It all began in 1983 under the name Xymox, a musical project founded and spearheaded by Ronny Moorings. Shortly after, the project evolved into Clan Of Xymox, marking the birth of a band destined to leave an indelible mark on the Dark-Wave scene. Signed by the legendary British label 4AD, the band released two seminal albums that would become classics in the genre. While they briefly returned to the original name, since 1997, they have been known exclusively as Clan Of Xymox. What makes Clan Of Xymox truly special is not only their pioneering role in the New/Dark-Wave movement but their unwavering ability to create valuable and impactful music over the decades.

Unlike many of their contemporaries, who often rely on the nostalgia of 80s hits, Clan Of Xymox has consistently released strong, fresh material, proving that their creative spirit remains as vibrant as ever. With a career spanning over 40 years, Clan Of Xymox has firmly established themselves as one of the most influential forces in Dark-Wave. Ronny Moorings has remained true to the essence of his sound while allowing it to evolve, ensuring a timeless yet contemporary edge. Their latest and 18th studio album, “Exodus”, released via Trisol (Germany) and Metropolis (USA), is a testament to this balance. Featuring a collection of masterful tracks, the album combines melancholic, dark, atmospheres with Pop-infused arrangements that are both haunting and danceable.

I felt it was the perfect time to take a retrospective look at Clan Of Xymox’s incredible journey. In this interview, Ronny Moorings graciously shared his insights, reflecting on the band’s beginnings, their evolution, and their current work. I am deeply thankful for his enthusiastic cooperation and for taking the time to answer in such detail. His dedication to crafting inspired music over such a long period is remarkable, as is the man behind the artist. Respect! (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

‘I Wanted To Be A Part Of Things Which Were Happening In Front Of My Eyes’

Q: Getting back to the early 1980s which marked the rise of New-Wave music and subgenres like Dark-Wave, Cold-Wave, and Post-Punk. How do you reflect on those formative years and what do you recall from the very beginning of your career? Specifically, what events or circumstances led to the formation of Xymox and, later, Clan Of Xymox and what was your original dream when you first started making music?

Ronny: I will make this a short story because there is so much to say about how it came to be. I was in bands from on my childhood in my birth town Roosendaal (NL) where I already played live at the age of 11 with older 15 year old friends. When it was time for me to study, I first moved to The Hague, deciding after a year of Social Academy that I’d rather do a Sociology study in Nijmegen.

In the early 80’s there was a lot going on. Musically we had the Deutsche Welle and from the U.K. came New-Wave. This appealed a lot to me and DJed (what I also already did in Roosendaal as a teenager) this type of music in the local venue Doornroosje. It was volunteers work, but I got to see all the cool bands coming in.
The alternative scene was thriving in the whole of The Netherlands. Naturally many British bands were on the fore front of innovation. The Goth / Wave movement came also to Doornroosje. I remember especially Bauhaus and The Virgin Prunes making a big impression on me because they sounded and looked visually stunning. The Virgin Prunes making a complete theatre out of their show; it looked like genuine madness with a lot of stuff flying about on stage. With Bauhaus, Peter Murphy just looked the ideal part, a new ‘thin white duke’ with white light shining under his chin and the rest of the band in fluorescent colours, exposed with a black light.

Every week there was a brilliant band to be seen in Paradiso (Amsterdam) or in Doornroosje, like Echo And The Bunnymen In an army outfit with camouflage nets hanging over the stage, The Sound, Dance Society, The Birthday Party with Nick Cave swinging like a monkey from left to right from the light supports, giving it a high energetic performance, Siouxie And The Banshees, The Cure ( they played in a circus tent) and later seeing Robert Smith playing guitar with Siouxie in Rotterdam , Theatre Of Hate, Eyeless In Gaza, Black Flag, The Comsat Angels, Sisters Of Mercy, in the Milkyway Amsterdam,  of course with Wayne Hussey,  Further The Slits, Liaison Dangereuses, U2 ( played in Arnhem for 400 people) who was pretty unknown still etc. Too many to mention!

All bands not jet known by the majority of people but making a big impact on everyone alternative seeing them live. New-Wave, Deutsche Welle, Punk, Synth-Pop and New-Romantics was now a major alternative movement perfectly fitting the times we were living in.

Also the Netherlands produced influential bands who made quite an impression on me, like I already mentioned Mecano & Minimal Compact from Amsterdam, Nasmak from Eindhoven, Coitus Interruptus from Utrecht, and ‘famous’ local bands from Nijmegen like Mechanic Commando and Vice.

By seeing all these brilliant international and national bands I knew there and then that I had to start something new and interesting too. I wanted to make music like these bands. I was totally inspired. I wanted to be a part of things which were happening in front of my eyes. I wanted a band instead of just making things late at night on my own on a 4 track for no one else to hear.I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. It seemed that nearly anyone in the local scene started a band. In every squat people started a band and rehearsing was no problem in these industrial buildings we all occupied. Music was becoming a way of life, a means to express your views. There were enough opportunities for bands to play. There were always some old factories freshly squatted. One of the first shows I did was on a festival in De Plu Fabriek, a desolate disused umbrella factory. The festival had a social awareness theme about ‘Acid Rain’ of which maybe a handful had heard about. It was not taken very serious yet by the general public. It was the first ever show of Xymox there.

Round the same time at the University we had to do a video project. We had to film something about a socially significant social subject, so I started filming and interviewing the squatters local bands I knew. I still have the V2000 video tape but because of its backdated discontinued format, I haven’t been able to see it since the presentation at the University of Nijmegen.

In the beginning of 1980 in Nijmegen I had no real serious relationship with anyone. I was fairly new in town and most people I found quite uninteresting. The typical jeans and long hair student types, freshly coming from their cosy parental homes, with only one aim in life and that is to study, graduate and getting a job. Also most people were just coming out of the seventies and their clothes reflected that, very colourful shirts, a lot of blue jeans and mostly having long hair. In Rotterdam long hair in the back and short in the front was accompanied by a little moustache was the local fashion there.

Anyway, just after my initiation weeks of the University back in Nijmegen, one night I went out, going to a bar where I would normally not come with my fellow student friends. I was standing there drinking beer with my mates until I spotted this girl in the distance. She had the same kind of image as me. Out of place I thought. I simply had to talk to her and soon we were engaged in conversation and ended up spending the night together in her basement flat.. She told me she came from Nuenen, a small village close to Eindhoven but very famous for the house of Vincent Van Gogh. Her name was Anke.

In this period I wanted to start a Live band with the name I already had:  Xymox.  One day I showed her my songs I had recorded and asked if she would want to be in my ‘band’ which was just me at the time 😉 I said it would not matter that it was only the two of us because a lot of bands played with a drum machine and it would be a cool thing to do; she agreed. The songs were most of the time two or three chords so it was not too difficult for her to learn the tracks. I released this tape at the time, sold it for cheap (some people still have it). She liked the songs and decided to learn and play the bass guitar so she could play live. We started rehearsing together in 1982. I started sending my old Xymox demos to various venues and to my surprise a dozen clubs or so liked it.

Soon we played live with the two of us in various alternative clubs. I was singing, playing guitar and the synth plus operating the rhythm box. She played the bass by now and did some backing vocals . The songs were all mine, if you could call them songs 😉 For transportation I had my old cheap orange Renault 4 with a shift stick. All the equipment fitted in beautifully. Because we were just with the two of us and the fuel was very cheap, the money earned was very reasonable for those days.

Later we got asked by the locally known band Vice to support them. We did so and managed to play quite a bit of shows in the South of the Netherlands again. We felt we were getting somewhere.

Later a few friends to join our ‘band’ live. They were hitting metal pieces or doing backing vocals etc. Inspired of course by Einstürtzenden Neubauten. We started rehearsing in the empty vaults of a squatted bank building. Soundproof and safe it luckily was 😉

Anke wanted to move to Amsterdam in 1983, when she changed her study. She wanted to study Psychology and since I finished my Sociology ‘Candidates’ phase holding an official diploma. I was looking for a relevant Masters study so I decided to go to Amsterdam as well, I chose for  ‘Media Studies’ at the ‘University of Amsterdam’. Apparently you would have a lot of freedom with this study as well.

In Amsterdam I was asked by a friend in 1983, if I wanted to DJ for a local pirate radio station WHS. The show; ‘De Lege Huls’, translated ‘The Empty Shell’, would be late at night which of course I gladly accepted. I did this for quite some time well into 1985 until I got too busy with Clan Of Xymox and its many obligations.

As I already said I saved for a while every penny in order to buy my much desired object, a Teac 4 track multi tape recorder. I bought it in Antwerp, Belgium, November 1982. After many recordings of songs and ideas in Nijmegen I started a new In April 1983, frantically starting to record some new songs; the old ones were already more than a year old and I wanted to have new ones. With the help of the Teac 4 track recorder I could be more creative with writing and recording, bouncing previous recordings and build on that.

The instruments I had access to were: a Yamaha synth, Korg Poly 6 Synthesiser, Korg MS10 and MS 20, a rhythm box K500 , an electric Framus guitar, Welson Keyboard, a standard Shure 58 mike of course, my fantastic vintage space echo, melodica, guitar pedal effects and a bass guitar. A later valuable asset was later a Solina Strings but this one was borrowed once and a while.

All instruments were played in real time on tape. No sequencer used. That was too expensive.
These were the days computers were only academic and hardly used by anyone at all. Computers were just those big main frames standing in a government building or only portrayed in science fiction. Today our ears are completely trained to sequenced patterns, then it was something new, the ear was untrained to these sounds and pattern uses.

Soon things were ready. I asked Anke if she wanted to sing one song on the track I already prepared for her. It ended up with the title “Call It Weird “, so now  all tracks were done and everything was set up to bring these recordings to a mastering plant near Amsterdam called  Dureco. This was a vinyl factory specialised in producing Dutch product, the type like ‘Dutch Schlager’ like Vader Abraham known internationally for his “Smurf” songs. He was prominent on the wall everywhere in the factory offices. The main earner. Newer versions of this first EP exist: “Muscoviet Musquito” ( deliberately spelled this way) and “Going Round”. Both have various versions over the years.

‘I Felt That The Xymox Days Were Not The Right Way To Go’

Q: Xymox became Clan Of Xymox when you signed to 4AD, but later you reverted to Xymox before ultimately returning to Clan Of Xymox in the late ’90s. How do you view these shifts in retrospect? What, in your opinion, distinguishes Xymox from Clan Of Xymox?

Ronny: I started with the name Xymox and released my first EP “Subsequent Pleasures“ under this name. When Xymox got signed by 4 AD and the first debut album was called “Clan Of Xymox” I decided it was a slightly better name also because I had found people to play the songs live, so hence the ‘Clan’. I considered Xymox as my Pseudonym.

When Clan Of Xymox got signed by Wing / PolyGram USA I felt this was a significant change and wanted to underline this with shortening the name and perhaps with the reasoning that it would be easier for people in general to remember our name when it was shorter.

After 4 albums under the name Xymox, with the album “Phoenix” it had gotten too commercial in my opinion. With the 2 UK releases “Metamorphosis“ and “Headclouds” which were too Experimental and nothing much to do with the early material on 4 AD I decided in 1997 it was time to reintroduce Clan Of Xymox again with the same approach and attitude as in the earl 80’s. I felt that the Xymox days were not the right way to go and that it was better to stick to my own opinion instead of letting people influence me in one way or the other.

The result was the album “Hidden Faces” released worldwide on Tess Records and Pandaimonium Records in Germany in 1997. This was the start of Clan Of Xymox again. Since Phoenix I didn’t tour anymore. Had actually no live band anymore. I started to find again people who could play live with me and soon I had a live band ready to start promoting “Hidden Faces” and the older works on 4AD. Mojca my partner was there already since 1991 with me learning to play an instrument, keys and bass. She already designed the artwork from on 1992. In 1995 I decided to play in The Netherlands and promote “Metamorphosis” and “Headclouds”. The old live members from the 80’s Frank Weyzig and Will Anvers joined me on stage together with Mojca on Keyboards. This tour made me realise I missed playing live and soon since 1997 Clan Of Xymox played live each and every year till now and will keep on playing live.

I have a steady crew for more than a decade now with Mojca from on 1991 (of course), Mario ( more than 20 years), Sean and Daniel. I stay with the labels Metropolis (USA ) and Trisol (Germany ) as well as I run my own label Xymox Control now for decades a steady course with Clan Of Xymox, only expanding with my band, slowly but gradually. It manifests in the vast amount of sold out shows we are having each year.

‘We Were In Our Extravaganza’

Q: You were closely associated with 4AD, one of the most groundbreaking labels of the early New-Wave era. How did an unknown band from the Netherlands find its way onto such an iconic label? And how did your time with 4AD influence your evolution as an artist?

Ronny: Back in 1983 I felt that my former town Nijmegen ‘deserved’ a few copies of “Subsequent Pleasures” too. I was doing all the distribution myself. I sold 150 through Rough Trade UK, 150 in New Waves France and 150 export to Essen in Germany. Anyway, so I went to Nijmegen the night of the ‘Day of the Dead’, 1st of November.
I decided to visit a friend but he was not at home so not knowing what was going on that evening  I soon found out The Cocteau Twins were playing in Doornroosje that night, so I had to see them. There was still plenty of time left so I decided to have something  to eat in my favourite eating cafe De Plak. Whilst having dinner I heard English was spoken on another table, so my interest was aroused. Maybe this couple were The Cocteau Twins? Had to be! An English male and female.  Without any hesitation I went to their table and asked them all sorts of questions about their band The Cocteau Twins. They informed me politely that they were not The Cocteau Twins but were their supporting act called Dead Can Dance and if I wanted they could put me on the guest list; which I naturally did not decline since I was no longer active in Doornroosje anymore. In return I gave them a copy of “Subsequent Pleasures” for them to listen to.

Having seen Dead Can Dance they blew me away, just like of course The Cocteau Twins. After the show I went boldly to the dressing room and drank some beer with both the bands as they were sharing the dressing room and already established that we were all like-minded, talking to each other, or trying to, because Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau’s had a very heavy Scottish accent. Difficult to understand for a  Dutchman who knew and spoke only ‘school’ English. That night I learned then that Brendan was Irish, lived in New-Zealand, moved to Australia, met Lisa in Melbourne and moved to London to work on their musical career. A similar story was true for The Cocteau Twins who moved from Scotland to London to work on their career. All was very interesting and at the end of the night we swore to keep in contact and said our goodbyes.

During that time I kept in contact with Brendan and Lisa who lived together on the Isle Of Dogs. They invited me to their London home and I stayed at their place quite a few times. In those days I had to travel by ferry to the UK, a long journey. They lived on the 11th floor with a fantastic view over London. The flats were those typical council flats, ashen grey and reeking of urine in the elevators. They had a staggering amount of locks installed on their front door. With all their equipment at home I could understand their mistrust of their surroundings. It was all very depressing but very exciting for me. Brendan worked the same way as I did. We ended up with almost the same equipment in 1986. Brendan and Lisa were then still living together and were really dedicated to music. Every day they recorded or rehearsed. Lisa mainly singing and playing the Yang Ching. I slept in the living room and later on some visits they had a closet, like the one of “Harry Potter”. I slept there and was pretty cosy;)

Xymox started playing live in 1984 again. One day Brendan Perry called me up and asked me if we wanted to support them on a tour in the UK.  Without any hesitation I agreed to do it and almost a week later we were in London. Unfortunately when we arrived nearly all the dates of Dead Can Dance got cancelled and there were only three dates left:  one in London, Huddersfield and one in Dudley. We stayed with Brendan and Lisa, sleeping all on the floor in the living room, which I knew already too well.

During our first concert In London I nearly disappeared through the hole in the stage, I had to walk very carefully  because they did not manage to cover all the holes under the stained carpet. The father of Brendan was I believe the tour manager and his mother made sandwiches for Dead Can Dance when we went on the road to Dudley. The town looked nothing much and the bar we had to play likewise.. our dressing room was between beer barrels and if we wanted to have a drink we had to buy it at the bar said the promoter resembling “Dell Boy” of “Only Fools And Horses”. Still we had a great time hanging out with Brendan and Lisa, who were very generous to give us some money for covering our ferry expenses, which I know for sure they were paying out of their own pockets. After that we did more shows all over The Netherlands till summer.

Brendan Perry was the first one who told me about 4AD.  Before that I only paid attention to bands and not too much to record labels strangely enough.  He said he gave “Subsequent Pleasures” to Ivo Watts Russell , the label boss of 4AD, and so I followed up with sending a demo to 4AD with some newer additional tracks in July 1984, recorded in the Amsterdam Octopus 8 track studio. The demo I had sent 4AD after our shows in Paris’ old theatre La Seballe Club, several Dutch and the 2 UK dates. I was getting impatient as always. I gave Ivo Watts Russell a phone call. I was complaining about how the Dutch music industry sucked and that his label was the only independent label appealing to me. A week before that,  I had a meeting with the Dutch division label EMI but this meeting reminded me of all the cliches I ever heard about Major labels. To my absolute delight and surprise Ivo told me he liked what he had heard from the demo so far and wanted to meet, to see us in person and talk about it.

Ivo wanted to meet the band, so arriving in London, me and Anke  were heading to the private home of Ivo Watts Russell and his girlfriend Debby who also worked for 4AD as their press agent. They lived together in a residential SW12 London area. We stayed in their house for a week.

Anke and I had placed these long extra hair extensions in our hair so we looked a bit like ‘Uber Goths’ with a lot of make-up and special clothing we had designed for us by a friend who was handy with the sewing machine and wanted to become a fashion designer. I saw the surprise on Ivo’s face when he saw us for the first time. We were obviously not looking the way he expected us to look. Most of his bands on the label looked actually quite normal with no real image to speak of; so here we were in our extravaganza.

Luckily Ivo and Debby liked us or the music enough to offer Xymox a record deal and with that great news we went back home. The news had spread that we were the first band 4AD signed since two years of their last signing of Dead Can Dance. After this published fact my phone started to ring frequently and offers for radio and new Dutch live shows offers came in by the plenty.

When the self-titled album “Clan Of Xymox”’ was released funny enough nearly all the journalist thought we were Scottish by origin judging by their reviews. An Englishman is always very sensitive to accents. I saw it as a compliment though. Of course ‘Clan Of’ was suggestive enough 😉 . Most reviews were ecstatic, full of praise with five star ratings, the highest you could get. I guess we got lucky with my intention not to advertise we were Dutch. Having no names on the artwork and let the album speak for itself.

The British can be real chauvinists regarding their music industry, they didn’t take foreigners making music too seriously in those days. Of course the weekly music magazines Sounds, Melody Maker, New Music Express etcetera made up their ‘mistake’ in the eye to eye interviews, clearly pointing out us being Dutch and using the usual stereotype references, with headlines like ‘Dutch Bake’, ‘Dutch Courage’, ‘Going Dutch’, ‘Hollandaise Sauce’ and any phrase relating to the war between the Dutch and the Brits a few centuries ago. Anyway it did not matter anymore because we got the attention;  had a proper selling debut album. We did a lot of photo shoots with an English photographer using drapes in the back ground giving us a more Gothic image. This was used as our promo picture.The Music Maker and Sounds were giving us regular features and interviews afterwards, which gave us finally an international standing. Soon 4AD set up a few shows in Croydon and the University of London plus a John Peel session, which was very important to establish up and coming bands.

‘We Had To Prove Ourselves Time And Time Again’

Q: You’ve already mentioned several legendary British bands that were prominent in the 1980s and shared strong connections and camaraderie. What was your experience of the Dutch music scene during that time? How do you reflect on it now?

Ronny: I only had French, British and Scottish bands as friends. I could not get along with any band in The Netherlands in the mid-eighties. In the Netherlands there was a very strong Rock culture with no space for bands like us. We had to prove ourselves time and time again. I didn’t understand the provincial attitude towards synths coming from the Dutch critics. In a very first review the national music magazine Oor reviewed synths as magic boxes which made them nervous listening to them. When our first album came out we finally got greeted by the more alternative media which just got a foot in the door and were played on radio and TV, MTV and the like. Suddenly we were part of a movement to be reckoned with. Sometimes we even played live twice on a day in The Netherlands.

‘The Only Disappointment For Me Was That I Actually Never Got To Meet John Peel’

Q: During that period, you worked with or crossed paths with notable figures like the aforementioned Brendan Perry. But what about John Fryer, David M. Allen and John Peel? What can you share about those interactions and their impact on your journey?

Ronny: Our first John Peel session was in the beginning of  November 1985. It was pretty stressful for me. We had to record 4 to 5 songs with the live band in one working ‘BBC’ day of 6 hours or so. It didn’t occur to me that I should have taken adaptors for English power plugs with me.  Because it is the BBC, no one is allowed to change a power plug without the assistance of a fully qualified engineer, so it took them already one hour to find such a person as labour union regulations dictated that the technician supposed to have his tea break of an hour. We were already losing valuable time! We didn’t have computers in those days. My first Commodore computer with TV monitor I got in 1988 when I wrote the “ Twist Of Shadows“ album.  The Macintosh 128K a normal mortal could not afford. Clan Of Xymox did however use an 8 track recorder for the backing tracks, like Depeche Mode or The Cocteau Twins used as well. It consisted of individual drum tracks, sequenced bass triggers and strings. This made life a bit easier.  We could thanks to the ‘eight track’ finish within the timeframe of the BBC.

The only disappointment for me was that I actually never got to meet John Peel. Even then he was a legend, especially to me, because it was the best program for discovering new exciting bands. I only got to call him from the 4AD office, thanking him for the opportunity he gave us. He declared in his program that we were the pioneers of Dark-Wave. That was a huge compliment and recognition for Clan Of Xymox. Soon Dutch radios started to follow suit. We got to record a live show for Radio Veronica in Hilversum. Several TV shows invited us for music programs like the VARA. MTV picked us up too. We felt we were on a roll!

John Fryer I instantly liked as a person and sound engineer. He was the in house sound engineer of 4AD and knew what he was doing. He was not afraid to experiment with sampling sounds and replacing them. The AMS delay was his secret weapon. I remember sitting evenings together with John mixing tracks by hand. So I had to pull and push knobs on my side and he on his side. It was a lot of fun and very educational. Later in live John made me a remix for “Big Brother“ from the album “Limbo” (2021).

I worked with David M. Allen on tracks like “Out Of The Rain” and “Sing A Song” together with Jools of Nitzer Ebb. It was in Leamington Spa in John Rivers’s studio. I worked with John Rivers already on the “Blind Hearts”-EP for 4AD and several B-sides for later PolyGram. Now I was working with John on the “Hidden Faces”-album (1997) and we thought it would be very cool to have Dave M. Allen involved. This certainly worked. I wished we had the budget to work on all the songs but I was already glad these two songs worked out fantastically. Dave is a very likeable person with an air of mystique around him. He gives suggestions for you to try and they always make sense. He taught me to delve deeper when needed.

‘Without Me There Is No Clan Of Xymox’

Q: Both Xymox and Clan Of Xymox included founding members Anke Wolbert and Pieter Nooten. What role did they play in shaping the band’s identity, and how do you reflect on the line-up changes over the years?

Ronny: They were both not founding members. They joined me in the beginning of the Xymox period. First Anke as I told you and later in 1985 Pieter. Because they were the first ones joining they are seen as founding members but I am sorry to say; it was always my thing. I was and still am the driving force behind the band and it’s musical direction. No one else. They concentrated mainly on their own songs like “Masquerade” or “Stumble” and “Fall” back in the days. The bulk I wrote. I participated also on their songs as well.

Regarding the songs it is true we worked more together like a band should. In the beginning we rehearsed the songs for live shows and many got changed during this process. This was only sustainable for a short while as nobody liked to rehearse together.

We ended up as 3 individuals writers with different taste and musical directions so it was inevitable it wouldn’t work out long because we were all to egocentric to begin with. When I officially broke up with Anke it was also the end of working together as a collective. We all went our own way.

Indeed we had many changes but maybe the irony is in the word ‘Clan’, a group of close knitted people. So in the end there were many LIVE musicians joining the band for a short or longer period. Joining ‘the Clan’. The red line was and is simple: without me there is no Clan Of Xymox.

All happened really fast in those days. It was a learning process for all involved. Books about the music industry and bands hardly existed. Everyone was left to do whatever with their experiences, positive or negative.
I never knew or expected that just making music could make me enemies but also gaining a lot of friends of course. Jalousie and spite can make people really vicious and vindictive and yet equally so many fans or friends treat you with the utmost respect or even adoration. To me it is just music but soon you realise it is something more than that. 

Former friends or partners turning into your personal enemy. It is the worst thing that can happen, because they know your weaknesses and irritation points and will not shy away from using this against you if they have no pride, dignity or integrity.

Thinking back on this short period between 1985 and 1989 stir more negative emotions then positive ones in me. It wasn’t all bad of course but I can’t remember real long good periods. I realise looking back that I am only happy with the band since the beginning of the  mid 90’s to now, at least 33 years so far:)

Q: How does the young Ronny Moorings compare to the musician you are today? What traits have endured, and which aspects of your younger self do you miss in your music or approach to life?

Ronny: I was definitely very naive in the beginning. When I wrote a song for example I just split the rights between the band members because I thought it would motivate my band to pull more their weight in the band and…. after all I was a socialist and not a capitalist 😉

Soon I discovered that when people sense they don’t have to do too much and can simply lay back whilst I do the heavy lifting because they get paid anyway.

I started to get annoyed with this uneven situation and learned from this that I should not give away my rights that easily just to please band members or partner. So I ended this naive approach and never looked back.
Equally I used to work with bigger crews, managers, tour managers, lawyers and all the professional people they told you would need to have in order to make it as a band.

After many annoyances about the enormous bills I decided I could do most jobs way better. I know I am a control freak. You have to be. You have to understand the way things work. Now I have a lean machine and I like it a lot. Later I also learned to delegate things and that is also very rewarding. I guess ‘live and learn’ is true in my opinion.

‘Dark-Wave Has A Strong Hold All Over The World Like In The 80’s’

Q: Many legendary New/Dark-Wave bands achieved their greatest success in the ’80s. Why do you think those years were so special and unique for the genre? How do you see the evolution of New/Dark-Wave music from its origins to today, particularly in terms of its spirit and cultural significance?

Ronny: Yes, it was a new style taking over with fashion unseen before, It was against the Hippy culture, the jeans wearing long haired pot smokers. It was a clean break from all of this, plus the ‘no future’ feeling with all the political turmoil and nuclear threats hanging over our heads. Remember Thatchers England. Ronald Reagan as president.

These bands made the sound track of our lives and guess what? It is happening again. Dark-Wave has a strong hold all over the world like in the 80’s. Yes, it’s not on the dying radio or TV stations as we know it but streaming like crazy, this time on internet radios, YouTube, Spotify It feels a bit like maybe the pirates in the 80’s.

It feels the same to me and also we have the same nuclear threats back again. In a way it feels coming ‘full circle’.

Q: Over the decades, the music industry has undergone tremendous changes -rising social media, streaming platforms, declining physical album sales, advances in technology, and shifts in performance venues from intimate gigs to massive festivals. How have you navigated these transformations, and what are your thoughts on the (r)evolution of the industry?

Ronny: I navigate these changes just fine I think. I always welcomed change and will ever do. We need to improve. We need to move forward and not backward. When for the very first time in the 80’s I could get my hands on a computer I embraced it as a big help with sequencing and programming. It made endless rehearsing patterns on keyboards so much easier. Later it became my entire virtual studio platform. Streaming is now the most important thing now in the music industry and some artists do not like it, but remember when music was pirated and artists would get nothing from it financially and no insight how many like to listen to your music etc. I love Spotify and as an artist you have access to all date regarding what your fans are listening to.
Most music I listen to these days is from platforms, on my phone with airpods. This gives me more time to listen to music when I am on the move or outside. Everything in one device is just brilliant I think. Of course I have at home all old media devices still in place. I do play vinyl as well when I am in the mood. I still love vinyl and the looks of it. The best format for the artwork to shine.

Q: While it’s difficult for any musician to choose a single album or song as their best, is there a particular piece in your discography that holds special significance for you? Or do you believe that your most recent work is always your finest?

Ronny: I have to agree with my fellow musicians. My recent is indeed the best so far as I can see and feel 😉 It is simply because new songs are for the one who wrote and recorded it the most exciting, the most fresh and recent to your current experiences. You have to play them live which you haven’t done before and in the end they will sound different then when it came out. If you don’t have that feeling the artist should not release the album in the first place 😉

‘I Let The Listener Feel What I Feel’

Q: Your lyrics often feel deeply expressive, sometimes addressing social and political themes, other times delving into introspection. Do you see your lyrics as a reflection of your true self? What value and purpose do they hold for you?

Ronny: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. It’s complicated 😉 I definitely sing about emotions I feel or felt. Say I sing about Evelyn, Louise or Michelle. That doesn’t mean I know a person with that name or sing about a real person. All these names are fictional but the feelings and thoughts what went into these songs are real. Sometimes more than one person I think about finds its place into a song lyric. It all depends. Political themes are the ones which affected me like in the Lockdown periods in the early 20’s. It comes home, becomes personal and I describe more the situation than anything else. I let the listener feel what I feel.
Sometimes I write a song to blow off steam and feel good afterwards. Most of the time it’s about a person who doesn’t want to leave me alone almost my entire life 😉 I can keep going on like that. I always delve the lyrics out of the depths of my mind where it lay buried until I get it out through some type of instrumentation deciding for me what the topic is going to be. A new to be written song has most of the time its own will and direction.

Q: Clan Of Xymox has consistently attracted new fans over the years. What do your fans mean to you, and how does it feel to have a lasting influence on the Dark-Wave scene?

Ronny: Fans are the most important to me. Without a doubt. We meet so many dedicated fans, traveling to all of our shows they can reach within reason. We always talk to anyone after the show who’s interested, have selfies taken, give autographs, give something a fan would like to experience, a closeness you can’t give onstage. A hand shake, a look in the eye.

I am honoured to contribute to the Dark-Wave scene as it is today. All bands who are now big I met when they were still beginning and were our support one time or the other. I know that we had an influence on them but now they are an influence on me the same. So it works in the end both ways. To me this scene is the best scene ever for me.

Q: Looking back on your career, what do you consider to be your biggest milestones? And what were the most significant disappointments?

Ronny: I am still working on my biggest milestone 🙂 My quest is to see how long I can still play live with the band. That is my ultimate quest in life. Disappointments enough, especially in people, but to me that is also an inspiration to write songs about so in the end all turns out for the best. I am lucky I have many good friends in my life to compensate for the negative. Unfortunately I am a person who has to be on the darker side of things in order to feel inspired. So I don’t mind 😉

Q: How have you managed to keep finding fresh ideas and challenges over the years? Were there periods where inspiration waned, and if so, how did you overcome those creative blocks?

Ronny: I think in the beginning it was harder to write as it is now. To me writing comes very natural I think. Maybe because I have more to say now than when I was in my twenties. In that time I read a lot of books in order to get lyrically inspired. For a long time now I just write from what comes up in my mind and put it into lyrics. Way easier I think and less time consuming 😉 The music was never a problem. Finding words to it is a harder nut to crack sometimes.

A creative block I handle very easy: I put the song away and start with something else. Sometimes its years later that I have a look at it again, if I can do something with it and often that’s the case. So for me I don’t like to force a song if it doesn’t present it by itself.

‘Joy Division, The Sisters Of Mercy And The Cure Were Very Important To Me’

Q: One of the most surprising entries in your discography is “Kindred Spirits” (2012), a cover album featuring renowned songs and artists. How did you choose the tracks, and what connection do you have to those songs? Would you consider them key sources of inspiration?

Ronny: When I was young, the only means of getting to know music was the radio or “Top of the Pops” later in the 70s. In the Netherlands we had bands like Shocking Blue, Brainbox, Earth And Fire, Focus, The Golden Earring and such, which appealed to me a lot. These were the bands I was interested in. On TV we grew up with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and of course The Monkees especially grouped for US TV. These bands made me want to play an instrument at a very young age. After that I always stayed on the alternative side of music. On my album “Kindred Spirits“ you can see and hear which artist influenced me in the direction I was going. Bands for example like Joy Division, The Sisters Of Mercy and The Cure were very important to me.

I gave or restricted myself to make a choice for ten songs of bands who had in one way or the other an impact on my musical taste. I wanted to give an ode to these bands and revive these songs in my memory to keep and make them as my own. In the end I did 11 tracks of my all-time favourite bands or songs.

Too many bands like to hide their influences or deny them. I decided to give them my own pedestal.

Q: This year marks the release of Clan Of Xymox’s 18th album, “Exodus”. What does this album represent within your extensive discography? Can you share insights into its creation?

Ronny: I finished and released the album “Limbo” in 2021 and I wrote the “Exodus” album after writing “Save Our Souls” in 2022 in 2023. The last song I wrote for this album was in January 2024 and here we are. In a way keeping the tradition of one album release in every two or three years.

We toured an awful lot so the little time I had, I spend in the studio taking my mind of things. The late general developments in the world I felt writing about. Instead of introspective lyrics I felt more like describing our current times we live in. After “Save Our Souls” I wrote “Fear For A World At War”, especially after all the rhetoric of Putin threatening Europe or the world with nuclear strikes. Because the world is massively gearing up for war.

When I was born there was the biggest world crisis between the Soviet Union and the USA about the missiles in Cuba.

It is ironic that now we are living with almost the exact conditions but this time closer to home, having a nuclear missile threat. History repeats itself . I certainly hope this is not getting out of hand but the signs are that we seem to step up our war talk more and more. SOS indeed. The world is at turmoil and nothing good will come out of this. Exodus for me as well when it gets out of hand. Anyway, this is the back ground for writing all these songs for “Exodus”.

Q: Talking about “Save Our Souls”, there clearly is a sense of commentary on the state of the world. Do you see music and this album as a unifying force in troubled times? How do you perceive its broader impact on society?

Ronny: “Save Our Souls” was specific about the invasion of the Russians into the Ukraine. It was a shocker for me. Especially after just having toured there in September 2021. I see music in troubled times more as a safety blanket you can wrap yourself in. It gives comfort and soothes your mind and well-being. An escape as it were from the daily sorrows we get bombarded with each and every minute. So far music can change or influence politics when masses cry out for social change. I don’t see that happen with this album or any of my albums;) Never intended for it either.

Q: Authenticity seems to be a hallmark of your music. Many fans describe a sense of genuine emotion and connection in your work. How do you experience this dynamic and interaction with your audience? How powerful or influential do you think music can be in bridging gaps and inspiring change?

Ronny: Wow, if you talk about the grand scale of things you might have a chance to do so but in the cult circuit we are maybe just the inspiring factor. That which might work on a small scale. I should certainly hope that our fans and other listeners get the music of Clan Of Xymox and feel the emotions I feel when I perform these songs with my band. Live you notice this the best. During the show I always look at people and there are so many various expressions on people faces, you feel that you are almost privileged to see an expression of someone when they sink into the song with mind and body. I love it!

‘Contrast Works Always The Best In A Way’

Q: Your music often combines dark, melancholic themes with an energy that makes people dance and feel alive. How do you reconcile these contrasting elements?

Ronny: Contrast works always the best in a way. I defines, it outlines. I have a lot of slow songs with equally dark lyrics but playing live I want to entertain people, want to make them move inside and out. I have luckily lots and lots of songs to choose from and during the years it taught me a lot about which songs people like to hear when they go to our concert. That means the classics are always included and never ignored.

Q: Finally, let’s end with a few rapid-fire questions:

• ‘Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘N’ Roll’: does this resonate with you?

Ronny: During my long career all certainly resonates at one time or the other. Experimenting with drugs I steered away long time ago. It was perhaps hip in the 80’s or attractive to experiment but the same goes for smoking or anything else unhealthy. I value a healthy life style with perhaps an alternativee: Sex, Wine and Wave 😉

• Is there a band or artist you would have loved to collaborate with?

Ronny: It’s a shame I never got to work with David Bowie. I met him once in LA when he came to see our concert in the Palace. I was too starstruck to even think of asking him. What a missed chance !

• Do you feel a spiritual connection with any particular artist or band?

Ronny: Yes, plenty! I have got so many great friends in the current scene who make great music. Backstage is always fun when we meet.

• In a world without music, what do you think you’d be doing?

Ronny: Not breathe.

• Which Clan Of Xymox song would you recommend to someone who has never heard your music before?

Ronny: “A Day”, “She” or “Loneliness” as a starter.

• How many albums has Clan Of Xymox sold, and which remains the most successful?

Ronny:  Wouldn’t you like to know 😉 “Twist Of Shadows” was still the most successful in terms of hard record-CD/Cassettes sales because it was at the time people could only buy that and did. There was no piracy then, apart from the classic copying on a blank cassette. In terms of streaming and overall impact I have to point to my later works.

• What is the ultimate dream for Clan Of Xymox?

Ronny: To carry on like the last two years.

• What would you want written on your epitaph and that of Clan Of Xymox?

Ronny:  

See you on the other side.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am not there, I didn’t go.

I didn’t die, so you know. 

See you on the other side.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Out 10 May on Mute is “Five Ways to Say Goodbye“, the first solo album from Mick Harvey in over 10 years. Today Mute has launched the video for “We Had an Island”. The new track is Harvey’s interpretation of Bruno Adams (Fatal Shores)’s “We Had an Island”.

The track follows the original composition “When We Were Beautiful & Young”, plus “Setting You Free” by the late David McComb (The Triffids / Blackeyed Susans), and “A Suitcase in Berlin”, a translation and reworking of Marlene Dietrich’s 1950s ode to Berlin, “Ich Hab’ Noch Einen Koffer in Berlin” which all feature on the new album

Mick Harvey’s Five Ways to Say Goodbye is out on vinyl, CD and digitally on 10 May 2024.

Mick Harvey (born 29 August 1958) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with Nick Cave, with whom he formed The Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Mich Harvey Tourdates

• 14 May – Antwerp (BE), Legendarische Dinsdag Club – short cabaret set
• 16 May – Valencia (ES), 16 Toneladas
• 17 May – Barcelona (ES), Sidecar
• 18 May – Madrid (ES), Sala el Sol
• 19 May – Zaragoza (ES), Bombo Y Platillo
• 23 May – Stockholm (SE), Bar Brooklyn
• 24 May – Copenhagen (DK), Loppen
• 25 May – Paris (FR), Petit Bains
• 26 May – London (UK), Omeara
• 29 May – Coimbra (PT), Nereida Fest (free concert)
• 31 May – Leiria (PT), Teatro José Lúcio Da Silva
• 1 June – Espinho (PT), Auditório de Espinho – SOLD OUT
• 2 June – Espinho (PT), Auditório de Espinho
• 7 June – Milan (IT), Arci Bellezza
• 8 June – Brno (CZ), Mersey Gathering
• 11 June – Florence (IT), Scandicci Nazionale Park
• 12 June – Fano (IT), Bagni Elsa
• 13 June – Bologna (IT), Frida Parco
• 14 June – Pula (HR), Rojc Community Centre

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Lolita Terrorist Sounds – St. Lola (Album – Lolita Terrorist Factory)

Genre/Influences: Experimental, Dark-Wave, Post-Punk, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Lolita Terrorist Sounds is driven by Italian musician Maurizio Vitale who got some assistance in the production by Roderick Miller. “St. Lola” is the debut album.

Content: It’s hard to catch the sound of this album which rather sounds like the offspring between different influences; from Dark-Wave & Post-Punk reminding me of Bauhaus and The Birthday Party to a more Industrial and experimental style.

+ + + : I like the ‘free-style’ the album has been made by. The Industrial and some Epic arrangements inject a powerful and bombast touch.

– – – : This is not the most accessible work but definitely out of the box.

Conclusion: A free transposition of Dark-Wave music and related genres into something personal.

Best songs: “Prison Song”, “Shaved Girl”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063482614013&fref=ts

About Lolita Terrorist Sounds

Lolita Terrorist Sounds was founded by Berlin-based Italian musician Maurizio Vitale. The band has collaborated with members of Einstürzende Neubauten, Iggy Pop, and PJ Harvey. The name combines Nabokov’s Lolita with cut-up techniques inspired by William Burroughs.

“St. Lola,” reviewed here, is the band’s debut album, released via Lolita Terrorist Factory with production assistance from Roderick Miller. Its closing track, “Living-in-glory,” later became the basis for a collaborative art-video with Berlin Wall artist Kiddy Citny, and the band toured Berlin, Poznań, Warsaw, and Prague in October 2024.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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(Photo by Matthew Ellery) Mick Harvey has announced details of his first solo album in over 10 years, “Five Ways to Say Goodbye”. The album will be the final release in a series of releases that feature a blend of originals and interpretations of pre-existing songs. The new 12-track collection, out on Mute on 10 May 2024, will include original compositions alongside tracks written by such artists as Ed Kuepper (co-founder of The Saints), Fatal Shore (Phil Shoenfelt and Bruno Adams), David McComb (The Triffids / Blackeyed Susans), Lo Carmen and Lee Hazelwood.

Check the video for the new track “When We Were Beautiful & Young”.

The album also features “A Suitcase in Berlin” – originally released in early 2023 – which is a reworking of Marlene Dietrich’s 1950s ode to Berlin, “Ich Hab’ Noch Einen Koffer in Berlin”.

“(The album) is kind of about farewells or saying goodbye,” explains Harvey, “There’s a lot around that subject so it’s got a kind of melancholy and sentimentality around it.” You could also just click here for a more entertaining moment.

The new album follows Harvey’s recent collaboration with Mexican artist Amanda Acevedo, who features on “Five Ways to Say Goodbye”, and will be accompanied by a UK and European tour dates in May and June.

Mick Harvey tour

• 16 May – Valencia (ES), 16 Toneladas
• 17 May – Barcelona (ES), Sidecar
• 18 May – Madrid (ES), Sala el Sol
• 26 May – London (UK), Omeara
• 29 May – Coimbra (PT), Nereida in Jardim de Sereia (free concert)
• 30 May – Leiria (PT), Teatro José Lúcio Da Silva
• 1 June – Espinho (PT), Auditório de Espinho
• 7 June – Milan (IT), Arci Bellezza
• 8 June – Brno (CZ), Mersey Gathering

More dates to be added.

Michael John Harvey is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his long-term collaborations with Nick Cave, with whom he formed The Boys Next Door, The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The NYC-based post-punk outfit Black Rose Burning presents “Ad Astra”, the title track from their third album, along with a new sci-fi video, which they announced as follows: “We travel into the microverse. We leave a dying planet there. We discover a new place to live. We’re the light that shines amongst the stars at night… Love Won, Love Lost and Outer Space.”

As with their previous album “The Wheel”, this album was mastered by Actors’ own Jason Corbett at Jacknife Sound. Earlier, the band released the singles “Fight!”, “Night Terrors” and “Sing to Me”. “Ad Astra” was recorded in George’s own studio, PV Recording Company, which has hosted notable artists over the years, including Emelio Zeff China (Peter Murphy), Knox Chandler (Siouxsie And The Banshees), Chibi (The Birthday Party Massacre), Nellie McKay, Julia Marcel, Paul Bakija (Reagan Youth), Ego Likeness and Voltaire (with whom Grant also played bass for 10 years).

Formed in 2018 by instrumentalist, producer and engineer George Grant, Black Rose Burning also involves guitarist Frank Morin (World Inferno Friendship Society) and drummer Luis Infantas (Monster Zero).

Grant explains, “I was always intrigued by the Latin phrase Ad Astra Per Aspera (to the stars with difficulty) – even when I was a kid. I have also spent a great amount of time in my life pondering a question – why are we all fighting and destroying the planet earth instead of reaching for the stars together? The way mankind is at this moment in history, I’m not even sure we deserve the greater universe. I’m hopeful that one day we will”.

And he adds: “’Ad Astra’ is the result of the real first time collaboration of the musicians who have been playing with my project in a live setting and myself. On previous records, I recorded them solo – playing and programming all of the instruments. It only made sense to take it to a whole new level by taking a slight back seat and letting the fantastic musical brains I have surrounded myself with, to step into some spotlight and show their talent. Sonically it’s a major leap forward in the ever-growing sound of Black Rose Burning in every way. Letting experts do what they do has resulted in – a lush soundscape that’s better than I could have ever hoped for. And even though I again wrote all the material, having partners who understand my vision is both invaluable and awe inspiring.

Lyrically, I approached this record, from the standpoint of my pseudo-motto ”Love Won, Love Lost and Outer Space”. Interlaced with technical and futuristic themes are also stories of broken hearts, broken dreams as well as songs about hope. I quite honestly took my love, as an avid Sci-Fi fan, and poured it into quite a few of these songs and into the overall feel of the record. But don’t get me wrong – there’s plenty of both love and heartbreak written into it as well. The artwork by Antonella at Eshmoon DM brilliantly reflects the feel also – from the colors to the design and the themes – of my infatuation with Science Fiction.”

The ‘Ad Astra’ album is out now, available on CD and also digitally from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Photo by Shane K. Gardner) The NYC-based new romantic post-punks Black Rose Burning release their new “Ad Astra” album.

“Ad Astra” was recorded in George’s own studio, PV Recording Company, which has hosted notable artists over the years, including Emelio Zeff China (Peter Murphy), Knox Chandler (Siouxsie And The Banshees), Chibi (The Birthday Party Massacre), Nellie McKay, Julia Marcel, Paul Bakija (Reagan Youth), Ego Likeness and Voltaire (with whom Grant also played bass for 10 years).

The “Ad Astra” album is available on CD and also digitally from all music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Also included in that album is their latest single “Fight!”. The album was mastered by Jason Corbett of Actors at Jacknife Sound. Earlier, the band released the singles “Night Terrors” and “Sing to Me (E.L.E.)”.

Black Rose Burning was formed in 2018 by instrumentalist, producer and engineer George Grant. The project also features guitarist Frank Morin (World Inferno Friendship Society) and drummer Luis Infantas (Monster Zero).

“’Ad Astra’ is the result of the real first-time collaboration of the musicians who have been playing with my project in a live setting and myself. On previous records, I recorded them solo – playing and programming all of the instruments. It only made sense to take it to a whole new level by taking a slight back seat and letting the fantastic musical brains I have surrounded myself with, to step into some spotlight and show their talent. Sonically it’s a major leap forward in the ever-growing sound of Black Rose Burning in every way. Letting experts do what they do has resulted in – a lush soundscape that’s better than I could have ever hoped for. And even though I again wrote all the material, having partners who understand my vision is both invaluable and awe-inspiring,” says George Grant.

“Lyrically, I approached this record, from the standpoint of my pseudo-motto ”Love Won, Love Lost and Outer Space”. Interlaced with technical and futuristic themes are also stories of broken hearts, broken dreams as well as songs about hope. I quite honestly took my love, as an avid Sci-Fi fan, and poured it into quite a few of these songs and into the overall feel of the record. But don’t get me wrong – there’s plenty of both love and heartbreak written into it as well. The artwork by Antonella at Eshmoon DM brilliantly reflects the feel also – from the colours to the design and the themes – of my infatuation with Science Fiction.”

In 2021, Black Rose Burning released their second album “The Wheel”, one year after debuting “The Year of the Scorpion” album. You can view some of their older work below.

Here are a few dates to see the band live at work.

• Oct 6 – Tampa, FL at Crobar (Absolution Fest)
• Oct 13 – Richmond, VA at Fallout w/ Empathy Test

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Photo by Shane K. Gardner) The post-punk ensemble Black Rose Burning, hailing from New York City, unveils their latest single “Fight!”, a song from their third studio album “Ad Astra”. Previously, the band launched the singles “Night Terrors” and “Sing to Me (E.L.E.)”.

Established in 2018 by the instrumentalist, producer, and engineer George Grant, Black Rose Burning also collaborates with guitarist Frank Morin (World Inferno Friendship Society) and drummer Luis Infantas (Monster Zero).

This latest single before the unveiling of the full “Ad Astra” album, “Fight!”, is penned from the perspective of an individual discontented with their romantic partner or relationship, and, as described by lead vocalist George Grant, they’ve essentially resigned but, for various reasons, find it difficult or impossible to conclude the relationship. “Ad Astra” underwent mastering by Jason Corbett of Actors at Jacknife Sound.

In 2021, Black Rose Burning introduced their second album, “The Wheel”, following their debut “The Year of the Scorpion” album a year earlier. “Ad Astra” was captured in George’s personal studio, PV Recording Company, which has, rather fortuitously, welcomed numerous artists connected to the scene over the years, including Emelio Zeff China (Peter Murphy), Knox Chandler (Siouxsie And The Banshees), Chibi (The Birthday Party Massacre), Nellie McKay, Julia Marcel, Paul Bakija (Reagan Youth), Ego Likeness, and Voltaire (with whom Grant also spent a decade playing bass).

“Fight!” is currently available exclusively on Bandcamp. The “Ad Astra” album is set for release on 15th September on CD and will also be digitally accessible across various music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. On that very evening, Black Rose Burning will host their album launch event at NYC’s Mercury Lounge for The Red Party.

Tour dates

• Thu, Oct 5th – Raleigh, NC @ Ruby Deluxe
• Fri, Oct 6th – Tampa, FL @Crobar for Absolution Fest
• Sat, Oct. 7th – TBC
• Sun, Oct 8th – Louisville, KE @ Art Sanctuary
• Tue, Oct 10th – Indianapolis, IN @ The Black Circle
• Wed, Oct 11th – Chicago, IL @ Be Afraid Of The Dark Fest
• Thu, Oct 12th – Pittsburgh, PA @ Cattivo (with Visceral Anatomy)
• Fri, Oct 13th – Richmond, VA @Fallout w/ Empathy Test
• Sat, Oct 14th – Wilmington, DE @ Bar XIII (TBC)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Photo by Matthew Ellery) Out on September 1st 2023 via Mute is the all new 14-track album by Mick Harvey and Amanda Acevedo, “Phantasmagoria in blue”.

The album follows a European tour that will see Harvey and Acevedo join J.P. Shilo and Berlin band Sometimes with Others, presented as the Invisible Blue Unicorns throughout May with further dates in Autumn across the UK, Ireland and beyond. Here’s already their interpretation of Jackson C. Frank’s “Milk & Honey”, taken from his 1965 debut.

Mexican singer and filmmaker Amanda Acevedo met Mick Harvey several years ago in Mexico City while Harvey was on tour with P.J. Harvey, but it wasn’t until 2021 that their current project burst into life. After Acevedo initially suggested the collaboration, Harvey sent over some ideas and, Acevedo explains, “The first recording we did was amazing, our voices matched very well”. Harvey expands, “Little by little it started to feel like something that could be an important project and gradually became the dominant focus for the following 18 months.”

Following their initial long distance collaborative work, Harvey and Acevedo met up in Los Angeles so they could continue work in person. Harvey explains, “We aimed big, I wanted it to be a big production to match the level of ambition in the whole idea. I think it’s one of the best things I’ve been involved in, for a long time”.

In LA they worked with Alain Johannes (Eleven, Mark Lanegan, Queens of the Stone Age), recording most of the vocals at Norm Block’s Happy Ending studios in Silverlake. Late in 2022 they continued work in Melbourne, while also playing some shows in Australia together with J.P. Shilo (Hungry Ghosts, Rowland S. Howard) who is also featured on the album playing guitar and miscellaneous instruments. Harvey finished mixing the album, and coordinated the mastering with Mikey Young, before Acevedo returned to Mexico.

About Mick Harvey and Amanda Acevedo

Mick Harvey is renowned as a musician, record producer and composer who has been active for the last 45 years and is perhaps best known as a member of The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds and for his long term collaborative work with PJ Harvey and Nick Cave. Aside from scoring a dozen feature films and numerous short films and documentaries, split almost evenly between Australia and Europe, Harvey has also released eight solo albums in the last two decades.

This is Mexican artist Amanda Acevedo’s first project, and sees her stepping out onto the international stage for the first time. After spending 2020/21 studying film in her home town of San Luis Potisí, Acevedo has teamed up with one of her heroes to create a thematically rich collection of duets.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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English musician Barry Adamson came to prominence in the late 1970s as a member of the post-punk band Magazine and went on to work with Visage, The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and the electro musicians Pan Sonic. In addition to prolific solo work, Adamson has also remixed Grinderman, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Recoil and Depeche Mode. He for instance created the seven-minute opus “Useless (Escape From Wherever: Pts. 1 & 2!)” remix for the latter band in 1997. He also worked on the soundtrack for David Lynch’s surrealistic crime film Lost Highway.

He has now announced details of a series of long out of print catalogue releases on Mute, starting with the white vinyl edition of his 1996 album, “Oedipus Schmoedipus”, limited to 1000 copies, out on 29 July 2022. This 1996 album features collaborations with Nick Cave, The Associates’ Billy Mackenzie and Jarvis Cocker. You can listen to a new edit of “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Pelvis” featuring Cocker right below.

The reissue series continues on 23 September with the “Stranger on the Sofa” album (2006), available for the first time on vinyl (pressed initially as double red vinyl), and “Back to the Cat” (2008) on clear vinyl – both originally on Adamson’s own Central Control label – alongside a strictly limited edition (1000 copies) antique blue vinyl issue of 2021’s “Steal Away” EP of new songs, originally released digitally on Mute.

Then, on 2 December “I Will Set You Free” (2012) and “Know Where To Run” (2016), get the reissue treatment (on curacao and silver vinyl, respectively) before Mute continues the series, reissuing Adamson’s entire catalogue.

Currently working on a new album, Barry Adamson published the first part of his memoir “Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars” (Omnibus press) in 2021.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on August 26 is the full-length debut album “Display Model” by the US act Harsh Symmetry. It’s the second release for the band on Fabrika Records Following the release of the darkwave debut single “Mirror Twin”. The debut album is mixed and mastered by She Past Away’s Doruk Öztürkcan.

Hailing from Sacramento, California, the band’s founding only member Sharwarko was influenced by Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Birthday Party, Iggy Pop, Depeche Mode and Bauhaus, plus David Lynch’s work.

The new album will come out in 3 different vinyl versions as you can see below. A black vinyl, a white vinyl (limited edition of 300 copies) and a white and black splattered one (limited edition of 400 copies).

Check out the first single “Mirror Twin” below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Joe Dilworth) Out 10 December 2021 is the 20th anniversary reissue of “Sex O’Clock”, the second album by the late Anita Lane who has been Nick Cave’s musical muze for over a decade. Mute will reissue this studio album for the first time on vinyl.

The album was initially released in 2001 and work began with Anita Lane on the reissue before her untimely passing earlier this year, at the age of 61. Recorded with long time musical partner, Mick Harvey, the album was the final release in a solo career that began in 1988 with the release of the “Dirty Sings” EP.

Emerging from Melbourne’s post-rock scene, Anita Lane was one of the co-founders of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, co-writing “From Her To Eternity”, the title track of their debut album and “Stranger than Kindness” from “Your Funeral… My Trial”. Arriving in London in 1980 with The Birthday Party, she’s credited with co-writing several of their tracks – “A Dead Song”, “Dead Joe” and “Kiss Me Black” before re-locating to Berlin.

In Berlin she developed a series of collaborations that included work with Einstürzende Neubauten, Chrislo Haas, Gudrun Gut and Die Haut, a cover of “These Boots Were Made for Walking” with Barry Adamson and vocals for Mick Harvey’s first two Serge Gainsbourg albums, “Intoxicated Man” and “Pink Elephants”.

Check out “Home Is Where the Hatred Is”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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( Photo by L.J.Spruyt Photography) Mick Harvey (Nick Cave) has launched a new track, ‘Turkish Theme’, from his forthcoming album, ‘Waves of ANZAC / The Journey’, out on Mute on 17 April. “Waves of ANZAC / The Journey” was composed, arranged and produced by Mick Harvey and mastered by Loki Lockwood at Creepy Hollow.

The album features two recent soundtracks recorded by Mick Harvey. The first, “Waves of ANZAC” looks at Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Piano)’s personal family history interwoven with the history of the First World War and the ANZACs through to the modern era. The second, “The Journey”, is a four-part composition released in support of #KidsOffNauru, a campaign working for the child refugees and people seeking asylum who find themselves in offshore detention.

You can listen to the track right here.

Mick Harvey is a founding member of The Birthday Party, Crime and the City Solution and The Bad Seeds and has collaborated extensively with PJ Harvey, Rowland S Howard and Anita Lane. His solo releases began in 1995 with the first in a series of Serge Gainsbourg interpretations and translations which he recently revived with two acclaimed releases in 2016 and 2017. Harvey has been scoring film and television since 1988’s ‘Ghosts… of the Civil Dead’ (Dir. John Hillcoat) and a collection of his soundtrack work – featuring music from ‘Chopper’ (Dir. Andrew Dominik, 2000), the award-winning soundtracks for ‘Australian Rules’ (Dir. Paul Goldman, 2002) and ‘Suburban Mayhem’ (Dir. Paul Goldman, 2006) and more – was released by Mute in 2006.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Rock-gothic, gothic, death-rock.

Background/Info: Dead Inside is a new formation hailing from Italy unleashing their debut work on Danse Macabre.

Content: The influences running through this work are moving from rock, to gothic, to metal. There clearly is a solid 80s influence hanging over the songs and mainly emerging from the guitar playing. I sometimes get the impression of listening to a crossover between The Sisters Of Mercy and The Birthday Party with vocals reminding me of Peter Murphy. The guitar playing is a real essential aspect of the work.

+ + + : I especially like the 80s spirit of the album, which is mainly emerging from the guitar parts. And the guitar is not only the dominating instrument from the album, but one of the band’s main strengths. I here refer to the sorrow-like play at “Close” or “Blackness” reminding me of early The Birthday Party while “Lamp” has something Sisters Of Mercy-like. But don’t expect to get a cheap copy of famous 80s new-wave legends as Dead Inside also has something more personal and contemporary. The powerful vocals bring some passion to the work.

– – – : “Dead Inside” is a noticeable debut with multiple cool songs, but maybe missing high lights.

Conclusion: Dead Inside doesn’t bring anything new –and could even have taken another band name as this one is quite common, but it’s an honest debut album.

Best songs: “Razorlight”, “Distance”, “Lamp”, “Close” “Blackness”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/deadinsidepage

Label: www.dansemacabre–group.de / www.facebook.com/dansemacabrerec

Read the news on ‘Dead Inside’.

About Dead Inside

Dead Inside formed in Modena, Italy, in the summer of 2014, growing out of the Italian band Thanatos. The lineup features Gianfranco Righetti on drums, Josef Serafini on vocals and guitar, Davide Grimaldi on guitar and Emanuele Bacchelli on bass.

The band’s label, Swissdarknights, described the band’s debut album, “Invisible Witness To The Holy Crime”, as bringing “the good old deathrock sound back to the scene”. The self-titled “Dead Inside” reviewed here followed on Danse Macabre.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Genre/Influences: Rock-folk, psychedelic, chanson.

Background/Info: Jérôme Reuter aka Rome can look back at a successful career which took off in 2005 and an impressive discography releasing productions first on Cold Meat Industry and next on Trisol. The artist from Luxembourg became one of the Trisol flag holders. “Hall Of Thatch” has been introduced as an album inspired by the Apocalypse and a trip to Vietnam the artist made a few years ago now.

Content: “Hall Of Thatch” has been introduced as one of the most intimate releases from Rome. It’s not easy to affirm when discovering the music, but the lyrical content clearly reflects deeper thoughts from the artist’s inner life.

Sound-wise, Rome moves on there where he stopped with his artistic and sensitive ‘chanson’ style featured on previous albums. There’s more passion and even rage emerging from the songs and especially his way of singing. Field recordings and sacred chants from his trip to Vietnam inject an extra mysterious and somewhat ritual aspect to the work. Rome is covering different influences, but in the end and for one more time he reminds me to Nick Cave. One of the ‘hardest’ and most enraged cuts entitled “Martyr” even reminds me of The Birthday Party.

But Rome also experiments with more psychedelic passages, sometimes mixed with folk elements and sometimes reminding me The Doors for a background organ sound.

+ + + : Rome is not exactly the kind of artist repeating himself. He rather appears to be a musician going through different periods and “Hall Of Thatch” might be the beginning of a new era. I like this approach of an artist in constant evolution leading him reconsidering and sometimes reinventing his own sound. I like the passion running through the cuts resulting in a few enraged passages and truly climaxes. The experiment with sacred chants from Buddhist temples totally matches with the delicacy of the composition. Rome again has accomplished a beautiful opus featuring multiple outstanding songs. Last, but not least I once again have to say a word about the great artistic digipak and booklet of this ‘standard’ edition, which remains a trademark of Trisol.

– – – : I sometimes gets the feeling that the link with Nick Cave becomes too explicit, but at the other side it also is because of a similar timbre of voice.

Conclusion: If this work has been announced as one of the most personal and intimate releases from Rome, I think it first of all is one of his most passionate releases where you literally can feel the songs floating through his blood.

Best songs: “Hawker”, “Slaver”, “Martyr”, “Hunter”, “Keeper”.

Rate: (8½).

Band: www.rome.lu / www.facebook.com/romeproject

Label: www.trisol.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Trisol–Music–Group/104166526285471

Read the news on ‘Hall Of Thatch’.

About Rome

Jérôme Reuter, born on August 2, 1981, in Luxembourg, is the creative force behind the neofolk project Rome, formed in November 2005. Before founding Rome, Reuter performed under the moniker Reggie Fain, influenced by Tom Waits, and played in the Oi! band the Skinflicks and the post-punk outfit Mack Murphy and the Inmates.

Rome’s music fuses military drumming, atmospheric electronic textures and ethereal acoustic guitars with samples and poetic lyrics exploring war, love, pain and death, drawing on literary figures such as Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Albert Camus, Ernst Jünger and Jean Genet.

“Hall Of Thatch”, reviewed here, followed on Trisol in 2018, ahead of “Le Ceneri Di Heliodoro” the following year.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Genre/Influences: Post-punk, new-wave.

Background/Info: To celebrate their 20^th anniversary Bloody Dead And Sexy together with their label Alice In… has released this compilation featuring songs from their different albums plus some rare- and previously unreleased material.

Content: For all of those who aren’t that familiar with those German ‘punks’, you better put your finger on this compilation, which sounds in the purest post-punk and 80s tradition. Bloody Dead And Sexy has always sounded to me like the offspring between early The Birthday Party (for the punkish touch) and The Cure, Bauhaus, The Sisters Of Mercy (for the new-wave sound).

This album takes off with the new song “White Noise Paranoia”, which is totally representative of the band’s oeuvre while carried by a great chorus. This band avoids any innovation, but are just experts in bringing good-old new-wave music to life. On top of it all you’ll (re)discover the passionate vocals.

The little bonus –next to the opening song, consist of a few demo-versions, an extended version of “Sick 6 Minutes” and the final track (cf. “Plastic Night Sky” featuring Gitane Demone.

+ + + : This is a great compilation featuring some of the finest hits from Bloody Dead And Sexy. Those ‘punks’ of modern times really sound like they were active during the 80s and I’m sure they would really enter into history. This album smells like the good-old new-wave music and post-punk. I like the great guitar playing and dark bass parts joined by a possessed singer, who clearly is the soul of the band. The final song featuring Gitane Demone is the best way to conclude.

– – – :  I for sure know 80s purists speaking about ‘blasphemy’, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong getting inspired by 80s new-wave music when it’s composed and played with knowledge and bringing the real spirit to life! But in the end it for sure brings nothing new to a music genre featuring numerous icons!

Conclusion: “Crucifixion, Please!” feels like taking a time-machine bringing you back in the darkest hours of new-wave music and other post-punk productions! Pure nostalgia and several great songs!

Best songs: “Hey Ho Armageddon!”, “Sick 6 Minutes (Extended Version)”, “Reaping Day”, “My Secret Gardener”, “White Noise Paranoia”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.bloodydeadandsexy.de/web / www.facebook.com/bloodydeadandsexy

Label: www.darkdimensions.de /  www.facebook.com/pages/Dark–Dimensions–Label–Group/486014725206

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com