LIVE @ O2 Arena

This was us @ the O2 Arena free stage, London, 8 December before Brian Adams hit the main stage.

VK Test

Ben and Nina interview each other one week after the release of their single VIRUS / VIPER

YOUR FAVOURITE:

RECORD

N: I don't have one.
B: Dirty - Sonic Youth - I don't care if it's their most commercial sounding

BAR

N: 8mm
B: 8mm, Berlin - like Catch in Shoreditch was in it's heyday

CIGARETTES

N: Players
B: Golden Virginia, licorice skins

SECRET WEAPON

N: M41A Pulse Rifle - from Alien
B: Electro-Harmonix

TELL ME ABOUT:

SEX

N: Violent
B: My inspiration

THE FUTURE

N: Dead
B: Things no longer have the value they deserve

FASHION

N: Black
B: Boots, tight jeans, killer leather jacket

BERLIN

N: Teeth
B: It gives me what I want

WHAT DO YOU:

HATE

N: Dictators
B: Society

LOVE

N: Mushy red cesspit covered in artificial sweeteners
B: Art that strives to be beautiful

NEED

N: Leather biker boots
B: The night

KNOW

N: Money kills
B: Hey Jude

YOUR BAND:

LIVE

N: Animal
B: The reason I exist

THE ALBUM

N: Deadly machine love
B: Last Call For The River

VIPER VIDEO

N: Sex
B: The moment we distilled ourselves on film

UNPLUGGED

N: Human
B: We'll be putting out an acoustic EP shortly after the album

AA single VIRUS / VIPER out now on Sonic Fire Records

http://theunkindnessofravens.bandcamp.com/album/virus-viper-aa-side-single

VIRUS video on NME.COM

We are proud to announce that VIRUS is currently being showcased on NME.COM! We would love it if you could vote for it and comment after it. Your support is golden.

http://www.nmevideo.com/the-unkindness-of-ravens-virus

Our latest double A side single VIRUS / VIPER is out now! VIRUS is the title track from our forthcoming debut LP. We recorded both tracks in our apartment in Berlin in January. You can get the tracks on iTunes or Bandcamp - the latter is cheaper and you can take a free download of the VIRUS - Ventenner remix while you're there. Please also check out the video to VIRUS - it's fighting it's way around the Contactmusic.com video chart right now and last night overtook Beyonce and Avril Lavigne for a while. That aside we've been enjoying regular radio play over at Amazing Radio and various internet stations while burning the oil finishing this album of ours. Here are some articles and interviews that have surfaced lately:

http://www.aaamusic.co.uk/2011/09/25/meet-the-unkindness-of-ravens-your-new-favourite-band/

http://www.artrocker.tv/tv/article/the-unkindness-of-ravens-virus

http://www.feveravenue.com/monday-music-musings-the-unkindness-of-ravens/

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/blog/entry/interview-the-unkindness-of-ravens

http://sourmashmusic.com/2011/09/20/the-sourmash-top-10-200911/

Thx for listening. Your support is gold. X

Bikini Kill

Stills from next music video VIPER

French Connection

Guess what?

We have VIRUS on a French Connection video promo! Shot by talented Kelly Wolverella Mitchell!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spHfE01kw5k&feature=player_embedded

In Berlin for two months playing shows, editing our music video for VIRUS and working on our forthcoming double A single - VIRUS & VIPER.

Stay tuned for more fancy information!

In the Dark I am your Light

In the dark
I am your light
from my fingertips
to your heart.

Days are running away and in less than a week we are to be in Berlin playing a few shows, editing our music video and over all soaking up Berlins atmosphere, to further fuel our empty tanks of inspiration.

We are romantic beings, living our lives out of a movie, but with eyes open. We are no fools in this world of fun and glamor and deception. The veils of satisfaction wrap their silky scarves around our flesh, tempting our souls to better things.

We grow only when we learn. And a lot of learning has been done.

Soon the days in London will draw to a close and the future days of Berlin will open.

I can't tell you
how much I love you,
to spare the words
their almost soulless meaning
as truth is in my heart
and in my eyes,
I look upon you
and without any
speech shared
you know exactly
what I mean.

I am the Dust, I Care so Much

On Monday we had our video shoot for VIRUS the title track of our first forthcoming album. We were blessed with exquisite dancers, make up and hair artists, the best director of photography in London and a studio space that provided the perfect atmosphere to make our visions come true.

The Raven's team is growing with people from all over London and even the world who have talent and ambition, a nurturing soul and who love to be part of great projects.

It's made us become more aware, that what begins as a seed in your mind can grow, if you allow it to, into something greater than you would have ever expected with the right people involved. But to get there, two main ingredients are needed - imagination and common sense.

As artists one is always graduating from one project to the next, gracefully moving on upward. Before you know it, you'll look back and think - MAN I did ALL of THAT?!

Yup. Because you cared so much and did whatever it took to get there, with a little bit of thought and a hell lot of passion.

Yea - we are a small band and a smaller label. But it's not about the short cut on how to get to your goal, it's the journey, the length of its path, the obstacles you gotta find ways to overcome, the love you share along the way and the hunger that never ceases to stop.

Creation began with God (or so I'm told by religious fanatics, God's just a symbol in this blog, we ain't religious by traditional standards) and now WE are the creators and masters of our own universes. Real conquerors began small, convincing people one by one of their beliefs, until they had an army of believers behind them, who fought tooth and nail for their leader. Those who became leaders always started with one pure thought; that thing they believed in most and never gave up on until somehow others believed in them also. Real artists who begin small, last forever, because once you plant a seed, it can only ever grow on, forever.

Thank you for being part of our music, our videos, our photo shoots, our press and our supporters.

Without any of you, we would merely be two people making noise without an audience.

Peace!

Bleed from Within

"... strip me from (beastly) bear (animal) skin, I have waited for so long, strip me from my breaths of death, I curdle you from within... " - N.W.

What can I say, but holy fuck it's real. That's right. The life we breath right now in this moment is realer than the skinny ass from some headless chicken waiting to be fried into a nugget and later chowed down by some fat freak who doesn't think any further than his own beluga blubbering flesh of existence... Oh wait, that's pretty real as well.

Lets count the ways shall we? The Unkindness of Ravens are a two piece electro rock band formerly formed in London. One dude's English and drop dead handsome, the other is a chick from somewhere in Europe who can speak a coupla languages and can't decide wether to be brunette or blond. Either way, these two sexy beasts are horny for music, girls and playing live shows. They want to do nothing more than to be creative every single day, for the rest of their lives, playing music, selling music, having sex with music and surrounding themselves with like minded people so that together, with this little growing empire, they can create the tsunami, stone cold kids have been waiting for.

We all like the thought of being saved either by Prince Charming, health insurance, a steady job whatever... As we grow older and the cynism grows like warts on the end of a junkies nose, we come to realize that really, we are all alone and we gotta fend and "save" ourselves - or else I'd like to think Jesus would have returned a long fucking time ago to "save us"...

That's the thing about Jesus, if there's anything we can learn from him - he literally sacrificed his life for what he believed in. He believed so hard, he got the ax, because he showed the world a different way, he actually had the balls of steel to say "yo fuckers, there are other ways to live your petty life, do it, don't be afraid, and stop being sheep!".

Yea - I don't wanna be hung for my beliefs and Ravens ain't interested in changing the world, but what we ARE interested in is NOT to be afraid, be confident and comfortable in who we are, loyal to our principles and not get bullied into anything we don't want to do.

It's a longer, less taken path in what we do and there's no rule book to guide us but the loins of our instincts (and vice versa).

We aim to set an example that anything's fucking possible.

And we hope you live your life by that motto as well!

Peace!

Sex, Blood and Rock n Roll

It's Friday night and us Ravens trash the stage with distorted bass lines and vitalized screams. My seizure moves ripple through my body, creating electronic visualized cyber punkness. Ben's losing his shit, smashing Bloody Mary with a mixture of violence and lustful strokes, hitting her metallic pulsing strings as if his life depended on it.

We make contact.

Her head stock smashes into my brow.

The warmth of blood bubbles down the bridge of my nose.

Finally we are free.

Free to be what we want to be.

Real artists.

We sweat.

We suffer.

We bleed.

We love.

If we didn't do what we do, there would be no point of our existence.

Thank you for your support.

Come on, Arise

Now let me see... It's coming up to the end of our third month since we've been back to London... Something like that anyway and all I can say is, it feels like FOREVER. Not that time has stood still, but the days, if they're not broken up with gigs and other work; they're spent in the studio tearing our hair out.

You think with every new record we make, we would be a little bit closer to making it easier for ourselves. But no. With every new record, comes new equipment and new plug-ins and new ideas and new everything... So no matter what happens, art will always stay challenging, it will continuously have obstacles to over come and questions to be figured out. And why shouldn't it be challenging? If art were easy, everyone would be doing it and art would cease to have its unique quality... (this applies to artists with integrity, you know who you are!)

So where are we at? Our album's coming out... We began with June as the release date, then we moved it back to July and now we believe we can definitely make it for August. What we tend to do is set ourselves some pretty impossible deadlines. We don't think they're impossible until we get down and start doing the work. As creators, the biggest learning lesson is time and how to use it wisely. The minute the time surrounding us feels more like pressure rather than a gift, we crumble and all of a sudden things begin to look like an impossible task. The journey in making this record has taught us a lot about its technology, its sound and most importantly its discipline and sacrifice that time allows for us to measure our success by.

Our destiny? Berlin in mid July for about two months. Maybe we'll be able to go to a lake, bath in the steam of summer, play a few shows in and around the city and over all show off a product we sweated over.

It's not easy being a creator. Many trials have to be made before you come out with the perfect vision you've had in mind. My advice though is, keep it simple, don't over-think and if you cease having fun with it, then you're doing something wrong.

Be Punk and be Free.

Let there be Light

Us Ravens have been back in London nearly two months, although at the rate we've been working and getting things done, it feels like we've been in the smog for much longer.

Having blown up a few gigs here and there, we can safely say, we're feeling pretty damn confident. The album's working its ass off trying to sound and be the love child it deserves to be and we're pretty much around the clock either mixing or arranging our next set of gigs for this summer's LP 'Virus' tour.

We're aiming to hit the road for July and August and strongly thinking of officially moving down to Berlin when the summer leaves turn brown and fall like broken memories to the ground.

Have a read on our latest live reviews. It's always a pleasure to read great writing with awesome taste in music.

Artrocker:
http://www.artrocker.tv/live/article/the-unkindness-of-ravens-the-rhythm-factory-london

Call of the Wyld:
http://callofthewyld.blogspot.com/2011/03/volitains-cold-in-berlin-unkindness-of.html

BBC America:
http://blogs.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2011/02/01/music-roundup-the-go-team-revives-their-pop-party-mix/

Our next show - we will be supporting Joana and the Wolf @ 229 Club 7 April.

See you there and remember be punk and be free!

Berlin Photos

London Calling

Us Ravens have now been in London for a week now, had our first back to London show last night @ Rhythm Factory. Twas a killer show, scooped some brains with feedback and pretty much left to-become-fans with jaws dropped. Yup. We can't help but be a bit weird and freaky. It's in our nature to just let the animal from within tear shit up and unleash all that anger that most folks seem to repress. It's healthy to be angry, especially if it's that kind of anger that involves great change. And I get angry because the London music scene is on the decline. Promoters aren't doing what they're meant to do; promote. Instead it's left up to the bands to bring people... So how the fuck are you ever gonna play to a new crowed? Plug your music inside the vulnerable brains of the youth?

Here's the secret ingredient on how to become a raped musician by the raping music industry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pehHOqx7JXg&feature=player_embedded

Anyway, us Ravens have been laboring behind computers and mixing desks for the past week, mixing this beautiful love child of an Album and organizing tours/festivals in the next few months.

Yea.

So

We'll

Keep

You

Posted.

London in Berlin

I'm sitting on the sofa in our flat/studio in the center of Berlin feeling content. This is why I lifted my laptop onto my lap (no pun intended) looking out the window and thinking peacefully how I will miss this city that I've had the fortune to get to know, even if a month is rather brief. I shouldn't get too ahead of myself, because our time here isn't up yet, but my heart feels full with the good work we've been producing and the shows we played and have yet to play thus far have been spectacular.

As artists, we're always trying to push ourselves outside our comfort zones, challenge our spirit in order to attain purity and push boundaries. I believe this is very important that as artists, you're constantly evolving and feeding that hungry passion. And by keeping things interesting, you must constantly produce work, even if it's "shit", this "shit" work is what helps you find the essence that makes your niche unique and spectacular.

Thomas Edison, founder of the light bulb, was supposedly asked by a reporter what it felt like to experience 1,000 failures when trying to create the light bulb. To that Edison replied "I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."

We came to Berlin for many reasons, one was we got bored of London's music scene, another reason was we wanted to experience a new city and get fresh inspiration and the last reason was to see how our music would translate to the Berliners. Although I think London respects our work, most are just not fully into it (yet), maybe that's to due with a cultural difference in style, sound and attitude... Let me put it this way, Berlin is open for anything and they're ready to take new artists by the horns and they follow through with their curiosity.

I think as artists, it's just as important to evolve your art as it is to take the appropriate steps to find your audience, even if that means moving countries. Thing is, if we are serious in making this band our number one job, then we gotta go where the money and the interest is. But don't confuse that with being part of a scene because Ravens will never be part of a scene unless a scene develops around them. We won't actively go out there and try and belong to a group in order to have our audience already there for us. We're way to versatile and really, for us it's not about that, it's about our creations and anyone can follow us from where ever they're from. Ravens are pretty much from everywhere anyway and our influences are mixed up so our sound will always surprise you. No one will ever be able to peg us down because the genre we've created doesn't have a name yet, but I'm sure some journalist will one day come alone and name us something that will stick...

We're our own genre, scene, style and sound.

Daytime begins after midnight

It's been a little over one week in Berlin and already we feel at home here. Yea, there's been talks of relocating down here, but we still got some things to sort out before we can turn that into a reality. There's something in this city that no other city has anymore, Freedom. Not only can you smoke in bars still, but people genuinely don't give a shit pretty much about anything besides politics.

Night time in this city begins after midnight, which at first took us a coupla days/nights to get used to as everything in London shuts around 2am unless you're lucky to find a genuine dingy bar that remains open till 4am. This time change of nocturnal activities actually proves to do us well, because this essentially means our days are technically longer if you get my drift. So we manage to get a shit load more done to which we then around 1am still go out for a night cap.

And another thing, people in Berlin actually give a shit if you're the band playing that night. The sound engineer's and the bands are polite and genuine. None of this faux-ego that folks in London seem to like to put on, pretending they're all kul and edgy. I'm telling you, the real 'edgy' is here in Berlin. Our first gig here was in some underground grotto hidden behind other derelict warehouses where only the headlights of a car could help you find the way to get there.

I'm telling you, if you want the real shit, not this dressed-up-try-hard-BS you get in other cities, COME to Berlin! You'll genuinely feel like a human being who still has a brain and can make your own decision without some 'scene' doing it for you. Once you're in Berlin, you'll feel something that you thought was once lost or robbed from you, that true sense of Freedom, that feeling that the world really is your oyster. That true sense of 'I can do whatever I want' is here in the air and we breath it everyday and it fills our guts with inspiration.

And no one's even gonna try and stop us!