and I had already started looking for a sound that was less ensconced in Metal. One afternoon, after listening to the The Cure's compilation album 'Staring At The Sea', I reflected on how their iconic song 'A Forest' moved me emotionally and then tried to put that emotion into my take on that song (as evidenced in the cover song I later released). That's when what I call the 'Ahrayeph Sound' was born. As a happy coincidence, I also found my lyrical 'voice' around that time. I was never happy with the worse-than-sophomoric lyrics I wrote for the Crucifire songs the year before. Luckily, www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be it all came together at that time. A few years later, when virtual synthesizers became available with the advent of computer recording, I was finally able to put it all together into the sound I had in my head and create a perfect sonic environment for myself that contributed to the creative process of the lyrical part ofmy songwriting With Coppola's take on 'Bram Stoker's Dracula', as you "Winterland. Summerla Dry Land mentioned before, in mind; Don't know if you've seen Roman Polanski's 1967 classic ‘The Fearless Vampire Killers’? Imagine that you are a professor slash Vampire hunter, which famous person would you like to be your bumbling assistant? Tom Cruise. It's about time he paid for his sins. Looking at your discography up till now, there are 3 albums, a special in 2018 re-recorded version of 'Marooned on Samsara', 4 EP’s, and several singles. Howdo you look back at what you've accomplished so far? For someone who apparently has a reputation for not finishing projects in some circles, I do feel pretty accomplished, haha! Seriously though, there were times when I wasn't sure I would get so far in writing such an extensive body of work. Like I said : it's a constant evolution and at certain points in that evolution you're going to have moments of doubt. Not necessarily because you don't feel like you're good enough,although that is sometimes a factor, but because you inevitably have moments where you're void of inspiration.These don't necessarily last long, but they feel - 18 -
an d. M like they do. I've learned to stop worrying about that. It comes when it comes, and it invariably always does. And on the technical side, I'm particularly proud that I've finally reached a point where, as a producer of my own music, I can make it sound exactly the way I want. That, too, is an evolutionary process. I hope you'll stick around to finish this interview! I'm not going anywhere, Hayley. Except to the bar in about half an hour *laughing*. You play your own music, you write your own music, you produce your own music, but what about performing live? I can imagine as a one-man-band that is not something easy to do. Being a one man band is not something I sought out.Writing and recording different instruments is of course easy to do, but in terms of live playing, I prefer more bodies on stage, because it's more fun for the audience to see people moving across a stage, even if it's not by much. Unfortunately, I haven't found the right musicians yet to perform with, something I'd like to remedy shortly,because I'd love to start playing live again. nd. Ghostland. Dark Land. Mindland" Who knows, maybe you find the right musicians through this interview? Keeping fingers crossed! Do you have any memorable/fun anecdotes from live performances when Ahráyeph consisted of more band members you’d like to share? That's certainly possible. Interested musicians can always contact me either through Bandcamp or the Ahráyeph band page on Facebook. I do have to stress,however, that this isn't a hobby for me, so I only want to work with people who take their craft seriously. I've been burned by amateurs - mentalitywise -way too many times to have my time wasted by such people anymore.A professional attitude is definitely a must. Ahráyeph unfortunately didn't play live as much as I'd liked, so I don't have a lot of fun anecdotes from those gigs. Certainly memorable was our first ever gig in Leuven, 'The 22nd Movement', in '07. That was a great gig to start. A few people actually came over from Scotland to see us play. Also memorable was the Spain Gothic Festival in Madrid in 2010,whichwe co headlinedwith QNTAL,a band I really like. - 19 - Hanging out in Madrid and meeting Spanish, Argentinian and Scottish fans, of which the latter later became good friends,was fun too. And of course there was the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig in 2012. Our gig was bad for reasons I'm not going to go into here, but it was great to be able to revel in the atmosphere in the city for two days, completely taken over by representatives of all subsections of the Goth culture. I really loved that openmindedmentality and the relaxed vibes.And of course meeting a few musicians I used to look up to like the guys from Red Lorry Yellow Lorry is something to remember. I'd really love to go there again and make up for the bad gig we played there. If you want more memorable stories, I'd have to delve into the two stints I did in Ancient Rites. I've toured more frequently with that band, as they were already an established and well known act, which is something you can't accuse Ahráyeph of being, haha! When it comes to performing on stage some bands have favorite songs they swear byplaying live. Do you have such songs? Songs you will always include in a setlist. Well,since I haven't played live for twelve years now,it's a bit of a mixed bag, because there are plenty of songs I've never played live, which I definitely would like to put into the set when it comes to that again. Going by past sets,'Misanthropia'is a song that will always stay on the set list. Same goes for 'Resolve (A Dirge)'. They're both up tempo songs that always get a crowd going. It's very odd, but I used to get several requests to play 'The Rain Suite'. It's odd because at twelve minutes, it doesn't seem like an obvious song to play live, but for some reason, it's a fan favourite and to be honest, you don't have to twist my arm to play it live; it's a song I really like because I can put a variety of emotions into when performing it live. Imagine this. You are a substitute teacher at a preparatory school and you have a class of musical talented students. Sounds familiar right? Let’s call it ‘School of Ahráyeph’. What bands/songs would you teach the students? I smell a 'School Of Rock' theme here. Correct! Well, it may not be the 'Goth' thing to do, but academically speaking, I'd go for a wide catalogue of Prince songs, because there is so much you can learn from him in terms of songwriting, dynamics, expression, invention and production (especially lack thereof,which may seem surprising).Oh, and www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
AHRAYEPH work ethic, which is something I find lacking, as I already mentioned.He was a hard taskmaster,but he demanded a lot from himself too.Prince's body of work is a master class in all these things and I knowhe was influenced bymany different genres of music. You'd never know it, but he did love bands like Kraftwerk and Joni Mitchell, and that's something I'd try to teach my students : don't be limited in your influences. I could be obvious and put stuff in there like Pink Floyd, Rush, Marillion and all those iconic 80's Goth/NewWave bands like The Sisters Of Mercy, The Cure, Siouxie, Joy Division etc. and of course they'd get those too, and a lot more, because there's so much good music out there, it's nigh on impossible to pick just a few bands, artists or songs. You should see my music collection : from Disco over Blues to Metal, Goth, Pop, Jazz Industrial,Ambient, Classical...The list is endless. But when it comes to understanding music and how to write it, I'd definitely start with Prince.And Toto.Unapologetically. When making music, do you demand a lot from yourself? I have the reputation of being a perfectionist and that is not undeserved. Although, as the years go on, and especially having spent twelve years in my studio almost exclusively, it gets easier to accomplish what I have in my head. But I do still suffer from performance anxiety when the 'record' button goes on. I can play a part flawlessly when I rehearse it, say, four times before committing to recording, but when I hit 'record', I get a bit uptight because my inner perfectionist is yelling'It has to be perfect now!',and while it does happen less than before, it makes me make one or two mistakes that I can't live with, so instead of cleaning those up - 'punching in' in professional terms - I just start from the top because I want to get the entire part right and will continue to redo the part until I achieve that. I guess I'm old school that way, as with computer recording, you don't really have to be perfect. But I take pride in my craft, so I don't like to 'cheat', even if punch ins have been an industry standard for decades, even before computer recording. The same applies to production : I'm unwilling to let go of songs until they sound just right. They don't have to be polished to death, just sound like I have it in my head and I won't stop until they do. That's the reason why I go back to old songs and re-record them, especially from the 'Samsara' days. It doesn't happen with the songs I've released over the past five years, because I finally got to a point where I can achieve my production goals easily. Your studio is called ‘Rose Creek’. Where did the name come from? Is there a special story behind it? It's a bit of a funny story, really, going back to the days of my second stint in Ancient Rites. When we were in preproduction for the'Rubicon'album,my bandmate and coguitar player Erik Sprooten used to come over from his home in Harderwijk, Holland on the weekends to rehearse my www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 20 - demo songs at my place and to teach me his. The part of town I live in is called 'Roosbeek',which in English translates as 'Rose Creek', something Erik always said when he arrived here : 'Back in Rose Creek'. It was a light bulb moment for me, because I liked how it sounded, so the name stuck. I since found out there are a few towns in Canada and the U.S. that are called Rose Creek, and it's also a town in the movie 'The Magnificent Seven'. Now that we are on the subject of movies again, 'Dark Century Bats' wants to make a biographical movie about your musical career. To give the movie the right mood they ask you to choose both the composer for the score, the director and the actor who portrays you.Who, oh who, will you choose? Score composer : the late, great Angelo Badalamenti. He's mostly famous for the Twin Peaks soundtracks,but I also love the album he did with Marianne Faithfull, 'A Secret Life'. It's one ofmy all time favorite albums andmany of the songs are based on Marianne's own life experiences, so I know Angelo could've translated mine perfectly as well. For the director... Perhaps Alex Proyas, who directed The Crow. Or the aforementioned Francis Ford Coppola, because I love the Godfather movies and he knows how to give a character the proper gravitas. Without taking anything away from his stellar performance,Michael Corleone wasn't just Al Pacino's merit. Actor... That's a tough one. I think, if he were still able to, I would go for Val Kilmer.Obviously not for his looks, he'd have to tone those down considerably to look like me,but he did a great Jim Morrison and a stellar Doc Holliday in Tombstone, so I feel he would be able to get into my head and not just play a shallow one dimensional derivation of who I am. A little birdie, a 5 feet Pteropus to be precise, told me you are working on a new album. Is there anything you already like to tell us about that? The only thing I can say about it right now, is that it will probably be the last release for a while.As I've mentioned before, I spent twelve years almost exclusively in my studio, save for one or two gigs.With the catalogue of music I have right now, I could play two and a half hour sets and still have songs left to switch things up and not play the same set night after night.As much as I love writing and recording,I've missed playing live, so my future focus will be on trying to get a band together and booking gigs. Of course, I can't just switch off my creative brain, so I'm sure I will keep writing songs in the mean time. It's just that I might not release them at the same frequency as I do now, depending on how well the resurrection of Ahráyeph as a live band goes. It may be a year or more before I release newmusic, if all goes well on the live front, that is. Hayley CLX https://www.facebook.com/ahrayephofficial
THECURE SONGSOFALOSTWORLD will be, to use the terrible words, a bit ‘doomy’ and ‘gloomy’, melancholic and darkly atmospheric in the extension of the successful album “Disintegration”, an album where the critics who had still diarrhea from listening to the pitch-black “Pornography” had to admit that there was also a lot of sincere and tender beauty under this ‘darkness’. Well, this is no different with this “Songs OfA Lost World”.And I would like to explain why. Opener “Alone” immediately gets under your skin, bombastic because of its hollow drums, but also with a sensitivity that only The Cure can approach. Overflowing with passion, “Alone” is something we all will be sooner or later. The song sounds loud in its deafening silence. “And Nothing Is Forever” starts with a slow, instrumental build-up that apparently becomes a bit playful because of a kind of harmonica tune. Everything gets older, also Robert Smith and his The The Cure should not need no introduction, unless you have been living under a rock for the past decades or have a very bad taste in music. But in the latter case you would probably never read this magazine. In 1979 “Three Imaginary Boys” (Fiction Records) was released, in 2024, 16 years (!) after “4:13 Dream”, there is a new album by Robert Smith and his band. Respect! Because who can keep it up for so long, with the same passion as before? Few, that is why you should cherish this artist like a precious jewel. Of course the band has also made a number of amazing records,immortal albums of which I personally like to mention “Faith”, “Pornography”, “Disintegration” and “The Head On The Door”, the latter especially because this was the first The Cure album that I bought with my own pocket money when I was 15. The Cure and I, we have a bit of a history. In the 80s there was already The Cure. Since then they have always remained in my life and I now own every album and much more. Once in the heart, never out again. Hence my enthusiasm for this new, and according to who know more, also the final album from The Cure. A group of friends from the God-forgotten village Crawley, founded The Easy Cure in 1978 after starting in 1976 as a band called Malice. But now back to the new album. About two years ago people were already talking about three albums, then two and finally this ‘only’ eight (8) new songs album. Let this be my only point of criticism, because I am already shouting ‘we want more’ (at least me and my black ego),even though the 8 songs together have a playing time of more than 49 wonderful minutes. The preliminary singles already predicted it, this album - 21 - Cure. Overflowing with melancholy and hope, especially that. Wrapped in swirling synths, waltzing rhythms and caught in the shackles of time that becomes timeless when listening to this song.Yes, at 65, Robert Smith can still write songs. That means: composing and conjuring up sensible lyrics. “A Fragile Thing” is not really unknown anymore. Everything is fragile, just like the power of this record. That is precisely the duality of The Cure. Perhaps the most accessible song on this record, strong in its composition. As far as I’m concerned, it could have been on “Disintegration”, although the instrumentation here intertwines stronger and closer together, tighter. The guitar blows a somewhat lost wind through this song, with Robert Smith’s voice picking up the ‘black’ thread again and again. With “Warsong”, “Pornography” seems to be back in full force, slow and powerful as if the cloud cover is closing in. A guitar that hurts, curls around the mortal's suffering but with so much intensity and drama that it is simply beautiful. Heaven has fallen to earth and listens to The Cure. A sadness that no other band - and I repeat: no other band - can wrap up in such wonderful music. Behind "Drone:Nodrone" a modern pop melody is hidden. Robert Smith actually starts 'rapping', but rest assured, not completely. You can compare it somewhat with the nothing (yes, The Cure also made that, but fortunately not too much.) Think of "Hot Hot Hot" that is hung on "Shake Dog Shake" in "The Hanging Garden", or something like that.The result is as spicy as it is strange. Time for another long intro in "I Never Can Say Goodbye", which Robert Smith wrote as a tribute to his www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
THECURE SONGSOFALOSTWORLD (Continuation p21) deceased brother. In all the pain and honesty, but even then the leader of this band excels in fragile beauty. Bass, drums, guitar, synths/piano and the typical and unique voice of Robert Smith seem to form a guard of honor ...'something wicked this way comes...' Robert Smith is aware of all his 'smallness' and 'just being human' in "All I Ever Am", which characterizes The Cure as makers of the most honest and delicious, dark pop music. And that has been the case for decades. Finally, there is the epic "Endsong", a closer more than worthy of the name.The only pity is that after more than 10 minutes unfortunately really comes to an end. This song bites into your skin. A solid rhythm flows through the song like a lifeline, over which a sparkling blanket of guitar and synths is pulled as if it were a warm, fluffy blanket against the protection of a cold night. Is this then also the last studio song we will ever hear from The Cure? Too bad, but everything has an end, although it is rarely with the power, subtlety and finesse of this “Endsong”. It's all gone, it's all gone, I will lose myself in time. It won't be long. It's all gone, it's all gone ... DARKVOLT -The Time Device (CD/Digital)) Fortunately, there is still the repeat button, or the pickup arm that is working overtime. I am flabbergasted. On repeat.With my mouth wide open.This is a monumental record, a masterpiece among the other great albums of this band where the current hit parade tunes do not even reach the ankles of these eight songs. And who in their commercial banality will never even reach it. Great. Tears and goosebumps. Music that touches, and if that is not the case, you are either Donald Trump or just a bad person. Kudos. And especially thank you to The Cure for so much unreal beauty that is locked up in each of us and that this The Cure music invariably brings out. Heart and soul. Thank you. Back to business: “Songs Of A Lost World” has been released on regular CD, limited double CD + blue-ray (instrumental bonuses on the second CD), cassette, vinyl, limited gray marbled vinyl, as well as a double vinyl. Run to the record store now. The All Saints are dancing, I wipe away a tear. Desolate but never reckless, a bit like the cemetery on the day this album was released. Sadness bathed in a colorful but transient carpet of flowers. Kurt INGELS (Dresscode Black) Antwerp's Darkvolt has finished its first album and that debut goes by the name "The Time Device". Electro, that's what Darkvolt stands for, electro that scrapes and cracks, finds its own way and enjoys itself like a dying factory worker among the pumping machinery. I have the feeling that there is a good bit of the Canadian old school industrial of the 90s in the genes of inspirer Frederik Strobbe,but also that a European, let's say Belgian bands like The Klinik are also an inspiration, is proven by the recently released cover of The Klinik classic "Black Leather". You could already get acquainted with a couple of songs from this debut album and I am mainly talking about “Tools Of Destruction”, which sounds like an apocalyptic dark electro track and “Precious Dangerous” that sings about love against a background of industrial decay. But in addition, there is a lot of new material and those new songs fit perfectly within the musical colour palette of Darkvolt.Electro industrial,over whichMr.Strobbe scatters his rather slow and dragging vocals, as if it were a lament and sometimes a torment. [KI] DARK VOLT - Songs For Halloween (CD/.Digital) (Dresscode Black) www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be Darkvolt, who only recently released their debut “The Time Device”, surprises us with this “Songs For Halloween”, an album title that is as simple as it is obvious. On eight songs,six ofwhich rely on the input of like-minded artists,an electro horror atmosphere is evoked that strongly reminds me of what a band like Fear Incorporated does, although for the latter it is Halloween every day. […] Creepy electro compositions, dark electro so to speak, that sound atmospherically creepy, certainly on “Trick Or Treat”, on which a certain Axel Machens of Placebo Effect fame donates his voice. But also Marieke Lightband (Psy’Aviah), Jan Dewulf (Mildreda), Vain Sacrosanct (CauseNation), Chesko Geert Vandekerkhof (Der Klinke) and Peter V. (Pro Patria) put on their best Halloween mask. […] “Candyman”. Dark, menacing dark electro without a doubt, Darkvolt is doing well […] Darkvolt also announces a second album, “Spirits Of Angst And Despair”. Inspirer Frederik Strobbe has clearly found his muse! - 22 - [KI]
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BLACK ROSE MOVES - Jessica (Digital) (Self-Released) It's possible you haven't heard of Black Rose Moves before since they are a fairly new band. For more than 10 years they played together in various acts and toured with famous names such as The Charlatans and Simple Minds. The sonic journey of Black Rose Moves started in June 2024 with the single ‘Summer of Sorrow’ and followed-up in August with a second single ‘Ghost Town’. Meanwhile, there’s now the band’s new single ‘Jessica’,but before I move on to that,a little bit about what you can expect when listening to Black Rose Moves. Inspired by The Sisters Of Mercy, The Cult, Iggy Pop, Depeche Mode & NewOrder the music is a ‘put through the blender’mix of Dark-wave, Post-Punk and Goth Rock. Highly enjoyable to digest. What will haunt your ears are relentless bass-lines, pounding drums, sharp synths and catchy guitar riffs topped off with Grant Leon’s raw, impassioned vocals.‘Jessica', the November 1 released single that we want to draw your attention to, is more of this. Sharp, stormy & electrifying. Take a step in Black Rose Moves shadowy world and listen for yourself. Very promising emerging band in the Post-Punk & Darkwave scene. [HC] ENZO KREFT - Hey Mr Dictator (Single (Digital)) (Self-Released) We will have to be patient until spring before Enzo Kreft's new album 'Dictator' is released.To ease that wait, here is a second official track that may warm us up. Hey,Mr. Dictator is a protest song.One that fulminates against an authoritarian leader.And it is one with a big ego, trying to deceive, cripple and manipulate the people with lies and propaganda. But the people are resilient and continue to fight for freedom and are not so easily intimidated. The song has the typical Enzo Kreft touch. Electro with a solid beat, with a breath that leans more towards minimal synths, a wriggling bass line and Enzo Kreft's voice hanging between recitation and vocals. [HC] THE HYBRIDS - In The Wake Of The Witch (Digital) Time for the brand newalbum“I AmThe Eye Of Horus”,a concept albumwhereon which the Egyptian book of the dead, a book in which the journey of the dead through the underworld is the main source of inspiration.All the lyrics are taken from this book and the music is of the darker kind, esoteric and rather dark ambient with the occasional ritual outburst in while the voice of Madeline Arndt stand out. Sometimes whispering , then again ritualistically raving as if she were the personification of our travel guide. The music here serves the atmosphere, of course the glue is electronics but also the piano (on “Barke” for example) and various percussion instruments as well as the bass bow are in the foreground. The orchestration is rather minimal but that is exactly why this album gains strength, even though a rather quiet yet also ominous and mysterious atmosphere blows through this album, where the rhythm, for example on “Isis”, forms the threat. In other words,with this new“I Am The Eye Of Horus” you can add colour to your journey through the magic of ancient Egypt, wonder is your portion, a wealth of magic,sound and atmosphere.Unique and successful in its magical ambient design.[KI] (3rioart) CIERN - Flawless EP (CD / Digital) (Bat-Cave Productions) Creating music to confront & fight ideologies that dominate & oppress human rights, animal rights and the conservation of our planet, CIERŃ (Polish for thorn) was formed in Berlin in 2019. They make Anarcho Punk, but Anarcho Punk with a capital A and capital P.‘Flawless’ is their latest EP. First digitally released in may earlier this year and now recently by Bat-Cave Productions made available as a limited edition compact disc. Same as their earlier released first album, 'The Emperor Rx', ‘Flawless’ has that kind of dark 80’s energy in the line of bands such as Skeletal Family, Rubella Ballet and, of course, Siouxsie And The Banshees.The voice of lead-singer Devi hits you like the cold whispers of a haunted soul. Summed up: Mesmerising Anarcho Punk that would make skeletons dance on their grave. [HC] www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be - 24 - Read full reviews on http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/reviews/
MOTOR!K - 5 (CD/Vynil/Digital) (Out Of Line) Motor!k present their 5th album, very practically and in good Motor!k tradition simply called 5.Anyone who is already familiar with the music of this Belgian Krautrock band (or Neo Krautrock, or Dark Krautrock, or ...) (all of you who read this, I assume) knows that their instrumental rhythmic music results in banging live concerts! The main ingredients will probably never really change: Joeri Dobbeleir who lets his guitar determine a melody line in his compositions and then lets it thunder along with the rhythm, Dries D’Hollander who sticks to the strict Motorik rhythm (which was mainly pioneered by Krautrock band NEU!) and at the same time pushes the boundaries within this ‘restriction’, finally Dirk Ivens (for once without a microphone but with just as much enthusiasm) on guitar and FX box.Where Kraftwerk made Autobahn Musik exactly 50 years ago,we can situate Motor!k on a modern-day highway. Music for cruising…Sharp electronic rhythmicmusic with a very organic feel at the same time. Successful molting, still the same beast but with a new shiny skin! Another great album! [JD] [MELTER] - [MELTER] (CD/Digital) (Self-Released) In case you haven’t heard of [melter], the band was formed in 2015 as the brainchild of Robert Hyman, drummer for early 90’s Goth Rock icons ‘In the mind. Hate is bred. It breeds Permanent Red’, yes, UsherHouse.With Nadia Garofalo on vocals and keys, and for the live performances Ivan Russia on bass.However, in 2019 Nadia bowed out of the band to be replaced by vocalist and collaborator Jax Allos (of Aviatrix on Fire), and Ivan in 2023. Leaving now Robert & Jax as a sonic duo. Their first EP has already been released in may 2023, so high time for Peek-A-Boo to give it the attention it deserves! Don’t expect ‘Old-School’ Goth Rock like UsherHouse, [melter] is a Dark Industrial Rock band with an appetite for Darkwave, Electronica & Goth in the same way a Vampire craves for blood. […]The EP includes 4 original songs; DAM,Catwalk,Raw&The Golem (already released in 2019) topped off with ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore’, a enigmatical cover of the legendary pop classic by The Walker Brothers. [HC] PLAY DEAD -The Collection (CD/ Digital/Vinyl) If there is one compilation (anthology,best of,greatest hits or whatever you want to call it) album that deserves muchmore attention it is this one.PlayDead formed in Banbury, Oxfordshire in 1980,and although they split up in 1986 the legacy they left us is, to put it mildly, outstanding. With Robert Hickson on vocals, Re Vox (later replaced by Steve Green) on guitar, bassist Peter Waddleton and Mark "Wiff" Smith on drums they combined various styles such as Rock, Funk, Alternative Metal and Electronica into a unique sound that would make them become a part of and embraced into the fledgling Post-Punk Tribal scene.Several singles included, Play Dead in total made 4 albums: The 1983 debut album ‘The First Flower’, which was promoted supporting Killing Joke on tour,‘From The Promised Land’ (1984), the live album‘Into The Fire‘ (1985), and the, on their own label (‘Tanz’) released final album, ‘Company Of Justice’ (1985). ‘The Collection’ is a must-have overview of their short-lived career featuring 16 essential tracks selected by the band itself. (Jungle Records) [HC] CAUGHT IN JOY - Out Of Nowhere (CD/Digital) Music to travel far beyond the boundaries of space, allowing your mind to wander into the great plane of existence…In this categoryCaught In Joymay certainly bementioned along with pioneering bands and Synth wizards such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze,Ash Ra Tempel & Michael Garrison.As a multi-Instrumentalist,music producer and sound designer, residing in his home studio in Coconut Creek Florida, Caught In Joy passionately embraces hardware Synthesisers, tape recording,and a daw-less approach to create captivating musical experiences. Out Of Nowhere’ is his 35th studio album in about a year time, talking about a busy “(space)-bee-(ing)”, fully recorded while playing live and improvised without edits to the 8-track reel to reel tape. From the opening Read full the reviews on http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/reviews/ - 25 - (Self-Released) ‘Connecting With The Stars’ to the concluding ‘Still Trancemitting’ you get 7 BerlinSchool tracks with a touch of Drum& Bass’ tracks full of other-worldly energy [HC]. www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
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peek aboo calendar music &moviemagazine 05.10 STAATSEINDE, DAS CODE, KRIEG-B, CAUSENATION, SUB HUMANS + LISALUV @Magasin 4, Brussels [BE] 12.10 THE BELFRY - OCTOBER 2024 @ Downstairs At The Albany, London [UK] Resident Dj Mortasha Kinski & Guests 12.10 NEW-WAVE-CLASSIX PARTY @ De Casino, St.-Niklaas [BE Tunes By Resident Dj Filip Delie 15.10 LAIBACH: OPUS DEI REVAMPED @ Bibelot, Dordrecht [NL]120 Minutes Live Set - No Support Act 18.10 GLAMOUR TOURJOURS FESTIVAL @ Kafe Kult, Munich, München [DE] On Stage: Soft Roit, Ivur, Gleitsicht, Staatseinde, Zack Zack Zack + Aftershow With Djs On Both Days! 19.10 D:ZINE & LAVI EBBEL @ Harmonie, 9700 Oudenaarde [BE] Afterparty Met Dj Fapnoir (Black Planet) 19.10 LAIBACH : OPUS DEI REVAMPED @ La Sucrerie, Wavre [BE] 120 Minutes Live Set - No Support Act 19.10 INDUSTRIAL METAL METALCAFE @ Koornbeurs, Delft [NL] Von Mollestein Schwarzstern We Had It All 25.10 D:ZINE || ERATO @ 't Smiske, Asse [BE] Afterparty Dj Bagge 26.10 BODIES & BEATS XVI FEAT LEAETHER STRIP (DIRTY SLEAZY SET) @ Fetish Cafe, 2000 Antwerp [BE] 26.10 BLITZ (80’S POP & WAVE PARTY) @ De Fermerie, Deventer [NL] 26.10 FRAGMENT, THE UTIMATE DREAMERS, HER DESCENT, DREADFOOL @ Garage Creative Music, Liège-luik [BE] 27.10 BODIES & BEATS XVII FEAT. LEAETHER STRIP (VINTAGE ZOTH OMMOG SET) @ Fetish Cafe, Antwerp [BE] 31.10 PORTA NIGRAWITH MIDGE URE, LENE LOVICH, ,BLAINE L. REINIGER @ Stadsfeestzaal, Aarschot [BE] 01.11 ALTERFEST @ La Ruche Verrière, Lodelinsart [BE] Clan Of Xymox Kas Product Reload The Breath Of Life Ductape Suir Dear Deer Kezdown Dresscode Awid Enid 02.11 FOURSCHER FESTIVAL @ Club From Hell, Erfurt [DE] Pyroline Spherical Disrupted The Juggernauts, Dj Drill. 03.11 FOURSCHER FESTIVAL @ Club From Hell, Erfurt [DE] Amnistia Datavoid Amorphous Haujobb Dj Drill 08.11 A SLICE OF LIFE + SUPPORT TBA@ Djingel Djangel, Antwerpen [BE] 09.11 XXX PARTY 3 @ Rumba En Co, 3000 Leuven [BE] Dj’s: The Black Widow, The Survivor, Vanonoise 15.11 CURTAIN, THE ULTIMATE DREAMERS, DRIVE WITH A DEAD GIRL + DJ SETS @ La Brat Cave, Lille [FR] 16.11 BELGIAN ELECTROWAVE IS NOT DEAD III - 30 YEARS OF IC 434 @Wommel, Wommelgem [BE] Ic 43, Deleritas, Herrnia, Ic 434 And Aftershow By Euforic Existence And Dj Peter Melis & Dj Pk. 16.11 MORTICIA PARTY @ Cerberus, Hengelo [NL] Darkwave Party With Dj's Burb & Sl!m 19.11 BLIND DELON @ Kunstverein Hintere Cramergasse E.v., Nürnberg, Nürnberg [DE] 23.11 10 JAAR THE OBSCURE + NEWWAVE PARTY @ Zaal Futur, Turnhout [BE] 22.11 PORTA NIGRAWITH KIRLIAN KAMERA, GRENDEL, ORDO ROSARIO'S EQUILIBRIO, ART OF EMPATHY @ Stadsfeestzaal, Aarschot [BE] + Afterparty By Dj The Black Widow 23.11 PORTA NIGRAWITH SONAR, POTOCHKINE, SYNAPSCAPE, XOTOX, MONYA, LIQUID TRAUMA@ Stadsfeestzaal, Aarschot [BE] + Afterparty By Dj The Black Widow 23.11 UNKNOWN NEWWAVE PLEASURES #3 @ Klimax, Antwerp [BE] Djs Djinn, Baxter & Lex Free Entrance 28.11 HOCICO @Magasin4, Brussel [BE] 30.11 D:ZINE & FRAGMENT @ De Mooie Molen, Roeselare [BE] 20.00 H. Afterparty Fapnoir 05.12 OMBRA FESTIVAL - DAY 1 @ , Barcelone [ES] 06.12 OMBRA FESTIVAL - DAY 3 @ , Barcelone [ES] 07.12 OMBRA FESTIVAL - DAY 3 WITH A SPLIT-SECONDS + THE JUGGERNAUTS & MORE @ , Barcelone [ES] 07.12 ERATO @ Gonzo, Ninove [BE] Https://www.facebook.com/erato.cc 08.12 OMBRA FESTIVAL - DAY 4 @ , Barcelone [ES] 15.12 WE LOVE DARKER MUSIC @ Bibelot Dordrecht, Dordrecht [NL] Auger (uk) Darker Palais Ideal La Lune Noire 20.12 BIMFEST XXI - DAY 1 @ De Casino, St-niklaas [BE] 20:00 Super Dragon Punch!! 21:00 : Blac Kolor 22:05 : Pankow 23:15 : Suicide Commando 00.30 : Dj Borg 03:00 : The End / Curfew Line-up & Timing Are Always Subject To Change!!! 21.12 BIMFEST XXI - DAY 2 @ De Casino, St-niklaas [BE]115:30 : Dark Minimal Project 16:30 : Oszylayter 17:30 : Plastikstrom 18:30 : Ntrsn 19:30 : Linear Movement 20:30 : Emmon 21:40 : Horskh 23:00 : Clock Dva 00:30 : Dj Borg 21.12 D:ZINE / NEL&JP/THE NIKTI REVOLT + DJ FAPNOIR @ B52, Eernegem [BE] Doors Open 20.00 21.12 BLITZ (80’S POP & WAVE PARTY) @ De Fermerie, Deventer [NL] Dj Sl!m 28.12 ELECTRONIC DANCE ART FESTIVAL - SUICIDE COMMANDO, TORUL, IN STRICT CONFIDENCE, ORANGE SECTOR,... @ Neue Stadthalle, Langen [DE] 31.12 DARK NEW YEAR’S EVE @ Regenbooghuis, Leuven [BE] Dj’s The Black Widow, Malcolm Nix, The Survivor … 04.01 + 05.01 FRONT 242 (SOLD OUT) @ Concerthall Vooruit, Ghent [BE] + Neon Electronics - Sold Out 11.01 MIXED VISIONS' 21TH ELECTRO & INDUSTRIAL TOP 100 @Aalmoezenier, Antwerpen [BE] 11.01 THE OBSCURE (THE CURE TRIBUTE BAND) @ Djingel Djangel, Antwerpen [BE] 25.01 SHADOWPLAY @Walhalla, Deventer [NL] Alternative 80s / New Wave Party With Dj Sl!m 25.01 LA LUNE NOIRE (NL) & D:ZINE (BE) @ Poppodium De Piek, Vlissingen [NL] 08.02 THE ULTIMATE DREAMERS, CURTAIN + DJ SETS & AFTERPARTY @ Caliclub, Drogenbos / Brussels [BE] 22.02 INTERNATIONAL EBM DAY: PORTION CONTROL, TYSKE LUDDER, ARMAGEDDON DILDOS & more @ De Casino, St- Niklaas [BE] 22.03 E-TROPOLIS FESTIVAL @ Turbinenhalle, Oberhausen [DE] Solar Fake Hocico Rotersand Empathy Test Chrom Orange Sector Rue Oberkampf Alienare 16+17.05 DOUBLE-DARE FEST: X-MAL DEUTSCHLAND, DIARY OF DREAMS, CALVA Y NADA,…@ Vooruit, Ghent, B >>>>>IF YOUR EVENT IS NOT LISTED HERE YOU FAILED TO ADD IT (FOR FREE!) TO OUR ONLINE CALENDAR<<<<< - 27 - www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
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