The Sick Man of Europe

Having seen The Sick Man Of Europe partake in the recent Wanderlust Festival which used 3 of Southampton's Live venues for it's amazing list of artists to display what they can do, I was a little dumbstruck by the aforementioned Sick Man Of Europe. It wasn't anything particularly specific as there was nothing that I could say was changing the direction of Planet Earth but as a whole it was simply refreshing. The band as far as can understand is a frontman who I do not know the name of plus another 3 band members who play metronomic, tight interpretations of the songs. Again I hear in fact from one of the band that they are not members of the band permanently.. just guns for hire.

For now I will call the lead singer / creator "The Man" simply as a method of identification and nothing implied by this. The Man was off stage as much as on it, robotic in stance and taking in all parts of the venue while curating his songs. He was never confrontational as didn't look anyone in the eye or stop for a chat. The songs did not break, they segued onwards leaving the audience a little bewildered, this bucked the normal structure of a gig such as when to clap, most stared with increasing wonder at the mystery of it all? I do think that everyone was inwardly enjoying the experience, myself included.

From this experience I was now curious, I put forward for an interview and this is how it panned out:

Return To Sound: "your sound and the new album hint at past glories of late seventies post punk with electronic drums and sounds, along with your live performance it seems to be at a tangent to most current artists. How did the look and sound you project come to fruition?"

The Man: "The sound was somewhat emergent. The songs carried a greater sense of urgency. In a moment, they demanded to be written, and from that point, everything else fell into place. The Sick Man of Europe is a vehicle for this—a malleable force governed by a strictly defined set of rules. It is the contradiction of itself".

RTS: "Do you feel at home in the world you are creating, is it nostalgia? or is it reconstituting music for a new modern audience?"

The Man: "We’re not trying to replicate anything from the past. Like the rest of us, The Sick Man of Europe marches solemnly forward. Whatever it is that’s been created has become my home, whether I like it or not. It will be consumed by whatever audience can stomach it".

RTS: "Your live show is mesmerising and impulsive. Do you enjoy the interaction with the crowd?"

The Man: "As these words are spoken and every note repeated, already regurgitated hundreds of times in countless cities, they begin to take on new meanings. Meanings that have evolved beyond my control, yet this was created by design. When paired with a room packed full of human bodies, it creates the potential for a shared experience. The weight of it all multiplies, and the intensity compresses".

"We have the

ability to visit the

past through

memories"

RTS: "Is the live band you work with the same members who recorded the album?"

The Man: "Sometimes".

RTS: "If you had a time machine, is there a date and time you would head to first?"

The Man: "We have the ability to visit the past through memories, photographs and books. For the future, all we have to do is wait".

RTS: "What comes first with your music, the lyrics or the music?"

The Man: "Both".

RTS: "Are there any artists that you feel indebted to for the sound you create?"

The Man: "Yes, of course".

RTS: "Where do you feel more at home, the studio or on stage?"

The Man: "They’re both entirely different, yet completely the same. They’re cogs in a broken machine. When isolated, their functions may seem at odds, but they are working toward the same objective".

RTS: "Do you have plans to tour this new album?"

The Man: "The Sick Man of Europe has around twenty live performances scheduled for the latter half of this year. Including festival performances at Left of the Dial, Manchester Psych Fest, Sŵn Festival and Simple Things Festival as well headline performances in the UK and Europe. The live interpretations of the album are quite different. On stage, they lend themselves to the performance, the volume, and the intensity".

RTS: "You consciously keep a controlled image, not quite to a “Banksy” level but has this been a plan from the beginning and does it bring benefits?"

The Man: "The image is an honest representation of what The Sick Man of Europe is. Anything other than what you see now would feel dishonest".

RTS: "Your music conjures cinematic visions, would you like to head into the film world as well?"

The Man: "The Sick Man Of Europe soundtracks the world we live in. It documents the mundane and the extraordinary. It exists in that moment and nothing more".

"I feel everything

usually all at once.

This album is a

document of that"

RTS: "Do you look forwards or backwards?"

The Man: "Both".

RTS: "Is Sick Man Of Europe a project or a career?"

The Man: "Certainly not a career, career implies that you can live off it. That kind of weight tends to stifle creativity".

RTS: "Do you think that this album is from you and your thoughts or a projection from another person looking at the Human Race?"

The Man: "I feel everything—usually all at once. This album is a document of that. The timelines are blurred and meanings are projected, but the output is a combination of words and syncopated sounds. I have my own deeply personal interpretations, but I urge everyone to combine what you hear with what you see and create entirely new meanings of your own".

If you can, listen to the self titled album released on Leaf Records and if you are able catch The Sick Man Of Europe in a live space but listen and watch with an open mind...

Tour Dates upcoming:

Fri 25 Jul - Deer Shed Festival, North Yorkshire, UK

Sat 2 Aug - Multitude Festival, Milton Keynes, UK

Sat 30 Aug - Manchester Psych Fest, Manchester, UK

Wed 1 Oct - The Attic, Leeds, UK

Thu 2 Oct - The Golden Lion, Todmorden, UK

Fri 3 Oct - The Flying Duck, Glasgow, UK

Sat 4 Oct - Zerox, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Sat 18 Oct - Sŵn Festival, Cardiff, UK

Thu 23 Oct - Left Of The Dial Festival, Rotterdam, NETHERLANDS

Sat 8 Nov - Simple Things Festival, Bristol, UK

Interview by Dan Reddick

Photos by Dan Reddick