Still cannot say I am mentally back from a 2 week vacation. We went to Copenhagen to visit our dearest, after which he came back with us to Berlin for another week.
There is a lot to tell- even though is was only 1 week it felt like we were in K-Town an entire month.
Here are some highlights:
We went to a bunch of museums
and saw a Tolkien exhibition featuring stuff from The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings films. It was amazing!
We went to a gig at Ungdomshuset (a youth house squat) to see a riot girl gig and our minds were blown by Vexx. Check them out now!!
We did not plan on drinking much during the trip, but were forced to drink Scandinavian style
and witnessed Danish people claiming to be Jewish as a result.
We were hosted by our dearest´s family at their summer house outside of Copenhagen, and it was very relaxing with a lot of amazing food. I was looking forward to get out of the city for a while.
Coming back to Copenhagen, we also went to a beautiful forest/hill in the suburbs, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
This video is a decent representation of our adventures as well:
Don´t want to overload with pictures and words, as all of them cannot really express how great that time has been. Places shine in a different light when you have a very special person to explore them with, and Boris and I are lucky for having our dearest.
Also, the three of us jammed one night, and it turned out quite well. This is also my first ever bass recording! We should master it and release it as an underground EP or something. Listen here.
Reality awaits, and hopefully if I get the time off we will go to Prague at the end of the month. I cannot wait!
I love the feeling of cutting your fringe, grooming your overgrown eyebrows (fringe=low eyebrows maintenance) and drawing them carefully for the world to see.
I pluck out half of my eyebrows in order to draw it higher. Drawing them on again actually looks natural, so no awkward super sharp black liquid liner for me. I also don´t really like the full grown bushy eyebrow look. Probably will make me look very Uzbek-ish like it does to my mom XD
I used a brown pencil on the beginning and drew the rest with a black one. I usually use only brown though.
I love how my eyebrows look
I can give you a smokey eye tip, if you are not tired of reading about smokey eye tips yet: smudge a little of black pencil on your eyelid, then cover it with a ton of transparent powder. It will not move, it will stay dry all day and won´t gather inside the crease and ruin your good mood.
You know what, here´s another tip: apply black eyeshadow on the lower lash line. It doesn´t smudge like pencil, and won´t look droopy after a couple of hours. Black eyeshadow will look dramatic enough on your lower lid, it also feels less heavy than pencil or liquid eyeliner.
Fun Fact: I actually say "on fleek" a lot. After I learned that this is what the cool kids say today it would make me feel very old not to overuse the expression...
Now to have my vacation at last! We are going to Copenhagen for a week on monday to see a dear dear friend. More adventures to follow as we get back.
Last year I did a post about 10 albums that changed my life. It took me this long to think about only 10 songs, which is more difficult. How can you sum up such a great influence on you with just a few songs?
Here are ten, for now:
1. Led Zeppelin / Stairway To Heaven
Sorry you guys, but I´m afraid it´s going to get only more cliche from here. Not much to say- it´s fucking Led Zeppelin, it´s the most amazing song in the world, you discover life, universe and everything when you listen to it, and the younger you are exposed to it the better.
What has the song changed exactly in my life? I don´t know, what has it changed in the lives of millions other people?
2. Queen / The Prophet´s Song
You know how I love A Night At The Opera, and this is perhaps Queen´s most underrated song. The arrangement and composition of this song is insane, this is basically classical music level. I can still listen to this song a thousand times, lipsyncing for my life.
A thought came to me while I listened to the album not long ago: it could be so cool to make a musical out of the album, like Jesus Christ Superstar- every song is like a happening in the plot of the film featuring different characters. That could have been so cool.
3. Bauhaus / The Passion Of Lovers
Yet again another cliche pick. I am in my first year of high school, I am walking to my bus station and listening for the first time to the freshly downloaded Bauhaus. My eyes widened and I couldn´t believe how it spoke to me. This song has incredible energies, mystery and elegance and represents for me that new thing I was exploring back then- post punk. It still moves me greatly today.
4. Opeth / Bleak
This is one of my favorite songs from Blackwater Park, their most famous album. Opeth have been with me forever, but this was one of the first songs by them that I listened to.
5. Sopor Aeternus / The Sleeper
This was the first song by SA that I listened to as well. This band was a huge revelation for me in my babybat years, and this song has captivated me ever since. It still echoes of scenes when I was sitting at my table alone at night, writing poetry or drawing, communicating with the goth world of the internet.
6. The Doors / End Of The Night
Another mysterious song. Everything by Th Doors reminds me of our first time together with Boris, as he introduced me to so many classic rock bands. I need to have another "special psychedelic" listen to The Doors again one day (hey, it worked with The Beatles´ Sergeant Pepper!).
7. The Birthday Party / Mutiny In Heaven
Either the song, or the entire album with the same name. This is me and Boris wanting to roam Berlin, play and hear cool music and meet Blixa Bargeld on the street while doing so. Berlin was a dream in black and white like a scene from the movie The Wings Of Desire which inspired us so greatly when we were 16 & 17. It still does.
8. The Mars Volta / Teflon
This incredible band was associated with unpleasant memories for a long time, until just recently when I managed to replace that feeling with something better. TMV are powerful beyond words and always draw new emotions from me with time. First time I gave them a lesson was a very weird time in my life.
9. Radiohead / Paranoid Android
This song makes me incredibly emotional (lol like all songs on this list?) and besides everything is a fucking masterpiece. I hate the video, I don´t care how unconceptually conceptual it is, they have ruined the song with that video. I actually cannot listen to this song too often, I would get very fragile.
10. Grauzone / Träume mit mir
While we were at it, Boris and I thought that we were the only ones in Israel listening to this "obscure" music (nothing obscure when it came to the popularity of Grauzone in Europe lol). It was fun to understand bits and pieces of this song when we just began to learn German, and again there was something bittersweet in the air.
I always manage to link these kind of listings to my timeline or biography! Then again, it´s only the natural thing to do. Have you noticed that almost every song is associated with sad things?
As if anyone even read what I wrote lol.
Also, every song mentioned was listened by me before the age of 20. I guess the music I´ve listened to in my teens has left a deep mark in me, and that is something I haven´t noticed before. What happened after 20? Have I died a bit inside?
Looking at various online stores inspired by 90s fashion made me crave for a choker, but unlike usually I kind of wanted it to be more goth.
I was happy to find an ankh choker on Etsy sold by a shop called Twirly Trinkets. Little did I know that I´ve contacted the sweetest seller in the world.
Seriously, I have been very happy about how personal purchasing on Etsy can get, but I just had fun writing to the seller, Penny, back and forth and I really could feel the person on the other side caring a bunch about her costumer. Needless to say the item came in perfect condition and looks absolutely beautiful:
It was tricky taking a picture of the ankh when facing the window light. Also, this is a black curtain behind me to have a decent background for selfies at last. I am giving you production value here, people!
I loved a lot of items in the shop as well, I think the various chokers can go great with different styles, I loved the velvet ones especially. Also the prices are just right.
I have missed some classical gothic jewelry, but I like how simple these ones are, most goth chokers have way too much detail for my taste. Here are a few of my favorites:
Last saturday was our first time at Berlin pride. 2 years living here and we somehow did not have a chance to go until now. We were super excited and the parade was amazing, we had so much fun dancing around (for 5 hours, parade was huge!) and looking at all the beautiful people! The atmosphere was perfect.
Boris put on his crossdressing game and did his makeup, he was the prettiest of all the gender nonconforming people out there:
No, I do not have a good location for photos, but look at those legs!
Here is a better view of the dress. It is a very old dress of mine that I wore only once :P
Still trying to figure out if Boris looks like his mom when in makeup
I did not go crazy on my makeup, it is pretty much what I do to every party, only turquoise eyeshadow on the lower lid.
Here is a better picture of the hair. I have recently been trying out a new backcombing trick that a friend told me about.
At some point we were in a hurry, so there was no time to talk an outfit picture of me. But there is an upper half picture:
I am very pleased with how my roots blend in with the uncertain color of my hair.
This is indeed a transparent lace bra (best bra ever) and a cut out t shirt. Lower half were shots and teal tipped stockings, but my boobs have not graced the blog yet, so there you go.
This is a very basic look that takes me only 15 min. I have missed the brown shades and I love pairing this look with a dark brown lipstick, which in the pictures seemed to have worn off.
Thought including a close up might be interesting for you to see how little I actually did.
I just put dark brown on the outer part of the crease, the inner upper corner of my eyes and along the lower lid. This and gel liner on the water line gives depth to my eyes (aka fallen eyelids issues).
I have no idea how this would look on you. Foundation only under my eyes to hide dark circles and bronzer + lots of powder on face.
Excuse the crappy lining on the upper lid, I was in a hurry and normally you cannot even see this part of my eyes lol.
This is as natural with makeup as I can get.
Hair is getting long and looks gorgeous in these pictures.
I am happy to be a part of the world again as I can almost fully walk after surgery! I am happy to go to uni again, but more so happy to have the semester over next month to go on vacation!
I am happy to enlighten you about subculture happenings again after being asked to do an interview with Virgin In Veil.
Virgin In Veil are a new deathrock/ dark punk band based in Helsinki, featuring band members from Secular Plague and Masquerade. They are currently gaining popularity in the scene, and you should be informed!
N: You guys in
Virgin In Veil play in other bands like Masquerade and Jacques also plays in
Secular Plague, both are well known in the scene. What drove you to start
another project?
Jacques: I created Virgin in Veil in January, while I wasn't
yet playing in Masquerade. I've always loved deathrock and wanted to create a
band of that style... I bet that's the problem of being too much eclectic with
music tastes...
Suzi: I joined Virgin in Veil very recently, my first gig
with them was in Moscow last month. I actually started to rehearse the synth
parts only a few days before we left for Russia. It made more sense to me than
staying on the sidelines until I'm a virtuoso. Before joining the band as a
full-time member I did backing vocals for the songs.
2. You are
currently based in Helsinki, how would you describe the scene there (and in
Finland in general), in comparison to the rest of Europe?
Jacques: I haven't even been here for a full year, but I like
it so far. There's many punk bands, many gigs... On that point, it's way better
than where I previously lived. The problem of the Finnish scene is those
fucking strict Finnish laws, venues must close at 4, no alcohol can be sold
after 9 in shops, blablabla. This is complete bullshit.
Suzi: The scene almost everywhere is being infected by
people who have barely nothing to do in their lives beside of gossiping. They
wallow in jealousy and try to excrete their own misery on others, but
fortunately that kind of people always end up making complete fools of
themselves, unwanted by everyone.
3. Do you feel
like the local scene is supportive of Virgin In Veil? Was it different with
your other bands?
Jacques: We already have a lot of haters! Which is good,
because only the unnoticed don't. Finnish audience is cold. You can play a
fucking gig, move around, give everything you have... and they stay 3 meters
away from the stage looking like fucking statues. But it doesn't mean they
don't like it.
It's weird from me as it is quite different in France, but yeah,
I'm getting used to it!
Suzi: Rather than investing money on shows, goths seem to
get stuck at their homes, saving up for a victorian dress and drooling over
online videos of the Cure. There's a lot great bands playing live to discover
(like us), and as time passes you will regret you didn't see them when they
were having a show just around the corner.
4. You use
(anti) religious imagery in your artwork and songs, what is the motive behind
it and what would you like to say with it?
Jacques: I'm not anti-religious. I don't see anything wrong if
somebody believe in a god or whatever. I'm not even an atheist myself, rather
an agnostic...
But yeah, I'm extremely pissed off at people using their faith
in whatever cult or religion to harass those who are different or simply don’t
subscribe to their so-called truth. Our song "In the Name of God"
isn't anti-religious, but rather against religious violence and bullying.
It's
not against people having faith in whatever they choose, it's against people
who think that their faith allow them, for example, to harass women who want to
have an abortion. Those homophobic pro-lifer bigots can suck my cock, really.
In The Name Of God played at VIV´s recent gig in Helsinki
5. You are now
planning a tour in the US. Do you think the support from the scene there would
be different than in Europe?
Jacques: People from the US and Mexico are extremely
enthusiastic about both Virgin in Veil and Masquerade and have been extremely
helpful to us, finding gigs, offering to drive us from city to city, etc. We
are really looking forward to it and I'm sure the support will be amazing.
6. Are there any
other places/ events where you would most like to play?
Jacques: The more unusual the better. With my previous band
Sleeping Children we almost played in Morocco and I'm very pissed off that it
finally didn't happen. I'd love to play in Africa, fuck yeah. No bands go to
Africa, while there's a real underground scene in several countries.
Same goes for the Middle East... To make it short, we'd play anywhere. I would play in fucking North Korea if we get
the chance.
Bands who boycott specific countries for political reasons are
losers. Yeah, Russian government sucks, is that a reason to say to Russian
punks and goths that they can go fuck themselves? People aren't responsible for
the actions of the government of the country they live in. If someone like our
music, he or she is welcome, whatever the place you live in, your gender, age,
skin color etc.
7. What makes
Virgin In Veil stand out from other bands of the contemporary deathrock and
dark punk genre?
Jacques: Haha, it's quite hard to answer that question
ourselves, you should ask our audience! But well, I think Virgin in Veil has
punkier sound and attitude than many other contemporary deathrock bands, so it
can be a turn on to some people. Also, unlike many deathrock bands, we don't
give a shit about singing about vampires or witches, we prefer our lyrics to be
either perverse poetry or politically oriented. Seriously, some actual bands
have great songs, but their lyrics stink shit.
You can listen and download Virgin In Veil´s EP on their bandcamp page, or here:
So if you are thirsty for deathrock and lots of attitude, stay tuned and follow these guys for future releases and gigs!
Any more bands out there interested in making an interview? Write me an email to deusexmachina.blogspot@gmail.com.
Or if you guys know any interesting bands tell me about it in the comments.
