Brighton based Bad for Lazarus are the new noise-merchants to watch out for. Pitching their violent pop in an ungodly realm somewhere between Buddy Holly and Slayer, their sound straddles a wealth of punk, hardcore, Motown and doo-wop influences whilst maintaining a self defined mission to write simple yet brilliant songs.
They have already built a reputation as one of the Souths most bombastic and vicious live acts, leaving a trail of shattered glass and sweat stained walls in their wake. Now the time has come for the chaos to be committed to record and unleashed for all to hear.
On the subject of sometimes obtuse lyrical matter, Bad for Lazarus front man Rich Fownes says It’s important to me that the lyrics are somewhat absurd as there’s always a raw, angry vibe to the music and the subject matter, and there’s nothing worse than woe-is-me, sullen, introspective rock bands / artists. I can’t read a Jonathon Davis interview without being sick in my mouth. Depression and self-loathing are the new sex in rock music, but I don’t find anyone being emotionally retarded and self-involved charming.
Bad for Lazarus; the name is taken from the famous bible story in which Jesus lets down his followers by arriving too late to the deathbed of Lazarus to save him, only to later perform a miracle and bring him back to life. Echoing sentiments of previous musical endeavors ceasing (having previously played with Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, With Scissors, Nine Inch Nails and UNKLE) Fownes explains, I liked the idea of reincarnation after the year I’d just had and the idea of Jesus, the first celebrity, getting all the kudos for essentially getting there late.
In starting Bad for Lazarus, Fownes was determined to create something he truly believed in, writing all new material and recruiting the finest and most charismatic musicians Brighton has to offer.
