The history of Libitina. Part I: 1994-1996.
Libitina formed in November 1994, when the band members were students at the University Of Sheffield. The band takes its name from an ancient Roman goddess. The goddess Libitina was associated predominantly with darkness and the shades. In common with many early Roman divinities, however, she came to be confused with other goddesses; these were Proserpina (presiding over funeral rites) and Venus (the goddess of love and marriage). The lyrical themes of Libitina have always been influenced strongly by this trinity of love, darkness, and death.
Libation to Libitina (the band's name for their first two shows) started out as a four piece outfit, being Danny (vocals), Darren (guitar), Jamie (bass guitar), and Peter (guitar, programming). The band made its live debut at a student band band competition at the University of Sheffield on February 1st 1995. With some great support and, reportedly, very loud drums, they came close to going through to the next round. After the second gig as Libation to Libitina, the band shortened the name to Libitina as people were struggling to remember the longer name.
The band's first demo cassette, 'Goddess Of The Shades', was released in 1995. The band marked the occasion with support slots with Sheffield's Nightmoves in Leeds and Sheffield, their first "formal" goth events. The gig at The Fenton in Leeds was cut short by the band's excessive use of a smoke machine. The audience and bands had to wait outside, scantily clad in PVC and fishnet, on a chilly November night for some 20 minutes before the fire brigade gave the all-clear and we could re-enter the pub.
At the time, the band's own material was complemented live by several cover versions. These were a gothed-up version of Samantha Fox’s 'Touch Me (I Want To Feel Your Body)', The Stooge's 'I Wanna Be Your Dog", and Bob Dylan’s 'All Along The Watchtower'. A cover of Madonna's 'Material Girl' made a one-off appearance at the University of Sheffield Union of Students band competition in 1996, but the less said about that the better really (although Libitina did make the front cover of the Union's newspaper, Darts... it would appear the reviewer wasn't too keen on the band's make-up, engendering the photo legend "Ugly students looking stupid.").
After the band's sixth live show, early in 1996, the band parted company with their original singer, Danny, due to musical differences (very hackneyed but ultimately true!). This departure was in some ways responsible for the sharing of singing responsibilities between Jamie and Peter on early recordings, since there was not enough time for one person to learn the lyrics to all the songs before the next gig!
The band's second demo tape, 'The Last Rites Of Spring', was released in March 1996 to coincide with gigs with The Second Coming of Sins of The Flesh (a Sheffield industrial band) and The Tortured (a band from Edinburgh, later to become Nervosa). Many of the tracks from the demo would end up on Libitina's first CD, 'A Closer Communion', as well as a new audience favourite, a take-off of Pulp’s 'Common People', entitled 'Gothic People' introduced to the band's live set at the same time.
How did 'Gothic People' come about? The story is that Darren and Peter (both of whom are Pulp fans) accepted a dare from a friend to do 'Common People' when they were drunk after a gig in Leeds. Unfortunately they can't verify this story (!), but the song was added to the band's live set thereafter. Darren ad libbed the "Gothic People" lyrics on the third occasion we played the song live, in Sheffield supporting Midnight Configuration. Recorded for 'A Closer Communion' (more on this anon) with the permission of Jarvis Cocker and Island Records (many thanks to both!), this song gained cult status in Goth clubs the world over in the mid- to late-1990s.
The history of Libitina. Part II: 1997-1998.
Libitina came to national prominence in mid-1996 when the band provided the support for (Children On) Stun on most of their July 'Mondo Weird' UK Tour. That year, Libitina gigged also with Rosetta Stone, Midnight Configuration, The Second Coming Of Sins Of The Flesh (for whom Peter has guested on guitar), Judith, The Horatii, and Manuskript. Libitina also appeared in Mick Mercer's 1996 book, The Hex Files 2. In August 1996, the band went into Priority Recording Studios, Sheffield, to record their first album.
Libitina released their debut CD, 'A Closer Communion', in February 1997 to coincide with a live appearance in Sheffield, supporting The Horatii at Epitaph. The CD launch only just went to plan, with Pete receiving the consignment on the morning of the gig! 'A Closer Communion' was received with considerable acclaim, by press and public alike. Indeed, the album was voted joint best album of 1997 by the readers of uk.people.gothic. Produced by Stephen Singleton, one of the founder members of 1980s legends ABC, 'A Closer Communion' has been played in clubs and on radio shows throughout the world. 1997 proved to be a good year for Libitina, with them playing at The Whitby Gothic Weekend Part I, where they appeared on the same bill as James Ray Gangwar and The Dream Disciples. Libitina followed this up by providing tour support for All Living Fear on much of their Minimum Resistance 2 ("Peri-grin-ay-shon") Tour. Their debut London appearance was made in August at The Sacrosanct Festival 2 at The Astoria 2. In the latter part of 1997, the band supported The Marionettes in Leeds and Altered States (renamed Euphoria at that point) in London. Libitina also headlined at Dublin's The Tower at the end of October, their first trip overseas.
In March 1998, the band teamed up with The Dream Disciples for four dates of their Easter Black Bunny UK Tour. Their debut performance in mainland Europe was made at the end the end of April, headlining a festival in Forlì, Italy. During this period, the band's profile worldwide was increased further by a number of compilation appearances (including Nightbreed's 'New Alternatives 4', Plastic Head Distribution's 'Darkend The Gothic Rock Compilation Volume 2', and Nova Tekk's 'Hex Files The Goth Bible Volume 3') with songs taken from 'A Closer Communion'.
The history of Libitina. Part III: 1999-2002.
Libitina returned to the live circuit in 1999 with new material, after a prolonged break from touring. The live dates included the band's first trip to Germany, with a headline appearance at The Spunk Club in Herford. Around this time, Peter relocated to Scotland.
After spending time writing new material, the band started their live dates in 2000 with an appearance at Vamps & Tramps VI in Whitby. In August, Libitina celebrated their 50th gig with a free show in their home town of Sheffield and also played at the prestigious InFest festival in Bradford. Jamie moved from Sheffield to Manchester in this year, making long-distance songwriting even more of a necessity for the band and resulting in some rehearsals in a very cool former mill in Manchester.
Libitina unveiled their second album, entitled 'Weltanschauung', on June 8th, 2001. It was released on the band's own label and was recorded at the same studio used for 'A Closer Communion' with ABC's Stephen Singleton again the producer. Feedback on the album was very good, with excellent reviews and club play throughout the world. In fact, every song from the album has been played either on the radio or the dancefloor somewhere in the world. With the release of 'Weltanschauung', Libitina played dates throughout the UK and, in October, two shows in Germany (at The Duncker Club in Berlin and The Headbanger's Ballroom in Hamburg). The band's migration from the north of England continued with Jamie's relocation to Canterbury with work.
At the beginnning of 2002, Libitina made their debut appearance at a major European festival, Euro-Rock Indoor in Antwerpen, Belgium. The band's next show saw them unexpectedly (!) expand to become a four-piece outfit. Synth player Phill (and singer with UK intelligent synth-pop band Quite) was added to the team at the Malediction II Festival in Reading. This followed a dare involving a cheap keyboard bought in a charity shop before their soundcheck. It was a very drunken initiation (for which we apologise to those present!), incurring a very large bar bill! Phill was a school friend of Jamie and was invited to join the band full-time after the Reading gig. Libitina's 2002 line-up thus consisted of Phill (keyboards, programming, and guitar), Darren (guitar), Peter (keyboards, guitar, master programming, and lead vocals), and Jamie (bass guitar, programming, and vocals). The band also made a second appearance in a Mick Mercer book in 2002, 21st Century Goth.
As the year progressed, Phill became more involved in the band's songwriting. Peter had begun to feel that he was keeping the band back from gigging and recording and that this would place a strain on friendships within Libitina. Peter's forthcoming retirement did not deter Libitina from writing new material, however.
The history of Libitina. Part IV: 2003-2004.
After Peter's retirement from the band, it was time for a break to take stock of the situation and work out where to go next with Libitina. The band began 2003 with their first remixes for other artists, namely Audio War (ex-Cubanate), Minefield, and Action Directe. In addition, they had also continued to work on songs for their next album. Songwriting was geared towards material that could be played live, since Peter's departure meant some older songs weren't possible (due to the uniqueness of his vocal style).
After some deliberation regarding a new vocalist, Libitina decided to keep vocals in-house, with Phill and Jamie sharing singing duties between them. The new line-up made its debut at the end of April 2003, with new material planned to be aired for the first time. However, the band's appearance was ended abruptly by a power-cut four songs into their set! Electricity was not restored by the close of the club night, although some attempt was made at a social event under candle light.
Libitina recorded their third album, 'The Shadowline', at Cryonica Studios, London, in July 2003. It was engineered and co-produced by Reza Udhin of UK EBM act Inertia and features guest backing vocals by Alexys B, also of Inertia. The CD was released on the band's own label, Libation Records, on September 22nd. The band promoted the release of their new album with a small UK tour and finished 2003 with a triumphant gig at LeFantastique.Night VI in Brussels, Belgium, with the audience not letting them off the stage until they had played all the material they had with them (some 75 minutes worth!).
The band's UK shows played early in 2004 were a warm-up to Libitina's appearance at the Whitby Gothic Weekend in April, supporting The Mission and The Dream Disciples (with it being the final gig for the latter... given that we'd played with them so many times, it was great to play a part in their send-off). A remix CD entitled 'Reflections & Refractions' was released by Libation Records on April 21st to mark the occasion. This album was made up of reworkings of older material by the current line-up and remixes of songs from 'Weltanschauung' and 'The Shadowline' by UK artists including Inertia, Swarf, Synthetic, and Pretentious, Moi? (a Manuskript side-project). Libitina also played a show in Italy in May, at La Rose Noire in Reggio Emilia.
After touring 'The Shadowline', Libitina took a break to write new material, playing only a handful of gigs over the next year.
The history of Libitina. Part V: 2005-2006.
Libitina spent most of 2005 working on new material, making only a couple of live appearances that year. A gig in Leeds saw the live debuts for several new songs ('Duty Unbound', 'Landfill', and 'Salvation'), whilst a December show in Belfast introduced 'Geist' to the band's set.
Recording of the band's fourth studio album (and fifth CD) started in November 2005. It was again recorded at Cryonica Studios in East London, with Reza Udhin (of Inertia and now also Killing Joke) once more engineering and co-producing the CD.
'Parhelion' was released by Libation Records on May 5th 2006. The CD mixes classic gothic guitars with modern electronics to stunning effect. With its emotionally intense and anthemic sound, the album marks another significant step in the evolution of Libitina's distinctive brand of music. Stand out tracks include the modern dance floor classic ‘Salvation’, the Eighties-influenced goth-pop ‘Endgame’, and the slower, intimate ‘Alea Iacta Est’.
'Parhelion' is about signs and portents, interpretation, contradiction, and ambiguity, and inner conflict and civil strife. The Parhelion painting ('Vädersolstavlan' by J. H. Elbfas) that inspired the album's title represents the 6 luminous rings of light that appeared over Stockholm on April 20th 1535. These mock suns were interpreted as a revelation of the imminent collapse of worldly power. The album is about reading such signs and, subsequently, making life-changing choices to avoid the destruction of self and society. The track 'Salvation' appeared on a Sonic Seducer sampler CD in 2006.
Two CDs featuring remixes by Libitina were also released in 2006. The first of these was a remix of 'One Drug' for Audio War, which appeared on their 'Under Enemy Control' album on MOMT Records. The second was 'Step Down (Iron Awe Remix by Libitina)' for The Voices Of Masada, appearing on Strobelight Records' 'New Dark Age 4'.
In June 2006, Phill and Jamie recorded a cover version of Depeche Mode's 'Ice Machine' for a Cryonica Music double CD compilation, entitled 'Bright Lights, Dark Room: An Electro B-Side Tribute to Depeche Mode' (CRYCD020). Depeche Mode have been a great influence on Phill and Jamie so it was great to contribute a track to this project!
On September 21st 2006, Libitina announced onstage during a show at Madame Jo-Jo's in Soho, London, that they were splitting up. Twelve years of musical creation and performance had come to an end. The band would like to thank all the people who have supported them along the way.
The history of Libitina. Part VI: Post-2006.
Following the end of Libitina, Jamie joined up with ex-Children On Stun guitarist, Simon M, to play bass guitar for Spares from 2006 to 2008. Jamie also played bass guitar for London-based goth rock band The Ghost of Lemora from 2008 to 2015, appearing on the 'Hello Mister' EP released in 2015.
The 'A Closer Communion' and 'Weltanschauung' line-up of Libitina reunited for a one-off performance at the Goth City Festival in Leeds in October 2017. While the band enjoyed the reunion, they haven't been seen together in the same place since.