Hateful Chains

Video comes out & First Gig

Do you have the time to discuss our video and gig? No? Then go about your business. If you do, here's the story.

I called a local bar to arrange a debut gig. They were positive and encouraging, but the only date available and suitable for us, was mid-summer's eve. That time of year marks the beginning of summer vacation to most of Finnish working people. They usually run to their summer cottages, leaving the towns almost empty. The Bar people assured us that they've had band happenings on mid-summer eve before, and that people would be there. So we settled for that date. 

We had asked around for bands who would be willing to play with us before this, and a few had turned up. One of them even told us they would be ready for a gig any time. As it turns out, however, mid-summer is a baaad time for this kind of thing. All these bands declined. We did some more asking around, but none would come. Ok, so we would do this by ourselves.

The music video was gradually coming together, and that's why we decided to release it at the same time. All kinds of stuff needed to be gotten in order:  the master of the audio, get it to the editor, the titles for the video, the ISRC- code...You name it. We saw the first version, and thought it was very good, no need for changes. The previous night before the release date I received a message, that there was still a bug, that needed to be fixed. Argh, No! But it got fixed in time, and was ready to be shown on the bar screen (instead of soccer).

We use a laptop containing synth- and additional tracks and a click track for the drummer. Before final rehearsals we had to do some checks. I had re-made some of the synths with my Korg Trinity, just to obtain a wider and bigger sound especially to the choir-pads. I also wanted the "human" effect, by actually playing and recording the tracks. These then had to be transferred into the laptop. Then we had to check the levels and arrange the tracks in playing order. One last thing, I had to try playing acoustic guitar myself on "Siouxsie on the Beach", that is practice, practice, practice! I've just begun to seriously get it under control, and barre-chords still kind of kill my hand. But I'm now able to play it and it even sounds decent. 

So after a smooth rehearsal we were confident and ready for a smooth gig. We didn't expect a lot of people there. The weather was awful but that didn't tell anything. People might go to pubs or they might stay inside... We sound checked and arranged everything for the video. All set. There was a decibel limit in the bar because it neighbored apartments, so the levels had to be quite low.  We had no-one to mix for us, but checking our selves in such a small place was doable. The bartender helped with a decibel meter. All set. We ate, drank coffee, I did my make up, ironed a dress I was to wear. 

Playing time was at eleven pm, but there was hardly anyone around. We waited for half an hour for friends and some other people to show up. Facebook- event had been made, even some posters had been distributed. Still, we weren't expecting a crowd, and there was no crowd. A few friends, a few who clearly came to check us out, because they left immediately after, and a few family members. At eleven thirty the video was shown. Then we started with the same song. 

The shaking of my limbs, the rapid heart beat, the shallow breathing, it's all familiar to me, and I get it under control through technique. There's genuine joy of playing together and the feeling of conquering the world. There's also this feeling of aggression, the need to give it your everything, get it out of your chest-feeling, which is one of those not yet wholly familiar feelings for me. Of course, maintaining balance between technique and expression and maintaining contact with the audience, as well as band members is multitasking, so you can understand that some funny mistakes were made. What I'm most afraid of is black outs and that I can't make anything up to mask them. Well, this time I did: I was supposed to sing "A morbid wraith with a heart of stone" but instead sang "A magic worm in time and space". No-one in the band noticed. I guess next time I'll just sing something dirty instead.

Over all, the gig went very well, even smoothly. Our system, the laptop and click-track, was tested and it worked out well. We could hear everything, except the guitars might have been too low for our taste. We might yet change the order of the songs to give the set a stronger ending. But there's nothing that can't be fixed in one rehearsal, and that gives me relief and confidence. The audience was happy with the performance, and I think of it as a good sign, that they had gathered a collection for us, even though we didn't ask for an entry fee. 

The next performance, of great importance for me too, is in Lumous-festival. It is the biggest gothic music/culture festival in Finland and some well known (in gothic circles) names have performed there, like Double Echo, Nachtmahr and Thinner. This year Terrolokaust and Metallspürhunde are the biggest guests. We will play at the opening club on thursday 12th july, together with Agnosia and Astral Zombie. A little terrifying but can't wait!

While waiting for news on the festival, you can check out the video:

Until next time: Hypnosis