The Cure, Mogwai, Anathema, Radiohead, Fantomas, Baby Bird, Nick Cave, Bruce Springsteen, The Edge, The Cramps, My Dying Bride, Jesus Lizard, Isis, Mr Bungle, The Doors, The Clash, Tom Waits
Sounds Like
"Anthemic psych-rock ... dark yet lively" London Lite
"Surprisingly danceable gothic rock" The Guardian
"Makes me want to dance and cry ... reminds me of what is important" Christian Smith-Pancorvo, French Car/ex-Razorlight, NME
It started in Wiltshire: George on guitar, Andy on violin and me on piano, playing "ghost-goth". Headed for London via Reading we found Gus, fresh back from three months in the White Sands desert where he'd developed an addiction to dub music; hooking him up with Alex - a drummer with a penchant for liqueous rock and a plant in his cupboard - we left them jamming to look for a bassist. But by the time John turned up, George and Andy had disappeared, taking the folk element of the music with them. Pretty soon we were playing "psychedelic gothic dub".
It was around this time that we met Kicks Joy Darkness, a post-punk outfit from the London live circuit. We began renting a basement rehearsal room in Kentish Town which we called The Oubliette on account of its total lack of natural light. That one lasted about four months; we left it covered in KJD's weird marker-pen cartoons and some red paint footprints courtesy of myself. We soon found another place though: Unit 13 on Hackey Marsh, a vast industrial unit with no hot water, no shower and no neighbours – apart from the butchers who turned up at dawn on weekdays to chuck raw meat about. It was perfect. After a couple of months we decided to take the experiment a step further and actually live there.
The full story of what happened in that year - the pure Lynchian weirdness, the terrible tragedy which befell us all, and the wonderful music that came out of it - can be found on the album ‘Unit 13’, available from CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com) and all good digital retailers including i-Tunes and Amazon. It’s a wild ride covering everything from acoustic lullabies to space rock and spoken word to acid tekno: in short, “horizontal hardcore”. If you want to know more about Kicks Joy Darkness, please visit www.kicksjoydarkness.co.uk; and special thanks to Dr. Beth Caldwell, without whom the album would never have been made.
By the time we stumbled out of Unit 13 - skin xanthous from lack of natural light, sanity damaged but intact - we'd lost Alex, who had moved to New York which was as far as his money would take him from us. Step up Hugo, whose intense, tight drums set our musical compass towards a more condensed rock sound. By this time George (pay attention) had set up Kore Studios in Acton, and gave us a day here and there whenever he could. The result was the ‘Burnt Offerings’ EP, which is available for download from our website (www.freeyoursouls.net), and is musically less ambitious but far more mature than ‘Unit 13’.
When Carnival Of Souls ended none of us was exactly sure why; but these things happen and you just know inside when it’s the right time. There was the question of the name, of course - there are now at least two other bands in the States alone called Carnival Of Souls - but it was more than that. It comes down to momentum: if you don’t move forward fast enough the past will overtake, and that’s the most succinct way of describing what happened to us. It was an awesome journey though, and we made some great music; the tracks on this site will be rotated regularly to justify the breadth of styles we covered, and will include released songs, remixes, demos, jams and live recordings.
We’ll be back – but with a different name, new songs and a fresh musical outlook. This particular chapter has ended. So, a fond thanks to all who played with us (this potted history is too short to mention the interim drummers, a cast of thousands), who bought our music, supported us through the dark days of ‘Unit 13’ and beyond, and who danced like lunatics at our gigs. Cheers!
Oh my god have you really split???? Im gna miss some of the bestlive music ive EVER heard, and a band made up of some of my best friends and the amazing vibe there was when wed all turn up t watch you!!!live on forever!!xxxx
'How Close Can You Get Without TOuching?'....IS AMAZING!!! REALLY RADIOHEAD MEETS HENDRIX!!!
Only wish I could be trading solo's with Guss on this track...its really powerful...GREAT groove man...Forgivness Following is cool...reminds me of the quieter moments of Led Zepplin...
Online Now!
