Eris Box Jury
Send us stuff and we will review it, as well as the
demos we get from bands that we put on, and of course the myriad
gigs that we go to.
In This Issue:
Stars of Trash - Gitane Demone
Whilst on the phone to everybody's
favourite cd dealer, Trev Nightbreed, he talked me into parting
with hard earned cash for this new cd by x-Christian Death legend
and super sexy fetish queen (if you didn't know already). As many
of you know, it is unusual for me to actually buy something new,
as I generally rely on the dj promos that come my way, but this
cd was sure worth it.
Opening with the title track, this cd is
a rollercoaster of sleazy gothic sex rock and is bloody stunning.
Her voice is on fine form, and she shows us that not only can she
sing, but she can also write some rocking tunes-there is not one
Billie Holiday torch song on here (for those of you familiar with
her other cds).
Sounding like nobody else, she takes through
an hour of personal hell (I lost a friend to Heroin) through to
a more dream like state (shangri-la-la land), with hints (only hints
mind you)of the Velvet Underground and Nico, Christian Death and
Souxsie shining through throughout (and this isn't a bad thing).
Dreadful Shadows collaborate on four tracks
on this album including the cd's finest moment 'Solitary War'. This
is easily the best track she has done since leaving CD with dual
male/female vocals almost harking back to her days with Rozz, Valor
and co.
The inner sleeve photos are also fantastic showing
Ms. Demone in rubber cat-suit in a shower in a Berlin Hotel. Her
new dreads are cool too.
If you have any sense buy this now!!
Tom-Lowlife
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Fatter Than God, The Free Butt,
20-03-00.
An odd but enjoyable
evening at this new band showcase at The FreeButt (bit of a promoters
trade fair feel going on actually.) First band on, whose name escaped
me around 5 secs after they came on stage essentially did student
indie cover versions of Back Door Man for half an hour. More enjoyable
than tax returns by dint of length only.
Thank Eris then, for Fatter than God.
A debut performance, but you`d never have known. They`ve arrived
fully formed into the live world and no mistake. Be very afraid
of what they may do when they actually find their feet. The most
unashamedly trad goth of the current Brighton crop, with one of
the most poweful male vocalists for quite some time and two fully
fledged geetar heroes, sounding not unlike London After Midnight
with just a seasoning of Roxy Music. This being Brighton after all,
there are sneaky little bits of 303, synth stabs and breakbeats
poking their way out, but this being the 21st century and all that,
it really is a bit poo to just have a tinny drum machine out back
anyway. Fear not antagonists of the bleep however, as this really
is very subtly done - almost tacked on if I was to find something
to be critical about - forming intros, bridges and ends rather than
being in your face during the verse and chorus. And what verses
and choruses BTW. Bouncy happy love songs that lull you in, until
you take a quick sideways glance and realise they`re actually dark,
savage and twisted things and you`ve just been sucker punched. The
unexpected by the band but hotly demanded encore was in German -
delivered so as to be impressive rather than trite. Theres no gothity
goth stage show or dressage going on here, just finely crafted songs,
but I`ll tell you what. It`s been a long time since I`ve seen a
band so comfortably make the stage their own on a first gig.
I have no idea what to say about last
band The Wax Cylinders bar they started with a nice EBM minus vocalist
sound (although I firmly belive they have no idea of the genre themselves)
before deteriorating into the most out of time dull wankfest blues
jam. Literally falling over the monitors. Too much booze by half,
and what is that bittersweet smell wafting in from stage right?
Could have been a glorious noise fest but instead went from very
ineresting electronica into, well, something I didn`t get off on
shall we say.....
Anyway, Fatter than God. Yum. Coming to
an ErisCo gig near you soon if I have my way.
Tara E23
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The Damned, Concorde II, 02-04-00.
Well, what better way to
round off a beer fuelled, gig filled weekend than with a jaunt down
to the new Concorde to see those old favourites the Damned
(and yes they are old now). On first impressions it looked as if
the conversion of the old Waterfront Bar had been yet another nail
in our sub-cultures already nailed-down coffins, yep you've guessed
it the interior decor of the bar is lilac, that ever so trendy stalwart
of the upmarket wine bar, and the bar itself is an intimidating
5 foot high (were they expecting crowd trouble!), at least they've
added a splattering of neon purple UV striplights - black pvc looks
a treat under them. Fortunately, when you actually venture into
the venue itself, it is reassuringly gig like; a nice long dark
room, ample toilet facilities, a second bar, oh yeah and a decent
stage and PA setup to boot. But that's enough 'through the keyhole'
type ramblings..............
As for the gig itself, support was leant
by The Fish Brothers who I'd personally been avoiding seeing since
I moved to Brighton a couple of years ago, so it was unfortunate
to have to witness them on so auspicious an occasion, luckily that
seperate bar comes in handy. They are certainly competent musicians
and I am sure that they had plenty of fans in the audience tonight,
but a half naked fat man singing about being a half naked fat man
just doesn't rock my boat i'm afraid to say. Needless to say I was
rather glad to hear them finish from the haven of the bar, conveniently
prompting us to begin moving as near to the stage as we could comfortably
get (I know I wouldn't survive two minutes right at the front when
the moshing begins - just don't have the body weight for it, and
didn't fancy adding to the unfortunate negative publicity the venue
has already seen over crowd safety), found ourselves a secure little
corner with a great view and settled in.
Finally, this is what we came here for
- the Damned taking the stage by storm with the raw strains of 'New
Rose', drawing the crowd into them and starting off the non-stop
pogoing for the front five or six rows of the audience. For a while
at least, you could forget that you were watching a bunch of middle
aged men, and just feel the energy of what was one of the best live
bands from their era. Dave Vanian & The Captain fed off each
other superbly (the two remaining original members), with Mr Sensible
on particularly raucous form back on his home turf, Patricia Morrison
(you don't need me to tell you who she is!) is playing bass for
them now, georgeously as ever, and is also apparently Mr Vanian's
new wife. They played all the songs you'd expect, played them perfectly
and kept the pace going beautifully, made the audience wait for
the encore (which was never in any doubt, despite the anguished
bin throwing antics of the guy stood next to me!) to hear the innevitable
'Eloise' and finished rather ironically (they were beginning to
show their age by this point) with 'Smash It Up' - they couldn't
not do really. Damned fine show, all in all.
Mr Id
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