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Rob McLennan and Dave, De Vetta’s project, which is fast becoming a band in the traditional sense, is back with a new release,
Rebirthing South African goth rock. Picture Supplied
There’s power in this music. Raw, melancholic and joyful at the same time.
A Million Ways To Die is No Friends of Harry reincarnated, and, at the same time, not at all.
No other South African band defined alternative, somewhat goth rock in the twentieth century quite like the pair and No Friends’ colleagues have. They’re doing it again, for this century.
Rob McLennan and Dave, De Vetta’s project, which is fast becoming a band in the traditional sense, is back with a new release, called What Lies Beneath.
It follows the eponymously titled A Million Ways To Die debut EP, and a full-length album is now on the cards.
The collaboration had been years in the making, and it all started with a hangover.
McLennan said that during a regular visit to De Vetta in Edinburgh in 2018, the pair jammed a few ideas the morning after watching Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds live.
Then, De Vetta said that the recording sat untouched on a hard drive for about a year until Covid hit.
“With lockdown, the technology to connect rapidly evolved, and it became a Friday night ritual, usually accompanied by tequila, to swap song artefacts and ideas,” he said.
It’s been quite a ride for the pair, from No Friends’ hardcore days through to the more commercially palatable 15 Seconds swansong, and projects between then and now.
McLennan said that he had never really stopped creating, forming bands like Doris, Momo, and now A Million Ways To Die.
De Vetta said it was “quite a ride, often unplanned,” with both highs and lows.
“It felt natural to slip back into the writing and producing mode during lockdown, even though we were on separate continents,” he said.
Also Read: The dark, austere beauty of Goth
A Million Ways To Die is not exactly a roll-off-the-tongue band name.
McLennan said that following No Friends of Harry, they wanted a band or project name that captured the zeitgeist of the era.
“Covid had just hit, and for the first time, we were confronted with the fragility of life and our seeming insignificance. That’s it,” he said.
The sound is unmistakably goth rock. It’s got elements from No Friends of Harry’s Into the Valley, but it is not a rehash of the same old, said McLennan.
He said that as artists they had always wanted to challenge themselves with every new album and project. “Otherwise, we would have become bored producing the same old thing,” he said.
Embracing new technology and self-production allowed a fresh, exciting way to fall in love with music again.
Musically, De Vetta said that he had always been drawn to the minor chord.
It’s a standard in goth music. It is evident in both No Friends of Harry and now in A Million Ways To Die. “Rob is better at injecting the ‘light’ into the sound,” he said.
“It’s that great recipe of happy melodies juxtaposed with dark lyrics,” he said.
McLennan said he had always been moved by songs that could provoke real emotion. This by exploring the darker side of life.
“Bands like Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, Bowie, Joy Division, Nick Cave. That’s what connected with me on a visceral level, not the gloss of mainstream pop,” he said.
McLennan said their music is about individualism, tolerance, and a fascination with the darker aspects of life.
“It might sound a bit pompous, but we just want to make some really cool music and have a lot of fun,” he said.
De Vetta added that for him, goth symbolised creativity and honesty.
“Even though we didn’t consciously set out to form a goth band, I hope that ethos comes through in the music,” he said.
And Goth is on the up. Fashion and music have slowly segued back into popular culture.
De Vetta said instead of a brand new sprouting, it had never really gone away.
“A lot of bands from the time, like New Model Army, Spear of Destiny, The Damned and The Cure. They still tour,” he said.
He added that even mainstream pop artists today, like Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey, were tapping into the aesthetic.
McLennan agreed, saying goth was no longer ridiculed but recognised for its rich legacy.
“The Cure has just had its first No.1 album ever. No-one would have predicted that back in the ’80s,” he said.
McLennan said he hoped a younger crowd would find relevance in their music too.
“There are bands like IDLES and Fontaines D.C. They have strong followings, and we would love to find new ears,” he said.
De Vetta was more philosophical.
“I really haven’t a scooby,” he shared. “But I hope it lands well.”
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