Discovering Italian music scene: Spiritual Front and 7 more interesting bands
The pioneers of 90s neofolk scene are back to Ukraine thanks to Odessa-based agency Dying Sky Booking.
Already cult Spiritual Front, headlined by incomparable Simone Salvatori, will play a gig with their classic program of the best band’s songs on the 9th of October, in Kyiv club Tepliy Lampoviy. The next day you may also hear them covering The Smiths at the same club. Rethinking the heritage of the legendary British collective by Italians combines the uncompromising sound of Morrissey with the unrepeatable atmosphere of nihilistic suicidal pop-music Spiritual Front brings, and with the charism of Salvatory personally.
You can buy tickets and learn more about both events here: general program, cover program. And below the Spiritual Front members share their plans & sympathies among Italian underground music with our readers.
The project was born around 2001 and had many different memberships, united by the same goal: exporting suicide pop around the world. Spiritual Front mixes folk, new wave, altcountry, soundtrack vibes, goth tunes. The band has 7 full-length albums (the last one is called "Amour Braque", released in 2018), 2 EPs and some other releases
"Spiritual Front plays The Smiths" album
We’ve just finished a double-album named "Spiritual Front plays The Smiths". It’s our first time covering a band, but, since The Smiths have always been a huge influence on us, we decided to pay our tribute to this great band! Of course, we tried to rearrange those songs a la Spiritual Front, but saved the original spirit. Many guests are involved in this project, members from Pink Floyd, Calexico, King Dude, Sasha Boole, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Il Balletto di Bronzo and some more.
Connection with Ukraine
We’ve already played in Ukraine and used to have a good time here, so our bond with Ukrainian fans is solid. We performed in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa...such a wonderful country. The local bands we enjoy are...yes Sasha Boole is super, 1914 and Hate Forest.
Underground scene in Italy
I guess it is the same everywhere – a constant struggle to be independent, but fighting to be hyper as possible. Everybody loves success and fame. But comparing nowadays to the past years, we can say that "independent" music became more popular and appreciated, something has really changed, but basically the mainstream shit still rules.
Italian scene and COVID
We had more than 30 gigs cancelled, you can imagine what kind of shit it was — many clubs shut down as well as many promoters. Things started to move a little now, but it will take much time to get back to normal. COVID was a good chance for those who are into the big companies, but a total disaster for all the others. It’s pretty clear: everything, but work in that way, less sources/same infos/same political orientation/same tastes/same devices...no doubt at all.
Top 10 Italian bands (who they are and why we picked them)
I’d suggest Corde Oblique, if you are into intellectual folk. I recommend Date at Midnight to those who still appreciate the quality of classic goth rock. If you wanna know a special chansonnier, I’d mention Paolo Conte. Balletto Di Bronzo is for those who are into prog rock, surely and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso goes the same way. We had our Italian David Bowie during the 70s and 80s — a fantastic guy named Renato Zero. CCCP Fedeli alla Linea was a great art-punk band worth mentioning.
Spiritual Front in social network:
https://www.instagram.com/spiritualfrontofficialpage/
https://www.facebook.com/spiritualfrontofficialpage
https://spiritualfrontofficial.bandcamp.com/
http://www.spiritualfront.com/
Earlier we wrote about other European scenes – Polish, Czech, Hungarian and Romanian.
Photo provided by the band
