Here is the latest news about Fields of the Nephilim, related musical projects, and the Sumerland e-list and web site. For archived news, choose from the menu at the left. To subscribe to the RSS feed, click the XML logo below.
Proving yet again that announcing a whole tour schedule at once would just be too easy, FOTN will headline the Waregem Gothic Festival in Belgium on July 26. Many thanks to our readers who continue to ferret this stuff out on their own, rather than waiting for the official site to tell us that the band is out and about.
Many apologies for the late announcement on this one, but Ticketweb is selling tickets to a two-night stint with Fields of the Nephilim at the Shepherds Bush Empire, July 12 and 13, in London. Tickets are 21 quid per night, or 45 for a two-day "VIP" ticket that includes a Sunday night aftershow party and some pretty souvenirs. Although fans are already starting to talk about gathering in London on that weekend, keep in mind these dates have not yet been officially confirmed by the band. For such things were refundable airline tickets invented.
NFD will play a gig in Dublin, Ireland on June 27 at Fibber Magee's. The show is upstairs from the Dominion club, where DJs will be on duty before and after the performance.
It looks like we could soon have a veritable cornucopia of FOTN live DVDs on our hands.
In addition to Richard Stanley's DVD of the May 24, 2007 gig at the Astoria, and recent word of a DVD featuring the band's March 1991 show in Dusseldorf, a DVD of FOTN's Dec. 30, 2007 performance at Helldone is in the works. One of the main videographers on the project is Lauri Loytokoski, who runs Between Death and the Devil, the unofficial Richard Stanley Web site. Never let it be said that the FOTN world isn't some kind of very strange, if like-minded, family.
Our esteemed listowner announced this week that he has finished his third full-length musical work, "The Narcotic Trinket." For full details, you can see his MySpace announcement. As he describes it, the album is, "Almost entirely synthetic and combining dense textures with a sense of tense lucidity. There are moments of recognizable voice and music which vanish into the shadows." And, of course, you can hear samples on MySpace.
In addition, Peter Yates' band, The Dukes of Hazardous Waste (I still love that name) have also set up shop on MySpace and Carbon Logic. You can hear samples at both sites. Go listen.
Listmembers have been discussing the Dusseldorf DVD and its potential quality recently. We still don't know much, but this isn't a pure crowd bootleg -- it was recorded by the archivists at Rockpalast. The folks at Rockpalast updated their web site in January of this year with information on the setlist from the Dusseldorf show, which you can see here, along with what look like screen captures from the performance.
And speaking of live shows, NFD has put together a USA Street Team, ostensibly in the hope of playing some live shows in America at some point. Fans can show their support for this fantastic idea by befriending the Street Team on on MySpace. (P.S. -- don't forget about their show this week in Brighton!)
Sumerland friends Emmanuel and Asdis both wrote in this morning because it looks like Fields of the Nephilim will return to Helsinki this summer for the Tuska Festival, June 27 to 29, 2008. The Nephs will play June 28 before headliners Morbid Angel. The whole fest looks like an excellent lineup.
Emmanuel spotted the likely DVD artwork for the "Live in Dusseldorf" disc over at Zavvi, which is listing a release date of May 26. Ande Tucker confirmed recently that this is likely the show FOTN played in the German city March 31, 1991. Were any of you at that show? What was it like? We know very little about the DVD at this point, so any information about the quality of the gig would be useful.
The Eden House's Tony Pettitt and Steve Carey announced this week that the FOTN diaspora supergroup has signed a record contract with Jungle Records and intends to release an album before the end of this year.
More specifically, "We are aiming to complete recording and mixing by the end of July and the release will happen as soon as the release schedule dictates ... We are continuing to find new artists to collaborate on The Eden House, some of whom may come as a surprise ..."
I can't be the only ones wondering if they'll play live.
In the meantime, you can listen to their current tunes over on MySpace.
Saints of Eden are joining in the Maytime London fun with a gig May 16 at Slimelight. With NFD.
A moment of silence, please: This is the first time in years that all four bands -- FOTN, LR, SOE, and NFD -- were scheduled to play gigs, let alone within days of one another. I'm just waiting for the Dukes of Hazardous Waste to announce something ...
Mysteriously, HMV's UK site is listing a new DVD, "Fields of the Nephilim Live in Dusseldorf," due for release May 26. Play.com and Zavvi.co.uk are also listing it. Far as we can tell, FOTN last played Dusseldorf in March of 1991. I'm trying to get clarification on this, but if anyone knows anything, send it over.
Listmember Ande Tucker has posted an extensive blog entry about his trip to Athens to see FOTN, which you can see here. Among other things, it includes his right-place, right-time encounter with most of the band in a pre-gig pub visit.
Jonybright tipped us off to a higher-res video of "Wail of Sumer/And There Will Your Heart Be Also," for those of you itching for more views of this amazing performance:
NFD has announced yet another gig in April, this one (on April 24, in London, at Slimelight) an album-release party for "Deeper Visions."
And, you knew it'd only be a matter of time before videos of the "Wail of Sumer/And There Will Your Heart Be Also" performance turned up on YouTube. And so they have. Here they are (many thanks to Manolis for sending these):
Easter Sunday brings us this review of the Warsaw show, which the reviewer makes sound as though it were some kind of bad acid trip. I've also archived this review in the Press section, in which something strange has happened -- the interviews and articles have gotten fewer and farther between, but the last handful of articles have been gig reviews. Right on.
Courtesy of listmember Demeter Vekris, the setlist from tonight's show in Athens:
Main set:Shroud
Straight to the Light
Zoon III (Wake World)
Penetration
Watchman
Requiem
Xiberia
Dawnrazor
Psychonaut
Last Exit for the Lost
Encore:
Moonchild
Mourning Sun
The first of two Fields of the Nephilim shows in Athens, Greece did not disappoint. Here's the set list, per Razorious in the Dawnrazor.co.uk forums:
Main set:Shroud
Straight to the Light
Moonchild
Penetration
Dawnrazor
Requiem
Xiberia
Last Exit for the Lost
Psychonaut
Encore:
Wail of Sumer/And There Will Your Heart Be Also
... Yes. Really.
Oh, and Last Rites will play live in Wolverhampton on May 23 with opening band Sugarfiend. At the Gifford Arms, the night before the NFD gig (with Rhombus). The 24th Moment apparently has a sequel ...
FOTN's show in Warsaw last night is getting excellent reviews from fans who were there (scroll down in the forum to see a close-up shot of Carl in action). For the many of us who couldn't be there, there's always the setlist and YouTube:
Main set:Shroud
Straight to the Light
Zoon III
Penetration
Dawnrazor
Requiem
Xiberia
Last Exit
Encore:
Moonchild
Mourning Sun
"Dawnrazor," courtesy of Panzergranate:
"Moonchild":
"Mourning Sun":
And, in other news, NFD has chosen a drummer to fill Simon Rippin's stool: his name is Luca. (Sorry, couldn't resist!)
FOTN's MySpace blog announced overnight that the band will headline the Wave Gotik Treffen Festival March 11 in Leipzig, Germany. This news isn't confirmed on the official WGT site, but you can swing over there to find out who else is scheduled to play during the four-day event.
NFD's newest album, "Deeper Visions," is due out April 28. Ande offers a splendid review over on MySpace for those of you slavering to find out how it is. In addition, Laura tipped us off to a couple of new NFD dates in the offing, including April 27 in Brighton and May 24 in Wolverhampton (a 24th Moment anniversary gig arranged by the Dawnrazor forums' one and only Wild Bill Buttock). More details on these gigs at the Live page.
And for those of you who've already worn a groove in your mousepad checking out the Peter Yates tunes on MySpace, you can hear more of his work, under the moniker Dukes of Hazardous Waste, on carbonlogic.co.uk.
We are now just days away from the FOTN gigs in Warsaw and Athens. No more have been announced, but we're looking forward to finding out how these ones go...
Remember Peter Yates? For years we knew little about where he was. At any rate, he has resurfaced, on MySpace no less, with an album's worth of tunes you can hear. Many thanks for the ever-vigilant Dragon for ferreting this out. And lest we forget the other long-lost member of FOTN, Ande reports that Gary Whisker may also emerge on MySpace in the near future.
Maybe this is overly optimistic of me, but I added a new section: Live. With the number of times a year NFD and SOE play out, combined with the recent spate of Neph gigs and the not-impossible prospect that Last Rites could play again, I thought it would be a good idea to have a place where fans could go to see everything in one area. I can't promise it will always be 100% up to date, but I'll do my best.
I also removed the blasted FAQ link, since we've never had one and, while it's a grand dream of mine to do one someday, it's probably best not listed until it exists.
We're having a little trouble getting used to this, but the
official site now confirms two dates in Athens, March 21 and 22, and
promises more dates to come. In the meantime, check out the wicked poster
for the Gagarin 205 gigs, and click on it to see a larger version. (Thanks
to Manolis and Emmanuel for sending it my way.)
There's a different poster on view at the official site, which shows the other bandmembers ... sort of. Nonetheless, it's good news, if for no other reason than Greek fans have never had the band play in their country.
Anyone want to start taking bets on where the next gigs will be scheduled? They can't all be so far east, can they?
Last.fm is now listing a second date with FOTN and Opened Paradise in Greece on March 22, 2008. In addition, one of our readers got confirmation from FOTN management that the Athens show (or shows, as the case may be) will be confirmed on the official site soon.
Could more FOTN gigs be in the works? A reader sent in this Last.fm link, which says the band will play in Athens, Greece on March 21 at a club called Gagarin 205. The opener is listed as the Athens-based gothic band Opened Paradise.
Shortcut.pl is now offering tickets for the Fields of the Nephilim Warsaw gig to non-Polish buyers on a presale basis. Purchasers can use either PayPal (with a small fee) or pay by bank transfer. Email Bartek Labuda to find out more about payment. Tickets cost €35,75.
The official FOTN site's news page was updated overnight to announce the March 15 show in Warsaw and provide a wrap-up on the Dec. 30 Helsinki gig. It also includes a few new details, and we hope Mr. McCoy won't mind us quoting directly:
Other shows are pending for late spring, in exciting and interesting places where the Nephilim experience awaits. Get those passports and sea legs a ready, these destinations and events will be unmissable.
You heard the man. :)
McCoy also said that the band played "Psychonaut" at Helldone in honor of Austin Osman Spare's birthday. Is anyone else wondering whose birthday it has to be before we get to hear "Sumerland/And There Will Your Heart Be Also" live? Juuust kidding. Sort of.
I know few of you read Polish, but trust us, this site suggests that FOTN will play in Poland on March 15, 2008. The venue, Stodola, at ul. Batorego 10 in Warsaw. You can find out a little more at last.fm. We don't need to tell you that this isn't a sure thing until it's confirmed by the band, do we?
In the meantime, UK fans hungry for live music can check out Saints of Eden on Saturday (Jan. 26) in at Rainbow, located at 160 High Street Deritend in Birmingham.
More bummer news: Peter "Bob" White announced on the NFD forum late last week that Simon Rippin is leaving the band. Bob reports, "Circumstances, not least the recent passing of his mother has led to this hard decision. All his friends in the band and at Jungle are very sad about this news but we also realise this is the best move for him and hasn't been an easy decision to make."
Bob also promises that NFD will continue with a new drummer. *sigh of relief* Follow the link for more from Bob; thanks to Laura for letting us know this was out there.
Sad news today: The O Lado Negro Bar, the only bar in the world devoted to the music and imagery of Fields of the Nephilim, closed its doors Saturday night. You can read OLB's MySpace blog for a complete explanation behind the reasons for the closure, but essentially it was never a money-making business, and its owners decided they wanted to spend their non-work hours with friends and family (rather than doing more work). We can't but wish them all the best, and hope someone else, in another far-flung city, might be inspired to take up the torch.
Goth- and punk-scene writer Mick Mercer has opened an eBay store to auction off items from his massive collection of memorabilia. If you poke through, you can find a number of FOTN-related items. Thanks to Mark for ferreting this one out.
Lots of videos from the Helldone show have been circulating on MySpace and YouTube in the past several days. MySpace user Asdis has several clips here, if you want to swing by and watch. YouTube user helmaniac has posted four more over here, along with clips from HIM and other bands that played over the New Year's weekend. Check out part of "Psychonaut" below:
If you have further vids, photos or reviews you'd like to share with us, please send them over!
Some of you noticed that the Sumerland e-list stopped transmitting messages sometime around Solstice. The list has been resurrected on yahoogroups; orphaned listmembers may go there to rejoin the discussion.
FOTN's manager, Rob Ferguson, recently offered an update to Obskure's Emmanuel Hennequin, including several tidbits of promising information:
- The band hopes to play more shows in 2008
- The lineup for the Helsinki show included Gizz Butt on guitar, Gav King
on guitar, John "Capachino" Carter on bass, and Lee Newell on drums
- The Helsinki gig was completely sold to capacity (800 people) and offered
some new merchandise
For more information, including Ferguson's effort to quell some naughty things fans were saying about the show, see this thread on Dawnrazor.
Also, don't forget that you can check out Saints of Eden January 12 at Esquires in Bedford. The long-awaited release of their new video, "The Price Ya Gotta Pay," is due late this month. We'll post an update when it's out!
Ruben, a Spanish FOTN fan, sent us his gallery of photos from Sunday night's Helsinki gig. If you were there and took snapshots, please let us know!
In addition, I moved most of 2007's news into the archive. Come on, lads, make some new news!
Carl McCoy and company emerged from the Arctic darkness last night to perform at the Helldone Festival. Emmanuel, our friend at Obskure magazine, attended and sent us the setlist:
- Shroud [Exordium]
Straight to the Light
Penetration
Dawnrazor
For Her Light
Requiem [le Veilleur Silencieux]
Xiberia
Moonchild
Last Exit for the Lost
- Encores:
Psychonaut
Mourning Sun
We wish everyone a happy and safe New Year!
Jungle Records sent out a newsletter yesterday letting everyone know that NFD's release schedule was a little, uh, ambitious and offered revised dates for the new single and mini-album. "When the Sun Dies" is now due out Feb. 25, 2008, followed by "Deeper Visions" March 31. NFD is slated to play gigs in the UK in March and April, followed by a European tour beginning in April.
Also, Bob White came out of hiding and sent us the setlist for NFD's set during the Florence show:
- Omen
Light My Way
My Possession
Turbine
Stronger
Darkness Falls
One Moment Between Us
Psychonaut
Lastly, you can now see photos from each of the sets here:
NFD
Last Rites
Saints of Eden
Oracle of Zahyrus
