PRESS

NEW REVIEW OF BLOODING MASK’S AUTOPSY OF A DREAM ON DARKER SIDE OF MUSIC

NEW REVIEW OF BLOODING MASK’S AUTOPSY OF A DREAM ON TERRA RELICTA MAG

Long interview with Vicious Precious, incredible performer fronting Pretty Addicted band (below)

A long interview with the supertalented Teresa from band Zeitgeist Zero, who is also an incredible film maker (below)

A selection of books from Mick Mercer below with Maeth either with Danse Society, Blooding Mask or both bands.

Blooding Mask – Carol The Bells (below)

Blooding Mask returns (Terra Relicta) below

WL//WH Review: THE DANSE SOCIETY “Sailing Mirrors” LP Mike Dimitriou 12th September 2020 Reviews

Save
WL//WH Album Review The Danse Society

Here we have one of the most important releases in 2020, here we have one absolute cracker of an album, here is the brand new sonic motion by UK legends The Danse Society that are celebrating 40 years with new album ‘Sailing Mirrors’ (released September 1st)!!! I know that you all know the band, I know that you all have their records in your libraries, I know that TDS don’t need any particular introduction as it is a brand that is ‘Reinventing Darkness Since 1980’, but I really need to share with you all a piece from the press kit that arrived in WL//WH’s headquarters:

– 40 years ago 5 fresh-faced young lads from t’pit tarn of Barnsley emerged from the coal face of Yorkshire to make some noise – turns out it was good noise, dark and purposeful looking for an escape from the inevitability of a job down t’mine. Self-releasing the first single ‘Clock’ the band slogged up and down the country and John Peel jumped on board offering sessions and support. Killing Joke, Bauhaus and The Cure support tours followed and the rest is ‘history’ – major label, top 20 album, no hit single, dropped by major, split up – it was 1987; it was a short but bright burn at the beginning of the 80s which spawned an enthusiastic and loyal following, pestering for a reformation on the emerging social media platform of Facebook back in 2010. Since the reformation, the band has self-released 3 albums to critical acclaim and are about to celebrate this 40th anniversary with their 7th studio album. It’s been a busy last few years – tours abroad and headlining the darker underground festivals and continuing to build the fanbase, this new album can only continue to push the band onwards into the 2020s –

In other words, actions speak louder than words. Founder PAUL NASH – GUITARS, Mastermind of Blooding Mask MAETHELYIAH – VOCALS, SAM BOLLANDS – KEYS, JACK COOPER – BASS, and TOM DAVENPORT – DRUMS, created a 9-track dark exploration into life past present, and future. The entire ‘Sailing Mirrors’ album is an utterly persuasive release and it includes TDS’ flesh and blood. 9 songs of immersive gothic-wise postpunk music that run easily in my veins, and I wanted more! It all sounds as the band is passing through a pretty creative phase of their moon with great inspiration and are offering one really compact album in all aspects. The first single to appear was ‘Valerio’s Theme’ and it was like stating “you’ll probably won’t believe what we’ve been cooking in the studio”. Get ready for some serious gothic rock grooves and shakes!!!

Really now?! This band shows no signs of fatigue after 40 years in the pitch! They don’t seem like resting on their laurels but they are sounding like thrusting more into the new era of postpunk music. The second song they unveiled was the s/t of the album, an epic downtempo ‘dangerous’ beauty!!!

No question about the team’s skills and the singer is offering some serious pain and dedication to the purposes of TDS by all means. Maethelyiah is also an opera singer and oh yeah, luckily, she (and the band) don’t bother to prove her musical background with epic chocks and majestic vocals, but it’s pretty obvious that the lady at the front who joined the band in 2011 is the best “narrator” they could get when they reformed again that year.

The Danse Society, photo by www.pauljjames.com

You must expect to hear her singing with passion and with power through the whole album, and you must also expect to listen to amazing songs on the new streams of postpunk music. Nice songs, “fast” songs, that are seemingly catchy enough to make this album a hit on the radios and to the dancefloors, with a really healthy taste on what is indeed this alternative genre. You will hear wild guitars and some furious drumming occasionally, with huge synthesizers and bass. No need to mention (I think) that the production and the sound of the album are equal to the band’s fame and their credentials in music generally. Everything in here is accurate and targeted in terms not to pointlessly uplift another album, but to capture the moment in the studio with the most respect to this legendary band and to the people who are going to buy the album. I could write on and on about ‘Sailing Mirrors’ and then finally give you my own focus tracks, but no. I’ll leave you alone to discover it with just a small hint by me; pay good attention to the track ‘Hiding In Plain Sight’ as it is the most special and privy song in the album, do you believe in fusion-darkwave?! Here is the whole new album by The Danse Society, lay back and listen loud!!!

IL RAGLIO DEL MULO INTERVIEW

To celebrate 40th anniversary, The Danse Society released “Sailing Mirrors”. A good opportunity to get a rich carreer overview of one of the most important new wave bands together with the founder Paul Nash and the Italian singer Maethelyiah.

Welcome Paul, I’m writing my questions and listening to my first press copy of “Heaven Is Waiting”. What do you remember about those years?
Paul: Thank you so much for inviting me to do this interview – you are very kind and I wish to a massive thank you to all of you out there who support the band – you keep us all going in these troubled times! Well 37 years ago we were in the studio with Nigel Gray at Surreysound, excited as he was the producer for Siouxse and it was our first big studio/production for our newly signed major record deal. Unfortunately it didn’t quite work out as we wanted and we ended up going back into RAK studio with Kingbird (Ian Broudie) to re-record and remix the album. Ian was our savior and made a real change to the record that was to be released as ‘Heaven is Waiting’. The one advantage of being on a label was that we could afford to do that and they supported us as they wanted it to be ‘right’ too. Again as luck would have it, our main supporter at Arista and the A&R man who had signed us, then departed to another label and from that point on we were just another act on the roster, make a hit single or get out was the basic attitude. I was excited though for the world to hear ‘Heaven is Waiting’ – I’m still very proud of it today – without sounding too big headed I think it’s a great record and stands the test of time.

This year you are celebrating your 40th anniversary, how is changed the world, your music and the music biz from your foundation?
Paul: Big Question! So much has changed – where to start? Just think of the music industry in general, back then it was all about getting a record out (vinyl) getting a play on national radio and if you were lucky enough getting a spot on the only music TV programme Top of the Pops. Now the industry is all about streaming, physical product is not important, social media presence, getting your music on the latest TV show (of which there are thousands) and often it’s one song wonders, albums don’t matter, its all about the one song and then…gone. Of course there are enough ‘oldies’ about to remember the times past but I wonder how future generations will look back on the business now and how they might listen to music. As years go by the catalogues get larger, every year more and more music is released into the world and it gets harder and harder to break through to more people. Fortunately we have a slight advantage in being around for so long we have built a loyal following for which we are very grateful. As for our music it continues to evolve for which I am always very excited to hear what will come next. There are a few surprises on Sailing Mirrors musically and I am sure there will be a few different ones on the next album. Even back when we first started in the 80s I can’t think of two records we did that sounded the same. I am still exploring the world of music and get just as excited as anyone else when I hear something new and different. When bands play to the same sounds and begin to repeat themselves that’s when I switch off.

How was important the role of John Peel in your success?
Paul: John Peel was a legend – before we even got to be played on his show and offered sessions in London we all listened religiously to every show. Listened to hear some new gem of a band or tune, it was the only way to catch the wave of what was happening and it was exciting times, the end of punk the start of post punk, new wave, the beginning of electronic music and the rise of the synth. It gives me shivers now to think about it. Without him I am sure it would have taken much longer to reach our audience and build a following, and the memories of recording the sessions at Maida Vale were very special. Listening to the broadcast and hearing yourself was mind blowing. I loved the John Peel show and feel very privileged to have been a part of it.

Three records between 1982 and 1984, after the silence: what is really happened after the release of “Looking Through”?
Paul: Looking Through was only a set of demos to try and get a deal after being dropped by Arista and we got close with Virgin and Warners but it never came off – frustrations set in and it all fell apart. We were used to the rock star lifestyle by then, but it wasn’t meant to be and eventually Steve left to do the ‘Society’ thing in London before going to LA, and we were left to try and pick up the pieces, first we recruited Mark Copson from Music for Pleasure (Dave Whittaker’s old band) and recorded an album’s worth of tracks. We did a few gigs with the Danse Society name before eventually changing it to ‘Johnny in the Clouds’ – then it all broke down again, I was left recording some material with Andy O from Blue Zoo. I then joined local band ‘Party Day’ having missed the fun of music, originally producing them and then joining them as guitarist which was great playing a lot of loud energetic gigs. After that I needed to work so got a job managing a comic shop and did retail for while before retraining in IT and teaching.

Your comeback album, “Change Of Skin”, was released, after 25 years, in 2011 with a touch of Italy: the Italian singer Maethelyiah: how did you get in contact with her?
Paul: I had no knowledge of her involvement at first – Dave said he’d given a few tracks to a female singer to have a go at and would I be prepared to give them a listen. Of course, we were all frustrated with no being able to get hold of Steve but we all knew that wasn’t going to happen after 6 months so we were stuck with 13 great tracks with no vocals. I was delighted when I heard the voice on the tracks it finally had all come together, the sound was back and we had an awesome vocalist.
Maeth: I contacted the band because at the time I was working on a music blog magazine, which I never had the time to publish. I accidentally bumped into TDS on The Tube and found a comment mentioning the reformation, so I got in touch with the band on their FB page. Chatting with the person who was managing it, she said that the new album “Change of Skin” was fully recorded but also that Steve disappeared after recording one track. She noticed I was already singing with “Blooding Mask” so she asked me if I was happy to be put in touch with the band to replace Steve if everybody was happy. Of course I accepted and we started exchanging files since January 2011. In the end on the 17th April 2011 we all met up and the news was officially given. Since then it has been a fantastic venture. We have no idea what happened to Steve and I hope he’s ok. I am glad they chose me. No male singer would have competed with Steve’s presence and creativity and it was time to evolve into something original. More and more releases are going beyond the genre since we did. Dr Who and 007 are opening the doors to female reincarnations. It defeats the predictability and dives into infinity. Orgasmic!

What do you remember about you gig at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in 2012?
Paul: I remember it was quite nerve wracking as I had been quite a while since we had been in front of a large audience but once we got up there I loved it – so much fun. I think the response was pretty positive although we knew there would be a few detractors because of the lack of Steve. Watching the video back there were a few sound issues which was disappointing but it was so good to back on a big stage.
Maeth: It was a good and a bad experience. Good because German supporters are magnificent and the management was awesome. Bad because somehow we had issues with the sound on stage and we ended up sounding like half the band. The keyboards are far too low and the guitars far too loud. We sounded like a fully metal band. I enjoyed myself a lot personally. I felt welcome. I am very thankful even though we didn’t sound at our best.

Could you introduce your actual line up?
Maeth: Paul Nash founder member and guitarist, Maethelyiah on lead vocals, Tom Davenport on Drums, Jack Cooper bass and Sam Bollands on Keys. We also have an additional member who’s helping us out playing additional instruments and his name is Jono (Jonathan, also from the band Momento Mori).
Paul: Bunch of bastards!

2020 is the year of your seventh album, “Sailing Mirrors”, how is born?
Maeth: After five years since we released “VI” and after having to replace our drummer Iain Hunter with Joss Rylance, we finally consolidated the band with Tom Davenport on Drums. Tom is also a very good songwriter. So we all decided to throw all unreleased demos, old and new and listen to all of them. In the end we had material for a double album. However, with lockdown we had to freeze our European tour, so we decided this year wasn’t going to be a total waste and decided to only release a selection of songs to record and release. Sailing Mirrors won the title. It comes from an unreleased demo I wrote in ’98 and that the whole band, including ex keyboard player David Whitaker made absolutely special. I am very proud of Sailing Mirrors. The reviews we are receiving are claiming it is the best so far.

Goth, punk, post-punk, orchestrations, DnB and blues: is this your more various album?
Paul: I don’t know – I think it sounds consistant personally but I get what you are saying however its always been that way – everyone listens to a wide range of musical styles and everyone puts those influences in the melting pot. Who knows what might come out. The best stuff makes to the album it doesn’t have to be a specific genre or style that would be boring.
Maeth: Every band member brings his own vibes. We all come from different music background. I come from Opera and darkwave, but I also collaborate with prog and metal bands. Paul is proper post punk master whose style still influences many younger guitarists but he also loves Jazz and has no genre restriction. Jack is an extremely talented and loves funk. Sam is a magnificent classic pianist who got me in tears years ago in theatre when he performed Jesus Christ Superstar with a local theatre company. Tom has a huge 70s archive and is extremely versatile and plays acoustic guitar as well. All of them, except for Sam, have fantastic voices. I am lucky!

Did you check the new songs on stage before the lockdown?
Maeth: We performed “Kill U Later”, “Valerio’s Theme” and “Pill of Delusion” (which is not included in the album) during our European Tour in Portugal, Finland, Netherlands and in the UK before. They are the connection between older and newer generation of supporters that we were lucky to watch “dancing” together at our gigs!

My last question is not about The Danse Society: some years ago I was one of the lucky people at first live gig of Il Segno del Comando in Genoa with Maethelyiah, guest appearance. What do you remember about that magic evening?
Maeth: Il Segno del Comando is a fantastic band! Diego is a long friend of mine, possibly from a previous life. Diego, Fernando and Roberto already share my other project Blooding Mask since 2010 when we toured the UK together. The gig at La Claque was incredible. Il Segno del Comando is another band not afraid to experiment male and female vocals. Sharing the stage with Riccardo was a total bliss. They are all incredible musicians and awesome friends. Paul and I really loved that gig! We enjoyed it so much we took part of the latest album as well. Brexit is bullshit. We don’t believe in borders.
Paul: So glad you saw that – getting to play with these fantastic musicians is a privilege as was being asked to guest on the last two records – I’m such a lucky boy! Long may it continue.

INTERVIEW ON IL RAGLIO DEL MULO ITALIAN MAG AND RADIO (click on the image below)

REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS WITH THE DANSE SOCIETY

Best Music 80.com

The Danse Society is an English group formed in Barnsley in 1980 and originally composed of Steve Rawlings, Paul Nash, Lyndon Scarfe, Tim Wright and Paul Gilmartin.

A first single “Clock” was released in 1980 and enjoyed great success on the English independent scene.

A first album called “Seduction” was released two years later in 1982. The same year released the single “Somewhere” which then became their biggest success to date.

But it was a year later in 1983 that things suddenly accelerated when the album “Heaven is wainting” was released, the band’s flagship album and which produced the 2 biggest hits of all their discography, namely “Wake up” and “Heaven is waiting”. The notoriety of the group then takes on a global dimension thanks to this particularly successful album.

The group will release a new album “Looking through” in 1986 but it will be unable to compete with its predecessor. And all the singles that follow thereafter will meet with limited success as well.

Either way, this band will stay as one of the most unusual and original bands of the 1980s and just as such, we had to put them in the spotlight.

To discover or rediscover.

Discography (among others …) :

Clock 1980

There is no shame in death 1981

Somewhere 1982

We’re so happy 1983

Wake up 1983

Heaven is waiting 1983

Red light (Shine) 1983

2000 light years from home 1984

Say it again 1985

Saturn girl 1987

Love it 1987

Revelation 2011

God cry 2011

Slowfire 2011

End of days 2011

Sinking 2011

Message in the wind 2013

The scarecrow 2013

The tale 2013

Star whisperer 2015

Dangerous 2015

Scream 2018

Sailing mirrors 2020

continues on Bestmusic80.com

Scarborough News

Post-punk legends The Danse Society, now based in Scarborough, release new album Sailing Mirrors to mark 40th anniversary

Post-punk legends The Danse Society are celebrating 40 years with their seventh studio album and a video shot in Scarborough.

The Danse Society supporting Toyah at Scarborough Market Hall in February.

‘Sailing Mirrors’ is released on September 1 and is the culmination of over two years of work by the Scarborough-based band.

The first video from the album – ‘Valerio’s Theme’ – was shot in Scarborough, while observing social distancing.

The band formed as a five-piece in 1980 in Barnsley but are now Scarborough based.

 

The Danse Society.

They released their first single ‘Clock’ themselves and travelled up and down the country promoting it.

John Peel featured them on his radio show, and they went on to tour with Killing Joke, Bauhaus and The Cure.

Their single ‘Somewhere’ reached number one in the independent chart, and they were soon signed to a major label, debut album Seduction reaching number 3 in the UK indie chart.

In 1987, the band broke up but, after calls from fans on social media, they decided to reform in 2010.

The band said: “Getting together after nearly 25 years was at first strange, but both cathartic and magical, and in the studio it all came back.”

Without their original lead singer, Steven Rawlings, the band decided to recruit Maethelyiah, who won them over with her strong voice and song-writing skills.

Founder member, guitarist Paul Nash, still leads the band, which also includes well-known Scarborough musician and music tutor Tom Davenport on drums.

Their previous three albums since they reformed have received critical acclaim, the last being introduced on BBC6 Radio as the best the band ever sounded.

They supported 80s legend Toyah Wilcox in an electrifying gig at Scarborough’s Market Hall in February this year, and were in the middle of a tour when it had to be brought to an abrupt halt because of the pandemic.

The band have had to reschedule the dates but plan to be back on the road again with an extensive summer tour of the UK in 2021, as well as European dates.

Sailing Mirrors is available to pre-order, including on limited edition gatefold-sleeve multi-coloured vinyl, from www.thedansesociety.com

 

[ Interview with Paul Nash from The Danse Society by Diego Centurión. ]

 FOR THE 13TH MAGAZINE

THE DANSE SOCIETY OUR MUSIC IS FOOD FOR THE DARK SOUL.

Thinking that a band can celebrate 40 years of existence is a dream that very rarely can come true. But we are here before one of those bands that can boast that it has reached this age and that it still continues to have fresh ideas to release its seventh album, “Sailing Mirrors” that will arrive on September 1. And beginning a new decade within a pandemic, we can ask one of the pioneering post-punk bands in English these questions.

Hi Paul, thanks for agreeing to answer these questions and thanks for a new album by The Danse Society.

There is something that has crossed us in this 2020, Covid-19. How and where has all this madness surprised you? And how are they today after several months of this pandemic?

Firstly thank you so much for the interview and may we wish everyone who reads this healthy and happy best wishes. When the pandemic hit the UK and everything went into lockdown I personally was very ill for two weeks (which I believe was Covid-19) although no testing was being done at the time so I guess I will never know for sure. Unfortunately a couple of months later my elderly father contracted and died from the virus so for me it’s a very personal thing. I find it amazing that our government have been so incompetent at dealing with this here in the UK and while other countries like New Zealand are leading the way in fighting the pandemic my country appears to be the worst, which is tragic for all the people here who have lost their lives. While things are beginning to return to normal in some areas, there is fear of the second wave and the worst hit area, which is the arts, especially live performance, is not being supported at all. I am scared to think of what will happen to the music and performance industry and when and if we will be able ever play live music again. I believe the response in Argentina has been much more decisive and successful in dealing with Covid which is really good news. There is no doubt though, going to be a challenging times ahead for everyone. Apologies if that was a bit of a heavy answer as I said it’s hit me very hard personally.

It is difficult to summarize 40 years in a few questions. Surely each album each, single, each show, has a story to tell and surely they are very interesting anecdotes. But to cover these 40 years, you have been supporters of Killing Joke, Bauhaus, The Cure, all bands that are already 40 years old… There are not many bands that can boast about it, how does it feel to look back and have so much road traveled?

You know it’s hard to believe that this all started 40 years ago, in some ways it seems like a blink of an eye! I do however feel privileged to have played with so many great bands, many of which as you mentioned, are still around! It was a magical time – so much great music, so many great bands, so many great times. The Cure gave us our live break supporting them in Manchester and London, and then we were lucky to get on tour support with the mighty Killing Joke where we

really learned our trade so to speak – I will never forget the power of Geordies guitar and the intensity of Jaz’s vocal performance. Bauhaus turning up to the gigs in a hearse was great fun and Pete Murphy was super cool (too cool to talk to the support band that’s for sure!) These days we still get to play with some bands that were around then, recently doing some gigs with Spear of Destiny, Rose of Avalanche but for me it’s about making new friends and making new music recently playing with Palais Ideal, The Arch etc. although there are still some bands 40 years old and more I would still live to play on the same stage with (who knows it may happen one day!)

From the beginning of the band “Society Records” was born and they still continue, How is it to carry your music in such an independent way throughout so many years? Because today it could be understood more, but in the 80’s and 90’s maybe it was all much more difficult.

Society records was born so we would have complete control of our musical output and not be influenced by anyone outside the band (which actually worked pretty well except for the period we were signed to Arista/ BMG) – the value, looking back, seems very clear – when we were signed we had to bend to the record companies desires, I don’t think for example we would have ever made ‘Say it Again’ had we still been independent, not that there’s anything wrong with it – just that it wasn’t really the direction we were destined to explore. Going DIY these days is much more common and easier to do in many ways, but now there is so much more competition so it’s hard to get noticed – but we make our music for us (as always) and hope that other people like it (which fortunately they seem to do) – The Danse Society sound has always been an evolution – I don’t

want to be stuck in the same rut like some bands (mention no names) who churn out the same sounding album time after time. I want each album to be something new and interesting, some will love and some will prefer the previous records which is fine btw – we are grateful for the support from our fans in any way.

How is the spirit of the band maintained after the member changes?

As in life people/friends come and

go and are part of your timeline for a while before moving on – I am fortunate to have met so many great musicians while doing The Danse Society. They all bring something fresh to the musical table and it makes for interesting and rewarding collaborations. The band has fun playing together and that keeps the spirits high. Plus on the new album ‘Sailing Mirrors’ I asked a few friends to contribute including our old keyboard player David Whitaker amongst others.

If I name some people or festivals,

what words come to your mind? John Peel

Peel was massively important to so many people my age introducing new music to us night after night – doubly important to TDS as he gave us our first big break by offering us a BBC session – sadly missed

Futurama Festival

John Keenan the promoter of Futurama took a chance booking a small young band from Barnsley onto the same stage as U2 and Soft Cell (we played in between them) – it was our second ever gig as Danse Crazy (which became shortly after Danse Society). Fantastic set of gigs/festivals – just look at the lineup posters!

The Cure

Love love love them, still amazing – did you see the Glastonbury gig last year? if not check it out on youtube – so influential and made great music – I was only listening to Three Imaginary Boys in the car yesterday – still sounds incredible.

Christopher Lee (Dracula)

Ok I have a thing for Dracula – Whitby is literally just up the road from where I live and it’s always great to see the Abbey. Christopher Lee was one of the best Dracula’s – in my mind it’s a tossup between him and Bela Lugosi as to who was best – however the recent BBC drama was pretty special…Check out the video to Valerio’s Theme, you will see my specially commissioned guitar (named ‘Mr Harker’) which features amazing artwork on it of Christopher Lee as Dracula.

Do you think that the separation in ’87 was due to losing the direction of his music a little, and be influenced by bad decisions that were not entirely your own choice? How to write more pop songs to enter the rankings.

There was definitely some of that but I think it was more a frustration of not being able to get a second record deal which sent people on their way, either in search of something new or down a rabbit hole of drugs and depression, things drifted apart, the desire wasn’t strong enough like it was earlier in the decade, I don’t think it was all about writing pop songs, we were never interested in that.

2010 was the year they got back together, but Steve Rawlings was only a short time, what was the feeling of the rest of the band when he decided to leave?

Steve initially said he was interested and then disappeared back to America and despite everyone’s best efforts we could not get hold of him, again frustration set in as we had some great songs written – we wanted to put them out to show them off and for people to see the magic was still there – but it wasn’t to be.

Enter Maethelyiah and The Danse Society is reborn. What are the differences between the new TDS and the old TDS?

TDS was never the same, even during the 80s the Seduction album is radically different from Heaven is Waiting which is radically different from Say it Again or Hold on etc. We have always evolved, grown and changed. Having a woman replace a male singer was just another step in the evolution for us, in fact I challenge anyone to come up with other examples of where this has happened (there are not many). So, apart from the obvious ones in singing style, pitch and range there is also a different dynamic. For some old school fans this was too

much to handle, but for those that came with a more open mind they responded brilliantly and really got behind the new incarnation. I think ‘Change of Skin’ the first album back after reforming was some what of a shock but I really like that album and believe it still sounds like ‘The Danse Society’. Maethelyiah has added another dimension like any new member does, just like when we recruited our newest drummer Tom Davenport, however The Danse Society ethos remains the same; dark powerful music – innovative, interesting and experimental.

After several albums together they prepare for a new release, but in June they release “ON’T BBC 1980- 82”. Tell us about this live song compilation album.

ONT BBC is a compilation of performances done on the BBC – two John Peel sessions, the futurama performance that was broadcast on BBC2 and the bands set on the BBC’s flagship arts programme Riverside. It captures brilliantly the band’s energy and freshness of the early 80s.

Now comes “Sailing Mirrors”, certainly a great album. Tell us how

was the recording of this work.

Sailing Mirrors was intended to be a double album – in fact we had 60 songs to choose from which we worked down to 18 and then down to 9. The reason for that was it was too overwhelming to work on so many songs at once. We had to be very ruthless in our selection and we wanted to release a real album of top quality. I am sure some of the other songs will surface on future records but I am so proud of this album, we all think it sounds amazing – I hope the audience will love it as much as we do.

I imagine that you will feel a strange sensation of releasing an album and not being able to go out and show it live. How do you feel about it?

I’ve come to terms with it now but when we were recording it was ‘This ones is going to be amazing on stage’ and ‘wait till they hear this live’ – of course we did play some of the songs live before lockdown and they were very well received, especially Valerio’s Theme, We Fall and Kill U Later. I cannot wait to play them and some of the others again.

Tell us who has made the beautiful art of the new album?

An italian artist called Alessendra Centi who we discovered through a mutual friend – her artwork is incredible and when we saw it we knew we had to have it for the album – wait till you see the LP and CD (beautiful) – and also the collectors pack comes with some art prints. We are so lucky to have her on board.

For those of readers who haven’t listened to the album, what will you find at Sailing Mirrors?

Well that’s a really hard question,

every track has its own story, you won’t find two alike, I’ve asked people what their favorite track is and no one says the same track – what you will find is some pretty dark and powerful tracks, some great sounds and melodies and something (we think) a bit different from the usual run of the mill ‘Goth’ record.

To finish and thanking these responses. What do you mean that I have not asked?

Thank you for asking, and I hope everyone stays safe and gets to listen to our music. If music is food for the soul then our music is food for the dark soul.

peace and love!

Paul Nash

The Danse Society

You can pre-order the album from www.thedansesociety.com or go to dansesociety.bandcamp.com for all other albums and merch.

Interview below

Mysterious, powerful and densely layered.

In Depth:

The press release that accompanies The Danse Society’s latest studio album arrestingly declaims “ 70 years after the end of the bombing of London by the Luftwaffe’s V1 flying bombs, The Danse Society are launching their own bombardment with their new album ‘VI”. Far from being mere hyperbole, I was grabbed by images of helplessness in the face of attack, of being taken places, of being allowed a glimpse into a dark group imagination – all happening alongside the barrage of distortion, heavy beats and deep emotion.

Sonically, I especially enjoyed the interplay between the heavy guitar sounds, beats and over all feel with the more whimsical keys parts and samples that lift the songs up into the atmospheric and beyond. I found that listening in different environments helped me to hear the various elements that have gone into making this. The headphones experience is incredibly immersive, showcasing the lush soundscape that has been created whereas having the tracks thump from the stereo allows the power to come across and really kick you in the chest.

There is a very definite sense of having entered somewhere else when you listen to this album. Ironically, if we were German we’d have a term for it but in the absence of such linguistic sophistication I can only reflect that this is a slightly unsettling place, populated with ideas and spaces that not everyone will be comfortable with. I like the fact that this is an album that requires some effort on the part of the listener – this isone that bears repeated listening and absorption. Whilst ‘VI’ sits well within their previous catalogue, it isn’t afraid to stretch and move beyond the strict interpretations of the genre, probably a function of the fresh injection of blood that occurred prior to the recording.

The album is released today and is available on vinyl, CD and download. The best place to keep up with all things Danse-like would be to visit www.thedansesociety.com where you can find links to all the social media as well as a wealth of material, history and upcoming news.

PS: my favourite track is Angel DNA.

The Geek Zone:

On a technical level I found myself repeatedly impressed with the sounds, effects, performances and the general excellence of the production. I’d like to draw particular attention to the solidity of the rhythms, the different space and feel given to each track and the ear candy (some obvious, some hidden) that is evident throughout the recording. Every armchair mix engineer has their favourite way of doing things, and I’m certainly not saying that I agree with every decision taken, any contentious choices are stylistic choices, subjective decisions as to how a piece of art is to be given into the world and I suspect that amongst those who would care to argue with me, I’d be in the minority! I would like to hear Maethelyiah’s vocals being slightly more forward in the mix but we are well and truly in the nitpicking zone here.

Futur1st review below

THE DANSE SOCIETY – SCAREY TALES

Review Posted on March 8, 2013 by Mark Ray for Louder than war

THE DANSE SOCIETY

Review on SPIDERWEB’S MAGAZINE N;17 by Beata Savage

The Danse Society Interview

The Danse Society
Does this name mean anything to you? 
For me, they were amongst those bands that hugely influenced my way of being, my thinking and existence as a teenager.    Of course in those days, we didn’t have internet, and I certainly doubt they even released anything in Hungary (?).  So how come that little me living in a village, in the middle of nowhere I managed to have knowledge of this band?  Well, having pen-friends from all corners of the world, and swapping music on TAPES was my way of reaching out for music.  I am now living a dream, just one click away from any band, any song, any album –  the internet gave a new life to my heroes and heroines. 
The Danse Society’s most well known album was released in 1983.  What were you doing in that year?  I am sure some lucky readers of mine were already listening to tracks such as “Wake up”.  (Me?  I first got to listen to any of their tracks around 1990 –  it’s better late than never though).
How many of you have wished that some bands would reform and come back to play again –  from their grave or from their cosy little lives? 
After 24 years… Former members Paul Nash, Paul Gilmartin and David Whitaker decided to meet up…and with the initial agreement of Steve Rawlings re-joining the band,  song writing began in 2009 “Over the next 9 months instrumental tracks were recorded and Steve briefly met the band in the UK in Oct 2010 but returned to America after recording just one vocal track. Plans changed when after that initial meeting, the band lost contact with Steve.””
When I first heard that my very good friend (founder of Blooding Mask vocalist Maethelyiah) joined the band as the new vocalist, my immediate reaction was “but having a female singer???? “
Maethelyiah recorded vocals on all 13 tracks and the official news was revealed in May 2011. 
I am completely hooked on the album, from track 1 to 13.  I can’t get enough of the energy, the uniqueness of this masterpiece.  Having known and loved this band for all these years, I have a huge respect for what they have achieved here –  “Change of Skin” is like shedding your old skin,  discovering a new way of breathing,  allowing your energy to flow whilst fighting for understanding, acceptance and feeding on other people’s strength and weaknesses – whilst dancing on the edge of a knife.
 The band remains my passion, my religion.
Interview with THE DANSE SOCIETY
Thanks for having time for me indeed. 
The Danse Society
Does this name mean anything to you?
For me, they were amongst those bands that hugely influenced my way of being, my thinking and existence as a teenager. Of course in those days, we didn’t have internet, and I certainly doubt they even released anything in Hungary (?). So how come that little me living in a village, in the middle of nowhere I managed to have knowledge of this band? Well, having pen-friends from all corners of the world, and swapping music on TAPES was my way of reaching out for music. I am now living a dream, just one click away from any band, any song, any album – the internet gave a new life to my heroes and heroines.
The Danse Society’s most well known album was released in 1983. What were you doing in that year? I am sure some lucky readers of mine were already listening to tracks such as “Wake up”. (Me? I first got to listen to any of their tracks around 1990 – it’s better late than never though).
How many of you have wished that some bands would reform and come back to play again – from their grave or from their cosy little lives?
After 24 years… Former members Paul Nash, Paul Gilmartin and David Whitaker decided to meet up…and with the initial agreement of Steve Rawlings re-joining the band, song writing began in 2009 “Over the next 9 months instrumental tracks were recorded and Steve briefly met the band in the UK in Oct 2010 but returned to America after recording just one vocal track. Plans changed when after that initial meeting, the band lost contact with Steve.””
When I first heard that my very good friend (founder of Blooding Mask vocalist Maethelyiah) joined the band as the new vocalist, my immediate reaction was “but having a female singer???? “
Maethelyiah recorded vocals on all 13 tracks and the official news was revealed in May 2011.
I am completely hooked on the album, from track 1 to 13. I can’t get enough of the energy, the uniqueness of this masterpiece. Having known and loved this band for all these years, I have a huge respect for what they have achieved here – “Change of Skin” is like shedding your old skin, discovering a new way of breathing, allowing your energy to flow whilst fighting for understanding, acceptance and feeding on other people’s strength and weaknesses – whilst dancing on the edge of a knife.
The band remains my passion, my religion.
Interview with THE DANSE SOCIETY
Thanks for having time for me indeed.
1) Can we start from the very beginnings? Can you tell me a little bit about yourself…and your part in the history of THE DANSE SOCIETY?
PN: TDS was originally formed from the amalgamation of two bands in Barnsley in the late 70s ‘Y?’ who featured Steve Rawlings, Gigi, Bee and Dave Patrick and ‘Lips-X’ who were me and Lyndon Scarfe. Myself and Lyndon recorded a (very rough) album (released locally only on cassette tape) and Y? had had a track on a local compilation album called ‘End of Act One’ – I think we both admired what we were doing musically which although different was indeed different from anything else around and in that spirit we decided to join forces and see what happened.

PG: I’m the drummer and founder member of TDS. I started in a band called Y with Steve. Somehow a demo of Lips x came into my possession (Paul and Lyndon). This led to the merging of the two bands. My part in the history of the band, well I’ve always been there for them when they needed a shoulder to cry on, you know girl trouble etc lol. I suppose a bit like Scoty in the engine room of the Enterprise, always there when warp power is needed… mind you I was better looking than Scoty, Steve used to say, but I still would not let him kiss me.
Your probably starting to form an opinion already, the idiot of the band. So there you have it every band needs one. You know to counter act the tortured artist some time.

2) The name you’ve chosen…what’s the story behind it?

PG: I can tell you how that came about. We were doing a gig at Sheffield uni as Danse Crazy. You know you get to wander about these places, or I did anyway lol.
There was a notice on a door saying that a meeting of the dance society will be held in room so and so next week. It looked good and sounded good to me. The others agreed but spelt with an s.

PN: With the new band formed we decided we must have a new name and Danse Crazy was the one we eventually settled on – if you look on youtube and see our first TV appearence on a BBC2 programme about the Futurama festival you will see that although we are listed as Danse Society (playing ‘Sink’) the back drop reads Danse Crazy. Not long after that Bee and Dave went onto other things and we found a new bass player Tim Wright and because of the line up change and also because of the rise of Ska (we didn’t want to be confused as a Ska band) we decided on a minor name change to The Danse Society, and if I remember rightly the ‘Society’ bit came from a poster in a student union bar advertising some student society or other.

3) It’s 2011, you’ve got a new album out…how do you feel about the past…present…and future? 

PG: Well it’s better late than never, as they say. We’re pleased to be back and more than happy with the new album. The quality of the music is as good as anything out there at the moment so as d.ream said things can only get better. Don’t know why I thought of that track then but you know we’re only just getting going again and new stuff is coming thick and fast.

PN: I feel great about all three, I’m proud about the music we made in the past, some of it was very forward for its time, the present is exciting with the new album, and in my opinion our best ever, and the future – well we are working on some even more amazing new tracks – so I couldn’t be happier!

4) What are your thoughts on “The Danse Society” as an iconic band (to some)? How do you feel when listening to your own tracks from all those years ago?

PG: Well you know iconic is a grand term but I guess if we were for some that’s great. I mean as a musician who would not want to make their little notch in the history of music. In our own way we did that. You know I didn’t think we got the recognition we deserved, you know mass appeal but we we’re a hard band to pigeon hole we could never stick to one style. Looking back it’s a nice feeling to know you inspired others to make music so that’s iconic enough for me.. I think the old stuff has stood the test of time and I don’t look back at it with semi embarrassment, you know that was a bit cheesy. A lot of the time it depends on what mood you’re in, sometimes I can’t bear it for longer than ten seconds, other times I don’t mind to wallow in its doom laden glory.

PN: Personally I don’t think about that stuff (iconic band), for me it’s all about the music, I don’t listen to the old stuff much but when I do I enjoy it, it’s powerful and dark, and often very Raw but it’s from a different time.

Maeth: I still pinch my arm, frankly. When I listen to TDS older tracks I still can’t believe I am in. Just like you, I was a teenager when I listened to Heaven is Waiting for the first time, (that’s the first tape I had of TDS and it was brought by my cousin just back from England, when I used to live in Italy). After this long time it all seems almost unreal sometimes. It’s as if I am back to my teenage energy in a wiser me… (whether I can call myself wiser or not remains debatable, of course 😉 )

5) Looking back on the history of the band, what do you recall as high and low points? 

PG: Well you know when you start of as five young lads in a cellar every stage of your development is a high in its own right. I mean I recall the first time I heard our first john peel session on the radio that was a high. First gig in New York. Then I suppose it had to be an album in the charts us all over the front pages of the music press and a sold out show at the Dominion Theatre everybody’s darlings. Low point being in a London cab and hearing our Peter Powell session on the radio while stuck in traffic. Fucking hell it was that shit I felt embarrassed for him having to play it. Obviously the failure of the last two singles to chart knowing we’d blown it and not having the balls to get back up again.

PN: From the early years my personal high point was probably finishing Heaven is Waiting with Ian Brodie, and the low would have been the break up of the band after we failed to get a deal after being dropped by Arista.

6) What has being in this band taught you?

PG: On a personal level appreciate the good times and what you did. I can recall doing Say it again with SAW, then going of on a French tour opening for the Stranglers to 8,000 people, you know and thinking can’t wait for the real good times… and they were the fucking good times if you know what I mean. Don’t wish your life away.

PN: Interesting question but I think the main thing is that if you are passionate about music and are with others in the band who are equally passionate you are going to make some great tunes!

Maeth: BM (Before Myself) it taught me so much. I was hugely inspired by TDS. At that time I was just a teenager and that’s the age where young musicians form most of their evolution. It taught me to be distinctive. Most bands were a bit too similar to each others, while TDS have always been one of a kind. It was never possible to label them either as electro goth, goth or whatsits, they’ve always been unique and the sound so well balanced between the musicians. But now, I am learning so much more. I have been working with many bands and musicians but never felt to close to musicians in terms of friendship as well. I am growing up so much with them both as a musician and as a human being. Priceless.

7) What were your thoughts initially when you joined the band?

PG: Same as most musos if they’re honest, adoration and success. I don’t think many people set out to say lets keep this as indie as possible. Well some may but that’s inverted snobbery in my opinion.

Maeth: I have to be totally honest here. I had a nasty collaboration just a few months before joining TDS and I was a bit worried until I met them in person. When I joined I was, and I am, totally open to experience new sound and blend in. As soon as I stepped into the studio I felt at home and ease like never before, recognising something just really strong was happening. My thoughts are exactly the same 6 months later.

8) I am sure you realise many people would like to know what happened to the band…and 24 years is a long time, what have you all been up to…? Hiding away? Or creating more magic in other avenues?

PG: Every band has one a black sheep who can’t adjust to normality as easy as others. I was one loads of failed cover bands, rehabs and the maddest house dad ever, when it wasn’t considered trendy. You know not a proper job. I think I did a decent job at that my eldest gets out of prison soon, ha ha only kidding.
PN: After TDS I joined ‘Party Day’ for a while and had some fun playing live and making an album, then I managed a comic shop for a few years before getting into teaching. I now teach modern music in a local college which I love.

9) Your new album “Change is Skin” is a perfect title for the transformation you’ve all done over the years. Like a sleeping vampire slowing returning back to the living. What are your thoughts on the album? Which are your favourite tracks? What are your plans for the near future? ( I am hoping you will be able to perform at the next Spider’s Web festival in Bristol)

PG: I love em all but I have a soft spot for Sinking, the first we did with Maeth. Vatican, Ice swan, Homelands, I like the ones that just go. Then again I love Fornication, killer synth hook and I get to show off, lol. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE TO TAKE THEM LIVE OF COURSE.

PN: I don’t have a particular fave, I like them all, but if you put a gun to my head an forced me to pick on it would probably be End of Days….no…God Cry…no…Homelands….arghhh

Maeth: I absolutely love it. I mainly love the fact that it’s such a perfect balance between the 4 of us and nobody prevails on the other’s sound. My fave tracks are Slowfire, End of Days and Sinking, but frankly all of them contain a piece of my heart anyway and there’s none I dislike. Plans for the future are now, in fact we are recording new tracks for an EP soon to be released. Obviously the new tracks are even more personal since they’re being written all together, whilst all the Change of Skin tracks (with the exception of Vatican that was the last one recorded) were written before I joined in. Spider’s Web fest sounds good to me! I am in! Can’t wait!

10) How did you decide to get back together? Did you wish you could turn back the clock, or were you ready for a complete rebirth of the band?

PG: Sadly, time machines haven’t been invented, so you can’t turn back the clock. I’ve always been ready for a rebirth of the band. I’ve been on stand by since we split up, I know… sad bastard lol but I could not have hoped for a better rebirth than this. Everything’s right except we’re in our bloody fifties. But you know what they say, you’re as young as the band members you feel… or is that just sick, sorry. Dave and I decided we have got to get the band back together when he and I were messing about in the studio. You know, we knew it would be a walk in the park like Nostromo taking off again, once all the face huggers were on board.

11) How did you come up with the album title? Was there some theory to the song writing pattern?

PG: Song writing pattern, yeah a lot of them. Find a good noise that sends you, put a drum beat to it and build a song round it. We’ve never been ones for “these are the chords” etc. A lot of the best ones are spontaneous like that, not all, some need more thinking about. You know it helps having your own personal Mozart at hand on keyboards lol.

Maeth: Funnily enough, the only track that Steve recorded was initially called Towers. It was then left aside after they lost track with him. So we thought to get the instrumental file back, since it was too good to be left alone. I co-wrote the lyric with Paul (Nash) and it came out as Change of Skin. It does reflect the power of NOW, when you take conscience of what you are, what you do and let the past go and it’s a very empowering feeling that everyone should embrace in life. It’s about living rather than existing and it takes plenty of guts to do that. It contains a very positive message that I hope will be heard with the heart rather than stop to the ears.
The new songs are created just instinctively. Either I get tracks with a bit of keyboards and drums or with guitar bass and drums (depending on where the input comes from) and I just lay myself on it. Compatibility is the main glue here.

12) Have you always been drawn to the darker side of things? Musically, what did you grow up with, what were your musical influences? What was it like for you to grow up in Britain?

PG: You obviously mean musically to grow up in Britain because I suppose if you have a shit up bringing, it’s as bad anywhere you live. Well I grew up with all the great british bands Uriah Heep, Hawkwind, Sabbath, Alex Harvey, Yes Alice Cooper, haha a little prog rocker. I’d go see all these bands at Sheffield city hall. My first gig was a band called Greenslade. There it blew me away. The thing is, or was with these bands, you had no chance of being like them because they were such great musicians, you just didn’t try and all those that did were shit. Then punk came along and changed all that so you didn’t have to be able to play if that makes any sense. I literally took a 10 quid drum kit on the bus to a church hall and they said do this du bap du bap. I was sixteen and it was a great time, god bless the Sex Pistols.
We all know the story, the darker element came with Joy Division, the Banshees, The Cure. I liked Magazine and Bauhaus as well early Japan. Yet we still liked dance music and disco and sort of interpreted things into our own style. It was exciting times post punk. Killing joke, Uk decay. We were never goth as such, I always think of the Mission and Nepths as goth rock and Sex gang as just goth.
PN: For me the answer is yes, loved horror stories, films etc and that naturally progressed into music as well, I loved Floyd, Sabbath, early Genesis etc but also loved dark classical music like Holst, Wagner and stuff like Mozarts Requiem. When the Punk revolution came I soon embraced that and that was my impetus to get in a band and start making my own music.
Maeth: I grew up in Italy but sunshine didn’t make things lighter at all. I used to leave in a small village on the seaside, just on the Tiber bank and the corpses brought from the city of Rome inspired my childhood to seek for introspection and to push below the skin. Putrefaction had a strong impact on how I saw people. I felt from the early years how life is short and how fragile we all are inside. My Grandmother’s cult of the dead and her opera singing skills influenced me hugely. Never been keen on light pop music at all, but that didn’t stop me from fraternising with ordinary human beings at school. I grew up a bit like Wednesday Addams, in the end but always took it with a smile on my face rather than living it as something wrong. All in all, there’s place for everyone in this world and it can be good fun, not only a big cross to bear. Musically speaking, apart from opera and classic music I learnt at the Ballet Academy, I was influenced (in order of appearance) by Pink Floyd, Lucio Battisti’s early prog years, Franco Battiato, Adam & the Ants, Joy Division and The Danse Society, Echo & The Bunnymen, Killing Joke mainly.

13) Where do you see yourselves in the music world right now? What would be the greatest challenge for you now?

PG: We were and are a long way down the ladder. It’s like starting all over again, we are working hard to find a new audience I feel, but there is one just waiting around the corner. I feel it’s just getting it out there.

PN: Our greatest challenge I suppose is to try and get more people to listen to the album, although I didn’t get involved in it for anyone other than me (on  purely selfish level) now that it is complete (and in my opinion – amazing) I would like for others to enjoy it as much as I do.

Maeth: this are very interesting times. Music is changing and we are keeping our own identity despite that, rather than sail safer lands and stick to standards. The greatest challenge, at least for me, is to remain who you are and go straight to the point you want to reach, no matter what.

14) Where would you recommend me to visit if I was there specifically to see the darker side of where you live, the goth scene, the alternative?

PG: I couldn’t tell you because I’m not in it, ask Maeth. She will tell you, she’s got her finger on the pulse of all things satanic, lol. She best have cos we haven’t see, we’re old farts now. The ones we used to rip to bits in the old days of punk etc come to think of it bloody hell. No wonder they didn’t want to stop playing because we don’t. Haha.

PN: I live quite near Whitby and it has a fantastic Goth festival twice a year – definitely worth a visit (and whitby is an amazing place at any time of the year – the inspiration for Bram Stokers ‘Dracula’)

Maeth: Always been an outsider, so probably not the best person to answer this. I am not a keen attender of events and only rarely you can see me there, but yes, if we talk about weird places then Gigi’s right… so many to mention, yum!

15) What makes your life worth living? What is success in your eyes? What are you chasing in life?

PG: Ha ha a personal one here, sober and clean first, family, then making music again. The first two that a success. Chasing the back into music as a full time job, maybe tours etc before we get too old. You know, make a few more albums. You get the sense that old chestnut acclaim seems to be rearing its ugly head again make another iconic album, be an old iconic band meet Prince Charles and support Bon Jovi…

Maeth: Love, and the best way I express it is through what I do, and music is one of the most important ways. I live because my little heart still pumps here… struggling, but it does. I live off emotions. I refuse to simply exist and everyday I risk troubles because of that. I see love everywhere, in the people I love and in almost everything that surrounds me, from the smell of the ground after the rain to the tip of the clouds from an aeroplane. The day my heart will stop feeling emotions it will stop beating and I’ll be gone. Success is for me just being myself despite society imposes masks on our faces. I don’t chase things. Maybe the hardest thing I am learning is to let things chase me rather than trying to control events.

16) Who are you in your eyes? What dreams do you hold? What separates your dreams from reality?

PG: Well I wake up and I’m not doing the things I’m dreaming about. Sometimes that’s not a bad thing I’m married lol but for some it’s not . We’re back to the old, want it back syndrome here.

Maeth: I am just an Alien, I am physically and mentally not associable to humanity and I came to that conclusion with absolute serenity lol. My dream is peace on Earth. I feel strong empathy with suffering creatures. I feel the pain this planet is undergoing because of so called progress. Don’t get me wrong, I am a bit of a techno geek, but would like to see a bit more respect and less abuse towards the planet, including its inhabitants and with specific regard to animal species. Nothing separates me from my dreams and I feed them everyday in any way I can, even if this results me in being chronically insomniac…

17) Can you remember how you first got into listening to “alternative music”? What do you think of “goth” these days? What does it mean to you? Do you think it’s a trend to be “a goth”? Do you feel it is still “alternative” and underground?

PG: Does Gary Numan count? He was good. Ultravox as well, Magazine supported by Bauhaus. What’s a goth I dunno, you don’t have to be weird thinking to be a goth, you can be as normal as anybody. Now clowns they’re weird. You know I’m past caring ticking the boxes. It’s all music. What’s underground, what was is big business, now in a way goth is todays rock. Goth is a trend but so is everything else and if you look at what’s the alternative x factor and bands that don’t play, thank god for any other genre.

PN: ‘Goth’ is just a journalistic label – that label wasn’t around when we were first making music and we used to get annoyed at being labeled positive punk, now we got labelled ‘Goth’ by some but now I’m older and wiser I don’t mind anymore, we are ‘The Danse Society’ making music that (in my opinion) can only be described as ‘The Danse Society’ – so that’s the only label that counts.

Maeth: To me there’s no such thing as alternative music. Either you make or listen to music or not. What is labelled as music now isn’t what used to be called music 20 years ago. Music programs were filled with interesting stuff played by musicians (and a bit of crap as well) and now I just hear loops generated by machines and people talking and talking… that isn’t music to me, sorry. I’ve got a bit of a bad feeling towards the word Goth because I feel it is rather abused. So far it seems like sticking hair extensions or using lots of make up or having a couple of tattoos makes people call themselves “alternative” or goth… these are accessories. A frame doesn’t make a painting, it can only make it look better, but still doesn’t make it alone. At risk to sound “old” (but frankly I don’t give a xxxx) in the times true Goth was born, it was more about your DNA rather than just about your outfit. So far current conception of Goth or alternative seems becoming more “conformist” and ordinary than pop culture nowadays and devaluating the substance.
Gold is worth because there’s little of it and the majority of metal is just cheap tin.
Ian Curtis didn’t wear so called alternative clothing, but he is still an immortal icon and that says it all. I sometimes bump into so called artists, stuffed in photoshop in their twenties (and would love to see them in their fourties lol) but when I listen to their stuff I wonder “is that all?”.
Of course like every healthy woman I love makeup and glamorous clothes and never stick a toe outside without them, but they don’t make my voice or my stage presence… they only wrap it.
Enough said…

18) Do you know why people like your music?

PG: Why do people like our music well its all about certain frequency’s and combinations that do it for you. You know send you to that place where that’s all that matters for a while. We do that to ourselves therefore there’s bound to be like minded people who get the connection. Lucky for us there was and still are. The thing is, with us we’re not trapped in a insular world of goth genre and never was so that comes out in the music. Whether that’s good or bad I’m not sure because we can get distracted and adapt to different styles that doesn’t necessarily sound like us to what was previous, if you know what I’m saying. Standard formula does not apply which has led to calls of sell out or lost our way depending. I mean I love Kasabian for some reason and the Kaiser chiefs. There for I’m sure some of our stuff could appeal to a wider range of music lovers given the chance. We’re not trapped in the 80s really, cutting edge or deluded you decide which. Were all a bit mad so that helps.

PN: Probably for the same reason that I love it, its dark, powerful and passionate – whats not to like??

Maeth: people have got their own opinions. Most people like what we do and I am delighted. I guess it’s because it’s simply genuinely produced and it’s there. The boys are wonderful and creative musicians, and that is what it really takes to make good music. There’s no forced meaning between the lines. This is pure alchemy and I believe that such formulas don’t know decay.

19) Message for my readers?

PG: Love and light. Buy the album, wear The Danse Society T-shirts and write their name on the back of your jackets. And if you’re too cool and old like me for that stuff, make your kids do it.

PN: Enjoy ‘Change of Skin’ I hope you love it as much as I do, and if you do – spread the word 😉

Maeth: just remember the Earth doesn’t belong to us, we are simply guests here, better if accompanied by The Danse Society tunes, of course. Life’s too short, and this world can be a much better place if we all turn words into facts. Love x

THE DANSE SOCIETY – Interview

THE DANSE SOCIETY INTERVIEW ON DOMINION MAGAZINE

THE DANSE SOCIETY – INTERVIEW By Sean Palfrey on Jul 18, 2011  The Danse Society were one of the great “What If’s” of the early goth scene. With a string of underground singles gaining essential dance floor status, and the top 40 album ‘Heaven Is Waiting’ under their belt, the band looked like they’d be the next break-out goth stars. But it all went sour. Beaten down by the music industry and attempting to stay afloat under their own power, The Danse Societyeventually slipped under the murky waters leaving only the music and memories. Fast forward a quarter of a century and a campaign facebook called ‘The Danse Society Reformation Plot’ brings the band back in contact with each other. Before long there’s talk of a new album, with (shockingly to some) a new singer! Finally in 2011, the culmination of the plot has finally been realised with the release of ‘Change Of Skin‘, the band’s first album since 1986’s ‘Looking Through’. The album is not only a reaffirming of the band’s belief in themselves, but a proud first step on a new path. Dominion caught up with Paul Gilmartin, Paul Nash and new vocalist Maethlyiah to talk about how they found their feet again. Dominion: What led to you starting the ‘The Danse Society Reformation Plot‘? Paul Gilmartin: “Well actually we did not start the reformation plot. It was started by a lady called Ali, a life-long fan who really should get all the credit for getting the ball rolling. The thing is it did get us communicating again and to realise how much the music meant to fans and to ourselves therefore in a sense we were very fortunate to have this second chance, you know, gone but not forgotten.” Dominion: What has the reaction to the news been like from your fan base? Paul Gilmartin: “The reaction from the fans has been very positive tinged with a hint of apprehension…the thing is you can’t please everybody all of the time. There are purists who only like certain eras of the band for example and we can’t recapture certain periods in peoples life back for them. 30 years is a long time so we’re never going to recapture our indie days back: No Shame in Death, Clock, Woman’s Own etc. Those five Barnsley lads ‘against the world’ spirit only comes and belongs in the moment and at that period in our lives.” Dominion: Has it been an easy process for you all? Paul Gilmartin: “Has it been an easy process, yes and no. When you’re younger you’re driven and basically the band is your main focus in life. However, people have other commitments, moved to other parts of the country and countries so family, jobs, time etc has to be considered… then there’s the relevance aspect. Can we recapture something worthwhile again and not be a parody of what we once were. None of us wanted to be a pale imitation of ourselves and be a novelty, a token 80’s goth band reformed for one last go on stage before it’s too late. In saying that, it was now or never and looking at it from a cosmic angle it was meant to be and the time was right. I personally had always lived in hope of getting back together and Dave felt the same. It was just convincing Paul.” Paul Nash: “It didn’t take much convincing to be honest, and as soon as we got together again in the studio something magical started happening, Gigi mentioned cosmic alignment and I think he might be right!” Maethelyiah: “I simply call that MAGIC, and when I get asked how this happened I reply IT WAS SIMPLY MEANT TO BE.” Dominion: What have you all been up to since the death of The Danse Society and its subsequent resurrection? Paul Gilmartin: “Well in my best Michael Caine voice ‘not a lot of people know this.’ Dave (keys) is responsible for some of the country’s face music for TV and adverts, programmes like Emmerdale and Through The Key Hole. Paul works as a tutor in the music and arts dept at a college. Myself? lots of failed bands, covers bands and rehabs. There’s always one black sheep in a band, unfortunately for me – its usually the drummer who can’t let go of the lifestyle. Thing is, it’s kind of trendy now so it looks good on your rock and roll CV. “Interestingly, you should say ‘since the death of The Danse Society’ because looking back that’s how I took it. A sort of bereavement and I grieved for the music and the people, an untimely death. Cut off in our prime. Poisoned by the industry we worked so hard to get into. You know I had a chip on my shoulder for years, you put your trust in these people and they just bleed you dry and spit you out, all tied up nicely. We spent a fucking fortune on stationary. We could have opened a fucking shop. So unfair to see none of the money yet end up bankrupt. That was our trouble it was never about the money then and it isn’t now.” Dominion: You’re working with a female vocalist [Maethelyiah] this time around. How has this changed the style of the band? Paul Gilmartin: “We’re working with a female vocalist yes,Maethelyiah from Blooding Mask. It’s more than that, she’s in the band and part of The Danse Society now. I can’t see that changing. We’ve got something we’ve never had. With all due respect to Steve, the music does not have to do all the work now. She’s also pretty like Steve and makes a perfect front woman with a fantastic voice and vocal range, which again gives it something different to what we had before. You know we’ve been really blessed because we have found somebody who is totally in tune with us and it has brought something fresh and exciting to this project. So in a way it is like the old days because Steve had lost the passion and Maeth injected some of hers into us again. Has it changed the style of the band, yes, we’re a bit easier on the ear now for the mainstream, but retain all the dark and satanic aspects of old. I want to make it clear I’m not dissing Steve here and have the utmost respect for him and our time together I wouldn’t swap for the world. He gave us no choice. But we have moved on and are really excited by Maeth’s vocals.” Dominion: Have you run through older songs together at all and does having a female vocalist given them a new slant? Paul Gilmartin: “We’ve actually not ran through any old numbers and that’s the truth. We could not remember how to play them. Seriously we’ve been so involved with the new that we’ve not bothered. However when we go live we will have to and I’m so looking forward to hearing Maeth’s interpretation of them. Plus I get to look at her ass a lot sitting behind the drum kit, instead of Steve’s or shouldn’t I say that in this day and age? [Laughs]” Maethelyiah: “Gigi, Behave! [Laughs]” Dominion: Was there any temptation to leave the The Danse Society name alone and strike out under a different moniker? Paul Gilmartin: “We did consider going under a new name and to be truthful it did cause some debate. We did realise some people obviously would say you can’t be The Danse Society without Steve. Then where does it stop Tim, Lyndon. For a while we did have a compromise, ‘The Danse’, but I was never comfortable with it and in the end I thought fuck it, I thought up the name who has the right to dictate what name we should use after all these years. If the thought of it destroys it for you sorry if it’s so important to you but get over it. It’s an established name a fantastic name and why shoot ourselves in the foot before we start. Yet having said that I do kinda understand, like The [March] Violets without Si. A hard one, but Tom’s there so yeah. All is fair in love and war. You know if a bands got the original drummer who gives a fuck who else is in the band. Oops, am I not supposed to say that as well? Only kidding folks.” Dominion: How has the writing process/dynamic changed since your early years? Paul Gilmartin: “Not much really, we’re still as intrigued about atmosphere and that dark feel as before in that respect nothing has changed. We realised we’re still very comfortable with each other working together and when you put all our different influences together they still combine into a typical Danse Society track. We just can’t help it, it comes so natural we don’t even have to think about it much. We just feed each other bouncing ideas around. We’ve been lucky, every track’s been a winner, in fact they just get better. We’ve started some new stuff not on the album and there’s plenty more petrol in the tank. The thing is, we never dried up as a band and musically intended a longer shelf life, it was just outside influences and circumstance that cut us short. The only thing that’s changed is Maeth and I write most of the lyrics now, along with Maeth and Paul, where as before it was Steve and Lyndon.” Dominion: How has new technologies impacted on the way the band writes and records compared to the early years? Paul Gilmartin: “Technology. Never used it. No, we’ve always liked it and in the old days we were always messing so yeah we use it why not. Why make life difficult for ourselves. What’s available at your finger tips now is hard to resist and everybody else uses it, so I think you’re selling yourself short if you don’t, to some degree. Gone are the days when you had to sit in a room all day getting a drum or guitar sound. Obviously you don’t have to redo the entire track again when you decided to get clever towards the end and lose it. I mean we kept the drum mistake in ‘No Shame In Death‘ and it still bugs me to this day. A big factor is you can send the files, and the vocals can be done in Maeth’s studio and she doesn’t have to be coming up to Yorkshire all the time. Plus it’s easier to say ‘don’t like that’ via email. [Laughs] We’ve never had to do that. All in all, it’s made this project work otherwise it could have been a bit of a pain and slowed things down a lot more.” Maethelyiah: “I started my own recording studio when music was recorded on huge 24-track reel tapes and still think in those terms. Technology hasn’t changed that much if not in terms of space and time, but still the care, the meticulous care that turns every tracks true energy into matter is the same. I noticed that Paul, Dave and Gigi have kept exactly the same balance that made TDS sound unique from the start. I enjoy the fact that it’s never been ‘about the singer’ like most bands, but pure balance between the four heads and yet this remains unchanged.” Dominion: What have been the main influences for you in writing the new album ‘Change Of Skin’? Paul Gilmartin: “The influences for this album where do they come from? Our imagination I would say is the main ingredient and having thirty odd years of absorbed music stored up in your memory banks. It was all just ready to come out. The songs are all about thought provoking subjects and reflect the music. There’s no love songs on there but if you like panic attacks having a nervous breakdown or hiding away in a darkened room this is an ideal companion. All the usual ingredients. You do not know whether to dance or kill yourself. Maeth’s voice has brought a haunting quality to the music. Power and versatility with a girlie charm so this album differs from the old straight away. “ Dominion: How do you feel this album compares to the rest of your back catalogue? Paul Gilmartin: “It’s more polished but in a good way. It’s the album we always should have made. ‘Heaven is Waiting’, in my humble opinion, was a bit of a classic in our own way and genre. This is too, but even better.” Maethelyiah: “I had the audio files ready made and most of the lyrics were written, so I just went with the flow. Putting melodies on such great tracks was as easy as enjoying a glass of the finest red wine. Pure blessing.” Paul Nash: “It’s The Danse Society 2011 with all that entails but it is still ‘The Danse Society’ our original power, energy and atmosphere are all still present with a dark twist and added the added beauty of Maeth’s vocals.” Dominion: Will you be releasing the album through Society Records or have you been looking at other labels? Paul Gilmartin: “It will be released on our own label Society Recordsfirst and on digital download. Whether it gets taken up by a larger company remains to be seen, but the terms we were offered were ridiculous when we’ve done everything ourselves. So in the end we have done it all. We’re all wiser now anyway and not naïve or green behind the ears so we can dictate the terms and sit behind a PC where it’s all done from now due to the net.” Maethelyiah: “We went through Society Records because we weren’t happy with the lack of competence most labels were displaying. We felt it was the best thing to do, especially in view of the fact that this means the whole CD is exactly what WE want. None of us four seems to be prone to get told what to do. Of course things can change, if we will find a label in the future that does what it says on the tin… so far we found what in Italy is called ‘plenty of smoke but very little meat on the barbecue’.” Dominion: You’ve recently shot a music video as well. What can you tell us about that and are you satisfied with the end results? Paul Gilmartin: “Yeah we’ve just done a video for a track off the album called ‘Revelation‘ and it’s great, we’re pleased with it. We’re not getting any younger so seeing yourself as you really are is a bit of a shock or was rather because you think oh were too old, (I’m talking about us now the boys) because you still see things as young men and the belief always used to be that it’s a young mans game. But once you get over that we are not competing with younger bands. You know fine. So after counselling and Maeth talking us through it we’re over it. However we’re not in the next video much, just Maeth and a Scarecrow and some children that suits us ha-ha!” Maethelyiah: “I am absolutely delighted about our new video ‘Revelation’ because it reminds me of the B.M. atmospheres and graphic (Before Maethelyiah), as if time didn’t change. It felt almost as if I have been travelling on a time machine. I find it simply brilliant. I am somehow still stuck in the eighties, I don’t listen to radio or TV shows if not by accident, and I felt hope watching our video. “Differently I can say about the ‘Scarecrow’ video, which will be again quite a known territory for me, because it’s about a sexy horror atmosphere… which is exactly where I come from. Of course I don’t want to spoil the surprise, you will soon see.” Dominion: You’ve also released a collection of demos from the ‘Heaven Is Waiting’ album, what led to this decision? Paul Gilmartin: “Why release the demos album? Why not? They’re completely different to the ‘Heaven Is Waiting’ album, although the same songs. Feel energy raw, Amphetamine-induced, done in a day the whole lot, they have been digitally remastered but nothing added or taken off. It’s more or less a live album, so worth having.” Maethelyiah: “There has been recent interest and requests that brought us to think it was a brilliant idea. I myself couldn’t wait to hear the demos. I remember the second time I was in Dave’s studio I saw this box containing lots of tapes and felt like a child in a sweetshop. Been struggling to resist the temptation to steal them all! I have been a long time fan of the band for ages, since I was a kid, and when I have heard this compilation was going to be released I felt blessed. It’s so interesting to see how the tracks have grown in time and what they used to sound at the beginning. I still feel as excited like when I used to listen to TDS music at the time and I find the demo compilation as essential as reading a book from chapter one rather than from chapter two.” Dominion: Have the demo recordings been cleaned up at all for the release or are they still raw? Paul Nash: “They are essentially as we recorded them, they have been mastered to get the best out of the old tapes, but they still have all the power and rawness that I remember listening to them back in May 1983 in Greenhouse studios.” Paul Gilmartin: “There’s more to come if there is a demand, ‘demos 2’; Heaven Again and Johnny In The Clouds stuff, which is great and features Mark Copson from Music For Pleasure on vocals and Yazz (All The Way Is Up fame on backing vocals).” Dominion: Are there any plans for live shows in the near future? Paul Gilmartin: “Live gigs. We did have plans but had to shelve them due to line up change etc. but yeah, hope to be up and running for next years festivals line up but who knows, if this album takes off it could be sooner than we think. It all depends on venues etc. It’s got to be planned, thought about and done well. Small time we would look stupid and I don’t fancy sitting on a beer crate in a storeroom with five other bands for the sake of it. Keep some mystery and cool.” Maethelyiah: “There will be indeed. We are concentrating on our new album and videos, at the moment, plus we feel so happy and inspired to be working on new unedited tracks as well. We like to take our time, but certainly we will be looking into gigs as soon as the right time (and the right event) comes. There’s nothing comparable to the feedback only live gigs can give us. I can’t wait!” Dominion: What will be the next step for The Danse Society? Paul Gilmartin: “An EP is in the pipeline with two new tracks, ‘The Scarecrow’ and ‘The Wolf’, a sort of dark adult fairy tail theme. Possibly with a 12-inch dance mix of ‘Ice Swan‘, proper 80’s style. Some live rehearsals, just in case. A follow up album to start and world domination of the goth scene we’re after the title back!” “Hey, we really hope you like it as much as we do thanks Paul Gilmartin, Maethelyiah, Paul Nash / The Danse Society.” ‘Change Of Skin’ is available now through Society Records. Please visit the official Danse Society website HERE for more. Click here to read the interview on Dominion

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN

 Review, Metallus (IT), by Andrea Sacchi

(Translated)

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN

 Review, Metal.it (IT)

(Translated)

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN

 Review, Erba Della Strega (IT) by Mr Moonlight

19th August, 2011 – (Translated)

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN

 Versacrum, by Christian Dex

Review, 7th January 2012 – (Translated)

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN

By Bruce (seriously, Bruce? lol) on August 30, 2011 

New album for The Danse Society

The Danse Society new album

The Danse Society release new album

Title: Change Of Skin
Format: CD
Label: Society Records
Rated: *****

Legendary UK positive punks The Danse Society have recently reformed and are about to release an album of 13 new songs. While the release date is to be announced, the title of the record will be Change Of Skin.

And it’s an aptly titled record because the group now has a female vocalist – Maeth Allsop. She replaces original vocalist Steve Rawlings. The new lineup is Guitarist Paul Nash, Keyboard player Dave Whitaker and Drummer Paul Gilmartin. On their website, the group promises “big layered songs of emotion and glory.”

Also, The Danse Society are going to release Demos Vol.1 – The Heaven Is Waiting Demo Recordings. As the title suggests, fans will find the original and raw recordings of the 1983 released album, Heaven Is Waiting. The album will be available on vinyl, CD and download. Release date is to be announced.

The Danse Society release new album

Title: Change Of Skin
Format: CD
Label: Society Records
Rated: *****

Legendary UK positive punks The Danse Society have recently reformed and are about to release an album of 13 new songs. While the release date is to be announced, the title of the record will be Change Of Skin.

And it’s an aptly titled record because the group now has a female vocalist – Maeth Allsop. She replaces original vocalist Steve Rawlings. The new lineup is Guitarist Paul Nash, Keyboard player Dave Whitaker and Drummer Paul Gilmartin. On their website, the group promises “big layered songs of emotion and glory.”

Also, The Danse Society are going to release Demos Vol.1 – The Heaven Is Waiting Demo Recordings. As the title suggests, fans will find the original and raw recordings of the 1983 released album, Heaven Is Waiting. The album will be available on vinyl, CD and download. Release date is to be announced.

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN
By Maurizio Pustianaz

Artist: THE DANSE SOCIETY [ thedansesociety {at} gmail {dot} com ]
Title: Change Of Skin
Format: CD
Label: Society Records
Rated: *****

For sure you already read it on the internet. The Danse Society have reformed.

If you have a Facebook account and you are a fan of the band’s Reformation Plot page, you know that at first they (guitarist Paul Nash who on this album takes care also of the bass parts, keyboard player Dave Whitaker and drummer Paul Gilmartin) contacted the old singer Steve Rawlings who now lives in California and he seemed interested into working on new tracks. Unfortunately after a first enthusiasm they lost the contacts again.

At that point, Maethelyiah, already singer and front woman of Blooding Mask proposed herself for that spot. On Facebook the old fans were mainly disappointed to have a female singer replacing Steve but they went straight to the studio and recorded thirteen new tracks. First of all let’s make clear that The Danse Society split happened twenty five years ago, so even with Steve it’s quite sure they should have been sounded different.

On the contrary the reunion could have suffered the risk to sound fake and empty if Steve wasn’t that sure of his commitment. The new album CHANGE OF SKIN has some classic The Danse Society characteristics: Paul’s guitar riffs are still based on arpeggios which are of great sustain of the overall atmosphere, Dave’s synths are still creating a cool ambient background with nice melodies and pads (even if unfortunately the sounds are of digital synths, to my ears) and Paul’s drumming is still tribal and powerful. At this point you could think that the old band is back, well… nope. Maethelyiah’s contribution is too personal to make them sound a copy of themselves and they didn’t look for such a thing.

Her vocals are powerful and her choruses will make you think she has three lungs. Musically try to imagine that the new Danse Society did the great record that the Siouxsie And The Banshees never did in they last period and add the characteristics I mentioned before and you’ll have pretty much the idea of how they sound. Another thing that would haven’t been possible to have without Maethelyiah, are those lyrics: she wrote about her thoughts on nowadays world, religion (“Vatican” is an anti clerical song in Italian, Latin and English) and visions which seems to be influenced by occultism or a spiritualistic way of living. Another peculiarity of this album are two long tracks: “Slowfire” and “End Of Days”. The first one has some atmospheres that could remember their old cover of “2000 Light Years From Home”, while the latter is a ballad based on piano/vocals duet which on the second part turns into a roaring semi metal tune because of Paul’s riffs just to change again into its final part with a piano acoustic guitar switch. This is the tune that convinced me less but I’m convinced that the new The Danse Society have so much to give to their new and old audience.

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN
By SirLordDoom – 8.5

THE DANSE SOCIETY – ‘Change Of Skin’ – SOCIETY RECORDS

THE DANSE SOCIETY, no, I said nothing so far, but I’m also stuck in the 80’s Gothic rock from England just at the tip of the iceberg, say at the Fields of the Nephilim and Bauhaus. Well, that was with THE DANSE SOCIETY for 25 years and over, until, indeed, until they have decided to have a reunion, very ominous thing in the Facebook was also involved. This album is the result. A singer instead of the old rock tomb whisperer is now with this, a woman who makes her job very well and gives the music a nice faraway expression.

They have become modern? Are they still classical? Yes or no, somehow. I can not swear exactly, I do not know their old stuff, only the Stones cover “2000 Light Years From Home”. Which is terrific. I only know that the atmosphere of this disc is incredibly depressing that I come in here but no one predominates, innovation and craziness that I associate with bands like Bauhaus.

The theatrical singing again fit to bands such as PRESENCE from Italy, which inspired classic, dark rock and metal playing, little of which has not Gothrock and also from the prog. PRESENCE publish again so very diligently to BLACK WIDOW RECORDS, the distribution of THE DANSE SOCIETY. So the circle closes here.

Well, I can attach references, so many I want, but deliver the tomb willfully quirky rock with bombastic tendencies, THE DANSE SOCIETY to here, is worth a great sin. The singer is wonderful with seemingly harmless pop – and juggle mainstream rock melodies, among which opens up a veritable abyss. A nasty, kreischiges saws can be heard, which will probably be the guitar, bass and furious drumming an invertebrate, often involved in very repetative patterns. These are compelling instrumental structures that follow the classic gothic rock structures of the more daring type, so the slant playful BAUHAUS rail.

So also the first mega-hit “Slow Fire”, a slow, dark number with incredibly intoxicating vocal melodies and challenging rhythms. Clear beautiful guitars in the 80s and Gothsound great distorted lead shaver runs are heard. You drift downright henceforth. Chapeau, gentlemen, you’ve definitely kept your knowledge well. This number would be great to “In The Flat Field” or “Mask” from Bauhaus and I would like to imagine it sung by Peter Murphy. And, the woman with the sloping stage name Maethelyiah makes their case very strongly and literally sucks up the demons from hell.

At least now for me all the dams are broken, every single ice melted, the great love awakens and ignites the fire of passion. The cool danceable anthem “Fornication” which adjoins “Slow Fire”, reinforces my view that THE DANSE SOCIETY here an opulent comeback is a success. Always the conciliatory, harmonious moments of great Popseligkeit the scales keep up with the shrill, oblique aspects of the Gothic underground. The beautiful vocal lines are often of the band deliberately driven into the Round Square, down from warm harmony in supercooled, aloof areas. But what makes this band and their music. To weave together the warmth and emotional coldness. Including classic rock moments and electronic music are brought together. Not as linear as with brachial RAMMSTEIN for example, but very grand and colorful, decorated with many small details captured, beautiful synth surfaces, sparkling piano runs, dreamlike balladic moments in alptraumhaftem bombast.

Hammer time interval is the ejector “End of Days”, the just that sparkling piano and singing a beautiful song in ballad gentleness with dark rumblings of synthetic origin plays around and suddenly breaks into a mid-tempo hard rock, before an acoustic guitar and a singing synthesizer on a loose rhythm of a kind psychedelic folk-rock feel make. A very nice piece of music, the perfect finale to a consistently great album.

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN
By Sean Palfrey on Jul 13, 2011

THE DANSE SOCIETY – ‘Change Of Skin’ – SOCIETY RECORDS

The Danse Society were perhaps one of the more underappreciated bands of Goth’s ’80s heyday. Despite some fantastic singles like ‘We’re So Happy’ and ‘Somewhere’ as well as the album ‘Heaven Is Waiting’ to their name the band unceremoniously bowed out. Fast-forward twenty-five years and the band return with arguably their finest ever moment.

Hinged on the powerful voice of Blooding Mask’s Maethelyiah, the band’s obvious maturity as musicians and song-writers finds a perfect foil for their atmospheric post-punk style. There is still an air of familiarity to the band’s sound though. The guitars and electronic elements still sound identifiably TDS, even if time and technology has improved them. Yet this still feels like a bold step forward, unfettered from the past. So all those who were worried about Steve Rawling’s lack of involvement in the resurrected band should be very satisfied with the end result.
Songs like ‘God Cry’, ‘Slowfire’, ‘Resurrection’ and ‘End Of Days’ show off the extent of the band’s ambitions and just how far they have come in such a short space of time back together. While the band’s chemistry and passion is without question, it is occasionally evident that they have got a bit carried away with they layers of electronics in some songs which can unfortunately overpower some of the subtleties of Maethelyiah’s performance.

It will be interesting to see how The Danse Society (re)develop further as they settle into live performances and writing follow up material. But with the level of chemistry on display here, it will certainly be a positive experience for the band.

[8]

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN – And why you needn’t look back
by Mick Mercer on Thursday, 17 November 2011 at 16:29

THE DANSE SOCIETY – CHANGE OF SKIN (Society Records)

People like living in the past, even if they tend to avoid throwing their excrement into the streets from top windows anymore (a notable exception being the majority of ebm acts). Bands reforming can excite people initially, only for them to make the shocking discovery the band haven’t remained making exactly the same music they once did for thirty years running. People are rankled, and they get ratty. (Apologies to unusually sophisticated rats who also specialise in Post-Punk sounds.)

The main complaint people seem to have about TDS reforming is that Steve Rawlings isn’t involved, but he was initially, then dropped out. As this isn’t an era involving the pressgang he wasn’t going to be held against his will, it’s his choice, as it is for the band to develop the way they chose. I think it’s more of a problem at the moment that the band don’t have bassist Tim involved, as Paul is handling both guitar and bass, which changes the dynamic. Less throbbiness. Apart from that it all makes sense, with new vocalist Maethelyiah (Maeth for short) from the excellent Blooding Mask, David Whitaker (in the wonderful Music For Pleasure before joining the original TDS after Lynden Scarfe departed, so you know how good he is), and founding members Paul Gilmartin and Paul Nash

‘Revelation’ whirls purposefully, like a robotic moth, stocky drums and synth twinkles offering dark and light, before Maeth glides across, disturbing guitar chippings, and obviously she genuinely sings, where Steve emitted, so that’s a distinct change in style. Steve fitted the nervous, jittery energy of the early band perfectly. They were restless, almost fast-forwarding sepulchral soundtracks. Now they’re robustly morose. It’s a great song, but would have created a stronger impact if it had ended directly after the part about the brother is introduced, because it would catch you unawares and be stylish. Instead, they continue a while longer, with superb guitar dripping off the undulating cortex.

‘Change Of Skin’ is notable for having unnecessary background vocal activity when Maeth really just needs to be stamped upfront as a straightforward presence, but also a fluid brooding quality as the darker synth style becomes evident. The lighting flashes of yore have gone to be replaced by a smoother, active twilight realm, but the synth acts as the main instrument to guide the song as it spins in a mini-torment. Another fine song, which people who don’t like the new TDS direction would surely recognise as quality if by someone else, and there’s the rub. If you look for many comparisons you won’t find them. I haven’t. To me it feels like them, rather than sounding like them. I’m happy with that, as I don’t want someone coming back and simply replicating glories past. That’s just sad.

‘God Cry’ is beautiful, dreamy vocals gently basted in stunning synth work, with delicate guitar embroidery and deft drumming. The vocals are exquisite, the atmosphere serenely filmic. ‘Black Dream’ seems initially livelier but it’s a bit constipated and verging on rocky, which we don’t need. The thing missing from this record is some genuinely pacey songs, as this is the closest we get to demonstrative activity, and it seems to be stuck in a holding pattern with a repetition. Once they get the balance right in what makes a song come alive I think it will then help give future songs more uplift naturally.

‘Slowfire’ is interesting, like an ambient compress at first, then sedate bass bulges, and it plods along not unlike Inkubus Sukkubus, having a historical ethereal element to it, especially at the politely seething close. ‘Fornication’ skips and dips with angular twinges aplenty and there’s less of the full-on approach which gives this song more life, Maeth even getting closer to Steve’s old speaking cadence. In many songs they’re all so constantly busy it clogs the musical veins, but this one wiggles with a lighter gait. ‘Let Me Sleep’ is also leaner, the drums clipped, the guitar a balletic gnat, the vocals elegantly agitated, and the sense of space and trim decorum is welcome. ‘Resurrection’ has a cool sense of electronic thyroid trouble, the rhythm clicking by, vocals opting for winsome histrionics, which again moves towards sumptuous melodic rock, and that really needed some extra filleting as it would have enhanced the atmospherics but then they shunt into some spirited annex before returning to catchy charm, and while this doesn’t sound remotely like anything TDS have done before it’s a gorgeous number.

‘Embrace Of The Ice Swan’ is another full-on rock warble on an attractive sonic palette, so it’s no surprise people are struggling with the identity problem, but again it’s an excellent song. ‘Vatican’ fidgets frostily, and some interesting vocal scuffles emerging. They’re too laid back at times, particularly the guitar, almost frilly, when they could have exerted a grimmer, taut control, but it certainly stirs in some variety. ‘Homelands’ clomps quite happily, closer to a carefree MFP than TDS, but you can see a link there. It has a wiry intensity to it, as well as a harmonious rapture. ‘Sinking’ is a finely wrought bout of overwrought noodling which hangs together rather well and then they very gracefully drift off with the gracious ‘End Of Days’ which reminds me, oddly, of Shakespeare’s Sister with all the pretentious bits excised, until a truly horrendous rock cyst bursts. Nothing on Earth justifies that! (It still ends beautifully after that strange bout of senility.)

Now if anyone else had done this album people would be saying how good it was and recommending it as a matter of course, because it is top of the range, but coming from a band with a name and known ‘sound’ the problems arise. Easily solved, mind. They need to speed up in future. Just because they’re no spring chickens doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be aiming to die of heart attacks onstage. As for the sound picture? Change when a band returns isn’t just important, it’s vital. People expecting, and treasuring, the past should stick to their old records. People who want the very best will want to know what the band is doing now. Now. As in not then.

The Danse Society have broadened out their sound, and use broader strokes instead of the old quixotic shorthand. An obvious way to appease the doubters would be to stop putting unnecessary videos up of outdoor wanderings, but to show rehearsal footage of how they’ll approach old material which will invariably be present in the live set, and I’d love to see how Maeth tackles some of the fiery old glories, and then the full picture will be obvious to people, as will the major plus. We have here a band with a fabulous body of work, who have new ideas. Yes they need to remember that less can sometimes be much more, and not always have the songs clogged with sound, but this is no cabaret or museum trip they are offering the listener, but a living, breathing entity.

Heaven is still waiting.

http://www.thedansesociety.com