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SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES : The Sisters of Mercy band members thriving music careers
By Mark Andrews -15 May 2025
SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES : The Sisters of Mercy band members thriving music careers by Mark Andrews author of the Sisters of Mercy book Paint My Name in Black and Gold : The Rise Of The Sisters of Mercy
This year, The Sisters of Mercy are only playing live for a couple of weeks in May and at a small handful of summer UK and European festivals.
And of course, they don’t make records.
While Andrew Eldritch is doing whatever Andrew Eldritch does in his down time, the rest of the band have turned their attention to their own projects.
Each of them are rock music lifers, compulsively, precariously – heroically, even – toiling at the margins of a brutal, decrepit industry.
Ben Christo has given nearly two decades service to The Sisters on guitar and backing vocals. His band Diamond Black are recording an album and releasing singles. ‘Fall Into the Silence’ is scheduled for June.
Chris Catalyst played guitar in The Sisters for 14 years and is now ‘Nurse to the Doktor’ ie. the wrangler of the conjoined Macbooks that contain the drums and non-guitar parts. His band Eureka Machines’ new album, Everything, is out now.
Kai, who joined The Sisters in 2023, plays guitar and sings back up – including the Ofra Haza part on ‘Temple of Love’. He leads Esprit D’Air, who have just finished touring Europe and are recording their fourth studio album, Aeons.
Louder Than War: Let’s begin with the elevator pitch …
KAI: Esprit D’Air is a band that blends elements of synth metal, electronic rock, and cinematic soundscapes, refusing to be confined by a single genre. We create music with complete artistic freedom, producing everything ourselves – from songwriting to production – while staying true to our vision.
CHRIS CATALYST: Eureka Machines are four mates who really like hanging out and making music when we can. It’s a mish-mash of all the more rocking aspects of our record collections, and as such, probably quite reflective our ages. Loud guitars, big choruses and sweet harmonies.
BEN CHRISTO: Diamond Black’s released material to date sounds like a collision of the bands that inspired it – Def Leppard, The Cult, The Cure, Killing Joke and Sevendust. It’s emotional, anthemic, melancholy, incisive and very melodic.
The album we’re currently recording has taken a slightly different direction – less ‘metal’ guitars and more acoustics, with the rhythm section bringing the heaviness. Imagine Love-era Cult mixed with early Manic Street Preachers and a soupçon of post-hardcore, but retaining our signature atmospherics and amping up the emotional intensity.
Do you see any musical overlap with The Sisters?
CC: I think we both like the sound of a decent hook and have more of a ‘pop’ sensibility than you might initially realise. Mine and Andrew’s record collections have a bit of crossover too – the more cerebral aspects of punk, Motörhead and probably quite a bit of 70s glam.
BC: The key thing I’ve taken from studying – and more recently writing – Sisters material is the importance of space, of restraint. And when it comes to vocal and guitar toplines, the challenge is to create something I’m proud of using as few notes as possible! Also, the placement of notes – doing things in slightly unexpected ways – that’s something I’ve really learned from The Sisters.
Where do your musical tastes overlap with The non-Andrew Sisters? And where shall never the twain meet?
BC: Chris and I both love Prozaic by Honeycrack; it was one of the first things we bonded over! It’s such a great combination of clever songwriting, tight production, catchy melodies, meaningful lyrics and hard-edged riffs.
Kai and I both have a soft spot for Night Songs by Cinderella. I had it on repeat in my early years of rock fandom. There’s a darkness and spiteful edge to all the hairspray that sets it apart from many of their 1986 peers.
CC: Ben and I are the same age (believe it or not) so we are into a lot of the same stuff from the 90s – your obvious Britrock classics like Therapy?, Terrorvision, The Wildhearts who, if you were into rock music in that era, were the paramount really. Plus, a bunch of slightly more obscure bands from that era like Kerbdog and indeed Honeycrack.
But Ben is really into a lot of the more hair-metal stuff from the 80s which totally passed me by. And I’m into a lot of punk and indie that I don’t think grabbed him either. Or The Fall, which I think is anathema to Ben. I remember one time playing some electro in a dressing room – Blanck Mass I think it was – and Ben actually asked me to turn it off. Fair enough, it’s probably not gig warm-up music.
Kai, I’m less sure about, but I know they like a bit of that hair-rock too; it just always left me completely dry really. But, as I always say: more for you.
K: There’s definitely some overlap with Ben’s and my tastes, but also plenty of differences. For some reason, a lot of the similarities are in eighties rock. And yes, Ben and I actually found common ground with Night Songs by Cinderella. I am more of an Iron Maiden fan, while he is more of a Judas Priest fan; I’m more of a Whitesnake fan, while Ben is more of a Def Leppard fan.
Can you name a track from one of your band-mates projects that you especially like?
BC: From Esprit’s work, ‘Glaciers’ is brilliant – so epic, and the chorus is huge. Nice to hear a modern track in 6/8, too! As for Chris’s stuff, Eureka Machines never disappoint. The opening track ‘Everything’ on the new record is a banger. And I’m also really enjoying the demos of his newest project, which I’ve had the privilege to hear …
CC: Diamond Black’s previous stuff I didn’t really enjoy so much but I am enjoying the less rawk direction they seem to be going in. ‘Dark Anthems’ is hooky and anthemic and ‘Through The Misery’ has interesting twists and turns.
Andrew and I went to see them and Kai’s band Esprit D’Air last year and we really enjoyed Kai’s performance, which I think fits perfectly with their band and their brand. The best of theirs is probably ‘Leviathan’: taut and tight but melodic and epic, with a great chorus. And I love the chugfest in the middle.
So Andrew does pay attention to your non-Sisters music?
K: Yeah, to some extent. It was at The Warehouse in Leeds last year he saw me play, so he’s at least aware of what I’m doing outside The Sisters. Andrew isn’t the type to hand out compliments, but the fact that he showed up probably says more than words would.
CC: Yeah, he comes to see us if he’s in Leeds, sometimes. I’ve given him CDs, which I don’t know if he listens to anymore. He goes through phases of wearing our t-shirts quite a lot, which is nice, but it might just be laundry day!
Which Sisters song is closest to your own musical taste?
K: Probably ‘Lucretia My Reflection’. It has that driving hypnotic groove, electronic elements, and atmosphere that resonates with me.
CC: I’m less keen on the more metal histrionics, but I really love everything on Floodland, so I’d have to say either the pomp of ‘Dominion’ or the unbridled permafrost-cool of ‘Lucretia My Reflection’. I also really love the early scratchy post-punk stuff like ‘Kiss The Carpet’ and ‘Floorshow’.
BC: ‘When You Don’t See Me’: it’s got high production values, rocking guitars, a big chorus, enigmatic lyrics and atmospheric keyboard layers. Plus, it uses one of my favourite chord progressions: Am–F–G!
In what ways is it your band the same as it ever was? What has irrevocably changed?
K: At its core, Esprit D’Air is still the same band because the vision remains the same – creating music with no compromises and staying independent. When Esprit D’Air started, we were a band where everybody contributed, whether it came down to production, songwriting, and finances. What has irrevocably changed is how we operate. I now handle everything – from writing and producing to funding and releasing albums.
CC: Eureka Machines is exactly the same band, mentally and physically, as it was when it first started. That’s our biggest success, and maybe also what’s held us back! We’re just a bunch of mates who love doing the band and love each other and just wanna do it – and will probably continue to in some form or another until the inevitable.
BC: Where Diamond Black’s previous production aesthetic leaned more toward Scandinavian and American dark rock, this new material feels rawer, more organic, though still powerful and hard-edged. In the spirit of growing authenticity, I’ve leaned even more into my own British accent, so words like ‘glass’ and ‘last’ may sound a little surprising to fans who are more used to the traditional American/European pronunciation. It felt really liberating to be able to embrace my true voice to such a degree, and I’m keen to see how this is received and I do think it might be a tad divisive – which is usually a good thing!
Just as important as the sound is the message: we promote mental health, wellness and personal growth. Through our shows, weekly podcast, and Discord server, we’ve seen a community emerge, a space where people feel safe to share and talk about mental health. The new album is intended as a call to action, urging listeners to face their fears and defeat their demons.
What is the band’s current relationship with ‘the music industry’?
K: Almost non-existing. I make an effort not to be a part of the ‘music industry’ and instead create my own world. Having no outside management or industry gatekeepers dictating what we can or can’t do, I’ve built a model that works on direct fan support, and I get to choose who I work with.
That said, I still engage with the industry when it makes sense – things like distribution, playlisting, and press – but on my own terms. The goal has always been to stay in control and make music without compromise.
CC: We don’t have one! Which is fine by us, and I think fine by them, too.
It seems harder than ever to push a little independent band though, primarily because you need money to do things, but now you need money to advertise that you’re doing things. Facebook and MySpace were massively useful to little bands like us back in the day, but now you need a marketing budget to have anything seen on those platforms.
Recently we were talking about making another video for our upcoming album – I do really like making little funny videos – but I came to the conclusion that not only would I have to pay our pal Ash for making the video, but I would also have to pay Facebook to actually show it to people. Along with the inevitable rise of subscription models like Spotify, which means fewer people buy actual physical product, the odds seem stacked against us more than ever. But, hey, what you gonna do?
BC: We’ve worked independently or semi-independently up to this point, which is great for creative autonomy. That said, we’re keeping an open mind when it comes to label support for the album, as it could be that working within an experienced and inveterate infrastructure could really push things to the next level.
What’s the best thing about being in your band?
K: I get to make all the decisions, so if something goes wrong, I only have myself to blame. At least I can’t fire myself.
CC: Making great music with brilliant friends. Getting to express yourself through music is a gift and I am massively fortunate to share that with great pals and a small but beautiful bunch of people who seem to like to support our band through whatever it is we are doing. The whole thing is a community, with the audience and the bands and the venues and everyone chipping in as much as they can to keep good music in nice(ish) places.
BC: It’s still a lot of in-house work, but we’re lucky that each member has bespoke skills. Adam (Lightspeed, bass) is a graphic designer, so he handles everything visual: single artwork, stage VT, even the sew-on patch designs! I’m comfortable on camera, so a lot of the PR and media stuff falls to me. Vinnie’s (Jan-Vincent Velazco, drums) is a logistics wizard — brilliantly organised and … so punctual (had to make a Spïnal Täp reference at some point!)
Does your band like collaboration with other creatives/artists?
BC: Definitely. We’ve already worked with Chris Harms of Lord of the Lost on ‘In Venom’, which also features composition and performance from Timo-Timo of The 69 Eyes. On the upcoming EP, we’ve got an awesome remix from the guitarist of one of my all-time favourite bands — to be revealed!
K: Yeah, definitely. Before joining The Sisters, I worked with Ben on a song called ‘Dead Zone’. I’ve also collaborated with Ryo Kinoshita from KNOSIS (formerly of Crystal Lake) on our song called ‘The Abyss’, and on a cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘The Trooper’ featuring ex-Judas Priest and KK’s Priest frontman Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens.
Beyond that, I’ve worked with Misstiq, an incredible Australian producer who added stunning synths to ‘Shizuku’, as well as Zardonic, a renowned metal drum and bass producer, who ended up remixing the track. I like working with artists who bring something unique to the table – it keeps things fresh and pushes the music in different directions.
CC: We’ve been fortunate to work with people who fit alongside our dynamic: those who want to knuckle down and work hard, but also want to enjoy it and be positive and have fun.
If we were making an album that was going to sell a million copies, it might sweeten the pill of having to work with a misery guts artist or a militant producer. But as we’re in this for fun, we make sure that the people around us are fun, too.
We’ve worked with a lot of the same people, venues, artists, producers etc for a lot of years now, and we’re very fortunate to have that around us. I feel lucky that we get to do this without any corporate wankery around us – I’ve seen that and I don’t like it very much.
What is your relationship with Goth?
K: I wouldn’t call myself goth, but I appreciate the aesthetic and atmosphere that comes with it.
CC: I love it when we’ve done the ‘darker’ festivals with The Sisters, because you get this real feeling that the people attending are with their people and totally free of the constraints of the outside world. I remember when goths used to get spat at in the street – I know, because I used to get spat at for having long hair and a leather jacket too – so seeing people relaxing and enjoying being around their own community is always truly brilliant.
The pleasures and challenges of playing live … what does it take to get the band on the road and on stage, logistically and financially?
BC: The best shows for us have been support dates with Lord of the Lost and Esprit D’Air, playing to crowds of 300+ who get what we’re about. In 2024, Adam made some brilliant tweaks to our live setup – in-ear monitors, ego risers, synced projections – which gave the show a real sheen of production value.
The downside? Running that setup without dedicated tech support is intense. On a short tour last year, I ended up stressed and sick, trying to do too many jobs in one day. After that, we vowed to always have a tour manager on the road with us.
K: Playing live is one of the best parts of being in Esprit D’Air, but it sure isn’t easy. Logistically, it takes months of planning. I book venues myself, sort out transport, scheduling crew, promoting the shows, and making sure everything runs smoothly. Financially, it’s a huge risk. A single tour can cost me anything between £30,000 – £100,000, covering vans/tour buses, band/crew wages, promotion, and all the other essentials.
CC: We are fortunate that we aren’t really bothered about production and we’re all grafters and quite happy to be carrying a Marshall 4×12 up three flights of stairs. Well, maybe not ‘happy’ as such, but it’s just a part of the job, at our level.
Logistically the hardest bit is arranging times that four people with seventy-three jobs and four kids and various cats and mortgages and so on are able to get together for a weekend and do some playing.
Financially, everyone works a ‘day job’ so money is not a priority with this band, but I do have a bit of a golden rule that we don’t do anything that loses anyone money. Fingers crossed we can carry that on in a world of spiralling fuel costs, hotels and dwindling ticket sales!
The Sisters tour and play live at a different level to your bands. What aspect of Sisters touring do you wish your band could have? And what are you happy not to have?
K: Honestly, I wouldn’t say no to catering – good food on tour is life-changing. In fact, I had a tear in my eye when I saw there was food for me at the first show of The Sisters. Also, having a monitoring engineer and assistant would save a lot of stress. But a runner to fetch me things or take me places? I think I’d just feel awkward asking someone to bring me a coffee when I have two perfectly good legs.
CC: The Sisters is a curious one because they’ve managed to remain big enough to tour at a 3000-cap/festival headline level without having to go down the corporate route. I can live without that – I’ve seen it with other bands – having to pretend to be friends with people who are going to give you money. Fuck that, I’d rather be poor.
That said, I think Eureka Machines would fit nicely at that level too, or maybe actually slightly smaller. Big enough to get decent sound and a nice rider, but still small enough so you can really taste the body odour of the people next to you.
BC: A dedicated crew. That would allow us to focus purely on performance and refining the show each night, rather than just making sure it actually happens. Also, the camaraderie that forms between band and crew — that’s something really special. It becomes like a family.
You’re a professional musician; it’s your living. Does that mean all the youthful, irresponsible shenanigans have been purged?
BC: Ha! Well, for me, the drinking and partying definitely has. I’ve been sober for three and a half years, and I honestly don’t think I’d have been able to achieve what we have with the band if I’d kept drinking. It’s also been essential for developing my voice as a frontman — sleep, hydration and good nutrition make a huge difference.
CC: Why else do you think I do this?! (Insert smiley wink face here.) As anyone who knows me will attest, I enjoy youthful and irresponsible shenanigans on a regular basis, but in a mature and responsible fashion. Ha!
It’s all about balance for me. I think I’m always going to really enjoy getting fucked up every now and then – like a huge swathe of the population. But so long as it’s not at the expense of anything else, whether that’s creativity, relationships, general health or whatever.
So no, the irresponsible shenanigans continue apace, and long may they.
K: My idea of a wild night is staying up too late playing video games. So if anything, I’ve just become even more efficient at being boring.
How does your band record and make music? How do tracks develop? What’s your process?
K: I write and produce everything in my own studio, so the process is very DIY but also very efficient. I usually start with a rough idea, maybe a riff, a melody, or a synth sound, and build the track from there. Sometimes it comes together quickly, sometimes it takes months of refining.
For the fourth album, Aeons, while I’m still solely writing and producing my own songs, Yusuke (Okamoto, guitar) and Takeshi (Tokunaga, bass) are also writing their own songs together. I am excited to see Esprit D’Air incorporating compositions from other members, and to see how it expands our sound. I also give Vincent (Jan-Vincent Velazco, again) the freedom to develop his own drum ideas, so there’s a natural collaborative element while still maintaining the core identity of the band.
CC: Nine times out of ten, it’s my songs, we learn them, we play them. I tend to write most of the guitar and bass parts but that’s not to say nobody else is allowed to contribute, and everyone always has good ideas. For instance, I always have ideas about drum parts, but Wayne (Insane) our drummer always makes my songs better than they were before he got his hands on them.
BC: We’re in the final stages of recording the new album now, and the process has been brilliant. Every member – plus our producer Jaani Peuhu – plays a role in the songwriting. Jaani and I spent five intense days writing together: two song ideas per day. That meant verse, chorus, riff, topline … then stop. We’d flesh out the arrangement and lyrics later.
Each morning we’d start with something completely fresh – a drum feel Jaani had been hearing in his head, or a mood I’d been carrying – and just run with it. It was beautifully spontaneous. I’d be making coffee and Jaani would sing me a verse idea, then say, “Okay, now you sing the chorus!” And I’d have to improvise on the spot. Sometimes those melodies made the cut!
Jaani’s also a great filter; brutal when needed. At one point, after we’d tried a few vocal ideas, he bluntly exclaimed: “This is boring!” I laughed — but he was right! We also followed the ethos: if something excites us musically, we chase it. Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t sound like Diamond Black yet — we’ll shape it later. One track, ‘Where the Night Crawls’, started off sounding like the theme to a 1980s detective show sung by Elvis!
What’s stopping Andrew recording and releasing music, do you think?
CC: Honestly, I think it’s a bunch of reasons. I feel that self-expression is like a lot of things – exercise, reading – the less you do it, the less you find you want to do it. Andrew’s recent spate of writing shows that the will to create is there, I just don’t think he feels the same way about albums and that legacy of recorded music as I do.
I had a conversation with Ginger from The Wildhearts the other day (never name-drop – Noel Gallagher told me that) about how we love the dynamic of The Album – the start, the middle, the end – that narrative that highlights a moment in time, along with the artwork and the production and so on. I just don’t think Andrew consumes art like that, so he has less desire to follow that particular trope. Which is fine, that’s his lookout.
For me, I like doing that. He doesn’t. Fair fucks.
K: As for Andrew, you could say he’s very … patient. Technically, nothing is stopping him from doing the same. He has his own way of working, and The Sisters have always operated on their own timeline. Whether that means new material or not is entirely up to him.
What needs – artistic, personal, psychological, whatever – does your band fulfil?
K: Psychologically … well, maybe I just enjoy suffering. Some days, I question everything, staring into a mirror clouded by doubt. But then I step on stage, or I finish a song I’m proud of, and I remember, “Oh right, I have no other skills!”
Jokes aside, I don’t really want to do anything else. Music is my life, and I can’t think of anything more boring than being stuck in an office in my 20s again.
CC: As long as I can ever remember, I’ve wanted to write songs. I was doing it before I even knew what it was, making up silly little rhymes and committing them to a dumb tune in my head. I think I would go mad if I couldn’t get those squiggly little ideas out into the open. Aside from that, it’s a community and I’ve made brilliant lifelong friends from doing our band, and I’ve seen many others do the same. That’s a nice feeling.
BC: Despite the struggles, the love of creation, realisation and reception continues to motivate me. That feeling hasn’t changed since I was a kid. In 2025, I rush into the studio to get down a new idea on the Macbook. In 1995, I was racing home from school to record into my ghetto blaster. Regardless of the setup, the buzz has always felt the same.
And it’s brilliant therapy. When I’m anxious or stressed, throwing myself into three-part harmonies, chasing the perfect lyric, or nailing a guitar line creates a kind of meditative flow. And then — the reward of having made something new is fantastic.
Have you ever found the life of a musician to be just too damn hard, depressing/distressing and punishing and have stopped, or wanted to stop?
What are the low points of doing this for a living?
BC: I think most musicians who’ve been in the game long enough hit that wall. There have been long spells where the gap between what you give and what you get back feels so vast, you wonder if it’s time to stop hurling your soul into the void. The industry can be brutal, especially if you’re sensitive or introspective – and many musicians are, as it can be argued that to even be a creative in the first place, you need to be emotionally attuned and open to the world… and all its sharp edges!
For me, the hardest parts have always been the financial instability, the unpredictability, and the emotional toll of the non-linear journey. One night you’re playing to 5,000 people and it feels euphoric—and then the next show it’s five people, half-listening in The Trowel and Weasel pub. That can undermine your sense of self-worth, if you let it. There’s also the lack of future security, especially if you’re not one of the few with royalties consistently rolling in. As a consequence, it’s a vocation where the love for doing it must always be the main motivation.
K: Anyone who says they’ve never thought about quitting music is either lying or has a fucking trust fund. The low points? The unpredictability. The financial stress. The industry politics. The 3 a.m. existential crisis in a tour bus bunk, or even in your own bed. There are days when I think, “I could just open a cat café and live a peaceful life.” I did quit in 2013-2016 when I just had enough, and in 2019 when I got a ‘real job’ after my laptop with all my album progress got stolen, but I bounced back in 2020 and came back stronger.
CC: Nah. I am starting to find the touring aspect a little less fun-fun-fun, simply as I’m getting older. I definitely tire more easily. But generally when you work with great people, there’s always someone or something to pick you up. And I work with great people.
I’ve got a really nice life at home and I miss that when I’m away. Missing important life events doesn’t get any easier. And I definitely don’t want to become one of those older guys who is still on the road in ten or fifteen years’ time simply because I don’t know what else to do, and consequently ends up hating it.
All performers have their masks and their personas …
K: I don’t wear a mask. It’s not like I’ve played in a band called Ghost, unlike some other people here. But I do act differently on stage – there’s definitely a shift. People often say I seem like a completely different person, going crazy on stage. And off-stage, I’m a really normal person.
CC: This is such a cliché. But one thing about me is that I am just 100% me all of the time. Whether that’s in what I say or sing or how I perform or just having a beer at the end of the night. I don’t think anyone is more important than anyone else, whether that’s the singer of the headline band or the cleaner coming in to unblock the dressing room toilet at the end of the night.
When I joined Ghost in 2017 a funny thing happened. The band were all supposed to be anonymous and I’d kept it really close to my chest; I wanted to keep my part of the deal. When we played Leeds, my hometown, there were a bunch of faces in the audience that I knew. And I had to play along that I didn’t know anybody.
I came offstage to about nine texts and 12 Facebook messages going, ‘That was you, wasn’t it?’ So even when I was actually wearing a bloody mask, people I’d known years still recognised it as me. I just can’t really help … being me. It was quite galvanising, in a way.
The best compliment I ever got was from my wonderful friend and all-round inspiration Tim Smith from Cardiacs. When I sent him the first Eureka Machines album he said, ‘It’s great and everything but the thing I like the most about it is that it STINKS of you.” It’s nice to be praised (by an absolute hero, incidentally) for ultimately just being yourself.
Do you think you’ve been fortunate? ie. would your 18-year-old self have taken the deal, if he knew where you are now?
BC: Yes, I think so. I started out working in Threshers (the old wine franchise!), daydreaming between customers and listening to whatever CDs I could get away with playing on the shop’s stereo (Rush and U2, yes, Nine Inch Nails and Therapy?, less so!) I didn’t study music and I didn’t have any sort of “way in” via family contacts or whatever. I think it was just stubbornness, passion… and an unhealthy fear of failure. So, to have turned that into a 20-year career, to still be writing, performing, and collaborating with people I admire … yes, I think if you made a nice montage of the highlights, my 18-year-old self would’ve grabbed this life with both hands! There’ve been hard years, sure, but I’ve worked with my heroes and had my voice and guitar projected from stages I once could only imagine stepping into. That’s not luck in the lottery sense, but it’s a kind of fortune I try not to take for granted.
CC: That is a good question. In some senses I think he would think I had ‘settled’ a bit more than I should’ve done. But in a great many other senses I think he would have been an idiot for thinking that. But he was a bit of an idiot – as you should be when you’re 18!
I think any day that I get to do music and not do what my mum still calls a ‘proper job’ is a good day. My dad was a builder, my mum was a nurse. My sister is a teacher. That’s work. When I go out to work, I still call it ‘playing’, and that’s a privilege, that I still get to ‘play’ at 45-years-old.
What are your ambitions for yourself and the band?
K: I’d love to take the band to larger venues, bigger productions, and reach more people while still staying independent.
CC: To keep making music, to keep playing, to keep challenging myself artistically and to never stop learning. I just want to keep it sustainable, that’s all I need, really. I’d love for the band to grow, and for my ‘own stuff’ to do better business, but not at the expense of how we get to do it.
BC: Sustainability, first and foremost. To be able to create music we believe in, tour it around the world, and earn a living doing it – that’s the dream. If we could play to 800–1000 passionate fans a night worldwide, that would be everything. You get the energy, the intimacy, and the financial viability without losing yourself in the machine. I look at bands like Sevendust and think: That’s the blueprint. Consistent output, loyal fanbase, packed rooms, and true connection with people.
But do you look at other musicians/artists you know and have mixed feelings about fame and success? Big is not always better …
BC: Completely agree. Once something tips over into massive, there’s a risk it stops being about the music and becomes about everything around it – image, logistics, brand deals, internal politics. I think you lose a bit of your grip on the steering wheel. And then you’ve got the pressure to stay big, which is something I struggle to imagine and have no training in!
K: I respect success when it’s on the artist’s own terms. If someone can grow their career without losing themselves, that’s inspiring. But for me, the goal has never been just to be big, it’s to create music I believe in and have the freedom to do it my way.
CC: I remember the barometer of success at that time as ‘being on the front cover of NME/Kerrang’ or ‘headlining Reading Festival’, and now I know people who’ve done both of those things but have had to kiss some serious arse along the way. They’ve had to play the game. And that’s great for them! But it’s not for me, I’m afraid. And I’m quite comfy with my lot.
The other thing I always refer back to is that I know at least three singers in quite famous bands who have been punched in the face simply so that some douchebag can tell their mates, “You’ll never guess who I smacked last night.” I can live without that. I’d rather be able to nip to the shop in my slippers.
Do you find rock music often attracts the kinds of people who are going to find being a rock band an unhealthy environment? Or is it a haven?
CC: Another good question. Nowadays things are different. People talk about mental health, people stay fit on the road, bands have fucking therapists. Which is good! So I think being in a rock band is a far less unhealthy an environment than it used to be. In fact, I’d go so far as saying, for a lot of kids, I think it is and would be fantastic to go join a band, tour a bit, share a bit of community, make some art. It beats playing computer games or sniffing glue or whatever the kidz-with-a-Z are doing these days.
But yeah, back in the day, I think it was kind of attractive to a certain kind of individual – of which I am partially one – to get on the pirate ship with a load of other smelly degenerates and pillage various cities around the world and get as fucked up as possible. Partially to try and avoid joining up with any kind of rat race. The problem with the rat race is that if you win … you’re still a rat.
K: Well, rock music attracts all kinds. Some people find a sense of belonging, and others find themselves passed out in a backstage hallway at 4 a.m. I believe that I am the former.
Imagine your band blew up really big and the cash and a bit of fame rolled, I assume you would exit The Sisters at lightning speed. What would Andrew’s reaction be, if you became more famous than him?
CC: The thing is, as dumb as this sounds, Andrew is only famous to the people he is famous to. It’s not as if when I take him to Morrisons that people are falling over themselves to get a selfie. He’s not tabloid fodder, you know, he’s not a Kardashian or something. But he means a huge amount to a smaller number of people, which I certainly find more fulfilling and interesting.
K: I already make more money from Esprit D’Air, so I don’t play in The Sisters for money or fame; I just want to be a part of something great. If I wanted to leave, I’d have left already. As for Andrew, I doubt he’d care. He’s got his own legacy, and fame doesn’t seem to be what drives him. He may or may not acknowledge it with a smirk and a cryptic comment.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned from Andrew Eldritch that you’ve applied to your own band/projects/life?
BC: I think Andrew’s always been fearlessly himself — unapologetically so — and that’s something I haven’t always had the courage to be in the past. Watching him taught me a lot about presence. You don’t have to overdo it to command a stage. There’s power in stillness, in restraint. That stoic “foot on the monitor, impassively surveying your domain” approach is definitely something I picked up from him.
K: In some ways, our vision aligns – especially when it comes to artistic independence and not compromising just to fit into the industry. Both of us have built something on our own terms, without outside control.
The difference is that I push Esprit D’Air forward, actively engaging with fans and growing the project, whereas Andrew seems more content keeping things elusive. But at the core, we both believe in doing things our way, and that’s what keeps the music authentic.
CC: I’ve learned as much from Andrew about what I don’t want to do as what I do want to do! As it should be with anyone that you work with. I suppose the main one is the first rule of punk – question everything! I respect the fuck out of Andrew for what he has achieved – but that doesn’t mean I want to do the same things he has done.
What else have you got on your CV that you are most proud of?
CC: I’ve led a charmed life; I have got to do some brilliant things and I could harp on about all sorts of self-aggrandising nonsense, but actually one that I am really chuffed with was raising about £20,000 for various charities during Covid by doing online acoustic gigs where people could tune in and pay what they wanted, with no obligation.
We’d have a beer and a chat and it became a fortnightly event. The thing that was so gratifying about it came later when I’d meet someone on tour and they would tell me how that little community had meant to them during a pretty bleak time for everyone. People would be immuno-suppressed and tell me that they wouldn’t speak to anyone else for two weeks then have a little knees-up with me in my front room playing covers, talking shit and drinking beers. That meant and means a lot.
That and Patsy Kensit trying to get me fired from my old job.
BC: Co-writing and performing on Ricky Warwick’s new album alongside Billy Duffy was a real high point. I mean, seeing my name next to Billy’s on the sleeve of The Almighty frontman’s record? Hello!?”
I’ve also been lucky enough to co-write for The 69 Eyes and to collaborate with Nat Gray, both live and in the studio, which was a full-circle moment given how much their music meant to me growing up. And getting onstage with Therapy? to play one of my favourite tracks from Troublegum: that was a life-affirming moment! There’s still a morose, awkward kid (in Doc Martens, a long, black coat and badly-dyed black hair) in me who can’t quite believe any of this has happened.
K: I have a platinum trophy on all of the Final Fantasy VII games, I am bilingual, and I can really cook some good food. Aside from that, not much else.
What are your non-Sisters musical plans for the rest of the year after the summer?
BC: Once the album’s finished, then the fun begins – releasing singles, putting visuals together, and getting back out there. Landing another strong support tour is a top priority. It’s been a while since we hit the road properly and we’re really up for it. Plus, by that time most of the setlist will have been released online, so fans can learn all the words. Playing live, sharing that music and seeing impassioned fans sing it back is one of the most amazing feelings in the world and one that I’ve only really experienced a few times with my own work. I’m optimistic that this experience is going to become more commonplace as we push into 2026.
CC: I’ve got some bits with Ugly Kid Joe, who I play guitar for. Another weird and completely brilliantly independent band with very few airs or graces. Very different from The Sisters but just as much fun. Then I’ll be writing more stuff and thinking about how I’m going to put out my next thing, which is very different indeed.
K: I’ll be finishing our fourth album Aeons, due to be out by 24 October.
Diamond Black:
https://diamondblackofficial.com/
https://www.instagram.com/diamondblackofficial
https://www.youtube.com/c/DiamondBlack
https://www.facebook.com/diamondblackofficial
Esprit D’Air:
https://www.instagram.com/espritdairofficial
https://www.tiktok.com/@espritdair
https://www.youtube.com/espritdairofficial
https://www.facebook.com/espritdair
https://x.com/espritdair
Eureka Machines:
http://www.eurekamachines.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisalyst
By Mark Andrews -15 May 2025
SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES : The Sisters of Mercy band members thriving music careers by Mark Andrews author of the Sisters of Mercy book Paint My Name in Black and Gold : The Rise Of The Sisters of Mercy
This year, The Sisters of Mercy are only playing live for a couple of weeks in May and at a small handful of summer UK and European festivals.
And of course, they don’t make records.
While Andrew Eldritch is doing whatever Andrew Eldritch does in his down time, the rest of the band have turned their attention to their own projects.
Each of them are rock music lifers, compulsively, precariously – heroically, even – toiling at the margins of a brutal, decrepit industry.
Ben Christo has given nearly two decades service to The Sisters on guitar and backing vocals. His band Diamond Black are recording an album and releasing singles. ‘Fall Into the Silence’ is scheduled for June.
Chris Catalyst played guitar in The Sisters for 14 years and is now ‘Nurse to the Doktor’ ie. the wrangler of the conjoined Macbooks that contain the drums and non-guitar parts. His band Eureka Machines’ new album, Everything, is out now.
Kai, who joined The Sisters in 2023, plays guitar and sings back up – including the Ofra Haza part on ‘Temple of Love’. He leads Esprit D’Air, who have just finished touring Europe and are recording their fourth studio album, Aeons.
Louder Than War: Let’s begin with the elevator pitch …
KAI: Esprit D’Air is a band that blends elements of synth metal, electronic rock, and cinematic soundscapes, refusing to be confined by a single genre. We create music with complete artistic freedom, producing everything ourselves – from songwriting to production – while staying true to our vision.
CHRIS CATALYST: Eureka Machines are four mates who really like hanging out and making music when we can. It’s a mish-mash of all the more rocking aspects of our record collections, and as such, probably quite reflective our ages. Loud guitars, big choruses and sweet harmonies.
BEN CHRISTO: Diamond Black’s released material to date sounds like a collision of the bands that inspired it – Def Leppard, The Cult, The Cure, Killing Joke and Sevendust. It’s emotional, anthemic, melancholy, incisive and very melodic.
The album we’re currently recording has taken a slightly different direction – less ‘metal’ guitars and more acoustics, with the rhythm section bringing the heaviness. Imagine Love-era Cult mixed with early Manic Street Preachers and a soupçon of post-hardcore, but retaining our signature atmospherics and amping up the emotional intensity.
Do you see any musical overlap with The Sisters?
CC: I think we both like the sound of a decent hook and have more of a ‘pop’ sensibility than you might initially realise. Mine and Andrew’s record collections have a bit of crossover too – the more cerebral aspects of punk, Motörhead and probably quite a bit of 70s glam.
BC: The key thing I’ve taken from studying – and more recently writing – Sisters material is the importance of space, of restraint. And when it comes to vocal and guitar toplines, the challenge is to create something I’m proud of using as few notes as possible! Also, the placement of notes – doing things in slightly unexpected ways – that’s something I’ve really learned from The Sisters.
Where do your musical tastes overlap with The non-Andrew Sisters? And where shall never the twain meet?
BC: Chris and I both love Prozaic by Honeycrack; it was one of the first things we bonded over! It’s such a great combination of clever songwriting, tight production, catchy melodies, meaningful lyrics and hard-edged riffs.
Kai and I both have a soft spot for Night Songs by Cinderella. I had it on repeat in my early years of rock fandom. There’s a darkness and spiteful edge to all the hairspray that sets it apart from many of their 1986 peers.
CC: Ben and I are the same age (believe it or not) so we are into a lot of the same stuff from the 90s – your obvious Britrock classics like Therapy?, Terrorvision, The Wildhearts who, if you were into rock music in that era, were the paramount really. Plus, a bunch of slightly more obscure bands from that era like Kerbdog and indeed Honeycrack.
But Ben is really into a lot of the more hair-metal stuff from the 80s which totally passed me by. And I’m into a lot of punk and indie that I don’t think grabbed him either. Or The Fall, which I think is anathema to Ben. I remember one time playing some electro in a dressing room – Blanck Mass I think it was – and Ben actually asked me to turn it off. Fair enough, it’s probably not gig warm-up music.
Kai, I’m less sure about, but I know they like a bit of that hair-rock too; it just always left me completely dry really. But, as I always say: more for you.
K: There’s definitely some overlap with Ben’s and my tastes, but also plenty of differences. For some reason, a lot of the similarities are in eighties rock. And yes, Ben and I actually found common ground with Night Songs by Cinderella. I am more of an Iron Maiden fan, while he is more of a Judas Priest fan; I’m more of a Whitesnake fan, while Ben is more of a Def Leppard fan.
Can you name a track from one of your band-mates projects that you especially like?
BC: From Esprit’s work, ‘Glaciers’ is brilliant – so epic, and the chorus is huge. Nice to hear a modern track in 6/8, too! As for Chris’s stuff, Eureka Machines never disappoint. The opening track ‘Everything’ on the new record is a banger. And I’m also really enjoying the demos of his newest project, which I’ve had the privilege to hear …
CC: Diamond Black’s previous stuff I didn’t really enjoy so much but I am enjoying the less rawk direction they seem to be going in. ‘Dark Anthems’ is hooky and anthemic and ‘Through The Misery’ has interesting twists and turns.
Andrew and I went to see them and Kai’s band Esprit D’Air last year and we really enjoyed Kai’s performance, which I think fits perfectly with their band and their brand. The best of theirs is probably ‘Leviathan’: taut and tight but melodic and epic, with a great chorus. And I love the chugfest in the middle.
So Andrew does pay attention to your non-Sisters music?
K: Yeah, to some extent. It was at The Warehouse in Leeds last year he saw me play, so he’s at least aware of what I’m doing outside The Sisters. Andrew isn’t the type to hand out compliments, but the fact that he showed up probably says more than words would.
CC: Yeah, he comes to see us if he’s in Leeds, sometimes. I’ve given him CDs, which I don’t know if he listens to anymore. He goes through phases of wearing our t-shirts quite a lot, which is nice, but it might just be laundry day!
Which Sisters song is closest to your own musical taste?
K: Probably ‘Lucretia My Reflection’. It has that driving hypnotic groove, electronic elements, and atmosphere that resonates with me.
CC: I’m less keen on the more metal histrionics, but I really love everything on Floodland, so I’d have to say either the pomp of ‘Dominion’ or the unbridled permafrost-cool of ‘Lucretia My Reflection’. I also really love the early scratchy post-punk stuff like ‘Kiss The Carpet’ and ‘Floorshow’.
BC: ‘When You Don’t See Me’: it’s got high production values, rocking guitars, a big chorus, enigmatic lyrics and atmospheric keyboard layers. Plus, it uses one of my favourite chord progressions: Am–F–G!
In what ways is it your band the same as it ever was? What has irrevocably changed?
K: At its core, Esprit D’Air is still the same band because the vision remains the same – creating music with no compromises and staying independent. When Esprit D’Air started, we were a band where everybody contributed, whether it came down to production, songwriting, and finances. What has irrevocably changed is how we operate. I now handle everything – from writing and producing to funding and releasing albums.
CC: Eureka Machines is exactly the same band, mentally and physically, as it was when it first started. That’s our biggest success, and maybe also what’s held us back! We’re just a bunch of mates who love doing the band and love each other and just wanna do it – and will probably continue to in some form or another until the inevitable.
BC: Where Diamond Black’s previous production aesthetic leaned more toward Scandinavian and American dark rock, this new material feels rawer, more organic, though still powerful and hard-edged. In the spirit of growing authenticity, I’ve leaned even more into my own British accent, so words like ‘glass’ and ‘last’ may sound a little surprising to fans who are more used to the traditional American/European pronunciation. It felt really liberating to be able to embrace my true voice to such a degree, and I’m keen to see how this is received and I do think it might be a tad divisive – which is usually a good thing!
Just as important as the sound is the message: we promote mental health, wellness and personal growth. Through our shows, weekly podcast, and Discord server, we’ve seen a community emerge, a space where people feel safe to share and talk about mental health. The new album is intended as a call to action, urging listeners to face their fears and defeat their demons.
What is the band’s current relationship with ‘the music industry’?
K: Almost non-existing. I make an effort not to be a part of the ‘music industry’ and instead create my own world. Having no outside management or industry gatekeepers dictating what we can or can’t do, I’ve built a model that works on direct fan support, and I get to choose who I work with.
That said, I still engage with the industry when it makes sense – things like distribution, playlisting, and press – but on my own terms. The goal has always been to stay in control and make music without compromise.
CC: We don’t have one! Which is fine by us, and I think fine by them, too.
It seems harder than ever to push a little independent band though, primarily because you need money to do things, but now you need money to advertise that you’re doing things. Facebook and MySpace were massively useful to little bands like us back in the day, but now you need a marketing budget to have anything seen on those platforms.
Recently we were talking about making another video for our upcoming album – I do really like making little funny videos – but I came to the conclusion that not only would I have to pay our pal Ash for making the video, but I would also have to pay Facebook to actually show it to people. Along with the inevitable rise of subscription models like Spotify, which means fewer people buy actual physical product, the odds seem stacked against us more than ever. But, hey, what you gonna do?
BC: We’ve worked independently or semi-independently up to this point, which is great for creative autonomy. That said, we’re keeping an open mind when it comes to label support for the album, as it could be that working within an experienced and inveterate infrastructure could really push things to the next level.
What’s the best thing about being in your band?
K: I get to make all the decisions, so if something goes wrong, I only have myself to blame. At least I can’t fire myself.
CC: Making great music with brilliant friends. Getting to express yourself through music is a gift and I am massively fortunate to share that with great pals and a small but beautiful bunch of people who seem to like to support our band through whatever it is we are doing. The whole thing is a community, with the audience and the bands and the venues and everyone chipping in as much as they can to keep good music in nice(ish) places.
BC: It’s still a lot of in-house work, but we’re lucky that each member has bespoke skills. Adam (Lightspeed, bass) is a graphic designer, so he handles everything visual: single artwork, stage VT, even the sew-on patch designs! I’m comfortable on camera, so a lot of the PR and media stuff falls to me. Vinnie’s (Jan-Vincent Velazco, drums) is a logistics wizard — brilliantly organised and … so punctual (had to make a Spïnal Täp reference at some point!)
Does your band like collaboration with other creatives/artists?
BC: Definitely. We’ve already worked with Chris Harms of Lord of the Lost on ‘In Venom’, which also features composition and performance from Timo-Timo of The 69 Eyes. On the upcoming EP, we’ve got an awesome remix from the guitarist of one of my all-time favourite bands — to be revealed!
K: Yeah, definitely. Before joining The Sisters, I worked with Ben on a song called ‘Dead Zone’. I’ve also collaborated with Ryo Kinoshita from KNOSIS (formerly of Crystal Lake) on our song called ‘The Abyss’, and on a cover of Iron Maiden’s ‘The Trooper’ featuring ex-Judas Priest and KK’s Priest frontman Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens.
Beyond that, I’ve worked with Misstiq, an incredible Australian producer who added stunning synths to ‘Shizuku’, as well as Zardonic, a renowned metal drum and bass producer, who ended up remixing the track. I like working with artists who bring something unique to the table – it keeps things fresh and pushes the music in different directions.
CC: We’ve been fortunate to work with people who fit alongside our dynamic: those who want to knuckle down and work hard, but also want to enjoy it and be positive and have fun.
If we were making an album that was going to sell a million copies, it might sweeten the pill of having to work with a misery guts artist or a militant producer. But as we’re in this for fun, we make sure that the people around us are fun, too.
We’ve worked with a lot of the same people, venues, artists, producers etc for a lot of years now, and we’re very fortunate to have that around us. I feel lucky that we get to do this without any corporate wankery around us – I’ve seen that and I don’t like it very much.
What is your relationship with Goth?
K: I wouldn’t call myself goth, but I appreciate the aesthetic and atmosphere that comes with it.
CC: I love it when we’ve done the ‘darker’ festivals with The Sisters, because you get this real feeling that the people attending are with their people and totally free of the constraints of the outside world. I remember when goths used to get spat at in the street – I know, because I used to get spat at for having long hair and a leather jacket too – so seeing people relaxing and enjoying being around their own community is always truly brilliant.
The pleasures and challenges of playing live … what does it take to get the band on the road and on stage, logistically and financially?
BC: The best shows for us have been support dates with Lord of the Lost and Esprit D’Air, playing to crowds of 300+ who get what we’re about. In 2024, Adam made some brilliant tweaks to our live setup – in-ear monitors, ego risers, synced projections – which gave the show a real sheen of production value.
The downside? Running that setup without dedicated tech support is intense. On a short tour last year, I ended up stressed and sick, trying to do too many jobs in one day. After that, we vowed to always have a tour manager on the road with us.
K: Playing live is one of the best parts of being in Esprit D’Air, but it sure isn’t easy. Logistically, it takes months of planning. I book venues myself, sort out transport, scheduling crew, promoting the shows, and making sure everything runs smoothly. Financially, it’s a huge risk. A single tour can cost me anything between £30,000 – £100,000, covering vans/tour buses, band/crew wages, promotion, and all the other essentials.
CC: We are fortunate that we aren’t really bothered about production and we’re all grafters and quite happy to be carrying a Marshall 4×12 up three flights of stairs. Well, maybe not ‘happy’ as such, but it’s just a part of the job, at our level.
Logistically the hardest bit is arranging times that four people with seventy-three jobs and four kids and various cats and mortgages and so on are able to get together for a weekend and do some playing.
Financially, everyone works a ‘day job’ so money is not a priority with this band, but I do have a bit of a golden rule that we don’t do anything that loses anyone money. Fingers crossed we can carry that on in a world of spiralling fuel costs, hotels and dwindling ticket sales!
The Sisters tour and play live at a different level to your bands. What aspect of Sisters touring do you wish your band could have? And what are you happy not to have?
K: Honestly, I wouldn’t say no to catering – good food on tour is life-changing. In fact, I had a tear in my eye when I saw there was food for me at the first show of The Sisters. Also, having a monitoring engineer and assistant would save a lot of stress. But a runner to fetch me things or take me places? I think I’d just feel awkward asking someone to bring me a coffee when I have two perfectly good legs.
CC: The Sisters is a curious one because they’ve managed to remain big enough to tour at a 3000-cap/festival headline level without having to go down the corporate route. I can live without that – I’ve seen it with other bands – having to pretend to be friends with people who are going to give you money. Fuck that, I’d rather be poor.
That said, I think Eureka Machines would fit nicely at that level too, or maybe actually slightly smaller. Big enough to get decent sound and a nice rider, but still small enough so you can really taste the body odour of the people next to you.
BC: A dedicated crew. That would allow us to focus purely on performance and refining the show each night, rather than just making sure it actually happens. Also, the camaraderie that forms between band and crew — that’s something really special. It becomes like a family.
You’re a professional musician; it’s your living. Does that mean all the youthful, irresponsible shenanigans have been purged?
BC: Ha! Well, for me, the drinking and partying definitely has. I’ve been sober for three and a half years, and I honestly don’t think I’d have been able to achieve what we have with the band if I’d kept drinking. It’s also been essential for developing my voice as a frontman — sleep, hydration and good nutrition make a huge difference.
CC: Why else do you think I do this?! (Insert smiley wink face here.) As anyone who knows me will attest, I enjoy youthful and irresponsible shenanigans on a regular basis, but in a mature and responsible fashion. Ha!
It’s all about balance for me. I think I’m always going to really enjoy getting fucked up every now and then – like a huge swathe of the population. But so long as it’s not at the expense of anything else, whether that’s creativity, relationships, general health or whatever.
So no, the irresponsible shenanigans continue apace, and long may they.
K: My idea of a wild night is staying up too late playing video games. So if anything, I’ve just become even more efficient at being boring.
How does your band record and make music? How do tracks develop? What’s your process?
K: I write and produce everything in my own studio, so the process is very DIY but also very efficient. I usually start with a rough idea, maybe a riff, a melody, or a synth sound, and build the track from there. Sometimes it comes together quickly, sometimes it takes months of refining.
For the fourth album, Aeons, while I’m still solely writing and producing my own songs, Yusuke (Okamoto, guitar) and Takeshi (Tokunaga, bass) are also writing their own songs together. I am excited to see Esprit D’Air incorporating compositions from other members, and to see how it expands our sound. I also give Vincent (Jan-Vincent Velazco, again) the freedom to develop his own drum ideas, so there’s a natural collaborative element while still maintaining the core identity of the band.
CC: Nine times out of ten, it’s my songs, we learn them, we play them. I tend to write most of the guitar and bass parts but that’s not to say nobody else is allowed to contribute, and everyone always has good ideas. For instance, I always have ideas about drum parts, but Wayne (Insane) our drummer always makes my songs better than they were before he got his hands on them.
BC: We’re in the final stages of recording the new album now, and the process has been brilliant. Every member – plus our producer Jaani Peuhu – plays a role in the songwriting. Jaani and I spent five intense days writing together: two song ideas per day. That meant verse, chorus, riff, topline … then stop. We’d flesh out the arrangement and lyrics later.
Each morning we’d start with something completely fresh – a drum feel Jaani had been hearing in his head, or a mood I’d been carrying – and just run with it. It was beautifully spontaneous. I’d be making coffee and Jaani would sing me a verse idea, then say, “Okay, now you sing the chorus!” And I’d have to improvise on the spot. Sometimes those melodies made the cut!
Jaani’s also a great filter; brutal when needed. At one point, after we’d tried a few vocal ideas, he bluntly exclaimed: “This is boring!” I laughed — but he was right! We also followed the ethos: if something excites us musically, we chase it. Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t sound like Diamond Black yet — we’ll shape it later. One track, ‘Where the Night Crawls’, started off sounding like the theme to a 1980s detective show sung by Elvis!
What’s stopping Andrew recording and releasing music, do you think?
CC: Honestly, I think it’s a bunch of reasons. I feel that self-expression is like a lot of things – exercise, reading – the less you do it, the less you find you want to do it. Andrew’s recent spate of writing shows that the will to create is there, I just don’t think he feels the same way about albums and that legacy of recorded music as I do.
I had a conversation with Ginger from The Wildhearts the other day (never name-drop – Noel Gallagher told me that) about how we love the dynamic of The Album – the start, the middle, the end – that narrative that highlights a moment in time, along with the artwork and the production and so on. I just don’t think Andrew consumes art like that, so he has less desire to follow that particular trope. Which is fine, that’s his lookout.
For me, I like doing that. He doesn’t. Fair fucks.
K: As for Andrew, you could say he’s very … patient. Technically, nothing is stopping him from doing the same. He has his own way of working, and The Sisters have always operated on their own timeline. Whether that means new material or not is entirely up to him.
What needs – artistic, personal, psychological, whatever – does your band fulfil?
K: Psychologically … well, maybe I just enjoy suffering. Some days, I question everything, staring into a mirror clouded by doubt. But then I step on stage, or I finish a song I’m proud of, and I remember, “Oh right, I have no other skills!”
Jokes aside, I don’t really want to do anything else. Music is my life, and I can’t think of anything more boring than being stuck in an office in my 20s again.
CC: As long as I can ever remember, I’ve wanted to write songs. I was doing it before I even knew what it was, making up silly little rhymes and committing them to a dumb tune in my head. I think I would go mad if I couldn’t get those squiggly little ideas out into the open. Aside from that, it’s a community and I’ve made brilliant lifelong friends from doing our band, and I’ve seen many others do the same. That’s a nice feeling.
BC: Despite the struggles, the love of creation, realisation and reception continues to motivate me. That feeling hasn’t changed since I was a kid. In 2025, I rush into the studio to get down a new idea on the Macbook. In 1995, I was racing home from school to record into my ghetto blaster. Regardless of the setup, the buzz has always felt the same.
And it’s brilliant therapy. When I’m anxious or stressed, throwing myself into three-part harmonies, chasing the perfect lyric, or nailing a guitar line creates a kind of meditative flow. And then — the reward of having made something new is fantastic.
Have you ever found the life of a musician to be just too damn hard, depressing/distressing and punishing and have stopped, or wanted to stop?
What are the low points of doing this for a living?
BC: I think most musicians who’ve been in the game long enough hit that wall. There have been long spells where the gap between what you give and what you get back feels so vast, you wonder if it’s time to stop hurling your soul into the void. The industry can be brutal, especially if you’re sensitive or introspective – and many musicians are, as it can be argued that to even be a creative in the first place, you need to be emotionally attuned and open to the world… and all its sharp edges!
For me, the hardest parts have always been the financial instability, the unpredictability, and the emotional toll of the non-linear journey. One night you’re playing to 5,000 people and it feels euphoric—and then the next show it’s five people, half-listening in The Trowel and Weasel pub. That can undermine your sense of self-worth, if you let it. There’s also the lack of future security, especially if you’re not one of the few with royalties consistently rolling in. As a consequence, it’s a vocation where the love for doing it must always be the main motivation.
K: Anyone who says they’ve never thought about quitting music is either lying or has a fucking trust fund. The low points? The unpredictability. The financial stress. The industry politics. The 3 a.m. existential crisis in a tour bus bunk, or even in your own bed. There are days when I think, “I could just open a cat café and live a peaceful life.” I did quit in 2013-2016 when I just had enough, and in 2019 when I got a ‘real job’ after my laptop with all my album progress got stolen, but I bounced back in 2020 and came back stronger.
CC: Nah. I am starting to find the touring aspect a little less fun-fun-fun, simply as I’m getting older. I definitely tire more easily. But generally when you work with great people, there’s always someone or something to pick you up. And I work with great people.
I’ve got a really nice life at home and I miss that when I’m away. Missing important life events doesn’t get any easier. And I definitely don’t want to become one of those older guys who is still on the road in ten or fifteen years’ time simply because I don’t know what else to do, and consequently ends up hating it.
All performers have their masks and their personas …
K: I don’t wear a mask. It’s not like I’ve played in a band called Ghost, unlike some other people here. But I do act differently on stage – there’s definitely a shift. People often say I seem like a completely different person, going crazy on stage. And off-stage, I’m a really normal person.
CC: This is such a cliché. But one thing about me is that I am just 100% me all of the time. Whether that’s in what I say or sing or how I perform or just having a beer at the end of the night. I don’t think anyone is more important than anyone else, whether that’s the singer of the headline band or the cleaner coming in to unblock the dressing room toilet at the end of the night.
When I joined Ghost in 2017 a funny thing happened. The band were all supposed to be anonymous and I’d kept it really close to my chest; I wanted to keep my part of the deal. When we played Leeds, my hometown, there were a bunch of faces in the audience that I knew. And I had to play along that I didn’t know anybody.
I came offstage to about nine texts and 12 Facebook messages going, ‘That was you, wasn’t it?’ So even when I was actually wearing a bloody mask, people I’d known years still recognised it as me. I just can’t really help … being me. It was quite galvanising, in a way.
The best compliment I ever got was from my wonderful friend and all-round inspiration Tim Smith from Cardiacs. When I sent him the first Eureka Machines album he said, ‘It’s great and everything but the thing I like the most about it is that it STINKS of you.” It’s nice to be praised (by an absolute hero, incidentally) for ultimately just being yourself.
Do you think you’ve been fortunate? ie. would your 18-year-old self have taken the deal, if he knew where you are now?
BC: Yes, I think so. I started out working in Threshers (the old wine franchise!), daydreaming between customers and listening to whatever CDs I could get away with playing on the shop’s stereo (Rush and U2, yes, Nine Inch Nails and Therapy?, less so!) I didn’t study music and I didn’t have any sort of “way in” via family contacts or whatever. I think it was just stubbornness, passion… and an unhealthy fear of failure. So, to have turned that into a 20-year career, to still be writing, performing, and collaborating with people I admire … yes, I think if you made a nice montage of the highlights, my 18-year-old self would’ve grabbed this life with both hands! There’ve been hard years, sure, but I’ve worked with my heroes and had my voice and guitar projected from stages I once could only imagine stepping into. That’s not luck in the lottery sense, but it’s a kind of fortune I try not to take for granted.
CC: That is a good question. In some senses I think he would think I had ‘settled’ a bit more than I should’ve done. But in a great many other senses I think he would have been an idiot for thinking that. But he was a bit of an idiot – as you should be when you’re 18!
I think any day that I get to do music and not do what my mum still calls a ‘proper job’ is a good day. My dad was a builder, my mum was a nurse. My sister is a teacher. That’s work. When I go out to work, I still call it ‘playing’, and that’s a privilege, that I still get to ‘play’ at 45-years-old.
What are your ambitions for yourself and the band?
K: I’d love to take the band to larger venues, bigger productions, and reach more people while still staying independent.
CC: To keep making music, to keep playing, to keep challenging myself artistically and to never stop learning. I just want to keep it sustainable, that’s all I need, really. I’d love for the band to grow, and for my ‘own stuff’ to do better business, but not at the expense of how we get to do it.
BC: Sustainability, first and foremost. To be able to create music we believe in, tour it around the world, and earn a living doing it – that’s the dream. If we could play to 800–1000 passionate fans a night worldwide, that would be everything. You get the energy, the intimacy, and the financial viability without losing yourself in the machine. I look at bands like Sevendust and think: That’s the blueprint. Consistent output, loyal fanbase, packed rooms, and true connection with people.
But do you look at other musicians/artists you know and have mixed feelings about fame and success? Big is not always better …
BC: Completely agree. Once something tips over into massive, there’s a risk it stops being about the music and becomes about everything around it – image, logistics, brand deals, internal politics. I think you lose a bit of your grip on the steering wheel. And then you’ve got the pressure to stay big, which is something I struggle to imagine and have no training in!
K: I respect success when it’s on the artist’s own terms. If someone can grow their career without losing themselves, that’s inspiring. But for me, the goal has never been just to be big, it’s to create music I believe in and have the freedom to do it my way.
CC: I remember the barometer of success at that time as ‘being on the front cover of NME/Kerrang’ or ‘headlining Reading Festival’, and now I know people who’ve done both of those things but have had to kiss some serious arse along the way. They’ve had to play the game. And that’s great for them! But it’s not for me, I’m afraid. And I’m quite comfy with my lot.
The other thing I always refer back to is that I know at least three singers in quite famous bands who have been punched in the face simply so that some douchebag can tell their mates, “You’ll never guess who I smacked last night.” I can live without that. I’d rather be able to nip to the shop in my slippers.
Do you find rock music often attracts the kinds of people who are going to find being a rock band an unhealthy environment? Or is it a haven?
CC: Another good question. Nowadays things are different. People talk about mental health, people stay fit on the road, bands have fucking therapists. Which is good! So I think being in a rock band is a far less unhealthy an environment than it used to be. In fact, I’d go so far as saying, for a lot of kids, I think it is and would be fantastic to go join a band, tour a bit, share a bit of community, make some art. It beats playing computer games or sniffing glue or whatever the kidz-with-a-Z are doing these days.
But yeah, back in the day, I think it was kind of attractive to a certain kind of individual – of which I am partially one – to get on the pirate ship with a load of other smelly degenerates and pillage various cities around the world and get as fucked up as possible. Partially to try and avoid joining up with any kind of rat race. The problem with the rat race is that if you win … you’re still a rat.
K: Well, rock music attracts all kinds. Some people find a sense of belonging, and others find themselves passed out in a backstage hallway at 4 a.m. I believe that I am the former.
Imagine your band blew up really big and the cash and a bit of fame rolled, I assume you would exit The Sisters at lightning speed. What would Andrew’s reaction be, if you became more famous than him?
CC: The thing is, as dumb as this sounds, Andrew is only famous to the people he is famous to. It’s not as if when I take him to Morrisons that people are falling over themselves to get a selfie. He’s not tabloid fodder, you know, he’s not a Kardashian or something. But he means a huge amount to a smaller number of people, which I certainly find more fulfilling and interesting.
K: I already make more money from Esprit D’Air, so I don’t play in The Sisters for money or fame; I just want to be a part of something great. If I wanted to leave, I’d have left already. As for Andrew, I doubt he’d care. He’s got his own legacy, and fame doesn’t seem to be what drives him. He may or may not acknowledge it with a smirk and a cryptic comment.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned from Andrew Eldritch that you’ve applied to your own band/projects/life?
BC: I think Andrew’s always been fearlessly himself — unapologetically so — and that’s something I haven’t always had the courage to be in the past. Watching him taught me a lot about presence. You don’t have to overdo it to command a stage. There’s power in stillness, in restraint. That stoic “foot on the monitor, impassively surveying your domain” approach is definitely something I picked up from him.
K: In some ways, our vision aligns – especially when it comes to artistic independence and not compromising just to fit into the industry. Both of us have built something on our own terms, without outside control.
The difference is that I push Esprit D’Air forward, actively engaging with fans and growing the project, whereas Andrew seems more content keeping things elusive. But at the core, we both believe in doing things our way, and that’s what keeps the music authentic.
CC: I’ve learned as much from Andrew about what I don’t want to do as what I do want to do! As it should be with anyone that you work with. I suppose the main one is the first rule of punk – question everything! I respect the fuck out of Andrew for what he has achieved – but that doesn’t mean I want to do the same things he has done.
What else have you got on your CV that you are most proud of?
CC: I’ve led a charmed life; I have got to do some brilliant things and I could harp on about all sorts of self-aggrandising nonsense, but actually one that I am really chuffed with was raising about £20,000 for various charities during Covid by doing online acoustic gigs where people could tune in and pay what they wanted, with no obligation.
We’d have a beer and a chat and it became a fortnightly event. The thing that was so gratifying about it came later when I’d meet someone on tour and they would tell me how that little community had meant to them during a pretty bleak time for everyone. People would be immuno-suppressed and tell me that they wouldn’t speak to anyone else for two weeks then have a little knees-up with me in my front room playing covers, talking shit and drinking beers. That meant and means a lot.
That and Patsy Kensit trying to get me fired from my old job.
BC: Co-writing and performing on Ricky Warwick’s new album alongside Billy Duffy was a real high point. I mean, seeing my name next to Billy’s on the sleeve of The Almighty frontman’s record? Hello!?”
I’ve also been lucky enough to co-write for The 69 Eyes and to collaborate with Nat Gray, both live and in the studio, which was a full-circle moment given how much their music meant to me growing up. And getting onstage with Therapy? to play one of my favourite tracks from Troublegum: that was a life-affirming moment! There’s still a morose, awkward kid (in Doc Martens, a long, black coat and badly-dyed black hair) in me who can’t quite believe any of this has happened.
K: I have a platinum trophy on all of the Final Fantasy VII games, I am bilingual, and I can really cook some good food. Aside from that, not much else.
What are your non-Sisters musical plans for the rest of the year after the summer?
BC: Once the album’s finished, then the fun begins – releasing singles, putting visuals together, and getting back out there. Landing another strong support tour is a top priority. It’s been a while since we hit the road properly and we’re really up for it. Plus, by that time most of the setlist will have been released online, so fans can learn all the words. Playing live, sharing that music and seeing impassioned fans sing it back is one of the most amazing feelings in the world and one that I’ve only really experienced a few times with my own work. I’m optimistic that this experience is going to become more commonplace as we push into 2026.
CC: I’ve got some bits with Ugly Kid Joe, who I play guitar for. Another weird and completely brilliantly independent band with very few airs or graces. Very different from The Sisters but just as much fun. Then I’ll be writing more stuff and thinking about how I’m going to put out my next thing, which is very different indeed.
K: I’ll be finishing our fourth album Aeons, due to be out by 24 October.
Diamond Black:
https://diamondblackofficial.com/
https://www.instagram.com/diamondblackofficial
https://www.youtube.com/c/DiamondBlack
https://www.facebook.com/diamondblackofficial
Esprit D’Air:
https://www.instagram.com/espritdairofficial
https://www.tiktok.com/@espritdair
https://www.youtube.com/espritdairofficial
https://www.facebook.com/espritdair
https://x.com/espritdair
Eureka Machines:
http://www.eurekamachines.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisalyst
