Steven Severin Live

Did you ever have one of those days when you wake up anxious? That was Saturday morning for me; though I have been to hundreds of concerts/shows in the past, this was one of those shows that I was really looking forwards to. Heading over to Le Poisson Rouge, Steven Severin (punk, post-punk icon, co-founder of Siouxsie and the Banshees, and one of my childhood heroes) was to perform his American live solo debut. For Severin, an artist who has continually challenged the industry and listeners, this was a bold step into the future of possibilities. All that was to be expected was that he would perform along side French surrealist film “The Seashell and the Clergyman” – a lunatic tale of the delusions of a clergyman. Iconoclastic artist, iconoclastic film – the night was set to be unforgettable.

Le Poisson Rouge

The venue is small, intimate – and from any spot in the room the stage, fitted with a movie screen, was within clear view. I sat there with two friends (my favorite Aussie, Belladonna, and a colleague who knows everything film). As we sat at our table, and 8:20pm rolled around, the lights dimmed, and Severin, clad in black, entered the room and climbed the stage. Though Severin never took center stage, nor has he ever, he is one of those individuals that have presence and visual character. He took his seat by his equipment, and the film, “The Seashell and the Clergyman” began to roll as he generated the soundscape.



Directed by Germaine Dulac and written by Antonin Artaud (who is said to have been disgusted by the finish product), “The Seashell and the Clergyman” premiered in Paris on 9 February 1928. Though not considered by most film historians to be the first surrealist film, history is being revisited on that question. This film is bizarre – it may make you laugh, cringe, or feel revolted, or all three at once. But Severin’s music to the film was not mere cut the idea on the screen and paste it to music, but rather an expansion, an elaboration of the moods and emotions on the screen. Instead of the music working to enhance the visual, or the visual as a means of passive experience while listening to music, they both worked hand-in-hand to create an experience that was at both visual and audio, an experience that was both intellectual (as you pondered the elusive narrative on the screen) and visceral (as you tried to understand your own reaction to the sensory overload). This was an amazing experience.

After the thirty-one minute film, there was an intermission. As captured on his current release, “Music for Silents” (iTunes link), the second half of the show would concentrate on short, abstract scenes. From the symmetry of forms as two women playing against mirrors in “In Loop,” to the sexual and violence of “The Bad Dropper” and “Third Bride” – what really caught my eye was “Mercury Gash.” Starting with similar sounds to a flanger effect-pedal, the illustrated imagery was nothing short of Dionysian. A frenzied, orgiastic experience, as images of surreal sexual positions, the music itself never reached the point of losing itself in passion. That would be too easy, and Severin is a genius. Instead, the music is a very self-contained experience, with repetitive elements that mirror the repetitive elements of sex.

I came across the work of Steven Severin years ago, and one of the things that I admired most about his character is that he never uses the coattails of past monuments to fuel new endeavors. Every phase of his career, every album he ever compiled, every song he ever composed, each was done by its own merits and not hoping the past would propel him to another success. This show, and its corresponding release, is no different – “Music for Silents,” both a static album or a living performance, is a new step into a future that has not been charted out. It would not surprise me to see more artists start to perform in this format, as Severin has always had the power to influence his peers. And as history is starting to show, he can even influence future generations into a new mindset about how to approach music.

Mosey on down to his MySpace page and get more information on the following live dates. Make the investment; the show will blow you away.

18 October 2009 – Rome, Italy
11 November 2009 – Los Angeles, CA USA
13 November 2009 – Olympia, WA USA
18 November 2009 – Los Angeles, CA USA

Set List
1. The Seashell and the Clergyman
[Intermission]
2. InLoop
3. The Bad Dropper
4. Mercury Gash
5. Figure in Movement
6. Third Bride
7. OutLoop

Keep up with Steven Severin at his homepage and MySpace. Read more ...

Steven Severin Answers 7

Siouxsie and the Banshees cofounder, bassist, lyricist, and songwriter Steven Severin is a founding father of the avant-garde punk movement and has been scoring soundtracks for film and television for the last several years. His latest series of performance works, “Music for Silents,” sees him performing live electronic soundtracks to screenings of silent films, both old and new.

He will be coming to New York City on Saturday, October 10th, at Le Poisson Rouge, Greenwich Village. Severin will be performing to the 1928 French surrealist silent movie classic “The Seashell and the Clergyman” (below) as well as to other contemporary works made by up-and-coming filmmakers. This show is for ages 18 and over and is his American debut. Tickets are only $20.00! (info below) And though he is running a busy schedule, Severin has agreed to Answer 7.



1. Who are your musical and non-musical influences? How have they changed throughout the years?

Musical: I think everything I listen to influences me in one form or another, good or bad, because at heart, I’m still essentially a “fan.” It started with the Beatles and The Stones, then the Mothers/Beefheart, then The Velvets and Can, then Bowie and Roxy. After that I became a musician myself, so my relationship to music changed forever. All the fervor that I originally channeled into appreciating other people’s work then went into my own. It’s almost impossible to just “enjoy” music, as I naturally pull apart the arrangement and production and analyze the lyrics as I listen. That said, something comes along every so often that just blows me apart and makes me realize why I still do this.

Non-Musical: To me music is the most magical of all the arts. It connects memories and buried emotions. It involves mathematics and chance, love and anger. At best it can be as immense and terrifying as a cathedral or as delicate as the tide receding from the sand. I’m intrigued by how people use and need music, how it interfaces with the other arts. That’s why I started making music for film, theatre, and dance. Each conjunction throws up new responses and I love that.

2. Many younger bands are citing your work as an influence; what do you make of this post-punk revival? How does it stack up against the late seventies and early eighties?

I don’t think about it to be honest. Things like that are so far off my radar. I can’t afford to look over my shoulder as I might miss something beautiful on the horizon.

3. I was inspired when you mentioned in an interview that the process of learning to play the bass and writing music involved dismissing clichés. What clichés have you had to dismiss in composing music for films?

Two things were very apparent once I started to get immersed in film music. One was the obvious signposting of drama and the other (which is criminal in my eyes) was the use of “ethnic” music. It drives me insane when people use so-called “exotic” music to denote something “foreign”—especially if they get the location wrong. I can’t think of examples right now (I’ve probably deliberately erased them), but say using something generically “Oriental” or “Latin” that might actually be from the wrong continent. It’s just lazy, cultural fascism.

4. You’ve described the process of writing scores for silent films as “liberating,” as there is no voice. But are there new challenges and/or constraints involved in composing music that already has an existing visual component?

Some people are able to just write music that sits on top of the image and in many cases that’s all the director wants. I can’t do that. I have to get right into the film, reacting sometimes frame-by-frame. Because my tools are electronic I love creating sounds that are so immersive, you can’t always tell whether it’s sound design, Foley, or score. In film music (much more so than in “pop” music) the silences and pauses are so important that they are part of your palette also. Consequently, you’re forced into unusual rhythms and patterns, bizarre instrument groupings, in short ideas and concepts that you just wouldn’t imagine without the image stimulus. There is no “one way” to score a film—in fact, it’s almost boundless.

5. Other than personal appeal, what was your process of selecting a film like “The Seashell and the Clergyman “ to work with?

It took quite a while to land on “Seashell” as my first foray into “live” accompaniment. I didn’t want to start with something that was really well known and didn’t particularly want to go straight into a full-length movie. “Seashell” ticked both those boxes—and because it’s only thirty-five minutes long—it forced me into conceiving the concept of a two-part show. Everything fell into place when I finally saw it.

6. With the Banshees, you were upfront with your bass. But now you sit on the side of a stage as a film is playing. As an artist and performer, how have you had to redefine and adjust your relationship with your audience? Do you find the same level of empathic connection?

It is different but also similar in that I’ve never been the center of attraction on stage and that’s how I like it. The screen is my new “front person,” if you like, and for the most part I prefer all eyes to be on her/it. For someone who’s spent all their adult life on stage, I’m very uncomfortable in the spotlight. I’m slowly getting used to it though (smiles).

7. Out of curiosity—is there any impulse or desire in you to compose and perform music in the vein of a rock band? If so, how you would you approach it now? Or is this part of your life you have closed the door on for good?

I’ve absolutely no desire whatsoever to compete in the “rock” arena, either by forming or joining a band as my main concern. If the right opportunity arose I would consider a “tour” with someone, possibly—as a one-off project. I would love to have the budget to perform “Music for Silents” with a live band and/or live string section. That kind of interaction would be fascinating.

Before you miss the opportunity to be part of Steven Severin’s live solo debut in New York City, go directly to the Le Poisson Rouge’s box office via this link, and purchase tickets. Again, the show is 18 and up, and tickets are $20.00.

You may also want to work your way over to your iTunes store and check out his work:

“Music For Silents” (2008) (link)

“Beauty and the Beast” (2005) (link)

“The Woman in the Dunes” (2000) (link)

“Maldoror” (1999) (link)

“Visions” (1998) (link)

Keep up with Steven Severin at his homepage, MySpace, and Facebook.

Here is a short excerpt from Severin’s performance of “Globe” to “The Seashell and the Clergyman” from his YouTube Channel: stevenseverin.

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