Psydoll + Chaos Bleak + Family Of Noise + Piss Shivers

WEDNESDAY 2ND APRIL 2025-BLACK PRINCE/NORTHAMPTON-7pm

PSYDOLL(TOKYO/JAPAN)-cyberpunk goth/manga mix

“Ahead of their 2024 UK tour, Tokyo’s very own darkwave/cyberpunk duo put together the five track EP “CTHULKA ROMANTICA” especially for the merch table. Featuring three completely new songs, a re-recorded track plus a rerecording of a PC game theme song, this six track EP finds PSYDOLL in their most interesting reincarnation.
Perhaps the best thing about PSYDOLL is that they are a band in constant evolution, with no two releases inhabiting the same kind of space, yet what unites them all in a certain dark aesthetic. PSYDOLL are a band who lean towards the darker end of music, and that’s thanks in no small part to singer/keyboardist Nekoi. Like a Japanese version of Siouxsie Sioux, Nekoi’s vocals have been colouring these recordings for over 25 years, but we mustn’t forget the guitar pyrotechnics of ucchi, and both combine to make an arresting experience, and no more so than on opening track ‘How Everything Ends’. Aided by a vast, expansive production this song is like opening a door to reveal a vast vista and it immediately ingratiates itself into your psyche with an insatiable riff. And that’s the secret ingredient to PSYDOLL’s success; they never lose sight of melody (no matter how experimental things get) and that makes ‘How Everything Ends’ a winner.
With some excellent heavy metal riffing (stand aside Tony Iommi!) ucchi introduces ‘Girls Factory’ and things get pretty hectic, pretty quick. The keys and vocals add a touch of litheness for contrast and they tussle with the guitar for supremacy and makes for an intriguing contest. ‘Diving’ is the dramatic PC game song and finds Nekoi tweeting her vocals like a tiny bird. ‘Spell’ is the remade song and recalls the very genesis of PSYDOLL and it’s interesting to hear how the band reinterpret their past...and the answer is very well with ucchi making his guitar talk like some strange android creature and the keys falling like electronic rain in a futuristic, neon-lit Tokyo cityscape.
With a sound that never gets old, PSYDOLL offer a glimpse of the future.”

+CHAOS BLEAK(NOTTINGHAM)-goth electro/rock

CHAOS BLEAK are the vegan cheese in this sandwich of extraordinary music. Hats! There will be hats. And goths.
Chaos Bleak are a Black Sabbath for the goth generation. They have been sonically ripping a hole in the fabric of space-time since 2019.

“We are no strangers to CHAOS BLEAK here at Pulse Magazine and we’ve witnessed their meteoric rise from the start, from their early singles through EP’s and their two albums. They’ve a discography unified by high quality output and it’s a standard they have carried over onto their live shows where they operate with the same kind of manic output, performing live whenever possible. Perhaps attesting to their love of Killing Joke, theirs is a confrontational show that emits a danger and warns the curious not to get too close. And as if to iterate this point vocalist Piers makes the first of several sojourns into the crowd during opener ‘Beneath The Moon’ and he and guitarist/vocalist Trev don’t let up until closer ‘Requiem’ (a Killing Joke cover, naturally). The band is operating as a duo due to illness, but they’ve made this new configuration work and promises much future mayhem.”

+FAMILY OF NOISE(CORBY)- post punk / alternative rock instrumental noise nuggets

“Maybe my ears are becoming attuned to their modus operandi, but Corby’s FAMILY OF NOISE seem to be getting better and better with every performance. They’re distinctly post-punk but with a progressive edge (in its purest definition) insofar as they have their eyes set firmly on the future, rather than celebrating a mythical past. With an earth-shaking bass rumble providing driving force and a guitarist sculpting sound they’re a pleasing tension of opposites who get the evening off to a lively start.”

Advance tickets £7/door £10