Assimilation? No! Acting? Yes!

The marvellous Strange Brew in Bristol has a superb double header this Saturday, with She Past Away and ACTORS bringing some noise to the big city.

I've featured She Past Away here a couple of times, having been introduced to them by Lady K in late 2024 and then encouraged to buy their remix compilation X with my birthday Bandcamp gift voucher.

Anon commented at the time that their favourite track on the compilation was Asimilasyon, so I've opted for the original version, from 2015 album Narin Yalnızlık ("Delicate Loneliness"), to head up this post.

The 80s goth references are unashamedly clear: The Cure circa A Forest, The Sisters Of Mercy, Clan Of Xymox; She Past Away offer a fresh spin on these familiar sounds, not least because of their admirable focus on Turkish-language songs.

I revisited She Past Away in February this year when they released the single Mizantrop, the title track of a 7-song album that was released a couple of days later. Here it is again, plus track 5, Kaygan Kayalıklar ("Slippery Cliffs")

 

This is ACTORS' first appearance on this blog and I know very little about them. However, just the opening seconds of current single Youth show why they were an obvious complement to She Past Away on a gig bill.

Again, references are firmly rooted in the 80s, maybe a dash more of Comsat Angels at the funkiest end of their catalogue. Great video, too.

ACTORS hail from Vancouver, Canada and also have a new album to promote - their third - titled Our Love Will Live Forever, out earlier this month. Here are a couple more songs to whet your appetite.

 

If I'm hyping this as a must-see show, and I think I am, it may come as a surprise that I won't be there on Saturday. Commitments within the extended Clan K network mean that I will be elsewhere. 

Not that they'll miss me: it's a long sold-out show and those packed within Strange Brew's confines will be in for a great night.