Britain's History Of Guns marks 25th anniversary of debut single ‘Little Miss Suicide’ with fresh 3-track offering

January 29, 2025

UK industrial-postpunk legends History Of Guns kick off 2025 with the single 'Little Miss Suicide (25)'. Released via the Liquid Len Recording Company, this fresh take on the band's debut single from 2000. The accompanying video uses footage, originally filmed by Danni Cutmore on a VHS camera, of the band writing and performing the song at Earthworks studio in Barnet in 1998.

Based in Hertfordshire, History Of Guns were frontrunners of the UK's Wasp Factory/ FuturePunk scene of the early 2000s and are still crafting their unique meta-modernist Industrial sound 29 years after forming in Cheshunt. Aiming to create a strange alternative world where people can feel safe, HoG embraces the dark as well as the light, bleakness as well as hope - as openly and honestly as possible.

Produced by Max Rael, this single was mixed by Max Rael and Caden Clarkson, using all the original audio recorded back in 1999, and mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Pixies, Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails). Written in 1998 by founding members Del Alien, Max Rael and Stagger Lee, alongside regular contributor Gary Hughes (who also plays the lead guitar melody), the rougher original version of this song was released in February 2000.

Stagger Lee's lyrics challenged the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide that prevailed at that time - an environment where openly discussing one's personal struggles was discouraged. Projecting his own depression and suicidal thoughts on to an imagined female character, Stagger relays the character's experience of not being taken seriously, as reflected in the title - a nod towards the popular "Mr. Men and Little Miss" series by British author Roger Hargreaves back in the 70s and 80s.

“This was our first song to really feature major chords, which Del wasn’t at all convinced by. In the end Stagger and I won him round by assuring him we were only using happy chords ironically to contrast with the dark subject matter. It’s probably the closest we’ve ever come to an actual proper pop song," recalls Max Rael.

Del Alien adds, "We knew all too well that sincerity wasn't respected or valued in the 90s, so from early on we'd incorporate humour amongst the darkness, we said because we wanted to reflect the whole of life and experience, the good and the bad, but it also gave us a way of talking about the terrible things that were happening to us and our friends, but we could never be accused of taking ourselves too seriously, or being emo or whatever. We may, at times, have taken this a bit too far at times. "

Last year, the band released their widely acclaimed eighth album 'Half Light', a sonic exploration of modern society, addiction, abandonment, different levels of reality and the struggle to keep going. But it is also a reminder that, through this darkness, there remains underneath, a core of hope.

Del Alien - an original punk turned goth - is an anti-authority seeker of truth and the questions behind the questions. Max Rael is in love with the idea of using music to create a separate universe for creating stories and escaping into, was an autistic, music-obsessed child, absorbing a dozen genres before diving into trance after Britpop ruined the alternative scene.

History of Guns' 2004 single 'Your Obedient Servant' was championed by The Quietus and Mick Mercer among the “30 best goth singles of all time”. Taking hiatus in 2012, they released the album 'Forever Dying In Your Eyes' in 2022. Influenced by Killing Joke, PWEI, Bauhaus, Coil, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, Nine Inch Nails and Swans, History of Guns have played Whitby Gothic Weekend, as well as Futurepunkand Back to the Futurepunk events.

'Little Miss Suicide (25)' is out now, available to download for next-to-nothing, alongside the B-side 'I Am Defective' and a trance remix by Gary Hughes, at https://historyofguns.bandcamp.com/album/little-miss-suicide-25

CREDITS
Music by Del Gilbert / Stagger Lee Barker / Gary Hughes / Max Rael
Lyrics by Stagger Lee Barker
Mixed by Max Rael and Caden Clarkson
Produced by Max Rael
Mastered by Pete Maher
Del Gilbert - vocals
Stagger Lee Barker - bass
Gary Hughes - lead guitar
Max Rael - keys, programming, rhythm guitar
Cover artwork by DALL-E 3, Gemini and Max Rael
Video filmed by Danni Cutmore. Edited by Max Rael
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

UK electro-goth iconoclasts HISTORY OF GUNS presents 'What's Buried (Will Rise)' from new 'Half Light' album

July 30, 2024

“Invisible hooks that will sink further in” ~ Auxiliary Magazine

“By far, the most inventive UK band to have got their hands caught in the Industrial threshing machine” ~ Mick Mercer

"Like Killing Joke and Nine Inch Nails, they’ve taken on new forms whilst remaining easily identifiable in their journey from goth rock to post-punk and darkwave to EDM and wider electro-goth hybrid territory. The tension of opposites that characterises much of their work propels it forth to an electronic beat, the vocals uncoiling, snake-like, atop a steady electronic catchment" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

“Polished, dramatic, full of poise and binding sentiment, and one of awesome sound and feeling” ~ Liverpool Sound and Vision

Hertfordshire-based industrial-postpunk legends History Of Guns. who were frontrunners of the UK's Wasp Factory / FuturePunk scene of the early 2000s, present 'What's Buried (Will Rise)' from their newly-released eighth album 'Half Light'.

On this album, founding members Del Alien (vocals) and Max Rael (keyboards, programming) are joined by guitarist Caden Clarkson (the newest member of History Of Guns) in exploring the human condition through various musical genres. Produced Max Rael, 'Half Light' was mixed by Max Rael and Caden Clarkson, and mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Pixies, Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, NIN).

Still crafting their unique meta-modernist Industrial sound 28 years since forming in Cheshunt, the new album (released via the Liquid Len Recording Company) was previewed by the singles 'No Longer Earthbound' and 'When You Don't Matter'. The new single explores the psychological repression experienced by non-conformists and the systematic amnesia that emerges from that, where only specific memories or groups of ideas are withdrawn from recollection.

"How well do we really know ourselves? The “introspection illusion" suggests that the way we view ourselves is probably inherently distorted. In terms of the conscious, the subconscious and the unconscious, how much of how we think and behave is driven by each aspect? Freud & Jung's theories of repression say that the more you try to bury something that happened, or some aspect of your self the more it will come back in some form or other as "the return of the repressed'," says Max Rael.

"As for the video, I've always been obsessed with that kind of high contrast black white look ever since I fell in love with Orson Welles. I was watching the recent adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's Talented Mr Ripley books on Netflix, and there's an episode where Tom and Dicky are out in this little two-man boat. Because the songs on 'Half Light' are aligned to the Greek Elements, I thought it'd be great to have this video in black and white, with shots of submerged objects floating to the surface. We had some help from ace director and VFX supremo Howard Gardner. I think the end result is intriguing, and a bit wrong, but hopefully wrong in a good way!"

The roots of 'Half Light' trace back to electronic tunes they had begun in 2008, surrounding the unpredictability of the future and elements of the novel that Max Rael is currently writing, exploring both inner and outer space. An album in three acts, the first four tracks make up Act One (opening a door), then 'Flashes of Light Pt. 5' walks through that door. Act Two closes with the album's most joyous point - 'Arcadia', with four tracks in the final act.

History Of Guns aims to create a strange alternative world where people can feel safe. This doesn’t mean the album is all joy. It has a lot of darkness in it, like life itself. History Of Guns embrace the dark as well as the light, bleakness and hope, as openly and unironically honestly as possible. Here you'll find songs about mental health, society, addiction, abandonment, different levels of reality and the struggle to keep going. Yet through this darkness, there remains underneath, a core of hope.

Del Alien - an original punk turned goth - is an anti-authority seeker of truth and the questions behind the questions. Max Rael is in love with the idea of using music to create a separate universe for creating stories and escaping into, was an autistic, music-obsessed child, absorbing a dozen genres before diving into trance after Britpop ruined the alternative scene.

History of Guns' 2004 single 'Your Obedient Servant' was championed by The Quietus and Mick Mercer among the “30 best goth singles of all time”. Taking hiatus in 2012, they released the album 'Forever Dying In Your Eyes' in 2022. Influenced by Killing Joke, PWEI, Bauhaus, Coil, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy, Nine Inch Nails and Swans, History of Guns have played Whitby Gothic Weekend, as well as Futurepunkand Back to the Futurepunk events.

The 'Half Light' album is out now, available from fine music platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

ALBUM CREDITS
Produced by Max Rael
Mixed by Max Rael and Caden Clarkson
Recorded at Apollo Audio (Hertford), Soul Studios (Bishops Stortford)
Mastered by Pete Maher
Del Alien - vocals
Max Rael - keyboards, programming, guitars
Caden Clarkson - guitar
Andy Webster & Marnie from SPUCKTUTE - vocals on 'Never Give it Up'
Amon Ásentir & Mark Eris from Xykogen - vocals on 'Arcadia'
Arcadia Choir (Emma Mills, Priyanka O’Neill, Sohm O’Neill and Ninotschka G.) - vocals on 'Arcadia'
Nykky Spectre - vocals on 'An Invitation'
Cover artwork by Amara O'Neill
Video by Howard Gardner
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

UK industrial post-punk mavericks HISTORY OF GUNS releases 'Half Light' album, darkness with an underbelly of hope

June 20, 2024

“Invisible hooks that will sink further in” ~ Auxiliary Magazine

“By far, the most inventive UK band to have got their hands caught in the Industrial threshing machine” ~ Mick Mercer

"Hertfordshire's History of Guns is something of a musical chameleon. Like Killing Joke and Nine Inch Nails, they’ve taken on new forms whilst remaining easily identifiable in their journey from goth rock to post-punk and darkwave to EDM and wider electro-goth hybrid territory. The tension of opposites that characterises much of their work propels it forth to an electronic beat, the vocals uncoiling, snake-like, atop a steady electronic catchment" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

“Polished, dramatic, full of poise and binding sentiment, and one of awesome sound and feeling” ~ Liverpool Sound and Vision

The 1990s underground music scene was a fascinating era in the UK, giving rise to many notable bands, including industrial legends History Of Guns. Fast forward many years later - they are still crafting their unique meta-modernist Industrial sound, now releasing their eighth album, 'Half Light' via the Liquid Len Recording Company, previewed by the singles 'No Longer Earthbound' and 'When You Don't Matter'.

Formed in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire in 1996, History of Guns became frontrunners of the UK's Wasp Factory / FuturePunk scene of the early 2000s and their 2004 single 'Your Obedient Servant' was ultimately championed by The Quietus and Mick Mercer as one of the “thirty best goth singles of all time”. The band went on hiatus in 2012, returning with the album 'Forever Dying In Your Eyes' in 2022. They then set about finishing an electronic project they’d begun in 2008.

On this album, founding members Del Alien (vocals) and Max Rael (keyboards, programming) are joined by guitarist Caden Clarkson (the newest member of History Of Guns) in exploring the human condition through various musical genres.

Produced by Max Rael, 'Half Light' was mixed by Max Rael and Caden Clarkson, and mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Pixies, Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails).

Robert Anton Wilson once wrote, “The future is up for grabs. It belongs to any and all who will take the risk and accept the responsibility of consciously creating the future they want.” This was the starting point for 'Half Light - The Journey to Arcadia'. And whilst it isn’t a concept album, a rock opera or a conventional narrative story, elements of a story currently being written as a novel by Max Rael are contained in these ten songs, which explore inner and outer space.

As always, History Of Guns aims to create a strange alternative world where people can feel safe, particularly at night when the world feels bleak. And the world feels like that a lot of the time these days. This doesn’t mean the album is all joy. It has a lot of darkness in it, like life itself. History Of Guns embrace the dark as well as the light, bleakness and hope, as openly and unironically honestly as possible. Here you'll find songs about mental health, society, addiction, abandonment, different levels of reality and how hard it can feel to keep going sometimes. Yet through this darkness, there remains underneath, a core of hope.

This is an album in three acts. The first four tracks make up Act One (opening a door), then 'Flashes of Light Pt. 5' walks through that door. Act Two closes with the most joyous point in the album - 'Arcadia', followed by four tracks in the final act.

"When we came back from hiatus in 2022, we wanted a completely fresh start so we wrote the industrial rock / metal album 'Forever Dying in Your Eyes' from scratch. We had half of 'Half Light' at least sketched out as an electronic album back in 2008/2009," explains Max Rael.

"Fortunately, people seem much more comfortable with us being genre-fluid these days and it’s less cause for criticism. Back in the day, certain camps seemed to have a definite need for bands to fit neatly into particular genres and not stray too far outside of it, which meant some of our early stuff was maybe a bit misunderstood because people didn’t know where to put it. We’ve been genuinely amazed by the reaction to the first two singles and are in nervous anticipation for what people will make of the album”.

Del Alien - an original punk turned goth - is an anti-authority seeker of truth and the questions behind the questions. Max Rael is in love with the idea of using music to create a separate universe for creating stories and escaping into, was an autistic, music-obsessed child, absorbing a dozen genres before diving into trance after Britpop ruined the alternative scene.

Influenced by Killing Joke, PWEI, Bauhaus, Coil, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy and Nine Inch Nails and Swans, History of Guns was a big part of the UK underground industrial scene of the 00s, playing Whitby Gothic Weekend, as well as Futurepunk and Back to the Futurepunk events.

The 'Half Light' album is out now, available from fine music platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

ALBUM CREDITS
Produced by Max Rael
Mixed by Max Rael and Caden Clarkson
Recorded at Apollo Audio (Hertford), Soul Studios (Bishops Stortford)
Mastered by Pete Maher
Del Alien - vocals
Max Rael - keyboards, programming, guitars
Caden Clarkson - guitar
Andy Webster & Marnie from SPUCKTUTE - vocals on 'Never Give it Up'
Amon Ásentir & Mark Eris from Xykogen - vocals on 'Arcadia'
Arcadia Choir (Emma Mills, Priyanka O’Neill, Sohm O’Neill and Ninotschka G.) - vocals on 'Arcadia'
Nykky Spectre - vocals on 'An Invitation'
Cover artwork by Amara O'Neill
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Underground 90s UK industrial outfit History Of Guns presents 'When You Don't Matter' single, an unflinching look at abandonment

May 21, 2024

“Invisible hooks that will sink further in” ~ Auxiliary Magazine

"As a band, Hertfordshire's History of Guns is something of a musical chameleon. Like Killing Joke and Nine Inch Nails, they’ve taken on new forms whilst remaining easily identifiable in their journey from goth rock to post-punk and darkwave to EDM and wider electro-goth hybrid territory. The tension of opposites that characterises much of their work propels it forth to an electronic beat, the vocals uncoiling, snake-like, atop a steady electronic catchment" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

“Polished, dramatic, full of poise and binding sentiment, and one of awesome sound and feeling” ~ Liverpool Sound and Vision

Underground 90s industrial legends History Of Guns presents their new single 'When You Don't Matter'. This is the second taster of their 'Half Light' album, following the lead track 'No Longer Earthbound', where the band takes a typically unflinching look at abandonment.

Their eighth record to date, it will be released via the Liquid Len Recording Company. Serving up their unique meta-modernist Industrial sound,

On hiatus from 2012 to 2022, they returned with the album 'Forever Dying In Your Eyes' and then set about finishing an electronic project they’d begun in 2008. The result is this 'Half Light' album, produced by Max Rael, mixed by Max Rael and Caden Clarkson, and mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Pixies, Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails).

Formed in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire in 1996, History of Guns became frontrunners of the UK's Wasp Factory / FuturePunk scene of the early 2000s and their 2004 single 'Your Obedient Servant' was ultimately championed by The Quietus and Mick Mercer as one of the “thirty best goth singles of all time”.

On this album, founding members Del Alien (vocals) and Max Rael (keyboards, programming) are joined by guitarist Caden Clarkson, the newest member of History Of Guns. Exploring the human condition through various musical genres

Del Alien - an original punk turned goth - is an anti-authority seeker of truth and the questions behind the questions. Max Rael is in love with the idea of using music to create a separate universe for creating stories and escaping into, was an autistic, music-obsessed child, absorbing a dozen genres before diving into trance after Britpop ruined the alternative scene.

“I think most people know of either a moment, or something sadly longer, when you're on your own, and no one knows where you are, how you are, or even if you're alive or dead. I think this like a History Of Guns version of a ballad, for abandonment. But whenever we have something we think is beautiful, we always have to smash it up somehow. From an existential point of view it might be true, maybe we don’t matter. We are meaning-seeking creatures in a world with no objective meaning. Ultimately we have to find a way to make ourselves matter to ourselves,” says multi-instrumentalist Max Rael.

Del Alien adds, "It's like the vain attempt to help people. Maybe they know it, maybe they don't. It's not a personal thing is it? Is this what society has done to us? Is it worth you thinking about? Getting cold in a box just to be burned and scattered to the wind, only to end up in the mouth of a dying junkie… or like sleeping with the sanest lunatic you ever met, but there’s no one there in the morning to make you breakfast. If the product is not good from the start, how can it be in the end? Losing the place you stand, just to hold another’s hand.”

Influenced by Killing Joke, PWEI, Bauhaus, Coil, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy and Nine Inch Nails and Swans, History of Guns was a big part of the UK underground industrial scene of the 00s, playing Whitby Gothic Weekend, as well as Futurepunk and Back to the Futurepunk events.

As of May 20, 'When You Don't Matter' is available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the 'Half Light' album (out June 20) can be pre-ordered..

ALBUM CREDITS
Produced by Max Rael
Mixed by Max Rael and Caden Clarkson
Recorded at Apollo Audio (Hertford), Soul Studios (Bishops Stortford)
Mastered by Pete Maher
Del Alien - vocals
Max Rael - keyboards, programming, guitars
Caden Clarkson - guitar
Andy Webster & Marnie from SPUCKTUTE - vocals on 'Never Give it Up'
Amon Ásentir & Mark Eris from Xykogen - vocals on 'Arcadia'
Arcadia Choir (Emma Mills, Priyanka O’Neill, Sohm O’Neill and Ninotschka G.) - vocals on 'Arcadia'
Nykky Spectre - vocals on 'An Invitation'
Cover artwork by Amara O'Neill
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

UK electro-goth outfit History of Guns presents 'No Longer Earthbound', teasing eighth album

April 22, 2024

“Invisible hooks that will sink further in” ~ Auxiliary Magazine

"As a band, Hertfordshire's History of Guns is something of a musical chameleon. Like Killing Joke and Nine Inch Nails, they’ve taken on new forms whilst remaining easily identifiable in their journey from goth rock to post-punk and darkwave to EDM and wider electro-goth hybrid territory. The tension of opposites that characterises much of their work propels it forth to an electronic beat, the vocals uncoiling, snake-like, atop a steady electronic catchment" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

“Polished, dramatic, full of poise and binding sentiment, and one of awesome sound and feeling” ~ Liverpool Sound and Vision

UK electro-goth post-punk band History Of Guns presents 'No Longer Earthbound', previewing their new 'Half Light' album - their eighth record to date - to be released via the Liquid Len Recording Company. Serving up their unique meta-modernist Industrial sound, this song is about leaving the planet (through space travel, virtual reality or death) and about recalibrating our thoughts away from our own problems and looking at a more global and cosmic picture.

After going on hiatus in 2012, they returned in 2022 with a new album - 'Forever Dying In Your Eyes' - then set about finishing an electronic project they’d begun in 2008. The result is this 'Half Light' album, produced by Max Rael and mixed by Max Rael and Caden Clarkson with mastering by Pete Maher (U2, Pixies, Nick Cave, J&MC, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails).

Formed in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire in 1996, History of Guns became frontrunners of the UK's Wasp Factory / FuturePunk scene of the early 2000s and their 2004 single 'Your Obedient Servant' was ultimately championed by The Quietus and Mick Mercer as one of the “thirty best goth singles of all time”.

At times anything from a duo to a full 5-piece rock band, on this album, founding members Del Alien (vocals) and Max Rael (keyboards, programming) are joined by guitarist Caden Clarkson, the newest member of History Of Guns. The band's ever-changing lineup revolves around the two core members, exploring the human condition through various musical genres.

Max Rael says, "This is a song about shifting focus away from this planet and to other places or realities.The existentialist question about why worry about saving the planet and endangered species when ultimately life will be unlivable on Earth in 1.3 billion years? If everything ends anyway, where else could we go? We pictured escaping the planet either through space travel, virtual reality or death. It is also about what we choose to leave behind as we shed one existence and go looking for another. That’s not to say History Of Guns don’t care about the planet. We recycle! Though apparently most of it ends up in landfill anyway."

Influenced by Killing Joke, PWEI, Bauhaus, Coil, Joy Division, Sisters of Mercy and Nine Inch Nails and Swans, History of Guns was a big part of the UK underground industrial scene of the 00s, playing Whitby Gothic Weekend, as well as Futurepunk and Back to the Futurepunk events.

“Philosopher Dirk Bruere got me interested about the idea of quantum suicide and immortality, where in a “many worlds” interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, it may be that there is no such thing as death from a subjective point of view. It’s about getting out of our heads, and taking a wider view, to the extent of how much do we choose and shape the reality we’re experiencing," says Max Rael.

"The death of the idea of one objective reality, and the embrace of many different co-existing realities would be a major step forward. Ironically the more aware we are of our own confirmation bias the harder it becomes to see. And also the sense that we have to kill the person society wants to shape us to be, to realise the potential of what we can make of ourselves.”

Del Alien - an original punk turned goth - is an anti-authority seeker of truth and the questions behind the questions. Max Rael is in love with the idea of using music to create a separate universe for creating stories and escaping into, was an autistic, music-obsessed child, absorbing a dozen genres before diving into trance after Britpop ruined the alternative scene.

As of April 22, 'No Longer Earthbound' will be available from fine music platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. The 'Half Light' album will released on June 20

Bandcamp http://historyofguns.bandcamp.com
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/4n2EfG19UlV8cQC9zNW36L
Apple Music https://music.apple.com/us/artist/history-of-guns/278029998