Propelled from the obsession with electronica but still a far distance from the machinations of the mainstream music of the time, the signature sound of The Sisters Of Mercy cultivated a powerful mystique, creating some of the most influential rock music of the 1980s. They return to Australia and New Zealand this week for their first headline shows in over 7 years so we caught up with guitarist Ben Christo ahead of the tour to find out what fans can expect and more.
HelvaTion – At the moment I understand you’ve been on the European leg of your tour since late September. Has the tour been going well so far?
Ben Christo – Yeah! In fact, I can say without any doubt that it’s the best tour that we’ve done since I’ve been in the band. In terms of the reception we’ve been getting, in terms of how good I think the shows are, lights, sound, set list, the performances and just the response we’ve been having from people. Because this is quite a difficult band sometimes and I have been doing tours before and in the past people have be saying “Look. It was OK, but there was this and this”. Whereas this time people are coming up to us afterwards, because myself, the guitarist and Dave who’s the Nurse Doctor for Avalanche, we tend to always go out now afterwards to meet people and the response we’ve had has been so positive and so excited. It’s not even people necessarily going “Oh my God! That was so good” it’s an instantaneous “Please can you sign this? Can you sign this? Can I get a photo?” which really speaks volumes because it’s a test to the fact people have had such an amazing time that they want to somehow create a momento of that evening to keep. So it’s been going really well and we’ve been really enjoying it. There’s been a lot of positivity.
HT – Have you had much in the way of time off since you’ve been there?
BC – In Europe we tend to have a fairly sensible schedule. Maybe two or three shows on, then a day off so rather than it being a relentless tour like so other bands I’ve been in where you’re just playing every single day. I don’t mind playing every single day, but when you’re in that environment it’s really useful for everyone to get their own space for 24 hours for your metal state. It’s been alright, but what tends to happen with days off is that we just tend to chill out really instead of sightseeing or anything like that because it’s that sacred time that you’ve actually finally got some space. It’s been OK, but it’ll get a lot more silly once we get to Australia and New Zealand because I think it’s just relentless. Flying into a show day, doing a show and then flying to another one, which is kind of disappointing in some ways because Australia and New Zealand are such awesome places it would just be really nice to have some more time.
HT – That’s really excellent. You’ve been with the band since 2006. So was it a scenario that you were with them when they came to Australia last time for the Soundwave Tour back in 2012?
BC – I was.
HT – How did you find that?
BC – It was a great experience. I remember it being a whirlwind of shows and bands and what I do remember is it was really surreal that you’d be travelling from one show to the next and because there was only a certain flights you be getting on the plane and there’s Fred Durst and there’s the guys from Blink 182 and it just like “OK. Cool. Wicked” and that was that was really exciting. What was interesting was at the end of end of tour party that we had, which I think we in Adelaide, we were meeting all these bands afterwards like Machine Head and the guys from Limp Bizkit. And it turns out they’re all massive Sisters of Mercy fans because they’re of that age where they grew up in the 80s and they were listening to Flatland and Vision Thing. So it was quite bizarre having these quite heavy bands going “Oh my God man! I’m a Sister’s fan! Totally love you guys so much, it means so much to me.” And even though it’s not literally me but it’s being part of something that’s so important to these bands I actually grew up listening to and conversing with them was quite surreal.
HT – That’s really great. One question I’d like to know from you is given the fact that The Sisters of Mercy are an established act and they haven’t recorded any new material for quite some time, how do you find being part of the band at this particular point because obviously you’re only doing the live shows?
BC – Yeah it’s quite a curious thing because when I joined the band, I was a fan of the band, but I hadn’t followed them that closely. I had the classic albums and I listened to them a lot, but I was going online everyday see what they were doing. And so I just presumed that they must have some other albums I hadn’t heard and we’d probably record some new stuff and then it became quite obvious that we weren’t going to do that even though there has been a lot of new songs written. So in some ways, I’ll be honest, it can be quite frustrating because I’d love to be part of the new record for this band. I think it’s an incredible band and to be part of it would be an absolute honour. But at the same time we have been writing new songs and we are showcasing new songs on this tour, which for the first time I’ve actually been a part of the writing process and it’s been really amazing to be playing these songs in a band I grew up listening to. And then the response from the fans to these two or three new songs has been really positive. So that’s it’s quite an honour and it’s quite affirmative for me to have that validation of a band that I really like I’ve be writing for and then people really liking it too.
HT – That’s fabulous. I know that you’ve had a few other projects over the years and I’ve even noticed that you’ve done some work with Pig. So has there been any other artists that you’ve collaborated with or worked with in the past through your recording or session work that you’re really proud of the fact that you’ve worked with those particular individuals?
BC – Yeah absolutely and in the last couple of years a lot of things have come about. You’re right about Pig. In fact we wrote and recorded quite a lot of the songs on the Revelation album that came out a few years ago and one of those was then used in a big American TV sci-fi thing and that was really exciting for me to have my music that I’d written with the singer as part of this big DC comics TV show which was awesome. There’s also a guy the band called Boy Sets Fire that I don’t know if you’ve heard of but they’re quite famous American sort of melodic hardcore punk band and the singer of that I ended up working with him now on a couple of records and we’ve been touring together and that’s been really good. I also got a chance to play with Michael Therapy. Who were a big influence on me. So when I look back there has been quite a lot of things that maybe aren’t bands or artists, but on a personal level, these are bands and artists that I would listen to relentlessly as a teenager. You know there are those bands where there’s a time when you won’t listen to anything else but that band cause it’s like nothing else will do it. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the bands with whom I’ve had that kind of profound relationship growing up and then suddenly it’s like amazing I’m actually writing with them recording with them. As for the Sisters, I dunno. It’s like never say never really about it. I’ve never heard anyone ever say “Right we’re never going to record an album ever again”, but it hasn’t happened yet. But there are new songs being written so who can say.
HT – Absolutely. And it’s those of those obscure acts that you know that were really meaningful to you, and to me as well. I saw one of them live here in Perth and this is like “Oh my God it’s just like the most amazing experience ever”. But getting back to your work, obviously last time you here in Australia you were doing like the festival circuit, which is obviously different from doing the solo shows like you’re doing now. Are you happier with the fact that you’re doing these you’re doing these solo shows or would you more prefer to do the festival circuit?
BC – Always going to prefer to do your own shows because it’s going to be a dedicated audience who really know a lot of the stuff and are there specifically to see you. So if you go out thinking “This is great, we’ve sold out all the shows”, we know it’s going to be good because there’s going to be X amount people who are there specifically to see us rather than we’re playing a festival at a certain times on a certain stage and it kind of depends on who’s around at the time. I think we’re doing that festival circuit was really important for the band because it would have gotten us some new fans and following and a presence of planting some flags over there for us to then go back and be able to do this tour. So I’m really excited about the fact that we are going to get to play these shows. We did a couple of side shows in Melbourne.
HT – I think you played at the Corner Hotel twice during that festival.
BC – That’s right. Yeah. It’s really bizarre. We did Tuesday and Thursday in the week which is kind of cool, but it was quite a small venue. As I remember it, it holds maybe 800 or something.
HT – It is a bit of a small venue. I was actually there the other week for a gig and because I’m not from Melbourne, I just flew over there for the gig. It was close and somewhat intimate, but it’s a rather small venue.
BC – Yeah. And sometimes there’s a massive pole in the front of the stage. I don’t know if that’s still there. It’s like a big pillar, but that was cool venue and it was a cool kind of thing to do in the week between the festivals.
HT – It kind of reminds you of those seedy bars, but sometimes those seedy underground clubs are some of the best to play. So what actually is has been your favourite venue to play out in the past?
BC – There are certain ones on this tour that spring to mind immediately just because I’ve just done them. There’s a great venue in Berlin called Columbiahalle which is about 3,000. It’s just got the right kind of feel for Sister’s music. It’s got a slightly industrial, post-apocalyptic sort of vibe to it and that kind of German factory, industrial feel that just seems to fit really well with songs like Lucretia and Dominion. Sometimes being in a certain environment can really fit, whereas other venues that are very kind of corporate are “Hey, here’s a music venue and tomorrow we’ll have a pop band and then the next day we’ll have a conference” and they still don’t have so much personality to them and they don’t fit well with the aesthetics. But I remember that we were playing a couple of days ago in Munich and it was this long hall that used to be a slaughterhouse with these massive metal pillars and all this industrial like roof and it’s like this is so perfect for this show. I think it really sometimes can add an element to the enjoyment of the gig for the crowd and the band to feel that you’re in the right sort of an environment that that matches with the aesthetic of the music.
So are you going to be going to be at the Perth Show?
HT – Yeah. I’m definitely going to be at the show. I’m looking forward to it because I prefer that personal touch that you get with an individual show. It’ll be really good because it’s events like this that bring out the old crew. The amount of inspiration that Sisters of Mercy has had for people within the Gothic and alternative scenes over the years has just been immense.
BC – Yeah absolutely. Sometimes it’s hard to understand exactly what it is about (and what it was about) this band that had such a big influence. If I was to try and figure out a list of reasons as to why this band has done so well whereas others haven’t, it would be things like the lyrics are really good. They’re really ambiguous and they’re really enigmatic. There’s a lot of intellect behind the words, whereas a lot of 80s pop and rock bands maybe not so much. Also, I think they’re very memorable melodies and choruses. Thinking about the Floodland album, it’s like a movie. It’s so cinematic and I think that really captures people’s imagination and I think that in a way the Sisters can be said to have played a large part in creating industrial music and dance music because of the repetition. Take a song like Lucretia or Dominion or More and it’s really just the same three chords round and round and round, but it builds in a way that is very compelling.
HT – Also the earlier uses of drum machines as opposed to drummers.
BC – Absolutely, yeah. And that’s now part of the aesthetic and very occasionally people still, like newer people, come to the gig and go “Why haven’t you got a drummer?” But most people do really understand that that’s part of what this band is about. That relentless machine like nature of the sound.
HT – And there’s been several of the bands over time that have done a similar thing. Like Big Black for example. A band shouldn’t have to fit into a certain slot. You don’t need to have a drummer. Well, why not you have two drummers? Have a drum machine. Who cares. Don’t even have drums going at all. If that just works for your sound.
BC – Well it was a happy accident because it came out of necessity. Andrew was telling me that when he started the band, they couldn’t have a drummer because they were just practicing at home and the noise would be too loud, so they had to be like “Well, OK. We’ll just do it with a drum machine” and somehow that just became a thing.
HT – I know you’re doing a lot of touring with the Sisters and I know you’ve got a few other acts that you’re associated with like Night by Night and Diamond Black. When it comes to yourself do you prefer the live performances or are you the sort of individual that prefers the recording process?
BC – It’s a really good question. I used to I used to prefer recording cause I like nerding out a bit and geeking out about being in the studio. But things have changed now. Often the recording process, because of the limitations financially that we have these days, for most bands it becomes a bit more of a panic. “Right! So we’ve got two hours to do this. Go and do it.” You can’t really leisurely spend hours and hours in the studio on the record company’s money. You just get it done. I still like recording and I actually prefer singing than guitar playing when it comes to recording. I love singing backing vocals but ultimately the greatest buzz is to playing live and seeing people sing along with your songs and seeing the pleasure that you’ve brought to them and see how you’ve connected with them. We had a single release party from my band Diamond Black a couple of months ago in London and it was brilliant cause people actually flew in from Sweden, Germany, Scotland and all over just to come to this one show. And getting to play to a full room, nothing huge, about 300 people or something, who really loved what we’d done and the lyrics I’d written. It was just so meaningful and that is always going to be a very profound experience. Being someone who loves to create things, seeing that affirmation of “Yes, you’re connecting with people” and “Yes, people care enough to spend X amount of money flying from wherever it is”. And time. People’s time. Time is so valuable that people want to spend it because you made an emotional connection with them. I think that’s really amazing. So ultimately, I think I do prefer playing live now to recording.
HT – And obviously by doing it live you’re seeing that connection and you’re feeling that energy coming at you right there and then. It’s not like something you’re putting down and just seeing what the results would be further down the track.
BC – Yeah totally. And often people can write you an e-mail that goes “Hey! This song was amazing! I really love this, this and this”, but it’s never the same as actually seeing their response and it really is without words. It’s something so spontaneous and so raw and real.
HT – So I know you’re a busy man and have things to do, so thank you very much for your time and I’m looking forward to seeing you in Australia.
BC – Well come on say hi afterwards because we all will be coming out after the gig and just meeting people, so please, like 15 minutes afterwards. I don’t know if it’s the kind of venue that kicks everyone out straight away or whatever, but we’ll try to get out as soon as we can. It’d be great to meet you and the other fans.
TOUR DATES
Friday 25th October – The Astor Theatre, Perth *NEW SHOW
Wednesday 30th October – Forum, Melbourne
Sunday 27th October – The Gov, Adelaide *NEW SHOW
Thursday 31st October – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Saturday 2nd November – The Tivoli, Brisbane
Sunday 3rd November – Powerstation, Auckland *NEW SHOW
TICKETS: https://sbmpresents.com/tour/thesistersofmercy/
