One of the more mysterious bands to play at Coachella this year is Sweden's Ghost B.C. If you had the chance to catch them during their early Sunday afternoon set on the main stage during WeekendOne, then you remember their satanic melodies, distorted riffs, and vaudevillian keyboards (a mix between synth and metal, wrap your head around that one). Last Sunday marked the beginning of a six-week tour for the group, and judging by the crowd's reaction to a band shrouded in curiosity, they could be onto something here.
Oh and then there's their costumes (as pictured above). While it may seem a bit on the warm side to rock these get ups at an event like Coachella, the guys were more upset about their set time than anything else.
Papa Emeritus II and his Nameless Ghouls are hands down one of the more adventurous bands to play at Coachella and after their set, we caught up with two of the Nameless Ghouls, so nameless to the point where we didn't see their eyes and can only recognize their voices.
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OC Weekly (Daniel Kohn): Is there anything different about Coachella as opposed to some of the other festivals the group has played?
Not to take anything away from Coachella, but a lot of festivals in Europe have the same concept. Obviously the view and setting is very special, but the concept of doing our nocturnal thing, which excels in the dark, playing in the middle of the day is not optimal. It's fun, but it's not optimal. We're trying to create something that's always magical. A lot of that magic is sort of lost in the day, but fortunately, we're not only about theatre, but the music as well. So playing in the daylight, the music speaks a lot and it's almost like there's two different things.
OC Weekly (Daniel Kohn): Are you used to playing at night in Europe?
Mostly indoors and in big tents. That's the best in creating the vibe we're after with lights and smoke and what not.
What's the craziest thing you saw while on stage?
It was beautiful, but nothing out of the ordinary. We should have been flashed at least once, so that was disappointing. But mentally we were flashing them all the time.
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Was it hot playing in those costumes?
No, we're pretty used to it actually, even it is hot. In many ways, it's always hot.
With you guys being a smaller city that's two hours south of Stockholm, what would be your guide for a tourist to enjoy Linköping?
I'd take in the surroundings, nature, and the outdoors, stuff like that. Being that it's an old European city, there's an old section and old church. If a person is a Ghost B.C. fan, we would probably suggest that you go to a church. It's an old beautiful building that's 800-900 years old and inspired a lot of what we do.
How did it inspire the group?
Because what we're doing biblical expression and basically Christian religion with a slight twist on it. All of that comes from seeing and being in a big church.
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Daniel Kohn is a writer based in Southern California. With bylines in an assortment of outlets, Kohn primarily specializes in music with other interests ranging from sports to food. As a transplant, Kohn loves the beautiful weather and is glad he no longer has to deal with brutal winters. If you see him, say hi and of course, he’s always willing to down a beer or two…if you’re paying.