AUGER are the hyper-melodic, genre-fluid, dark music act led by Kyle Blaqk. To date, AUGER has released four albums: ‘The Awakening’ (2017), ‘From Now On I’ (2019), ‘Insurgence’ (2020), and ‘Nighthawks’ (2022). All four have entered the top 5 of the Deutsche Alternative Charts.They have also released a string of hit singles, including: ‘Oxygen,’ ‘My Heart Is Glass,’ ‘My Guardian,’ ‘Dark Clouds,’ ‘My Death’ and ‘Holding On,’ which was a collaboration with Chris Harms of Lord Of The Lost.

AUGER have been touring the UK as both a headline act & as main support to both Lord Of The Lost & Actors in recent times, and have now played multiple shows in 70 different cities worldwide, including America, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and Malta.

1983… Danny and James get together to experiment and make noise. James liked Metal Machine Music, Danny liked Cabaret Voltaire.

James had a bass guitar and Danny had 2 synths…they made Noise! Then guitarist Mike joined the band…he had pedals…loads of ’em! They linked them up, drum machine to synths – via pedals and through echo chambers then pressed Play! Eureka, they were a Band!

At the time, Danny was working with The Sisters of Mercy and Übermeister Andrew Eldritch took the trio to Bridlington to record the first Salvation single for his label Merciful Release. K.G. Studio was 100 yards from the beach and had already played host to the Sisters. It was snowing and the band were skint! Andrew knew that the band didn’t have any money and so, asked to be paid in kind with West Yorkshire’s finest stimulants. 3 sleepless nights and the Girlsoul EP was born! The Sisters’ connection guaranteed healthy sales and soon the band and Eldritch were back behind the mixing desk; this time at Stockport’s Strawberry Studios. 48 channels, all the latest technology! No excuses, they had to sound good!

They recorded 6 songs for a prospective album on Merciful Release but Machiavellian machinations saw it being shelved and Mike decided to leave the band.

Enter Choque and his Technicolor soundscape! His guitar has 12 strings! And he has pedals…even more pedals! He looks great!

On the 16.03.85, the band played their first live gig at Leeds University’s Tartan Bar. Coincidentally, upstairs in the Refectory, the Sisters were weaving their own sonic attack.

Recordings of mystery and imagination followed. Jessica’s Crime produced by the Mission’s Wayne Hussey and the Seek EP with real drummer Paul replacing the departing Dr Rhythm! The Psychedelic Goth era had begun!

In 1987, James too departed. Ben and Richard joined, transforming the band into a well oiled Rock’n’Roll machine. Live, the band was now in its element. A killer, self-penned repertoire and a clutch of skilfully chosen covers were the ingredients of thrilling and dynamic live shows. Tales of debauchery – many involving peanuts and mayonnaise – are legendary but also, on the whole, unrepeatable. Subsequently, despite ghostly power cuts and thanks to the splicing skills of producer Colin Richardson, the seminal Diamonds Are Forever album was recorded and unleashed on an admiring audience. It sold solidly at home and abroad, breaching the indie charts and swelling the fan base.

As the endless tour rolled on, a dedicated following – the self styled Deep Sea Jivers and Penguin Mosh Squad – spent most of the next five years hitchhiking the length and breadth of the country, seemingly finding Salvation in every sweaty pub, club and concert hall. The live experience was all encompassing: a gig on a boat, a grumpy support band by the name of Blur and an unfortunate clothes-ironing incident involving Fields of The Nephilim!

In 1988, the band found a new home on the fabulous Karbon label. The first release – a dynamic, deconstructed version of Donovan’s Sunshine Superman – saw Salvation reach a new commercial peak. But the band took a blow as Paul walked out with his kit and Choque, confronting his own Clash of Dreams, left for his mistress, The Hollow Men.

A lesser band may have succumbed at this point but, following some serious auditions, a substantial UK autumn tour began with two new members. Andy M, complete with his collection of vintage pedals, partnered Ben on six-string duties. While beat purveyor George Schultz brought the band solid rhythm and…a touch of burlesque!

The Julian Standen produced All And More EP, now universally accepted as Salvation’s finest recorded moment appeared in 1989. The spring and early summer of that year saw the rumour mill go into overdrive. Sold out shows, national radio play and long deserved critical acclaim fanned the flames.

Razor sharp live shows attracted the record companies and Miles Copeland put his money where his mouth was, signing the band to his IRS label in December 1989.

Andy, unhappy with the new musical direction, made an abrupt exit. Enter Adam (Yes! Guitarist #5!) hauling his not inconsiderable collection of pedals from Suffolk to Leeds. Further recording sessions that yielded a single and an album were interspersed by two successful 25-date UK tours; the first, a major concert Hall tour with The Alarm.

Constant gigging was, nevertheless, beginning to take its toll. Red lights began flashing on 01.03.90 when, after supporting the Mission in Leeds, it was all hands to the van and the band made a mad dash to Manchester for their own show later that same evening! Something had to give and, in mid 1990, the groove machine reached terminal meltdown. Despite great reviews for their IRS debut album, the melody laden Sass, a punishing schedule had stretched personal relationships to breaking point.

In August, the band and Danny went their separate ways. A single release was cancelled, US and UK tour plans were left in ruins and ultimately it signalled the end of their IRS contract. Another singer was recruited but things were never the same and the final curtain soon descended.

Salvation’s enduring knack for alternative pop shines through their body of work, showing why they were always a live favourite, casting a little light in the wake of their darker contemporaries. Whether you are an old friend or a curious listener, I hope you enjoy their warped magic.

41 years on since they first formed The March Violets are back and promising a show strewn with classics and surprises as the boundary-shredding post/punk band from Leeds make their long-awaited return to the stage for the first time since 2015.

Following a series of reissues on the Jungle Records label, including classic 7” singles “Walk into the Sun” & “Crow Baby”, the band have decided that the time is now for the return of The March Violets.

Comprising founding members Rosie Garland (performer, poet and author) and Tom Ashton (Guitarist, producer and studio owner), plus William Faith (musician and vocalist with Faith & the Muse, Conflict, The Bellwether Syndicate), the band are intending the shows to be a celebration of The March Violets’ legacy, while also honouring the irreplaceable contribution of friend and founding member Simon Denbigh.

With their first incarnation described by Sounds magazine as “slinky, savage yet warmly delicate [with a] thirst for mystery, magic and brutal darkness”, The March Violets were a post/punk band cut from a different cloth. Founded in Leeds in 1981, from there the band would initiate an impressive career that would see them navigating all corners of the alternative scene and accrue a longstanding cult following. With their debut EP ‘Religious As Hell’ released by Andrew Eldritch (frontman of fellow Leeds scene band The Sisters of Mercy), TMV would tally a total of seven successful Indie Chart singles including “Grooving in Green”, “Snake Dance”, “Deep”, and “Walk Into The Sun”, plus their ‘Radiant Boys’ EP, at the height of their powers. With an impeccable John Peel Session also under their belts, the band released two compilation albums ‘Natural History’ (which peaked at No.3 in the Indie Charts) and ‘Electric Shades’, before signing a major deal in 1985 with London Records. Releasing the poppier charms of the hit single “Turn to the Sky”, the track would notably feature in the John Hughes movie Some Kind of Wonderful in 1987, before the band eventually split later that year.

Reforming for a one-off hometown gig two decades later, their 2007 reunion would lead to a flurry of activity in the 21st Century including festival headline slots across Europe & the USA, the brand-new studio albums ‘Made Glorious’ (2013) and ‘Mortality’ (2015), plus a storming Record Store Day release in 2021’s sell-out double album: ‘Big Soul Kiss’.

Speaking about their upcoming reunion, The March Violets explain: “Since the last March Violets tour in 2015 we’ve been shocked at how many musical friends have passed over and out. And after Simon Denbigh’s life-changing stroke, it’s no surprise we all thought that was it for the Violets. When, in 2021, Jungle Records released Big Soul Kiss (The BBC Sessions double album) for Record Store Day 2021 it sold out its entire pressing in 24 hours. We were amazed at the response, absolutely amazed. We faced a choice – to fade away quietly or go out with a celebration. We feel for Simon and honour his massive artistic contribution & intense vision as one of The March Violets founding members. He’s irreplaceable, so we’re not going to try. We believe the legacy of The March Violets deserves a far better conclusion than sinking into silence, and now is the right time to do it.”

Headlining our Saturday night for Halloween 2023 are the mighty Goth ‘n’ Roll pioneers THE 69 EYES who have been haunting stages all over the world for 33 years and seem to be a truly immortal part of the dark rock/metal scene. Widely known as the Helsinki Vampires, the quintet gained several platinum albums with “Blessed Be” (2000), “Paris Kills” (2002), “Devils” (2004) and “Angels” (2007).

They have plunged the world into a sinful cosmos of love, death and melancholy, while outliving any other band emerging from the goth hype of the early 2000s. With their unique sound & songs, singer Jyrki 69’s dark voice and pitch black Elvis allusions, the band has established a worldwide following. Over the course of over three decades, the band has toured relentlessly throughout Europe, America, Asia and Australia and released 12 full-length studio albums.

THE 69 EYES are freshly signed to Atomic Fire Records (worldwide excluding Finland). With a full length album out on the 17th of march 2023.

Jyrki 69 is recently a frequent guest on Finnish TV in the primetime show “Vain Elämää” (Sing My Song). You could watch the singer staying in a castle with 7 other artists that performed each other’s songs during their stay.