Devil's Gate Music
Related Articles
Hybrid Spirits are a British band with music ranging from ambient to alternative including industrial, rock & goth. Here’s the lowdown on Hybrid Spirits from the band themselves…
What are the origins of the band, how long have you been playing together?
Hybrid Spirits formed in 2017 after Paul Kirk met Voodoo Jade via a collaborative project. Before that, Paul and Nigel were in a band for many years called “Aus der Asche” which became known as “From the Ashes UK”. Voodoo Jade has been involved in other bands since the late 1980s. After the collaborative project, Paul and Nigel invited Voodoo Jade to join them in their music venture, and Hybrid Spirits were born!
Hybrid Spirits are :
Nigel Rooke – Vocals, lyrics, keyboards and drum programming.
Paul Kirk – Vocals, lyrics, keyboards, guitars and drum programming.
Voodoo Jade – Vocals and lyrics
How did you feel performing your first gig? And how was it?!
Individually, our first gigs were with other bands/line-ups and they were a long time ago! Memories range from being nervous to euphoric! Unfortunately, Hybrid Spirits as a band haven’t toured or played live, although we’d never rule it out! We are spread across the country and it is difficult for Voodoo Jade to travel as she is in a wheelchair following Meningitis in 2012. We work on our songs individually, electronically, and remotely, and we have regular band meetings over video chat.
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe yourself?
People should expect the unexpected! We can’t describe our style as everything which we work on is different from the last song. To date, our music has ranged from ambient to alternative, from industrial and electronic to rock. Depending on the song which people are reviewing or listening to at that time, we’ve been described many things including Industrial, Goth, Rock, Ambient, Synthwave, Darkwave, Electronic, Pop…..and there is more to come! The feel of our music can vary too, from gritty, raw, dark, emotional, dramatic, through to light, easy to listen to, and dance music. It is why we came up with our band name “Hybrid Spirits”. The word Hybrid describes our music, as we don’t believe that we sound like anybody else. Our music can’t be pigeon-holed, and our releases can vary. We chose to add the name “Spirits” to our band name because we all get along really well, like 3 kindred spirits.
The new music scene is bursting at the seams with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out from the others trying to build a name?
There is so much amazing talent out there. It’s hard to answer the question because we haven’t found the key ourselves, even though we don’t think that we sound like anyone else. Image, a distinctive sound, and social media presence seem to be a must these days!
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
We have just released a new EP called “Mirage” and will be promoting that for some time to come. The 4 track EP covers various genres from Rock to Electronic. “Mirage” is about a vampire and “Mysteria-Hysteria” is based on horror films. “La Vie en Rose et Noire” is about a couple on a city break who get caught up in a terror attack, and “Rain or Shine” was written when Covid-19 reached the UK.
Although “Rain or Shine” was released as a charity single earlier in the year, we’re still fundraising until the end of April 2021. We wrote it during lockdown in England to reflect feelings of hope and solidarity during the Covid-19 pandemic, and sales from it are raising money for the International Committee of the Red Cross for those affected by Covid-19 across the world. You can see their appeal here.
It’s not too late to buy a copy of the charity single (£1.50 or more) to support the cause at our Bandcamp page and we send our heartfelt thanks to everybody who has supported both the song and the cause. Many thanks to everyone!
What band out there at the minute do you feel that you would be best suited to open for?
Do you mean at a gig? Depending on what setlist we decided to go with, it could be Rammstein or Gary Numan, so that it would suit the music of the main artist.
Who do you feel is the next band to break out?
This is such a difficult question as there are so many to choose from! Possibly Black Rose Reception or London After Midnight amongst a zillion others!
What are your first musical memories? And what was the light bulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
We’ve all been interested in music for many years. Paul was 17 when he got his first guitar, being inspired by bands such as Pink Floyd and artists such as Neil Young. Nigel got his first synth at the age of 16 and was very inspired by Gary Numan, Japan, and many other synth-based bands who were around in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Voodoo Jade was a big fan of Blondie as she was growing up, and was often singing along to the radio. She started learning cello, guitar, and piano when she was 8 and was in award winning school choirs. We all come from in and around the area of Birmingham (UK) and there was always a big music scene here. Local bands such as Black Sabbath, ELO, and The Specials were (and still are!) very inspirational to us. We were all always surrounded by music and that’s what we all wanted to do!
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
Literally a few days before lockdown in England, Voodoo Jade and Nigel saw “The Mission” on tour in Birmingham UK. They were about to leave the UK to tour Europe, which sadly had to be cancelled. We felt sorry for The Mission and other bands regarding loss of income, merchandise sales, etc.
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
Do you mean music of ours? If so, it would possibly be the “Mirage” EP because it shows the range of our music from light to dark, from rock/metal influences on some songs, and electronic influences on others.
If you mean another band’s music in our own collections, it would be anything from Dollar (don’t laugh!), Thompson Twins, and Holst’s Planet Suite!
What are your plans for 2021?
2020 is almost over and it has been a strange year with Covid-19, hasn’t it! However, local lockdowns have given us more time to write more music and work on other projects.
We have already started recording some new songs which will be on a future release. Again, it is a different feel to the music which we’ve already released and would be classed as darkwave/electronic. We are still writing more music for the next EP/album so everything could change yet! We do alternate vocals between Nigel and Voodoo Jade, and the next EP will predominately be Nigel on main vocals. His voice is perfect for darker songs!
Paul is focussing on writing a few more songs in the style of “Fear” as it has proved so popular and people really like it.
The band is also recording relaxation music for a series of meditation tracks which Voodoo Jade is currently working on. There are some tracks for general meditations, and some for the development of psychic awareness/abilities.
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
We are fairly active on social media and you can find us at the places listed below. Thank you
Twitter Facebook Website Bandcamp
Original Music on YouTube
Cover Versions on YouTube
Also on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Google Play, Tidal, Deezer, and Pandora amongst other streaming sites. Just search for us and our song “Fear” and you’ll find us!
Thank you for your support and for doing the interview. All the best from Paul, Nigel, and Voodoo Jade – Hybrid Spirits band.
