Country: Russia
Formed in: 2008
Location: Saint-Petersburg
Website: vk.com/grotesquesexuality
Members:
Pall Nattsol - vocals / Nikita Gusev - guitar / Sergey Solo - bass / Andre Baargeld - drums
Contact: gravejibes @ mail.ru
Biography
The story of Grotesque Sexuality began in summer 2008, when close mates Nattsol and Nikita accidentally faced each other as musicians. Since the very beginning of their collaboration, the project was in the air. And it got the shape it has now in the beginning of winter 2008, when Andre joined the band on drums, and Solo completed the line-up as bass player. The result a bit surprised even the former members when they realized that the band they created has become a kind of cocktail, mixed from deathrock sexuality, coldwave mysticism, no wave (self) destruction, theatrical artistism and avant-garde poetical frenzy.
March of 2009 had already become the time for the band when they came to studio to make its first record, the demo, called “A Spell By Laugh”. Although it’s too much clear from the demo that for that time the band had no record experience, what made it a bit clumsy, it for sure reflected all the potential of Grotesque Sexuality and made it the first Russian band signed by the famous French web-label Zorch Factory Records. Then it was the very right time to appear on stage and it happen on May, 12th at Grave Jibes Party vol. one. After that the band had very tense concert schedule, accepting all they offers they got. The culmination of this summer madness was “Stolen Grave!” party from FiendWide and Grave Jibes, the gig in which Grotesque Sexuality shared the stage with great Russian bands Breathing of Bones and Valery and The Greedies, and DJs Polina (Drop Dead) and It-Sicko (Gothic Pogo). And that is the successful performance at this show that made Grotesque Sexuality the first Russian band, invited to perform at the greatest gothic punk festival, Drop Dead, in Lithuania in 2010.
Then the band decided to remain in the shadow for a while, and gave just two shows in autumn 2009. But they returned in 2010, starting the year with successful debut in Moscow (02.02.2010) and the new studio sessions. So it kept on going, the band had appearances at different festivals (two of which deserve to be mentioned, - Grave Jibes Fanzine’s “May Death Holiday” in Saint-Petersburg and True LaLa’s “Rozzwish” in Moscow), until the year activity reached its peak in August. That month three important things happened in the band’s life: release of its first serious studio work, - the single, called “Collage”, thanks to Zorch Factory again ; first show abroad (amazing performance in Finland with the band Murnau’s Playhouse) ; and the appearance at Drop Dead Festival in Lithuania on the Batcave special stage, sharing it with Castrati, 13th Moon, The Last Days of Jesus, Jacquy Bitch and Specimen. 2010 ended for the band with the appearence at big post-punk/goth festival Avant-Gardism From Beyond (organized by Grave Jibes Fanzine) with headliner band Avant-Garde from Rome.
In 2011 Grotesque Sexuality started to be more tempered in live shows, preferring to have rare appearences on interesting events (like performance in Saint-Petersburg with deathrock band Death Formation and Finnish goths Murnau's Playhouse, or the band's second performance in Tampere). On August 13th, 2011 the band released self-titled limited edition collectors cassete compilation, which, apart from their Zorch Factory stuff, includes unique never released before tracks with musicians from French touching-pop act [Audible], cult coldwave band Exces Nocturne and minimal wave/e.b.m. project Buzz (later to be renamed as Vuduvox).
Starting 2012 with appearance at post-punk festival in January, the band called it a day soon after, due to personal and artistic choices. Nattsol formed Salome’s Dance, and Nikita joined that band either after a while. Solo formed Loverlost – “romantic post-punk band”, as they say, and Andre decided to quit music.
- A Spell By Laugh (mp3) - 2009 - Zorch Factory Records
- Collage (mp3) - 2010 - Zorch Factory Records
- Grotesque Sexuality (K7) - 2011 - Grave Jibes
- Video Retrospective 2010-10 (DVD) - 2013 (release details tba) - Grave Jibes
