As the Zero Tolerance sponsored Skepticism / Pantheist gig approaches, we caught up with event mastermind (and also Pantheist drummer) Sterghios Moschos to shed some light on this very unique event:
“Some 9 months ago Kostas (Pantheist composer, vocalist and keyboardist) and I (Sterghios, Pantheist drummer) sat mesmerised through the performance of Belgian Arabic jazzmeisters Hijjaz at the Union Chapel. This was something otherworldly, especially given the venue, its decor and acoustics. At the time we had also just released our latest album ‘Pantheist’ on Grau records. Following our launch gig at the Garage, plenty of people pointed out we need to play in more majestic venues. So the idea was born to put a show in a London church.
Unfortunately the Hijjaz gig was bound to be the last the Union Chapel would allow drums in, as the neighbours objected to the noise levels. That’s probably why Anathema and Devin Townsend played the Union Chapel unplugged. So the search was on for a church that would allow us to come in and play using a full drumkit and amplified guitars at the levels we routinely play at.
The answer was practically under our noses, and came forth literally in the last moment before we were about to give up, in the form of St. Giles in the Fields, opposite the Intrepid Fox. We couldn’t have asked for a better place, given the connections of the church with John Milton (author of the poem ‘Paradise Lost’, where the band took its’ name from), poetry (it’s also known as the Poet’s Church), and its perfect location for people to travel to and attend. The church also has amazing acoustics, as I witnessed myself a few years back when I watched a classical piano concerto performed there. We decided not to rely on that only though, and have therefore recruited soundman extraordinaire Ed Shackleton, who has years of experience in small venues, large venues as well as festivals (E.g. Sonisphere, etc.).
Finally, given our close friendship with Skepticism, who also celebrate this year their 20th anniversary, we decided to invite them to co-headline this gig with us. Of all the bands we’ve played with in the ten years of our existence, Skepticism are by far the best suited for the venue given their sound and atmosphere. Very different to ours, but very complementary indeed, and they’re also great guys to go on the road with. It really surprised me when I found out they’d never been invited to the UK before; these guys have played most other European countries time and time again!
All in all, we are very excited about this event. It’s probably gonna be a one off, and to make sure it will be memorable for everyone we’re doing our best to make sure the sound, imagery and atmosphere is perfect for the night. At the moment it looks like we’ll also be recording audio and possibly video too. So, who knows guys, if you come to see this very atmospheric, very heavy and very unique gig, you might end up in the videoclip too.”