Siouxsie Suicide's 2023 comeback involves intimate gigs, technical preparations, and live remixing. Their diverse sound, influenced by punk, industrial, and pop culture, navigates a DIY ethos with 21st-century technology. Explore their unique journey and upcoming projects!
1. Siouxsie Suicide is making a comeback in
2023! Can you share some insights into what the band has been up to lately,
especially after spending Halloween in Scarbados?
2023 was about getting back on stage and playing
some small, intimate gigs to get the live groove back. As an electronics based
band there is a huge amount of preparation for each gig to ensure things go
smoothly on stage and a lot of technical run throughs. As opposed to a lot of
our peers who use a fixed backing track for every show, SIOUXSIE do a lot of
rebuilding and reworking between shows to keep things different, and remix
stuff live. This year saw us being offered gigs with longer set lengths, so
there was also a lot of working out how to fit some different material into the
live show and how to make those songs work in the new live format. Plus working
out all the visuals and triggering of video live has been really interesting
and added a lot to the live environment.
2. The latest digital single, "Cheaper Than Suicide," was released in
December 2022. How has the response been, and what can fans expect from the
upcoming audio due for mixing and release in 2023?
Confused! Cheaper Than Suicide was originally
planned to be released under the moniker SS22 as it is quite a lot more
electronic sounding than the previous SIOUXSIE stuff that people had heard.
Which is why it was put out just on its own. It was a bit of a placeholder to
let people know that something was brewing......which led to “Rock N Roll
Radio” released in September 23 and sounding completely different. This EP was
recorded over Halloween 22 and really captures the current SIOUXSIE live sound.
The rest of those sessions are sketched in to be released at some point in
2025.
3. Siouxsie Suicide's sound is described as an evil concoction of Punk Rock,
Industrial Electronics, Pop Culture, and Urban Decay. How do these elements
come together to create your unique musical identity?
SIOUXSIE is definitely unique. Which has often
been a drawback – too punk for the goths, too electronic for the metalheads,
etc. And you need to be in on the joke. Everything is DIY, and rough is fine,
which gives that punk rock edge to everything. Hence the “High octane, low
standards” tagline. And in the early days everything was cut and pasted or
sampled to get that 90s industrial vibe, and we still use some sampled guitars
along with all the little Easter Egg samples to make people think they have
heard this before...
4. Could you tell us about the creative process behind your music, especially
in fusing the DIY spirit of '77 with 21st-century technology?
SIOUXSIE tracks generally begin in one of two ways
– a simple 3 chord guitar part, or a programmed drum loop. If we start with a
guitar idea the first thing to do is sample it. Then play with some drum
grooves. So we have that very punk rock basic building block of a riff or line
that is played as a starting sketch, but then you get to play with the speed
etc later on. On the “Rock N Roll EP”, that was the first time we recorded with
full tracks! So we recorded the electronic stuff first, then laid a one take
bassline over it, then a one take guitar, then a one take vocal. There is no
editing afterwards – one shot and you're done!
5. The band's lineup seems to have a rotating cast for live performances. How does this dynamic influence your stage presence and the overall energy during shows?
Yes, the live setup has never been stable. There
is always an energy there, but it is different depending on the lineup. The
vibe and sound changes a lot. When we were a full 4 piece we had more of a
gothic rock / metal type of vibe. As a 3 piece we were a bit more spiky punk.
When we do stuff just as a duo it is a lot more rock n roll, and the solo shows
are a lot more industrial.
6. "Any Questions?" has been described as a pretty angry-sounding
demo. What themes or influences drive your songwriting, and how do you navigate
the balance between aggression and catchiness?
SIOUXSIE was born in a small town with high
unemployment and drug use. A lot of the lyrical themes stem from this. Death,
suicide, hopelessness, drug use etc and the anger that that builds towards the
machine. We definitely become more angry with the live versions where people
focus in on the vocals, when writing the focus is always on the music first.
7. The use of guitars, synthesizers, samplers, and fx racks is a distinctive
aspect of Siouxsie Suicide's sound. How do you ensure each song maintains its
own identity within this diverse sonic palette?
Most of our songs are written using different
gear. We dont have a fixed system of writing and don't use templates like a lot
of electronic producers. We just start from scratch with a drum sound or guitar
line, etc and then begin every song like it is its own seperate piece. We use a
lot of physical machines for synths and FX as opposed to using sofware or
plugins.
8. Siouxsie Suicide is known for wearing sunglasses after dark, drinking too
much sambuca, and playing 3 chord punk songs on 5 string guitars. How do these
aspects contribute to the band's image and live performances?
We always wear sunglasses on stage. Always. We
still love sambucca, but the “Rock N Roll” sessions were mainly fuelled by rum!
Live, we like a beer or two to oil the machine and currently favour 5 string
guitars. Wearing black is out and combat gear is in, as are cowboy hats and
shirts.
9. "Just Another Junkie" and "Machines" showcase different facets of your sound. Can you delve into the diversity within your music and how it keeps your audience engaged?
We have both kinds of music! “Too Much TV” reviews
basically said we had the angry metal guitar songs, the sexy industrial club
music, and some dark goth rock stuff in between. I think we also have the pure
party rock n roll songs and the full on electro soundscapes. Hopefully no one
quite knows what to expect, and the songs all morph and twist over time anyway.
We don't play stuff the same way all the time, it's all an evolution.
10. The band's media links include Facebook, Bandcamp, and YouTube. How
important is digital presence for Siouxsie Suicide, and how do you connect with
your audience through these platforms?
Yes, we use bandcamp and Soundcloud for people to
be able to hear the studio stuff. We have a couple of songs on Spotify purely
as placeholders and have no plans to add anything else on there. Spotify sucks.
Youtube is probably the most useful place because video isn't something that
everyone else is doing.
11. Reviews have mentioned influences ranging from Ministry to Atari Teenage
Riot. How have these influences shaped your music, and are there other artists
that have played a significant role?
We are often compared to early Ministry. I think
the first industrial music I got into was Lard, so there you go. I would say
the biggest influence on SIOUXSIE was actually the band I was in previously –
Fuzzgun Sniper. I learned a lot from them about the power of a short pop punk
song and SIOUXSIE definitely wouldn't have turned out this way without them as
a precursor.
12. Siouxsie Suicide's cover of Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law"
received attention. How do you approach covering songs, and what's the band's
take on injecting your unique sound into these renditions?
The very first SIOUXSIE gig was a local festival
with all the local bands on, and there was a gimmick where each band would play
at least one cover version. I don't think I ever even considered any other song
but “Breaking the Law”. The intention was to leave it recognisable but
subverted. That song has one of the most iconic guitar riffs, but we just left
that part out! Since then there have been numerous covers in the pipeline, most
of which never see the light of day, but the ones that make it to the live set
have to mean something to the band and have some sort of core piece that can be
ripped out and kept whilst the rest is discarded and rebuilt in a way that
would hopefully upset the original artist.
13. The band has been associated with terms like "dark and sexy."
How intentional is the incorporation of these elements into your music, and
what message or vibe do you aim to convey?
There is certainly no intention to project sexy!
But yes the word “dark” does get used a lot to describe SIOUXSIEs sound.
Lyrically the subject matter tends to be that way, but the music is just what
comes along. Vibe wise, as long as it has a groove or a hook it's in.
14. Reflecting on past performances and reviews, are there any standout moments
or challenges that have significantly impacted the band's journey?
The biggest impact on SIOUXSIEhas always come from
technology. Either because we now have it, or because we don't! We gave up on
live shows for a long time because we couldn't achieve the sound and therefore
the performance we wanted in a live environment. As the technology evolves and
becomes cheaper then you can solve all those issues, which has allowed us to go
back out and play shows knowing it will work the way we want it to. For example
this year we have been able to use all kinds of vocal fx, live projections and
video feeds which was not possible in the “Too Much TV” era. Gigwise I think
being offered the very first festival gig before the band even existed and
being asked to open this years Goth City Festival were really key moments in
building momentum.
15. "Too Much TV E.P." received positive reviews. Can you share the
themes behind this release and how it fits into the broader narrative of
Siouxsie Suicide's discography?
“Too Much TV?” was the original demo I put out to
showcase what I was doing in my bedroom studio and try and find some other
interested parties. I really wanted to make a live band that could go out and
play but was in a very small town with a small pool of people. The 3 tracks on
there all deal with similar themes of small town frustration / desperation, the
numbness of the daily grind working for “the machine” and the methods of
escaping that. Lyrically that is a theme that has persisted throughout
everything SIOUXSIE has done and is still represented on “Rock N Roll Radio”.
16. Looking ahead, what are Siouxsie Suicide's goals for the future, and can
fans anticipate any upcoming projects or performances?
The goal for 2024 is pretty straightforward – to
play at least one show! There will be a new website and new merchandise coming
in January. We have some really good stuff recorded at the festivals we did
this year ( Goth City and Gothic Gathering) and there will hopefully be a
limited live EP release at some point, probably only for sale at gigs. Also we
will be looking at new people for the live lineup and expanding on the visuals
and projections we brought in this year. The next studio recorded EP will be “2
Much TV?” in 2025
SIOUXSIE SUICIDE | One for the money, Two for the show….. (wordpress.com)
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