Liverpool is one of the most welcoming scenes for outsider culture as you’re likely to get anywhere in the world. A key player in this is Michael Coates.
The promotor of Moonfrog has spent the last five years tirelessly putting on shows and giving opportunities for acts both from local and International climes.
Since its inception, Moonfrog has been Merseyside’s key pillar for all things dark wave, cold wave and post-punk. During the endless amounts of shows Coates hosts week-in-week-out, somehow he’s found the time to form Liminal Project: the dark wave trio featuring French vocalist, Roxane Bigot, and Manchester-based Australian guitarist, Zoe Nixon.
The trio have released two songs to date: the galloping cold wave thrum that is Liminarité, and the rich echo, Midnight Blue, which was released last October – both songs containing a range of ideas inspired from the various countries each member hails from.
“I love crafting and creating things,” says Roxane in response to being asked about hobbies outside of the band. “I’m always working on some crochet or sewing project. I read a lot, mostly period dramas and French classics, and love crime films from the ’90s. My favorite one is Heat by Michael Mann.” During a series of questions put to the band via email earlier this month, Zoe admitted to having “innumerable hobbies. Too many to get very good at any of them!” while Coates professes to have keen interest in learning about history.”
Alongside the Liminal Project, the band were also quick to point out other emerging acts across Merseyside. Roxane suggested the three-piece outfit Nudist, while Coates is a big fan of A Lesser Version and Dog Sport – acts who have featured during a Moonfrog night at some point over the last several years, and where the latter is concerned, they will join Liminal Project and a host of other acts for the Moonfrog V birthday show set to take place at the Invisible Wind Factory on Saturday February 24.
Sun 13: Can you tell us the history of Liminal Project?
Michael Coates: “Liminal Project began in 2022. I was impressed by Roxane’s singing at a karaoke party, so I asked her to put some vocals over some tracks I had prepared. Creatively we collaborated very well, Roxy brought her personality to the tracks, and made them much more unique than I could myself. We recorded five tracks during spring 2022.
“The previous year I met an Australian musician Zoe at a Lebanon Hannover concert in Manchester, we both had very similar tastes in music so we kept in touch with the plan of meeting up to exchange ideas. Zoe got in touch exactly at the time when Roxane and I started to discuss introducing a third member. She was the perfect fit for us, so she joined and Liminal Project became complete in summer 2022. Since then we have been playing across the UK and Ireland, writing music and finding our feet creatively.”
Roxane Bigot: “Michael tells the story very well. I would just add that when he asked me to come to the studio and record some vocals for the tracks he had in stock, it was after I just sang the lyrics to the French national anthem to some random karaoke video, probably a Donk track.”
Zoe Nixon: “I would also like to add that we met at the kickons for Lebanon Hannover, on the dancefloor and then a stranger’s gaff. He introduced me to tequila and ginger beer and we talked about forming a goth band. I was overjoyed that the band came to fruition and that the drink combination was delicious.”
Liminal Project (photo from artist's Bandcamp page)S13: With each member hailing from different parts of the world, how much do you think that influences the band’s final output?
RB: “Obviously all our songs so far are in French, so my origins play a big part in the band’s style. I take most of my inspiration from classic Chanson Française artists such as Michel Berger, Brigitte Fontaine and Philippe Katerine. I am writing in English at the moment but singing in French simply feels more natural, and helps me voice my emotions without fear of judgment upon my lyrics.”
ZN: “Thinking about it, it probably has a very big influence. For one, my biggest guitar influences are probably underground Australian icons like Nigel Yang and of course, Rowland S Howard. The culture of DIY music in Britain feels very different from what I’m used to as well. Up here, it’s a lot more unashamedly ambitious, which means we probably just get a lot more done. Though I try to balance it with my antipodean deprecation and cringing.”
S13: And speaking of, you’ve released two songs so far, firstly can you tell us about Liminarite?
MC: “I started playing music again during lockdown after buying a guitar and some pedals. My friend Graham had lent me a bass at the time, and I was playing bass a lot. I found it easy to write song ideas using the bass and Liminarité was the first song I wrote during that time. I was listening to a lot of Russian doomer and American bands such as Twin Tribes and Soft Kill at the time, and this definitely influenced all the first ideas I had. I took the idea to Ash Milward’s house (Double Echo) and he confirmed that it was good. He helped me program the drums and synth parts and did all the recording. Lyrically it started off as a love song, but my lyrics are cringe and shit, so I’m happy that Roxane has done this track justice.”
RB: “Liminarité is actually still a love song, so Mikey’s idea went through somehow, it’s just a really sad one. I didn’t always write, I am more of a manual artist than a writer. So when I started really thinking about how I could write anything decent enough for the stage it got really scary, but eventually some inspiration came into me. The idea came from really bad anxiety I had of my partner dying before me, so the song is about just that, someone reminiscing on the death of their love, both physically and figuratively. I also took inspiration from the song L’Amour en solitaire by Juliette Armanet, one of my favourite to this day.”
S13: Midnight Blue was released last October, and there’s a really nice progression there. Can you tell us about that song?
MC: “This is the first release when all three of us have had an input creatively, so for me this the truest Liminal Project release, and you can expect more of this sort of thing. It’s also the first time I’ve wrote a bass line to someone else’s idea, which seems like a defining moment for me as someone who is relatively new to playing bass. We work with Ash for all of our songs, and I really enjoyed adding some nice atmospheric sounds, and experimenting with different effects with him.”
RB: “Midnight Blue is probably my favourite song to perform at the moment, and quite a sad one too in terms of lyrics. My very good friend Jade Loncle wrote it, she is a photographer and writer, we know each from school back in France. It is quite heavy, touches on themes like being groomed as a young woman and being cheated from your youth. I love that the instrumental is slightly different than our usual style, I think we benefit so much from Zoe’s input on the guitar. It’s interesting to see how well the collaboration goes between her and Michael in terms of writing. Eventually I’d like to see us go towards a more shoegaze style, heavier instrumentals.”
ZN: “Thank you! Here’s a fun fact: Midnight Blue was released on mine and Roxane’s shared birthday. I really love this song, and it’s my favourite to play, too. I try to write guitar parts for texture and economy. Modern life is so music-saturated that people have an incredible subconscious sense for progressions and note sequences. When I’m writing a chorus, I think of it as already existing within the pop music aether. The ideal sequence of notes has already been written; I just have to try to tune in and find them. Funnily enough though, when I first wrote the chorus for Midnight Blue, I thought it sounded too much like [very popular song] and almost scrapped it. Ha!”
S13: Are you influenced by aspects that fall outside the realm of music?
RB: “I am really interested in fashion, and the drama that surrounds certain collections. I’m thinking about John Galliano for Dior SS 98 for example, this is the vibe I’m trying to recreate while performing. I care a lot about what I wear on stage, it’s almost like putting on a costume and playing a character. I alter or make my own dresses, it’s part of a ritual of finding the perfect costume for each gig depending on the city, venue and general vibe of the evening. Theatre also influences my performances. I’d like to see the band go towards more staged elements such as decor and specifically designed costumes perhaps.
ZN: “For sure. I like films and I think there’s inherent cinema in music.”
S13: Given Michael is also a promoter and a champion for underground music, how do you see the current scene in Liverpool for esoteric creative endeavours?
MC: “I think the Liverpool creative scene is very accessible, it’s friendly and warm, and there is definitely something for everyone. The fact that so many creatives come to live here is testament to the culture of Liverpool as a whole. However, it’s a lot of hard work as a promoter trying to grow the scene and keep the city on the map.”
RB: “I wouldn’t say it better than Mikey, the Liverpool scene is simply incredible in how welcoming it is. I could have never dreamt of having a band and singing for people back home, it’s simply too different and alienating. Liverpool offers everything it has to give if you’re willing to give it a shot, and promoters like Mikey make it possible. It is really hard work.”
Liminal Project will play the Moonfrog V at Invisible Wind Factory on Saturday February 24. Purchase tickets here.
Sun 13 