After the release of their double album I did a first interview, but I felt I had more questions for them and was invited to the Out of Line Weekender fest where they opened the festival and finally got a chance to see them on stage! After that I got moved, had a lot of fun and got to meet them. Read it all underneath:
How is it going with the new (double) album?
Caitlin Stokes: Purple Pain has been amazing, it definitely exceeded our expectaions. Being able to perform the songs live has brought a new vibe to our set, I think people are very much enjoying this aspect. Because there are so many songs to discover on the record, some are not getting the attention they deserve, so ill be trying my best to get those out there more.
One of the things I hear more and more is that if you have a new album: you have to go on a tour, so how hard is it finding gigs and thus promo promoting the album?
Corlyx will not be touring un l we can guarantee selling out the venues in enough cities to not go bankrupt. I don’t think people understand how expensive things have gotten for bands, so unless we get invited to open for a huge act, it will just be these one off shows here and there when we get invited to cities where the promoters can accommodate our booking fees. I wish it were 10 years ago when it was not like this, but every time I do the math we are losing.
I noticed you Enjoyed the gig at Dark Malta. How was it for you and what makes it so interesting for people to go there for a festival as this one can’t survive without foreigners travelling to over there?
Dark Malta is one of the best most unique festivals, the contrast of the island and goth is so interesting and visually stimulating. The hospitality the promoter gives to the bands is next level. We are treated very well. Overall I think the fans really appreciate the unique venue, activities, and destination on, it’s a fun holiday and a festival all at once.
Today we are here in Berlin, a city with a huge history. Did you already had a chance to visit the city?
We used to live a few block from Urban Spree for 3 years, so it reminds me of our me living in Berlin, which was some of our most exciting and creative times, very transformative for us coming from Los Angeles, a huge contrast mentally. We love Berlins crusty punk aesthetic, and hope they don’t destroy it for condos and office buildings one day.
I noticed you had to wipe away some tears at the end of your gig, was it so emotional?
Yes, we were closing with The Echo, and the song is about my mom mostly, it’s also about fighting your demons, but that song really gets me choked up sometimes, especially when the sound on stage is banging and the energy of the crowd is vibing with us, it’s a release and a moment I love to share.
It’s also the festival worked out by your label and honestly: I don’t know much labels that put together their own festival. Are you proud of being part of the female fronted day and opening day of it?
Always grateful to our wonderful label for the support, they really do so much for artists, we are very fortunate to have them. We didn’t expect to be openers, but I don’t let that kind of thing bother me, I’m happy we managed to fill the room regardless, I had so many fans coming to us saying they were only there for us so that’s actually wild to hear. We are happy to play any shows that accommodate our needs as a band.
You clearly enjoyed the meet and greet moment with the fans, took your me with all of them, did it feel good and rewarding? How do you look back at it?
Honestly, meeting fans after the show is almost better than performing, I love them so much, their words, their energy, they are so cute and entirely the reason for doing this. I do not get bands that loath this aspect or think it’s annoying, it’s like WHY are you in a band then?? If someone could explain that to me …. because I do not get that.
I noticed you stayed pretty late and watched the other artists too, who left the biggest impression on you and why?
Yeah! I love live music… I was blown away by Marie Davidson, what an amazing sound and quirky creative set.
What’s the story behind the tack Psycho Sensual?
It’s about obsession, I suppose I used to get possessed by my own sensuality it can turn destructive….I think many people can relate to the, and once I became a more healed human I could reflect back on that answer see how completely unhinged sensuality can become.
Talking about this one:
Wasted And Alone: is a trip back to our destructive self-sabotage past. Both Brandon and I were teenage druggies; we had a lot of trauma to unpack before we were capable of taking better care of ourselves. This song doesn't glorify substance abuse. It's the acknowledgment of our very real and human coping mechanisms. We party, we isolate, we numb, we were all young and sad once.”
Yeah, both me and Brandon have had a drug fuelled past, it’s no secret, but we are much better today, we really out grew all of that…which is good because it’s not a sustainable lifestyle.
How hard was it to get out of that negative zone, what helped you, what motivated you?
Just healing from trauma, and growing up essentially, wanting to be healthy and feel good. Hangovers not being worth it. We still party a bit, but definitely not as much as we used to.
What is the song: Take The Money really about eg: what inspired you to write this song?
I’m honestly a bit of an Anarchist, I certainly was as a kid, I got in trouble with the law a lot, I hate authority and conformity, always have. I do not agree with end stage capitalism, so I do not judge anyone that’s trying to make it out of the rat race by any means necessary. Burn it all down is very much a feeling I get a lot.
What bands do you absolutely want to see yourself during this festival?
Sadly we had to leave on Friday so we only attended our night on Thursday. But we play M’era Luna this year and we are so pumped to see Heilung, Peter Murphy, Lacuna Coil and Sierra.
What can we expect for the rest of the year? A memorable tour, playing at some special places? More duets?
Up next is WGT Leipzig and M’era Luna, also a small show in Turin Italy in December, then some remixes are on the way to continue the Purple Pain legacy.
Have fun, thank you for the great music and hope for sure to see you on stage again! It Was a Blast!
Read previous interview here: SNOOZECONTROL - Corlyx: shout out to The Horrors and The Cure and yes Corlyx is DIY!
Read album review here: SNOOZECONTROL - Corlyx – Purple Pain (Out of Line Music)
Live pics from The Out of Liner Weekender festival Berlin by Filip Van Muylem
