Category: Saturday

UK Decay

Contemporaries of Bauhaus, with an arguably equal claim to their gothic crown, older Goth fans will need little introduction to these post-punk originals. Formed in Luton in 1979, UK Decay built a large and dedicated international fan base on the back of politically charged, thunderous releases, and high intensity gigs. Described as ‘The Cult before The Cult’ by one journalist, their dark, angular releases included 1981 classic debut album ‘For Madmen Only’ and reunion album ‘New Hope For The Dead’ (2013).

Back for their first shows since 2019, singer Abbo says of the band’s resurrection:
“I had no interest in being part of a band again, but a voice said, “get out there again and try and be a voice for good in these unjust times”.

While, Guitarist Spoon adds:
“It’s great to be rising from the dread in 2025… this gig will be like no other. Stick it in your diaries!”

Returning to music for an expanded reissue of their debut album and just two live dates, their TOMORROW’S GHOSTS appearance promises to be a thing of rare beauty.

Ash Code

Italian band formed in 2014 in Naples, consisting of Claudia, and brothers Alessandro and Adriano.

Ash Code is one of the most influential bands of the current darkwave / neo post-punk scene.

In five years, they have produced 3 albums and toured Europe, Russia and North & South America, sharing the stage with the biggest bands of the current scene.

Sometimes rock or more synthetic, their 3 albums echo the various dark underground currents of the 80s.

Very Special Guests:
Balaam And The Angel Performing “The Greatest Story Ever Told”

Balaam And The Angel are three brothers who were born in Scotland and grew up on a council estate in Cannock in
Staffordshire.

They played music together as teenagers but finally formed Balaam And The Angel in the early 80’s inspired at that time
by the new scene that was developing around Bauhaus, The Sisters Of Mercy, Southern Death Cult, Theatre Of Hate etc
and a collective experience at the Futurama Festival in Bingley Hall, Stafford in 1981.

Phase 1: Saw the band gain significant success as artists on the independent Chapter 22 label set up in conjunction with
the band and their manager at the time Craig Jennings (who went on to form Raw Power Management). They released
three 12 inch EP’s on this label (World Of Light, Love Me, Day And Night) and a compilation album of this material (Sun
Family). The band appeared on The Tube and toured extensively in the UK. The sound of this period reflected the darker
edge of their initial influences.

Phase 2: The band signed to Virgin Records. They went on to release three albums on this label (The Greatest Story Ever
Told, Live Free Or Die, Days Of Madness) and recruited Ian McKean as an additional guitarist. As you might expect the
sound evolved over this time. Touring across the UK, Europe and eventually in the USA and Japan presented a set of
new influences that showed up in the song writing of this period. The band had a UK top 70 chart entry with “She
Knows” plus a number one hit record on US college radio with “I Love The Things You Do To Me”. In addition to this “I’ll
Show You Something Special” was added to the soundtrack of a key sequence in the film “Trains, Planes And
Automobiles”. The band played Reading Festival (1986), arena shows with Aerosmith, Kiss, The Cult and were special
guest for Iggy Pop’s two sell out shows at Brixton Academy (1986) and a club tour of the Mid West (1987).

Phase 3: The band signed to independent rock label Intensity Records to release “No More Innocence” a six track taster
that later grew into the extended album “Prime Time”. The band took the opportunity of this period to explore a much
heavier sound and in doing so attracted recognition from a wider set of fans and the attention of publications like
Kerrang and Metal Hammer. The band continued to tour throughout the UK and support a career as professional
musicians in what, for them, were more challenging times.

Phase 4: The period up to the present day has seen some intermittent activity from the band. All three of the brothers
have taken time out to explore and develop successful careers outside of the music industry, have families etc whilst at
the same time maintaining some visibility with their very loyal UK fan base through social media and carefully selected
performances and tours. The level of interest in Balaam And The Angel (and the early 80s alternative scene) has
increased considerably in the last decade making the purpose of a new release seem much more relevant.

Lord of the Lost

LORD OF THE LOST – A name that over the past 13 years has embedded itself into the top tier of dark and heavy music. Without stagnation the genre-fluid band from Germany continues to explore their facets while showing everyone that boundaries are only meant to be broken. Juggling elements of metal, industrial, glam, rock and pop, the group kept inventing itself over and over again, both musically and visually, which over the years led to rising national and international success.

A mere a look at their discography confirms, that LORD OF THE LOST aren’t shy of gaining the liking of the masses. Their albums „EMPYREAN“ (2016) and „THORNSTAR“ (2018) enter the german album charts on position #9 and #6, while the double album „JUDAS“ (2021) reaches staggering success with placing on position #2. In early 2023, after only six days of pre-order, the sensation is perfect as the newest album „BLOOD & GLITTER“ jumps straight to #1!

Whoever gets to experience LORD OF THE LOST live, bears witness to so much more than just a concert. Their performances exude endless energy, the crowds give of the vibe of a more family-like community, which is probably owed to the close-knit connection LORD OF THE LOST are maintaining with their fans all over the world, wether it be in the far east of China or on the other side of the globe in Mexico and everything in between. It is for certain that visitors will always be left with an experience they won’t forget.

Speaking of live activities – LOTL’s rising success didn’t go unnoticed. While having toured Europe themselves a few times so far, in 2022 LORD OF THE LOST were invited to join no other but the legendary heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN to open for them for 18 shows in 16 countries all over Europe. And if that wasn’t enough, the group embarked on their own 6 week long HOMECOMING TOUR through Europe in October and November 2022, which sold out almost entirely, making it their biggest and most successful tour so far.

Without a doubt, this band is always up to something, most likely something one wouldn’t expect. However, one thing is for certain: Their plans for the future are set and you can be sure that the only thing that will always stay the same is the continuous evolution and progress of this band.