INTERVIEW WITH DIONYSIS

HELLO, CAN YOU INTRODUCE US TO THE BAND?

Hiya! There's me (Nel) and Louisa on vocals, Tom takes care of guitars and programming and Marcus is on bass. Marcus is also my husband - poor fellow!

COULDN’T DECIDE IF YOU WERE GOTHMETAL OR DARKWAVE, NOT THAT IT MATTERS…..

Genres are both useful in order to provide a description of a band, and limiting at the same time. We call ourselves "Ethereal Rock" and hope that it catches on!

YOU ARE AROUND SINCE 2000, WITH TWO ALBUMS…
THERE WILL BE PEOPLE AROUND WHO ARE TELLING YOU THAT YOU’RE NOT WORKAHOLICS….

That's probably because we're hopelessly disorganised! I first met Tom as a friend in 2000 but we didn't decide to try writing music until 2001. The full line up was only settled around 2005. So in reality we've only been together 5 years, We've also released a UK -only Ltd. Ed. e.p - which has now sold out.

WELL, I KNOW VERY WELL THAT IT IS A MATTER OF MONEY TOO….
TELL ME, IS IT STILL POSSIBLE TO BE A GOTHBAND IN THE UK

It's possible to make music, and gig regularly. But if one can make a living out of it, who knows?

WHAT I MEAN IS THAT TEN YEARS AGO THERE USED TO BE SOME HUGE BRITISH GOTHSCENE AROUND…FROM NIGHTBREED TO SLIMELIGHT BUT IT SEEMS LIKE IT HAS BEEN FADING AWAY……

I guess things rise and fall in waves... But the next inspiration will come from somewhere, probably from where we least expect it.

CAN’T RESIST THE QUESTION, IF I WALK AROUND IN CAMDEN, LONDON AT THE GOTH-HEADQUARTER IT FEELS LIKE ONLY A FASHION THING…..

I always see the UK Goth heartlands as Northern, seeing as most of the influential bands hail from cities such as Leeds and Manchester our best gigs have been in Leeds and Newcastle (all in the north of England). I think Camden is a big money machine because London as a city will always be mostly about money. I have nothing against fashion in itself, as expressing yourself through music and fashion go hand in hand. However if you go via the DIY route with both fashion and music, you can choose how much you wish to involve yourself with the money-circus.

OVER HERE IN BELGIUM WE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM…
THE PRESS IS COMPLETELY IGNORING THIS SCENE, HOW DO YOU REACT TO THAT?

There are some great fanzines doing the rounds here (UnScene in print, Nocturnal online) and local press here in Sheffield have started to give us coverage which was unexpectedly nice! Mainstream press has always been fickle, so I hold no expectations. Sometimes the wind blows your way, sometimes it doesn't...

RECENTLY WORLDWIDE THE BIGGEST GOTH-ZINE GOTHTRONIC CALLED IT A DAY BY TELLING THE SCENE IS OVER….AGREE?

The scene will go through phases of strength. The UK is in an upswing at the moment, but it had to sink before it could do that. Whether there's the numbers to support the scene financially is another matter. Print media is being replace with online media which is another factor I think.

BACK TO YOUR MUSIC….”INTOXICATED” IS A RATHER MOODY ALBUM.
IS THAT A WELL THOUGHT CHOICE OR NOT?

I generally use writing songs as a way to work through stuff in my head, so it's natural that often the subject matter is often thorny. Happy things don't usually need addressing!

YOU GOT THE HELP FROM MATT HOWDEN, HOW DID YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM?

He's a friend who lives up the road :) He and Marcus used to jam together years ago as we all love making music and live in the same city, it just seems natural to fuse that together sometimes. We've played each other's album launches and he guests on our Blue Shift ep too.

AS FOR YOUR MUSIC, HOW DO YOU SEE THAT…CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL OR IS THERE MORE BEHIND IT?
I MEAN, SOMETIMES I HATE IT IF THERE’S MORE BEHIND IT AS BEAUTY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF…..

I want to create something that people can emotionally resonate with and something that matters to someone. Writing-music-as-therapy is awesome because you get to take something brutal and ugly inside, and turn it into something that people can enjoy and perhaps feel like someone out there feels the same way sometimes.

I GUESS IT’S NOT EASY FOR A BRITISH UNKNOWN GOTHBAND TO BOOK GIGS OVER HERE, BUT IS THERE SOMETHING PLANNED YET?

We would love to tour Europe but so far no promoters have approached us and we can't afford to risk taking time out from our jobs on the off-chance that there would be an audience! I guess local promoters would know if there was the demand to see us or not...

WANNA ASK YOU A SIMPLE BUT NAUGHTY QUESTION….
WHY HAVE YOU FALLEN IN LOVE WITH MUSIC?

Because music has the power to transport you emotionally and psychologically. It can be both an escapism and a tool to address problems. Walking around with music in your headphones can make the world more bearable. I love to express myself through writing songs, it's such a buzz.

THANKS FOR THE INTERVIEW , I LEAVE THE LAST WORDS TO YOU…..

Thanks for interviewing us! It's great to know that there are people out there who are as enthusiastic about their music as we are :)