With a few live shows set for early 2024, we interviewed the band back in the summer and kept it until now closer to the shows to whet your appetite for what’s to come in 2024. Get your pancake 13 corpsepaint on and paint those nails black. As the dry ice wafts under the door ladies and gentlemen the finest modern Goth band currently making records are in the house and the best way to bring the curtain down on 2023. Ladies & Gentlemen we bring you…Then Comes Silence
Can you take us back to the beginning of the band? Where did it start and what was it like playing the kind of music you do, was there a supportive scene back home?
Alex
The band was formed in 2012 and released its debut album the same year, a slightly forgotten record these days. We don’t play any of the songs from that album live. In the beginning, the music was more noise rock-ish with a lot of psych influences. The sound was gritty and more doomy than gloomy. The scene wasn’t big up here. If it hadn’t been for the Germans who started embracing us in 2015 we probably would have broken up the band.
Jonas
I joined the band 2015, after the release of Nyctophilian. The scene in Stockholm is relatively small but supportive for sure. I remember very well when we recorded the music video for Strangers at a live show in Stockholm. Good times!
The band has evolved over the years and had several line-up changes or additions to the band. Did you feel it needed to grow to get the sounds you wanted?
Jonas
The sound is constantly evolving, it would be boring otherwise. The changes in our lineup did not have anything to do with the sound, but It had an impact on it later on. Different people, with different ideas and musical backgrounds. It’s a part of the growing process I guess.
During lockdown, you did a series of eps with some exceptional covers. How did you choose what to record and is there a particular favourite looking back? I love your Lords cover do you think the eps will ever get a vinyl pressing? Did the lockdowns help your writing or was the isolation a hindrance you appeared to adapt really well to working in a new way.
Jonas
Our tour for ‘Machine’ was canceled because of the lockdowns, it was way too early to start working on a new album, and with nothing else to do, we started to make some covers, just for fun. It turned out good so we released them on digital platforms. We basically chose songs we liked, and that we thought would be interesting to make our version of.
Alex
We decided quite early to not let the lockdown stop us. We had a new album out and had to find a way to promote it. The live streams turned out to be our salvation. The EPs go hand in hand with the rest of the situation around the lockdowns and restrictions. The tours were constantly being postponed so we came up with the idea of making a digital project. It was some kind of way to improve the songwriting for the band. A study of other people’s music.
You have a tonne of videos on the Internet. Do you enjoy the process of making music videos? How important to the band are the accompanying videos?
Jonas
It’s a lot of work, but fun indeed. Visuals are very important for spreading the songs.
Hugo
I don’t think making videos is something very enjoyable, but they are very important. For me music is very visual, I need to see how the band looks, and if I don’t like it, probably i’ll never enjoy their music. Also, a music video is like a mini movie that takes you into the band’s world, to me it’s a much more complete experience that just listening to the record. I mean, when you go to a concert, you don’t close your eyes, right?
You’ve been touring pretty solidly since lockdown was lifted. How do audiences differ from say the UK to the USA to Europe? Is the scene stronger in certain countries?
Alex
We’ve experienced an exciting and growing goth scene in the US. I hope it spills over to the EU and the UK.
Jonas
The scene in Europe is very supportive and awesome, but it needs new blood or it will be gone in 20 years. When we toured in USA with Vision Video we got to experience a young and hungry crowd of baby bats. I hope we can have the same in Europe soon.
As far as songwriting goes how is that split between the band? Do you write all the time or just in the lead-up to recording an album?
Alex
I basically make music all the time. I bring my “book of lyrics” everywhere I go and the gear is always set up for recording back home in my writing studio.
Jonas
Alex writes the songs, and we make the finishing arrangements and touches together.
You’ve been going over a decade and have released records solidly over that period. The sound has evolved through each record do you think you have settled on the definitive “Then Comes Silence” sound now?
Jonas
No, as stated in the previous question, that would be boring. TCS will always be and sound like TCS, but it’s fun to try new things and we can’t make the same albums over and over again.
Alex
The sound has to change because we constantly change a bit as people. The places we go to and stay in change a lot too. The music is an expression of the world we live in.
You’ve announced some UK shows for 2024 is it more difficult to come here since Brexit compared to getting into the States or playing mainland Europe?
Hugo
Of course, it’s more difficult to tour in the UK since Brexit. That’s the reason why many bands don’t tour in the UK anymore. It’s not like they don’t want to go, it’s Brexit that doesn’t make it easy. We’re making four shows in the next round, but we would like to make many more. About the States, it has always been difficult and expensive to tour there for us, even more than in the post-brexit UK.
Will there be a new album by the time you hit the UK?
Alex
We’re working on new music as we speak, but it won’t be released until later unfortunately, but who knows… if we’re lucky and finish in time we might have a single for the UK in January.
Where will people get the best of Then Comes Silence live or on record where are you most comfortable? Studio or live.
Jonas
I believe we’re fine in both situations, but we prefer live.
The artwork is very striking on all the albums is the visual side of your art something you enjoy creating?
Alex
I’m quite privileged and know how to work with ink and paper, so we have to use that for the band. It’s complementary to the band’s music. Jonas has a great eye for graphics and design so nothing passes without his approval.
Jonas
Yes, everything is connected. The music, the videos, the artwork. We enjoy creating.
Alex is a talented illustrator and I have a background as a graphical designer/artworker, and am also a hobby photographer. Alex is the nonstop working mastermind, full of ideas, and me and Hugo are doing our best to keep up
Recent Comments