These include Christ, Christian Mysticism, the Apocalypse, cats, Tibetan Buddhism, runes, and, perhaps more than anything else, dreams, time and death. On Current 93’s MySpace page, the band is classified as “Glam/ Psychedelic/ Christian”, while on David Tibet’s MySpace page he describes Current 93 as sounding like: “Black Ships Eating The Sky/ Good-ol’ time Armageddon Music/Lazarus Arising/Words of Romans creeping in/Torture in the Toy-box/Infernal and Eternal Rome.” Or, for those who prefer a less abstract description, consider Tibet’s explanation of the themes of Current 93, as written in the liner notes to the collection of greatest hits known as Calling For Vanished Faces: “apocalypse in the great and the small- the human and the universal our loss of humanity and innocence the centrality of Christ as the great mystery and the great question that must be answered love, silence, sleep, and where dreams go to when they die.”ĭespite the fact that Current 93’s sound has changed quite often over the years, one thing that hasn’t changed is the themes that Tibet explores. “Apocalyptic Folk” is one label that has been attached to the group over the years, though Tibet has stated that this has less to do with folk as a musical genre and more to do with the fact that the people who make up Current 93 are apocalyptic folk. It’s hard to classify Current 93’s sound, as it has shifted so often throughout the years. With such an eclectic group of performers, one would expect Current 93 to be a very experimental listening experience, and such an assumption is correct. Even the American horror writer Thomas Ligotti was at one point a member of the Current. Other contributors have included guitarists such as Death In June’s Douglas Pearce and, more recently, Michael Cashmore, bassists like Tony Wakeford (Death In June again), and a large cast of guest singers, including Crass’ Steve Ignorant, NON’s Boyd Rice, Coil’s John Balance, the runologist Freya Aswynn, Nick Cave, Björk, Mark Almond, Rose McDowall, Antony Hegarty, Annie Anxiety, Tiny Tim, Rickie Lee Jones, and Shirley Collins. The musicians who accompany him are an ever-changing Teatro Grottesco: the only constant member has been Nurse With Wound’s Steven Stapleton, who has appeared on most (but not all) of Current 93’s albums. Indeed, Tibet is the only member of Current 93 who has appeared on every one of the group’s many, many albums. In an interview conducted with David Tibet for the July 2006 issue of The Wire magazine, Keith Moline noted that, “To talk to David Tibet about his work is to talk about his religious beliefs there is no way that his music can be discussed without reference to the apocalyptic vision and deep moral conviction underpinning it.”Ĭurrent 93 is pretty much the brainchild of one man: David Tibet. Or even a conventional band, for that matter. But then again, Current 93 could hardly be called a Christian band in the conventional sense. In fact, I would say that Current 93 provides good proof that not all Christian music sucks. After all, Current 93 has, since its very inception, been a primarily spiritual band, revolving around, at various points in its constantly mutating lifespan, Crowleyan occultism, Norse paganism, Gnosticism, Tibetan Buddhism, and, above all else, eschatological Christianity. Current 93 is one such band, and in this case I don’t use the word “religiously” lightly. David Tibet, from an interview with The Wire magazine (July 2006)Īlthough I can think of so many bands whose music I enjoy, there are only an elite few who I listen to religiously.
It’s the Roman Empire continuing with all the wickedness and evil and inhumanity.” “I think that we’re living in an artifice that’s been created, that perhaps is a dream of Satan, and Christ is continually suffering on the cross at this very moment whilst we’re wandering around in this fog. * (restored/Halloween countdown post #13)