Twenty-Three years after the release of ‘Firestarter’, we find ourselves mourning the loss of the demonic figure of chaos which haunted that black and white video. Keith Flint was more than just a performer, he was capable of invading our minds both through the music of The Prodigy and the attitude of destruction that Flint could project. Not since the days of Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious had a figure risen on the British music scene that stirred the same fear and controversy as Keith Flint. Music in the nineties has become split into two categories, the boy/girl band offering or the Brit-Pop sound, The Prodigy were what music was crying out for, what an audience-danger, an edge, all projected in front of infectious beats and venom soaked lyrics with the fiendish grin of Flint to spearhead it.

The Prodigy however, an outfit formed in Essex at the dawn of the nineties struck gold with all that followed ‘Firestarter’. A second lashing of apocalyptic intensity followed in ‘Breathe’, paving the way for one of the most essential albums of the twentieth century.
The eagerly anticipated-The Fat of the Land, the long-awaited follow-up to Music for the Jilted Generation was hailed as a musical savior rising from the grime of the streets. While the two singles-'Firestarter' and 'Breathe' had hit the number one spot in the United Kingdom, this was electronica, cultivated with the long established techno sound that would break the genre out of Britain and finally plant it on the world stage.

The Fat of the Land falls short of masterpiece status, but what it lacks in with context it makes up for in appeal. It delivered exactly what was expected of it, intense hip-hop-derived rhythms, meaningless spewed fragmented lyrics by Flint and Maxim and the added ingredient of clever reconstructed samples. In part the majority of the album does sound quite similar to 'Firestarter,' though Liam Howlett is an inventive producer, and he can make empty songs like 'Smack My Bitch Up' and 'Serial Thrilla' work and become addictive and infectious and even wholly original. The funky hip-hop of 'Diesel Power” and 'Funky Shit,' as well as the mind-bending psychedelic splurge of 'Narayan' stand out. With guests including Crispian Mills (Kula Shakur) and Saffron of Republica who does an intense, toe-curling version of L7's 'Fuel My Fire,' all these passengers on Fat Of The Land give the album a wider scope and a variation between tracks.

The Fat of the Land does not qualify apparently as a flat-out masterpiece, it doesn’t really need to, the context and the image it set out transcends at times the music, what it did do was introduce us to one of the most enigmatic figures of the last thirty years, Rest In Peace Keith Charles Flint (17 September 1969 – 4 March 2019).

I'm the trouble starter, punkin' instigator
I'm the fear addicted, a danger illustrated
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
You're a firestarter, twisted firestarter
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
I'm the bitch you hated, filth infatuated, yeah
I'm the pain you tasted, fell intoxicated
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter
I'm the self inflicted, mind detonator, yeah
I'm the one infected, twisted animator
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter
You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter starter

[Kevin Burke 4/03/2019]

Neo-classical act, AUTUMN TEARS is proud to partner with ZERESH's Tamar Singer to present a split album, Widowing/Possessing featuring seven new AUTUMN TEARS tracks and six new ZERESH tracks. This split release is a meeting of AUTUMN TEARS' unique neoclassical arrangement and ZERESH's own brand of dark folk mixed with mesmerizing vocals.

Widowing's themes center on the loss of a loved one. the loss of oneself, and a journey to try and find either inner peace or to completely give up.

Possessing's themes deal with obsession towards people, the thin line between love/possession and the lingering of dead or non-existent relationships. The lyrics for Possessing are taken from Shakespeare's sonnets and the poetry of John Clare.

Widowing/Possessing is available as a digital download and in CD edition limited to 500 copies worldwide. Included in the CD edition are two separate mini fold out lyric posters - one for each band!

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By 1987, Siouxsie And The Banshees became more than a band, they were an almost institution. Their previous seven-albums had created a momentum of spectacular success, within a short few years Siouxsie And The Banshees were already cited as legendary.

The album the band released in 1987 must have came as a shock at first, Through The Looking Glass is an album of cover versions.
From the creative well that had thrown forth a back catalogue as strong as they had, this release on the surface may have seemed strange. Though they had successfully covered The Beatles Dear Prudence and even Helter Skelter in the past so they were no strangers to cover versions. In the end the album has become regarded as one of their finest works, a testimonial to the strength within the band.
Through The Looking Glass acts as a homage to their influences, songs carefully chosen to reflect the band members own childhood and teenage years, these had to ring true for Siouxsie Sioux to sing them and to believe in them. The album however transcends the normal tribute album,
Ralf Hütter of Kraftwerk hailed the version of 'Hall of Mirrors' stating-“In general, we consider cover versions as an appreciation of our work. The version of 'Hall of Mirrors' by Siouxsie and the Banshees is extraordinary'. Iggy Pop also highly praised The Banshees cover of 'The Passenger'. The mix of tracks from The Band’s “This Wheels On Fire”(The first single released), the Billie Holiday Civil Rights statement-“Strange Fruit. The Doors -“You're Lost Little Girl” and even the early Sparks classic “This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us”.
Through The Looking Glass separates the two classics Tinderbox and Peepshow, it displays an extra dimension to the what the band can achieve. The tracks covered were honed, stylishly built and molded into The Banshees instantly identifiable style.

Through The Looking Glass (Original Track List)

This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us
Hall Of Mirrors
Trust In Me
This Wheel's On Fire
Strange Fruit
You're Lost Little Girl
The Passenger
Gun
Sea Breezes
Little Johnny Jewel

DISCOGS

Today it’s been exactly 36 years since Siouxsie and The Banshees released their second single from their seventh studio album Tinderbox. The single Candyman was released as 7” and 12” on 28 February 1986 and is about child abuse. At the age of 9, she was sexually assaulted by a man, who apparently owned a candy shop. The most damaging aspect was that the assault was ignored by her parents.The episode became an unspoken item. From that moment on, she started to acquire disrespect for adulthood. Years later, she stated: "I grew up having no faith in adults as responsible people. And being the youngest in the family I was isolated – I had no-one to confide in. So I invented my own world, my own reality. It was my own way of defending myself – protecting myself from the outside world. The only way I could deal with how to survive was to get some strong armour".
It became Siouxsie and the Banshees' 13th top 40 hit, peaking at number 34 in the UK single charts.

The 7” has the track Lullaby on the b-side, the 12” also featured Umbrella on the b-side.
Candyman Lyrics

Sickly sweet, his poison seeks
For the young ones who don't understand
The danger in his hands
With a jaundiced wink see his cunning slink
Oh trust in me my pretty one
Come walk with me my helpless one
Candyman

Syrup lies upon your tongue
Ge latine saliva spills
The flash of a guillotine a smile

Candyman - oh candyman
No pity for him, their misery screams
Unspeakable things

A cool missile, yes it's in his smile
With open arms to welcome you
Beware the masked pretender
He always lies, this candyman
Those lips conspire in treachery
To strike in cloak and dagger, see!

Candyman - oh candyman
And all the children, he warns ''don't tell, ''
Those threats are sold
With their guilt and shame they think they're to blane
For candyman - oh candyman

Songwriters: Matthew David Clayden / Mark Williams

Discogs

Darkwave act VVMPYRE begins a new reign in blood in 2022 with a horrific new single "Offering". Inspired by vampire cults and 70's cult horror films, "Offering" is a track that personifies the leaders of these cults in an alluring anthem,

VVMPYRE creates a modernized sound with a rekindled inspiration from artists like Sisters Of Mercy and Inkubus Sukkubus.

In a search for the right voice, VVMPYRE reached out to CORLYX singer Caitlin Stokes. VVMPYRE's twisted imagination is met with a set of lyrics as if the chant to a ceremony against the backdrop of increasingly massive and infectious melodies.

Together with VVMPYRE's production, "Offering" is a monstrous mix of classic electrogoth, 70's horror scores, and modern darkwave to form a bloody anthem that unleashes a barrage of hooks. Brandon Ashley of DTuned Brighton Productions and The Dark adds a gripping guitar to the mix, building the track up further in the chorus and bridge, only equally met by VVMPYRE's haunting organ melodies.

VVMPYRE's "Offering" is available NOW on all digital platforms including Bandcamp.

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