Interview: Dead Space Chamber Music, 2019

Dead Space Chamber Music, Tom Bush (guitar, FX and treatments / soundscapes), Ellen Southern (voice, vocal field-recordings and visual art) and Liz Muir (cellist), don’t just release and perform fascinating yet difficult to describe music. They also have an active life away from the mothership: curating their Dark Alchemy series, composing film scores and more. Prior to Dark Alchemy IV (28th September 2019, all details here) they gave us the lowdown on their past year as well as previewing the event.

Since we last heard from you, what have the band been up to?
A lot of exciting things both in and beyond Bristol! After our debut album launch in the crypt of St John on the Wall, we did our first live radio session on the Hello Goodbye show on Resonance FM in London. That was a new and slightly nerve-wracking experience but the host Dexter Bentley made us very welcome and we really enjoyed it. Soon after that we played at the beautifully curated Dronica Festival, which we really recommend if you are interested in sited visuals combined with harsh noise, experimental, and dark-neoclassical sounds. It was set in The Old Church, Stoke Newington, which is an amazing and rare Elizabethan church in London. We included O Deathe Rock Me Asleepe in our set from our OEIRA EP, our reworking of a song attributed to Anne Boleyn (1501-1536) and supposedly written while she was being held in the Bloody Tower, and so it was close to the era of the church itself. We loved meeting the brilliant fellow artists on the bill, and made some new connections which will soon bear fruit (more on that later…!)

We have created and performed a second live film score, this time to The Pit (1962, 27 mins, directed by Edward Abraham) at 20th Century Flicks on Christmas Steps. This is a very striking and unusual film, a slow-burning terror, that the good folks at the Flicks themselves introduced us to. An adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Pit and the Pendulum, this monochrome film takes the viewer through the inquisition and sentencing of a man doomed to encounter ‘the pit’. Tense, evocative and spine-chilling, the claustrophobia of the story is augmented by an original soundtrack by the Radiophonic Workshop, which we sampled and allowed to haunt our new slow-burning sound-world. We have recorded our live score and plan to release it soon, so keep an eye out for that if you missed the screening!

That event was part of the Dark Alchemy event series, which we co-curate with Tommy Edwards aka Tommy Creep, a modular synth artist. Dark Alchemy is an independent event series promoting dark ambient / ritual / industrial / noise / drone / esoteric / dark wave / experimental artists, both local and international. We hope that Dark Alchemy provides a testing ground for bringing distinctive musical elements together, creating a unique and transformative experience for our audiences.

This year Dark Alchemy has been going from strength to strength, with each of our events having sold out! In March we returned to the crypt of St John on the Wall for Dark Ambient in the Crypt, presenting live performances by ourselves (we presented a new piece based on a plainchant by Hildegard Von Bingen 1098-1179), Tommy Creep’s ‘occult electronic’ modular synth, and Marcus Dyer aka Theskyisthinaspaperhere. Watching the live coding that he generates his sound with being projected across the vaulted ceiling of the medieval crypt was a special moment. In fact, that’s like what we do with the aesthetics, sound and scope of Dead Space Chamber Music, and across each Dark Alchemy event; we aim to bring a sense of connecting the past and present, into a timeless moment that in turn shapes the onward path.

You’re a band that’s not afraid to separate and work on solo work and other projects, what else has been happening in the wider DSCM world?
Ellen’s solo project, Site Singing, is an atmospheric dark-ambient combination of experimental solo voice, site-relational vocal field recordings from ruins and lesser-visited historical sites around Bristol, and sound-making objects. She has been doing performances in small independent venues in Bristol, including the first Silencio ambient night at Café Kino with Deej Dhariwal (Thoughtforms) and Sarah James on overhead projector-visuals, Tina Hitchens and Microdeform, Camembert’s Box of Delights at the Mothers Ruin supporting Theskyisthinaspaperhere with the Domestic Sound Cupboard, and in the crypt of St John on the Wall during a site-specific artist residency she organised with visual artist Markus Feiler from Berlin. Most recently she has supported Tau (Berlin) with Rotten Bliss (London) and Ego Death Star at The Lanes on August 20th, and upcoming she has a very exciting support slot with Fever 103° for the incredible Lingua Ignota at Rough Trade in October!

Most recent Dark Alchemy Presents… was Dark Ambient at the Stag in July with Organchrist and Crosspolar headlining. The Stag was built in 1483, and we were upstairs in the old Pie-Poudre court room (“pieds poudrés” roughly translates as the ‘dusty feet’ of a non-resident), which is supposedly haunted, so it was a really atmospheric night with a distinctly spooky feeling. The dark wood panels, creaking door and wonky floors did nothing to dispel the creepiness! Alongside solo sets from Ellen and Tommy, Tom made his solo debut at that event as Trauerarbeit; a combination of live guitar and samples, which creates a doom-laden mix of dark ambient and industrial and eerie psychedelic sounds. Catch him in the newly opened basement of the Exchange on 19th September for Camemberts Box of Delights, supporting Malefic Grip with Beheading.

Liz continues to gig with her improv ensemble Viridian, who have a debut release due out soon. Ellen even guested as vocalist for a recent gig when vocalist Dali de Saint Paul couldn’t make it! So yes, we are all very active outside of Dead Space Chamber Music too.

How about recordings, anything happening?
Yes, we have been doing some recording in a thirteenth century church in rural Gloucestershire, St Kenelm’s in Sapperton. The churches Conservation Trust helped us to find this perfect location; it’s a very special sacred space with a wonderful acoustic. In fact, we drove all around South Gloucestershire, Somerset, Bath, and visited lots of tiny churches not in active use, cared for by the charity. It was a really moving experience, encountering each new church, and the excitement and sense of discovery finding them was oddly addictive!

In the two days we spent there we recorded two pieces towards our second album that we have been developing live, and we hope to add another 4 or 5 tracks to this for a release next year. Our sound recordist, Tom Berry, used reel-to-reel tape as well as digital. The funny thing was, the digital recording kept crashing, and so in the end the tape recordings were essential! We also took an exciting step into collaboration, and on the second day we recorded a 20-minute improv with Tommy – a new experience all round. There wasn’t time for try-outs, we just jumped straight into it, and came out with one single recording 20 mins long. So far, we have taken one section of this, titled it Strange Seas, and will release it as the first in what we hope will be a series of collaborations between artists who have a Dark Alchemy involvement, hopefully also recorded in interesting spaces.

Meanwhile, you’ve produced some fabulous live happenings, tell us about your next event?
Thank you! Yes, we have been very moved by the support for the Dark Alchemy event series. There’s lots of exciting cultural activity in Bristol, yet it seems there’s always room for more! We were really encouraged by the success of Dark Alchemy III last September we were emboldened to think bigger! Especially as this year is the 50th anniversary of the Churches Conservation Trust, who care so well for the historic churches and crypts where we hold many of our events. We proudly raise money for the charity to help keep these special sacred spaces open, and fulfilling a community and cultural purpose, for all.

Dark Alchemy is now our ‘flagship’ event in a way, with smaller Dark Alchemy Presents… events running throughout the year, and this year’s Dark Alchemy IV on the 28th of September will be our first festival. We are returning to the stunning Church of St Thomas The Martyr (right next to The Fleece, if you have never been there), and can’t wait to fill the interior with dark, eerie and intense sounds!

We are very excited about the line-up as there will be several firsts; we are presenting co-headlining artists from Berlin playing for the first time in Bristol; Vincenzo Gagliardi aka The Nent (immersive dark audio-visual) presenting cinematic dark-ambient with live drumming, and Guiseppe Capriglione aka Skrei (ambient / noise) who will be immersing us in understated atmospheric electronic soundscapes.

From here in Bristol there will be ourselves Dead Space Chamber Music (dark neoclassical / ritual), with live-coding artist Theskyisthinaspaperhere (ambient electronica / post-rock) fresh from playing a Supernormal set in the woods, returning artist New Haunts (dark wave) who this year supported Kælan Mikla, and the debut performance of black metal / modular synth hybrid Xurguine (black ambient). From elsewhere in the UK there will be Nicola Serra aka Il Santo Bevitore (curator of Dronica Festival, ethnographic ritual ambient from London / Sardinia), a Bristol debut for the acclaimed Manchester duo Trianglecuts (industrial / witch house, “one to watch for 2019”: Louder Than War) and new incarnation BÀS (witch / doom from Cheltenham).

We think it will be very special to experience each of these performances in the setting of St Thomas, and how each will exist in the space.

Do you feel that the festival is growing, can you foresee a need to find a bigger venue that’s still in keeping with the festival theme?
We love that our events are held in such unique spaces including crypts and churches, immersing audiences in the acoustics, aesthetic and atmosphere of each. Our priority is a feeling of intimacy and an almost ceremonial aspect of communicating with the space itself, and we are cautious not to lose that. We want every single person to feel their part in making the moment what it is, that each person is engaged with the space and sound they are sharing the experience of. And the fact that we perform ourselves for us is part of this feeling, our own personal immersion.

We all have our music projects and daily jobs, and so timewise we are not likely to become full-time promoters. Having said that, it’s possible that Dark Alchemy could be scaled up or expanded on in some creative ways, for example through releases and merch, by using multiple venues, by integrating more visual / interdisciplinary aspects, using new adventurous settings, or through collaborations. We are already experimenting with the latter idea, by collaborating with the annual Bats Ball this October. We will host a special Sunday Service at St John on the Wall on the 20th in the daytime, following on the main event at Arnos Vale Cemetery on the 19th. The event will feature talks by Bats Ball curators Dan Flew and Kate Cherrell on Horseshoe Bats and Burial Symbolism, live sound integrating sampled bat calls by Ellen, Tom and Tommy, and topping the bill will be early music / Renaissance ensemble Rosafresca. An exciting first for us all!

Do you get a sense that you have a lot of regulars who keep coming back each year?
Audiences in Bristol have a plenty of choice, so it means a lot to us when people attend. It inspires us to keep creating something special. We do feel that a kind of core audience is forming, yes, some same faces are reappearing at every event which is great, it means we are doing something right! As well as that, the attendance lists show that at each event new people are finding us and then returning, so to be growing and broadening our audience is exciting!

Most attendees don’t think twice about the work going on behind the scenes, how much of your lives does it take up?
As much as it needs, really! We want to produce things the best we can. We don’t count the hours so it’s probably more than we think! Having said that, we love being surprised when things that we haven’t planned ourselves come our way. Like how we recently got invited to play on an amazing bill at The Cube on October 9th with Stereocilia supporting Some Became Hollow Tubes, a new project by members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and This Quiet Army. That will be a great night!

We have also been invited to submit tracks to two compilations this year; Puraka, the first in a trio of themed releases by Modern Bön (Berlin), and on a new release by Avon Terror Corps, to be announced soon. There are lots of great artists featured on both releases, we recommend you checking them out.

Without wanting to put you in an awkward spot, anyone on the bill you’re particularly looking forward to or are thrilled to have on the bill?
We are thrilled that Skrei and The Nent coming over from Germany especially for this, it’s not part of a tour or something like that. You usually see them playing at great and intriguing events, for example in August performed at the Yaga Gathering deep in the forests of Lithuania. As well as creating striking individual performances, they collaborate on experimental labels Metzger Therapie and Modern Bön, and run event series which has hosted Phurpa, Corps, Vomir, and Treha Sektori. They are such interesting and accomplished artists; it will be great to bring them to Bristol. We met them when we shared the bill with them at Dronica Festival in December year, and it’s through that connection that the pulse-raising Il Santo Bevitore joins the bill too. In fact, when Vince (The Nent) came up to us after we played live and said he’d enjoyed it, we gave him one of our t-shirts and he wore it while playing his own set! Soon after he messaged us to say he’d love to come to Bristol to share a bill and so straight away Dark Alchemy IV started taking shape!

Talking about the bill, what about selecting acts, how do you guys decide whether an act fits the feel of the event (is there a checklist!)?
A musical diversity of acts from within a broadly defined ‘dark-scene’ is important, and that a certain atmosphere brings them together is always paramount. We have been inspired by the city-based festivals we have attended in mainland Europe too, namely Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, and the Wroclaw Industrial Festival in Poland. Both incorporate interesting spaces, with exciting programming by dedicated groups of people who are committed to both the heritage and future of the music genres involved.

When we are planning a Dead Space Chamber Music set, we think about the space we will be in, and select combinations of works with an aim to make the strongest connection to the setting as possible, and so that the performance feels fluid, like a kind of ritual arc. We are probably approaching Dark Alchemy nights in a similar way, considering musical elements and arranging them that way.

What else is happening on the day?
Before we open the doors, Phil Vickey from the in-Tune show on BCFM will be featuring artists from the festival on his lunchtime show. In fact, Ellen did an in-depth interview (and some spontaneous a cappella singing!) with him recently at St Thomas Church, and segments from this may will feature in a couple of his shows in advance of the event, so listen out for that. We are hoping to release a compilation album featuring all the artists ahead of the event, and on the day of the event the audience will be able to buy special souvenir programmes / ‘Zines featuring specially created visual art and photography. There will be a small dark market of arts and crafts by local makers, plus a merch stall. Between performances we will be projecting beautiful images of the church itself from the Churches Conservation Trusts own visual archive, which are not usually viewable by the public. We will even be presenting our own Dark Alchemy brew! A seasonal spiced liqueur…specially created to a secret recipe!

Tell us about the link with the Churches Conservation Trust?
The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) are the country’s main trust for looking after and promoting the use of historic church properties, with more than 350 Grade 1 listed buildings in their care. Since they first allowed us to hold an event in the crypt of St John on the Wall in 2017, we have had a positive relationship with them, who have been very encouraging and supportive. They have liked the way that we appreciate the spaces so much and really integrate them into the whole event – the spaces are really the stars of the show! And so, the Dark Alchemy event series has really developed symbiotically with them.

The CCT want the buildings to be used for cultural activity so they are relevant to the communities around them, since this will help to secure financial contributions and the future of the buildings. As a band, and as Dark Alchemy, we are proud to have raised over £850 for the charity so far and introduced new audiences to such special sites. So, while we actively support independent venues, we are also excited to move into other spaces which offer different things.

If this goes well, fancy going for two days next time?
Well, it is already in that are also holding a special Preview Event in London the night before at the Iklektik. The preview will open with a solo Site Singing set from Ellen, and then performances from Il Santo Bevitore, Skrei and The Nent will follow. This is the first time we have ventured outside of Bristol so it’s a bit of an experiment, which we hope will work well and reach out to new audiences for us. It’s another boon of having connected with the Dronica Festival and its brilliant curator Nicola Serra (Il Santo Bevitore). The Preview Event was his idea as an additional collaboration and expansion of the Dark Alchemy IV event.

Do you feel it’s something you could ever do as a Lollopalooza style tour?
So far co-curating the Dark Alchemy event series has proven to be a great way to connect to other artists in the UK and abroad, and if this leads to us doing more events outside of Bristol that would be great. The logistics of a whole tour may be beyond our reach now considering we are a small independent project, which basically gives everything we make to charity (the CCT) after costs are paid!

Would you consider taking sponsorship to help with the running costs?
We’ll see how things develop from here, we might come back to this at some point. Not now but we won’t rule it out.

Dark Alchemy IV is on the 28th of September at the Church of St Thomas The Martyr

Images by Kate Murt