30 Years Ago

Thirty years ago Siouxsie & The Banshees recorded their debut single ’Hong Kong Garden’.  Released on 18th August 1978 it reached number 7 in the UK singles chart.  A full report of it’s recording including new interviews with members of the band can be found in May’s issue of Uncut magazine.  Out Now.

Siouxsie & The Banshees now have an official YouTube page CLICK HERE

9:57 AM - 33 Comments - 53 Kudos - Add Comment

Seasons Greetings & News

Courtesy of Steven Severin:

Dear All,

Season's greetings from bonnie Scotland.  Just to keep you simmering I thought I would officially bring you up to speed.

REMASTER PROGRAM
I recently went down the vaults and finalised the options for the extras on the next batch of 4 albums:- DREAMHOUSE, NOCTURNE, HYAENA & TINDERBOX.  All the tapes are now with our new engineer, Paschal and we should be receiving reference CDRs in the New Year.  We then take a vote on what to include or exclude.  All 4 are in the Universal schedule for late March/early April next year.

BANSHEES @ THE BEEB
Universal now have a dedicated department to deal with all the material the BBC are offering for release.  With the success of VOICES ON THE AIR, Universal have invited us to prepare a 4 disc box set of ALL our radio sessions and selected live concert recordings.

I have just received listening copies of everything they have and already it's looking marvellous.  For sure all the radio sessions will be included (Peel, Skinner, Jensen, Long, Radcliffe) and I've cherry picked the best of the live concerts (Warwick, Oxford & Royal Albert Hall).

My criteria is obviously audio quality foremost but I am attempting not to duplicate too much and where possible use the version that has the original guitarist playing e.g. McGeoch on Spellbound, Carruthers on Candyman, Klein on Killing Jar.  So...I've done a provisional running order and again reference discs are being prepared for everyone.  This department seems to work twice as fast as the main back catalogue one so don't be surprised if the box set surfaces BEFORE the remasters but you can never tell.

Merry Christmas ~ Happy Hogmanay and get stuffed:)

Steven

10:12 AM - 35 Comments - 53 Kudos - Add Comment

Judge Severin

Cinénygma Luxembourg International Film Festivals 10th edition is well on its way and will be held from 22 to 28 October 2006.
La 10ème édition du Cinénygma Luxembourg International Film Festival avance à grand pas et aura lieu du 22 au 28 octobre 2006.

Around 25 features and 20 shorts will be screened at this years festival. The international competition The Grand Prix Cinénygma, the Méliès dArgent Award for the Best European Fantastic Film as well as the Kodak Short Movie Award for the best European short will be awarded by different juries. The traditional public prize will be more important this year as a sponsor Circles Group will endow it with 2500 in cash that will go to the winner of the Circles Group Public Prize. The organizers of the festival are still working on the program but there will be a very strong European participation among the features and shorts. The final program will be announced during the press conference.
25 longs métrages et une vingtaine de courts métrages seront présentés cette année pendant le festival. Le Grand Prix Cinénygma, le Méliès dArgent du meilleur film fantastique européen ainsi que le prix Kodak pour le meilleur court métrage européen seront attribués par des jurys différents. Le traditionnel prix du public sera cette année plus important, notre sponsor « Circles Group » layant doté de 2500 en espèces. Il ira au gagnant du « Prix du Pubic Circles Group ». Les organisateurs du festival sont en train de finaliser la programmation. On peut dores et déjà annoncer une forte influence européenne, tant au niveau des longs que des courts métrages. La programmation finale sera annoncée lors de la conférence de presse.

Here a few dates you might want to write down in your calendar:
Voici quelques dates à noter dans vos calendriers:
Press conference 4.10.2006 at 10h30 Utoplis
Leçon de cinéma with Jess Franco 21.10.2006 Cinémathèque
12th Nuit du Film Fantastique Utopolis 27.10.2006

The festival is proud to announce that Jess Franco, the cult director will not only host a Leçon de cinema but will also be part of the International Jury with composer and founder of Siouxsie and the Banshees Steven Severin as well as the American shooting star actor Elias McConnell known from Gus van Sants Elephant and Paris je taime. Elias will soon be seen in the Luxembourgish production House of Boys by Jean-Claude Schlim.
Le festival est fier dannoncer que le réalisateur culte Jess Franco ne sera pas uniquement présent pour une Leçon de cinéma, mais fera également partie du Jury International. Il rejoindra Steven Severin, compositeur de musiques de films et fondateur du groupe légendaire Siouxsie and the Banshees, ainsi que lacteur américain Elias McConnell (Elephant et Paris je taime de Gus van Sant). Elias sera prochainement à laffiche de la production luxembourgeoise House of Boys de Jean-Claude Schlim.

Fun Fact
Romain Roll, our festival director, has been cast as a serial killer (what else!) in a film called Nature Morte. The films first time director Paul Burrows and producer Carole Derrien used to work in Luxembourg before they went on this adventure, which started in Thailand. At last years Cinénygma they met Steven Severin who has since composed the soundtrack for Nature Morte with his wife Arban. The film will be screened at this years festival.
Romain Roll, notre directeur, joue le rôle dun tueur en série (un rôle qui lui va comme un gant!) dans le film Nature Morte. Paul Burrows, qui signe ici son premier film, travaillait au Luxembourg avec la productrice Carole Derrien avant dentamer, en commun, leur aventure en Thaïlande. Lors de la dernière édition du festival, ils ont rencontré Steven Severin qui a depuis composé la bande originale de Nature Morte avec sa femme Arban. Le film sera projeté au festival de cette année.

Here a few links on the web:
Voici quelques liens sur le Web:
www.naturemortemovie.com
www.stevenseverin.com
www.cinema-nocturna.com/naturemorte_review.htm
www.mjsimpson.co.uk/reviews/naturemorte.html

5:11 PM - 5 Comments - 14 Kudos - Add Comment

ReIssue Update

The best news possible is that we are close to signing a deal with RHINO in the US. Our previous US company, Geffen lost the rights to our catalogue last August. Hence, nothing has been released domestically in the US since (Downside, Scream Deluxe).

RHINO want to rectify this as soon as they can! Fingers crossed they can get the recent reissues (Join Hands, Kaleidoscope & juju) out before Xmas. If that happens then we will get in sync. worldwide in time for the next batch that are due early 2007.

That batch will be:- ONCE UPON A TIME, A KISS IN THE DREAMHOUSE, NOCTURNE, HYAENA & TINDERBOX. I've just been in the UNIVERSAL vaults digging out some possible extras for these albums and we have a few surprises in store:)

There is also lots of talk about a BANSHEES @ THE BBC CD set and UNIVERSL PICTURES (a seperate company) are keen to do a complete video DVD on the back of the success of the recently released NOCTURNE DVD.

Meanwhile enjoy the summer with the BLUE SUNSHINE DELUXE EDITION:) Available August 7/8.

be seeing you

Steven

8:03 PM - 24 Comments - 44 Kudos - Add Comment