The (gothic) music scene is in deep mourning as Leaether Strip's Kurt Grünewald Hansen passed away late monday evening, Sept 28th 2020, after loosing his battle with cancer...
Claus Larsen announced the sad new on his Facebook page, with the words 'Just got back from the hospital. Kurt died while on the phone with me saying goodnight. His heart just stopped. Quick and painless. So happy that I called when I did. And he looked so peaceful and beautiful when I got there.'
Kurt leaves behind his partner in music and life, Claus Larsen, who he was together with for over 26 years and married to for over 12 years, as well as their dog Alvin, a lot of family, friends and devastated fans all over the world.
The Peek — A — Boo crew sends out their deepest condolences to Claus, to everyone in Kurt's family, his friends, acquaintances and everyone who knew him.
A huge thank you to the staff from Skejby Sygehus for taking care of Kurt during his last days.
Farvel Kurt og tak for alt...
Kurt Grünewald Hansen
March 22nd 1945 — Sept 28th 2020
For those who want to support, there's a go fund me page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kurt-and-claus?utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0I2A3EJ7ewukuC0-5qKSDk8GF6IVXnxjHjWPJUdhviC1a4KcqbTONTJ7E
De (gothic) muziekwereld is in diepe rouw, omdat Leather Strip's Kurt Grünewald Hansen afgelopen maandagavond 28 september 2020 overleden is, na de strijd tegen kanker verloren te hebben.
Het was Claus Larsen zelf die dit verdrietige nieuws openbaar maakte op zijn Facebook pagina met de woorden 'Net terug van het ziekenhuis. Kurt is gestorven terwijl ik met hem aan de telefoon was om goeienacht te wensen. Zijn hart is er gewoon mee opgehouden. Snel en pijnloos. Ik ben blij dat ik nog heb kunnen bellen. Hij lag er zo vredig en mooi bij toen ik aankwam.'
Kurt laat na zijn muzikale en levenspartner Claus met wie hij 26 jaar samen was (waarvan ook 12 jaar getrouwd) en hun hond Alvin, alsook heel veel familie, vrienden, bekenden en fans.
De voltallige Peek - a - Boo crew stuurt hiermee hun diepste medeleven uit aan Claus en aan iedereen die Kurt heeft mogen kennen.
Dank gaat ook uit naar het Skejby Sygehus ziekenhuis, voor de goede zorgen waarmee zij Kurt omringd hebben in zijn laatste dagen.
Vaarwel Kurt en bedankt voor alles...
Kurt Grünewald Hansen
22 maart 1945 - 28 september 2020
Voor hen die Claus en Kurt wensen te steunen: er is een Go Fund Me aangemaakt:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kurt-and-claus?utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0I2A3EJ7ewukuC0-5qKSDk8GF6IVXnxjHjWPJUdhviC1a4KcqbTONTJ7E
Darkwave Trio Johnathan|Christian Releases New Video & Single 'Every Day It Rains' - A Song For Trying Times
Transatlantic darkwave trio Johnathan/Christian is pleased to announce the release of their new single “Every Day It Rains”, featuring lead vocals shared jointly by lead singer Christian Granquist and North Wales recording artist Marianne Holland.
“Every Day It Rains” is a dark reminder of what we’re all living through in this new world. The song has been launched on all major digital platforms.
“Every Day It Rains” was an original idea by Johnathan Mooney about a family member waiting for a loved one who never came home from a war. However, the original idea changed completely with the start of the global pandemic followed by tragic murders that resulted in social unrest and protests. About the re-visiting singer Christian says:
“I wrote lyrics just coming home from traveling in Europe when the lockdowns started. (At the same time, my stepfather died). I started thinking: who am I if I don´t interact with other people? Who am I without my children, my friends, my wife, my colleagues? We all had our personal hell. And for some people there's no escaping the rain. This became more and more evident not simply in terms of the socioeconomical effects of the pandemic, but maybe even more so as the Black Lives Matter movement rolled up before our eyes this summer.”
The companion video further brings the bleakness home. “The world has become entirely too disheartening” adds composer Johnathan. “We’re all seeing the same scenes depicted in real time and it’s wearing us all down. I wish the video had a happy ending but I believe real change is coming and that’s something we can all look forward to.”
New EP, Like A Black Doll due later this year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 25, 2020: Gothic soprano singer ELLE NOIR has revealed her new video for the song, 'The Day I Died.'
'The Day I Died' is the metaphor of emotional death. It tells of a world where nothing has value anymore, which is also an inner world given by mental states like depression.
Lyrics & Music: Elle Noir A DTM Music Production Mixed and Mastered by Sebastiano Della Bianchina Video Directors: Michele Cataneo, Anita Seferi
'My inner worlds are always autobiographical, my songs are always lived in the first person. Death, mental illness and emotional states of discomfort are central themes in my writing. When I write a lyric I always have an image in mind and try to describe it. My lyrics are little narrated and very visual.'
- Elle Noir
Gothic/Industrial Band BATAVIA Releases Quite Mean Spirited; An Exploration of Human Malevolence
US gothic/industrial band BATAVIA proudly announces the release of their newest EP, Quite Mean Spirited.
The EP is an exploration of malevolence and what drives the human soul to inflict indignities upon their fellow beings. The video for the first single made its premiere on ReGen Magazine on August 27th.
QuiteMeanSpirited
For fans of: 16 VOLT, THE SMITHS & SKINNY PUPPY
Q U I T E M E A N S P I R I T E D
The recording took place in our home studio in Jacksonville FL, with marathon recording and writing sessions spanning several weeks.
The title song delves into justification of inflicting vitriol through the veil of tribalism by means of a bleak, brooding goth-rock drone. To break the morose subject matter, track 2 is a jaunty cover of The Jesus and Mary Chain's 'Upside Down', delivered in industrial metal fashion.
Tracks 3 and 4, 'Ab Initio' and 'Finis', are two parts of a whole. Based on the true story of a woman in 1930s Soviet Russia who was taken from her home and sent across the sea to an island prison. Shortly after her arrival, she was assaulted by the guardsman. When she turned to her fellow prisoners for help, they instead tied her to a tree and cannibalized her. 'An Initio' is based on a sailor song that was adopted by the Red Army during this time. 'Finis' is a dreary, gothic orchestral illustration of the terror and despair this woman must have experienced.
Track 5, 'The Absinthian', paints a picture of the malice in the individual. There are no questions to be asked, but a cavalier affidavit told from the perspective of unrepentant malevolence; a representation of the evil that lives in each and every one of us at its purest form in the form of a man.
Track 6 closes the EP with a remix of the title track, provided by Leæther Strip.
A CERTAIN RATIO are back with a new album, ACR Loco. Revitalised by their most successful tour in over two decades, the band returned to the studio to record their first album in 12 years - due for release on Mute on 25 September 2020.
ACR Loco was recorded by the core line up of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson with contributions from the ACR live line up - Tony Quigley on sax, Denise Johnson adds vocals and Matt Steele provides keyboards. Additional guests include Sink Ya Teeth’s Maria Uzor and Gemma Cullingford, Gabe Gurnsey (Factory Floor) and Manchester luminaries Mike Joyce and Eric Random.
“This album is a culmination of everything we've ever done,” explains Kerr. The album distils the different directions and styles that have run throughout the band’s career - one that began in the late 70's with Factory Records first ever 7” release. “Digging into the past for the boxset [ACR:BOX was released in 2019 on Mute] must have rubbed off on us and influenced the current album,” says Moscrop. “I think it helped spark up our imagination. It allowed us to work in some of the past as we move forward into the future.”
Keen on the joys of collaboration and sharing, it makes sense that adding the ACR touch to other artists via a series of reworks led to their latest album taking shape. Recent reworks of tracks for the likes of Barry Adamson, The Charlatans and Maps saw the band return to the studio to unpick those original tracks. “The reworks were crucial,” says Donald Johnson. “They got us back in the studio and forced a union and a bond. They allowed us to start getting a groove again.” Kerr mirrors this. “We love doing the reworks because it's just us doing our thing,” he says. “The three of us jamming is really the basis of it all. Once you get that groove there’s no stopping us.”
