Sex Gang Children – OLIGARCH (Liberation London Friday, April 23rd)

BEWARE THE DANGER OF CONFORMITY AND THE MEDIOCRITY THAT BLINDS US

OLIGARCH – where the ghosts of Orwell & Huxley come together in this dark vision of our dystopian world.

A CHALLENGE TO THE PHILISTINES

Against the backdrop of breakdown-Britain, where the arts and subculture seem all but dying memories, post-punk outfit Sex Gang Children release their ninth studio album ‘OLIGARCH’.

True to their established uncompromising style and spirit, SGC provide an audio foray into the bleak times thrust upon us and an indictment on the dark forces that took us there.

CONTROL IS JUST A FINGER CLICK AWAY

Take a break from the nanny state. Be on the outside looking in. Lopsided global monopolies and top-heavy capitalist philosophies do not make sense.

BE A WARRIOR – NOT A SLAVE

Voice a challenge to those that would keep you down. Go to war and battle the spectre of our times – the Oligarch.

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Band Bio

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Formed by artist and activist Andreas McElligott (AKA: Andi Sex Gang) at the beginning of 1982, Sex Gang Children (SGC) quickly gained a reputation with their dark, intensely theatrical live performances and uniquely jagged art-rock style.

The band’s first single ‘Beasts‘, released in June 1982, topped the UK Independent Singles Chart and their seminal 1983 album ‘Song and Legend‘, produced by Tony James, went to #1 in the UK Independent Album Chart and entered the mainstream charts’ top 50. 1983 also saw the band collaborate with Soft Cell’s Marc Almond and Dave Ball for the single ‘The Hungry Years‘.

Film score composer Simon Boswell took on production duties for 1985’s album ‘Blind!‘, fulfilling the album’s dark cinematic feel. The following year SGC were invited by Italian horror movie director Dario Argento to write music for his latest film, ‘Phenomena‘ (‘Creepers‘ UK/US release). To the surprise of many in the press and music industry the 1989 album ‘Arco Valley‘ enlisted the production skills of the legendary Mick Ronson. The albums continued to flow. Medea, Veil, Demonstration, Bastard Art, and Viva Vigilante.

SGC have never compromised in their approach to the art and remain seminal figures in the Post Punk scene. The now widespread Goth movement looks directly to them as one of its founding fathers.

“There was one band called Sex Gang Children, a load of us used to hang out with their lead singer, Andi Sex Gang. He lived on the top floor of an old Victorian house. We’d go up there for tea and he’d be in a Chinese robe with black eye make-up on and his hair done up, playing Edith Piaf records. We had this vision of him as Count Visigoth in his tower, holding court. At the time Dave Dorrell from the NME heard us calling Andi ‘Count Visigoth’ and his followers Goths, so that’s what he called everyone in the scene.”

Ian Astbury (The Cult / Southern Death Cult)

Article: “The Gloom Generation” by Suzan Colon. Details Magazine, July 1997 edition.

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Band Personnel

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Vocals: Andi McElligott

Bass: John Rigby

Guitar: Jerome Alexander

Drums: Rob Stroud

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OLIGARCH – Album Track Listing

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01 Dead Peasants

02 Cannibal Lives

03 Masquerade

04 Bang!

05 Seraphim Fall

06 Asia Divine

07 Puritan Now

08 The Gorgon & The Sow

09 Berlin Kiss

10 Death Mask Mussolini

11 Barbarossa Revisited

Produced and mixed by Andi McElligott & John Rigby

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UK Tour dates

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Thur 8th July 2021

BIRMINGHAM Hare & Hounds

Friday 9th July 2021

BRADFORD Nightrain

Sat 10th July 2021

LONDON Garage

Thurs 22nd July 2021

BEDFORD Esquires

Friday 23rd July 2021

BRISTOL Exchange

Sat 24th July 2021

GLASGOW Ivory Blacks

Sun Sept 12th

FUTURAMA festival

LIVERPOOL 

Keep up with Sex Gang Children

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Daemonia Nymphe – Witches’ Lullaby (31 March 2021)

Daemonia Nymphe return with the EP “Witches’ Lullaby”

Daemonia Nymphe is a Greek project formed in 1994 by Spyros Giasafakis and Evi Stergiou aiming to perform and compose music with reproductions of ancient Greek instruments.

They are touring Europe since 2004 and they also composed and performed music for a multitude of theatrical productions (UK).

Their self- titled debut album came out in 2002 and was followed by “Remixed” in 2005, “Krataia Asterope” in 2007, “Psychostasia” in 2013 and “Macbeth” in 2016.

‘Macbeth’ was the Original Soundtrack that Daemonia Nymphe composed, arranged and performed for the theatrical production ‘Macbeth’, commissioned by the National Theatre of Northern Greece.

Daemonia Nymphe released these days the EP “Witches’ Lullaby” exclusively on Bandcamp until April 8 when it will be available to the rest of the digital platforms.

“One of the plans of the last two years is finally comes to an end. Starting with “Witches’ Lullaby” that we composed for the theatrical play “Macbeth” we started an exploration of style and form in collaboration with Hatis Noit, Priscilla Hernandez, Victoria Couper and Rey Yusuf.

The result is reflected in the EP that has just been released. A very beautiful journey for us that we submit from our soul in these difficult times.

Denise Moreno is a trimmer witch “

As I wrote, “Witches’ Lullaby” was originally written for the play Macbeth, which was staged at National Theatre of Northern Greece and directed by Anastasia Revi.

  In the play, this melody represented the Shakespearean witches, these enigmatic and dangerous beings who manipulate Macbeth and make us wonder if they are, in fact, the Fates.

   The lullaby is a melody that symbolizes birth, new life. Even in ancient Greek mythology life was influenced by the three “Moirai” (fates), Clotho (“spinner”), Lachesis (“allotter” or drawer of lots) and Atropos (“inexorable” or “inevitable”, literally “unturning”). The first represented the present, the second the future and the third the past, all that has happened and cannot be changed.

The lullaby has a silent power and the memory of it can follow a soul on its journey into this world. At the same time every lullaby changes meaning when the one who sings it also changes, when the protective force it emits has a different starting point and carries different dreams…

“So we started with the dark lullaby of Shakespeare’s witches to create four original and different lullabies. All five artists involved in this project, had the freedom to create their own lullaby, giving it a different meaning each time. The Japanese Hattis Noit, the Spanish Priscilla Hernandez, the Portuguese Victoria Couper in collaboration with the Turkish Reyhan Yusuf of Turkish origin and the Greek Evi Stergiou, convey through their voices a memory of their own tenderness, strength and hope.”

The whole project has been inspired and edited by Spyros Giasafakis.

Keep up with Daemonia Nymphe

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