It’s always good to see a unique band with a unique sound stand strong and survive the industry and with the release of their horror inspired sixth studio album ‘’Born To Die On VHS’ we caught up with founder guitarist Dan Peach for this introducing or for some readers re-introducing feature to discuss how being nerds has paid off during lockdown, dream line up and concept album relevance.
Introduce the band in your own words.
“Lesbian Bed Death is a Horror themed Gothic Punk / Hard Rock band based in Stoke-on-Trent, UK.”
Describe your current album release.
“Our current record is our sixth studio album. This one is a bit different as it’s mostly a covers record. It’s called ‘Born To Die On VHS’ and has three original tracks plus our versions of songs from our favourite Horror movies.”
Who would you say you sound most like?
“Imagine a mix of Alice Cooper, Ghost, and The Misfits with Tina Turner singing. Well, hopefully we sound a bit like that!”
Who or what are your biggest influences?
“We draw mostly from Goth, Punk and 80’s Heavy Metal, and try to make something a bit different from that cocktail. The bands that have been the biggest influences on the Lesbian Bed Death sound are probably The Misfits, The Cult, Danzig, Kiss, Alice Cooper, The Sisters of Mercy, and Turbonegro.”
Describe your band members and what each person brings to the table
“On vocals, our lead singer from our first two albums, Luci4, is back in the band. She has an amazing, soulful, distinctive voice, and is a key ingredient to the LBD sound.
On drums, we have Aimee Violet, who is probably the best drummer I’ve ever worked with. A lot about being a great drummer isn’t just about time-keeping, it’s about feel, and Aimee totally has that.
Our original bassist, Magic Andy, is back too. I’m the rhythm guitarist and founder member of the band. We don’t have a permanent lead guitarist at this time, but the role is being filled for recording purposes by Steve Lethal, who is also producing the album we’re currently working on.
We’re all getting on really well and we have a fantastic chemistry together. Everyone is equally important, and we are looking forward to dazzling you all with a God-like new record.”
Photo Credit Evelyn Wolf
What have you been up to during the Covid 19 pandemic – how did you occupy your time as a band and personally?
“We’re nerds. We were built for this shit. The band has been working on new material over the internet and we’ve been keeping in touch regularly. Personally, I’ve been listening to a lot of music, catching up on movies I’ve been meaning to watch and books I’ve been meaning to read. I understand that the lockdown has been a miserable disaster for so many people, so I consider myself to be extremely fortunate in that I can work from home, and have lots of hobbies to fill my time. I have also been walking my dogs a thousand times a day.”
Did you manage to record a video or release any material during lockdown?
“We very recently filmed a music video called ‘Flesh’. As soon as the lockdown restrictions eased a bit, we shot it as soon as we could, and kept as safe as possible. It’s the last video for our current album cycle, so it’s a nice ‘book end’.”
Do you have a band joker? If so who and what’s the dumbest prank they’ve pulled?
“Me. I’m a massive cunt. I regularly trick the rest of the band into playing gigs because there will be loads of people there. They fall for it time and again.”
Do you argue over what music gets played on the way to a gig? Who wins and what’s the most popular choice?
“The unwritten rule is that the driver picks the tunes. This is more important than the Ten Commandments.”
Pick your dream band line up, selecting a musician who may be dead or still very much living.
“Lead vocals: Alexandra James (Twin Temple), Bass: Jerry Only (Misfits), Lead Guitar: Billy Duffy (The Cult), Rhythm Guitar: Paul Stanley (Kiss), Drums: Dee Plakas (L7). How cool would that be?.”
If you were marooned on a desert island which band member would be eaten first and why?
“Probably me. I’m a little chubby and I’ve eaten so much curry over the years, I’m sure I’d be a bit spicy. I’m internally self-marinating, pretty much every day.”
What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you while you were on stage?
“Years ago when we were supporting a local band, there was a kid at the front of our set with his back to us, fucking around on his phone continuously. It was really fucking rude. I accidently kicked a pint of water all over the little shit. Everyone thought I did it on purpose, but I really didn’t. It was funny though.”
You’re asked to select a band to tour with you as support. Who would you choose and why?
“I’d probably ask Novacrow as they’ve supported us before. They’re a great live band!”
If you could bring back one music personality who would it be and why?
“Jill Janus from Huntress. She was an amazing vocalist and that band could have been massive.”
If you could name any one item that would be delivered no questions on the band rider what would you choose and why?
“Chicken Tikka Madras. I’d like some rice too, but technically that’d be a second item.”
You’re stuck on a night off mid tour with just a games console and a handful of games for company. Do you choose Call Of Duty, Zelda, Need For Speed or do you just raid the mini bar?
“I don’t know any of those games so it’s straight to the mini-bar for me. I have an X-Box but only play Lego games. Nothing else compares.”
If the band got offered an amazing major label deal but it meant a change of image to something you are uncomfortable with and censorship of lyrics would you take the deal or walk?
“Walk. I know why people like us and to change the core of what we are would be creating a different band.”
In the event of the end of the world what’s the first song on your post-apocalypse playlist?
“Hate The World Day by The Wildhearts.”
Who has the worst habits on tour?
“No comment. None whatsoever. Nothing to see here!”
Describe the local music scene of your hometown and how you fit into that as a band?
“We don’t fit in at all. Most of the bands on our local scene seem to be super-heavy Metal-core bands with nothing but screamed vocals. We rarely play here in Stoke, and we usually bring support bands from out of the area.”
When writing new music is it a collaborative effort or is there a main song writer?
“We have lots of different ways when it comes to being creative. I like to get everyone’s input.”
Some bands have goals for albums, the UK Subs for example recorded an album for every letter of the alphabet. Do you have any goals for future albums?
“Our next album has a loose witchcraft theme running throughout.”
In the modern on-demand music scene is the concept album dead or do you feel there’s still room for them?
“I think there’s room, providing its good and not a load of pretentious drivel. Lots of big, contemporary bands have released successful concept albums, so it’s still a thing. Kids who stream singles all day, and have the attention span of a gnat are also ‘a thing’ too unfortunately, so concept albums are certainly a risk in this day and age.”
The hardest step for any band today is going full time, is this something you envisage being able to do in the future?
“It’s almost impossible without a major label behind you. I’d love to do this full-time, providing I wasn’t living in poverty. I’m too old to sleep on toilet floors and live in rickety vans until I retire. Personally, I have a good balance in my life right now. We just keep making records, playing shows, and having a good time. We’ll let the future take care of itself.”
How important is the local music scene to you as a band?
“Our local music scene in Stoke-on-Trent has never been particularly good to us. It’s full of ‘Squawk-core’ bands and arrogant college kids. We went further afield from day one and can pull much bigger crowds in different cities. Sad but true.”
With everything being so digital and run predominantly through social media what is your view on the importance of regional and print press?
“I still enjoy some magazines, Devolution obviously being one of them. When I was a kid, there was no internet and we relied on magazines for our music news and the reviews to guide us to what to buy. Back in the day, magazines such as Kerrang!, Raw, and Metal CD were very powerful and could make or break a band with a few words. I also saw how music journalism became more spiteful towards certain artists who were no longer flavour of the week, particularly in the mid-nineties. As much as I enjoy a good music magazine, I think that having platforms like YouTube is really healthy as people can have a listen to a band’s new music and make up their own mind. It disempowered the gatekeepers to a degree, and means that kids have thousands of bands to discover at their leisure. It’s also worth noting that people who currently read magazines are the people who are really into their music, and are the perfect target audience for bands like mine.”
What are the band goals for the remainder of 2020 – with just five months left of the year are there any important goals or milestones to be reached?
“I want to finish our new album. I also want to get some new music videos filmed too. Gigs are out of the question for the moment and it’s nice to be able to concentrate on the record.”
If you could choose to play any UK festival in 2021 – which one would it be and why?
“Download. My first ever gig was Monsters of Rock at Donington Park in 1992. Pre-pubescent me looked at that stage and thought ‘I want to play here one day’!”
As a band who have been working hard to get yourselves out there in the live circuit and industry – what do you hope will have changed for unsigned and independent bands once lockdown completely ends?
“It’s going to be chaos and I think it will be a good couple of years before we see any kind of normality. Many small venues have gone bust, and the survivors won’t be taking risks on smaller bands that may not pack the place out. They need to make some money, and that’ll mean even more covers bands and tribute acts. The majority of gigs cancelled in 2020 will be re-booked, and everyone who was going to tour in 2021 has either been pre-booked already or may now not get the dates they want. The competition will be more savage than ever, and people can only afford to go to so many gigs. The key is to generate demand. Our plan is to make our best album yet, shoot some killer music videos and promote the record as much as we can online first. I don’t want to rush anything.”
If you could be endorsed by any companies who would they be and why?
“Nandos. I can’t get enough of the extra hot butterfly chickens.”
If you could play God for a day – who would you make an angel and who would you send to hell? And why?
“I would make Ricky Gervais an angel because he does so much charity work for dogs. I would send Donald Trump and his entire cunting family to Hell for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who isn’t a total fuck-head.”
How would you describe 2020 so far?
“We have had warnings of pandemics for years, so this was a rude awakening for many countries. It could have been worse, for sure. It shows you how shit some ‘leaders’ are, and how they don’t care about the people they’re supposed to be working for. Let’s not forget the floods and forest fires too. Our planet is in trouble and so is the human race. It’s time for society to grow up or we’ll all suffer and die. Other than that, 2020 has been great. If we do become extinct, at least we got to watch Tiger King!”
Do you have a message for fans of your music?
“Thank you. Our best is yet to come, so we hope that you continue with us on this journey. We’re an approachable bunch, so if you come to one of our shows, come chat some shit with us!”
Here is your opportunity to end the interview with some final words on a subject of your choice….
“I did not think that the end of Game of Thrones was anywhere near as bad as people make out. I actually quite enjoyed it. Fight me. Oh, and Turbo is one of Judas Priest’s best albums. These are both important topics that we can discuss further if you come to one of our shows when they finally happen. Don’t get me started on Star Wars or the Hellraiser franchise. I think its best I leave things there. Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel!”
Website: lesbianbeddeath.net
YouTube: youtube.com/lesbianbeddeath
Facebook: facebook.com/lbdofficial
Twitter: @lbdofficial
Instagram: Instagram.com/lesbianbeddeath
Luci4 – Vocals
Mr Peach – Guitars
Aimee Violet – Drums
Magic Andy – Bass
