Death in June
Death in June are a neofolk group led by English musician Douglas P.. The band was originally formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 as a trio. However, after the other members left, in 1984 and 1985, to work on other projects, the group became the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators. Over the band's four decades of existence, they have undergone numerous shifts in style and presentation, resulting in an overall shift from initial post-punk and industrial music influence to a more acoustic and folk music–oriented approach. Douglas P.'s influence was instrumental in originating neofolk music, of which his music has subsequently become a part.
History
Origin
In 1981, Pearce formed Death in June in England, along with Patrick Leagas and Tony Wakeford. Pearce and Wakeford had been members of the left-wing and anti-fascist punk rock band Crisis, which was formed in 1977. Crisis had gained a substantial following in the UK punk subculture. and had performed at rallies for The Right to Work, Rock Against Racism, and the Anti-Nazi League.Early years (1981–1985)
Death in June soon left the punk scene behind and began to infuse their sound with electronics and martial-style drumming, combined with a Joy Division-influenced post-punk sound. Then, a few years later, including a synth-heavy folk style with acoustic guitar. The synths were later phased out, and their later music added atmospheric sound loops, dialogue samples, industrial beats, etc.Their lyrics maintained much of the poetry and political urgency of the early Crisis recordings. Tracks such as the early single sides "Holy Water" and "State Laughter" demonstrated an ongoing fascination with political systems. The new name of the band came from an in-studio mishearing of "death and gloom".
In early 1984, Wakeford was fired from Death in June for "bringing his 'right-wing leanings into the group; at the time he had been a member of the UK's National Front. Further on, Douglas P. would abandon any overt interest in politics in favor of a more esoteric approach to his work.
Introduction of folk music
For 1984's Burial LP, Death in June began to adopt a more traditional European folk sound, using more acoustic guitars, references to ancient and contemporary European history, and combining heavy percussion with electronic soundscapes and post-industrial experimentation.''Nada!'' flirtation with dance music
The Nada! LP introduced a dance sound, accompanied by other tracks with the previously introduced folk elements. Douglas P. would later state this period was brought about by Patrick Leagas, which is further justified by Leagas's other work with the band Sixth Comm, and later by his joining Mother Destruction, where he would further explore themes of Germanic paganism and historically inspired music.Patrick Leagas departs
Patrick Leagas abruptly left the group in April 1985 after a tour of Italy, resulting in many cancelled shows, in the UK and Europe, that were due to follow that tour. Leagas, who began calling himself Patrick O-Kill, later formed Sixth Comm. Thereafter, Death in June has consisted solely of the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators.Mid-period Death in June (1985–1996)
Creation of World Serpent Distribution
In 1991, Douglas P. named and helped form World Serpent Distribution, a British distribution company that specialized in esoteric, experimental, and post-industrial music, which would distribute his NER releases until the late 1990s. During this period, Pearce collaborated with many artists who also had material distributed through the company.Collaboration with David Tibet
formed Current 93 in 1982. After being introduced to Douglas P. by Alan McGee of Creation Records at the Living Room Club, London, in 1983, Tibet eventually began working with Death in June. Upon meeting Tibet, Douglas P. began to devote more of his time to a new circle of collaborators, who introduced him to various Thelemic, Satanic, and Hermetic disciplines that markedly affected his approach to composing music. Familiar with the Runic alphabet, Douglas P. introduced them to Tibet. Tibet similarly had been long interested in magic and religion and implemented these concepts in his early recordings with Current 93.Douglas P. introduced a folk influence to David Tibet, who in turn contributed to Death in June's Nada! LP and its remix version titled 93 Dead Sunwheels, as well as the albums The World That Summer, Brown Book, and The Wall of Sacrifice. He continued his work with Death in June, ending their collaborations with a contribution to the 1995 LP Rose Clouds of Holocaust.
Collaboration with Boyd Rice begins
Experimental musician Boyd Rice was a friend of the group and had documented one of their earliest performances back in 1982. He was later invited to contribute a spoken word piece to The Wall of Sacrifice LP. From then on, a long series of recording collaborations continued between Boyd Rice and Douglas P., which included the albums Music, Martinis and Misanthropy, In the Shadow of the Sword, Heaven Sent, God & Beast, Wolf Pact, and finally Alarm Agents. Douglas P. also made a small appearance acting alongside Boyd Rice in the film Pearls Before Swine.Collaboration with LJDLP
collaborated with Douglas P. on the Östenbräun double cassette release. Douglas P. sent LJDLP source material, which LJDLP would remix and send back. Douglas P. would later appear live with Les Joyaux De La Princesse for a joint show in 2001.Collaboration with John Murphy begins
Douglas P, having moved to Australia, came back into contact with John Murphy of Knifeladder, and previously of SPK. In 1996, Murphy began playing live percussion with Death in June during tours. In 2000, a period of very stripped down, largely acoustic live performances for Death in June began up until Douglas P. announced no further live shows in 2005. In September 2011, a European tour was announced commemorating the 30th anniversary of the group's foundation in 1981. However the tour started off in Sydney, Australia, without John Murphy, who died on 11 October 2015.Contemporary Death in June (1996–present)
Collaboration with Albin Julius
After queuing to meet his idol Douglas P. backstage at a performance in Munich in December 1996, Albin Julius of Der Blutharsch, collaborated and toured throughout Europe between 1998 and 2000 with Death in June. Together, they produced the albums Take Care & Control and Operation Hummingbird, as well as the live album Heilige!. In comparison to previous Death in June works, the material on these albums is primarily sample based, building on musical motifs from the likes of Richard Wagner, Franz Schubert, and French 1960s pop icon Serge Gainsbourg, amongst others. The two albums mark a significant departure from previous or subsequent Death in June material, featuring very little by way of Pearce's guitar; and they could be classified as a part of the martial music genre. This is itself a genre which Pearce had arguably invented in 1986 on The World That Summer album, with tracks such as "Death of a Man", and again in 1989 on The Wall of Sacrifice album, with the title track and "Death is a Drummer". Pearce wrote a song loosely inspired by an untitled Der Blutharsch song for the Fire Danger Season Der Blutharsch tribute compilation. The track title was later created and revealed as "Many Enemies Bring Much Honour", which also appears on the rework-and-rarity album Abandon Tracks!.Demise of World Serpent Distribution
The late 1990s marked the beginning of a court case between Death in June and World Serpent Distribution, regarding payment and distribution issues, and several other artists that were then on the label. This led to many artists who had sided with, or had a similar experience to, Pearce's leaving the distribution company and largely moving to the German label Tesco Distribution, as well as other then-well-established labels such as Eis & Licht. Eventually, Pearce was issued an out-of-court settlement for the case, which, according to him, led to the demise of World Serpent Distribution. This led to reissues of most of the major albums in the Death in June discography being made freely available, with overhauled, deluxe packaging at a considerably cheaper price.Collaboration with Andreas Ritter
On the All Pigs Must Die LP, Pearce was assisted by Andreas Ritter, of the neofolk group Forseti, who played accordion on a few tracks on the first half of the LP. This marked a return to the previous folk sound of Death in June. Death in June have also appeared live with Forseti, and Pearce appeared on Forseti's Windzeit LP.After Andreas Ritter suffered a stroke, subsequent loss of memory, and the ability to play musical instruments, Pearce contributed acoustic versions of Death in June songs to a tribute album to Ritter, entitled Forseti Lebt, which was released in August 2006.