This four-piece postpunk/darkwave live act first made their dark debut through ALT a few months back. Now they’re ready to launch their self-titled EP through us at A Ritual Gathering Halloween.
Influenced by iconic 80s acts like Sisters of Mercy and Fields of Nephilim, LIFE CULT channel the romantic tradition of goth’s first wave. We had a quick chat with the band ahead of their launch on October 16 at Badlands Bar.
How did LIFE CULT come together, as band?
It was actually just an idle suggestion, like a throwaway comment on a Facebook post “…oh we should start a goth band…”, and then we actually went and did it. Chris (Bass) and Tom (Guitar) started writing together before COVID-19, then further down the track we invited Alex to do vocals and finally brought Marco in to handle the synths and drum machines.
You’re all from different musical backgrounds, but are mates that all share a common bond of loving old-school goth. What influences drew you all towards wanting to form this project?
We’ve all played in other bands in a lot of different genres in the past. Some of us make music on our own too, but we just wanted to do something rooted in goth and post-punk because it’s music that we all love and it’s really fun to play. We’re all big fans of bands like Fields Of The Nephilim because they have so much cool atmosphere and they incorporate so many interesting sounds and styles. Goth music has a really diverse palette and it gives us plenty of room to incorporate the electronic elements with the more traditional post-punk stuff.
You’re launching your self-titled EP at A Ritual Gathering Halloween. Why was this the ideal setting for the launch?
We’ve played shows for Hearts Of Darkness before and they’ve always got killer line-ups and atmosphere; it’s really awesome to be able to play the kind of music we do in Perth and have spaces and promoters and other bands and artists that are on a similar wavelength. Plus a Halloween show is obviously the best place to launch your EP if you’re a goth band.
Can you delve into ‘Apparition’ (the debut single) for us, both musically and lyrically?
‘Apparition’ is the first single off the EP, and one of the first songs we wrote together. It’s pretty straightforward instrumentally; we just wanted to write something that would set the tone a bit and show people what we’re about. We asked Alex if he could write some lyrics about being in love with a ghost (a genre classic for obvious reasons) and he did just that.
What would be your ideal Perth gig?
Eleventh He Reaches London reunion at the Hydey front bar, playing ‘The Good Fight For Harmony’ in full.