OCD018 : Baby Fire / The Red Robe
Diabolita (songwriter, guitar, vocals & theremin) started Baby Fire as a solo project. She met Cha (drums, keyboards) in January 2010.
Baby Fire's influences are eclectic. Diabolita - who is also a member of In Heaven and von Stroheim - is a fan of Siouxsie and The Banshees, of the Riotgrrrl movement and alternative rock bands such as The God Machine and The Afghan Whigs. Cha (who is also in Lady Fucked Up and Lem) is greatly influenced by drummer Ches Smith.
Within a few months they had written enough songs to open for bands such as HRSTA (Canada), Part Chimp (UK), CJ Boyd (US), Lydia Lunch & Gallon Drunk (US/UK).
Their debut album No Fear was released in March 2011 on Cheap Satanism Records, featuring special guests Dana Schechter (Bee and Flower, The Angels of Light, Insect Ark...) and Eugene Robinson (Oxbow).
In November 2012 they were invited by Godspeed You! Black Emperor to be their support band at the prestigious Cirque Royal in Brussels.
Baby Fire’s second album The Red Robe was recorded at Exitstencil Studios in Essex (UK), at the former headquarters of legendary anarcho-punk band Crass. It was produced by Tony Barber (The Buzzcocks...) and it features special guests Eve Libertine (vocals on ‘Victory’), Seesayle (violin on ‘Sunrise with Sea Monters’), Penny Rimbaud (voice) and Raphaël Rastelli (guitar) on ‘The Lit Light’.
The album’s sound is raw and organic and its moods range from utter darkness (‘Cold’, ‘The Perfect Dress’, ‘A Secret Ceremony’...) to blinding light (‘Door of Mercy’, ‘Victory’...) The title song ‘The Red Robe’ refers to the suicide of French-Russian writer Romain Gary. Allegedly he donned a red robe before taking his life, choosing red in order to not shock those who would find his body.
Expressing a desire to veer away from doom and destruction, the record closes peacefully with ‘The Lit Light’, which features words spoken by Penny Rimbaud and Diabolita.
The CD sleeve was beautifully designed by British artist Alice Smith.
Diabolita (aka Dominique Van Cappellen-Waldock) has collaborated on a full album with Eugene Robinson under the name Las Vegas. She also recorded vocals for Doug Scharin (Codeine, June of 44, Bill Laswell...) and Joe Goldring (Swans, Enablers...). She has appeared on stage with Eve Libertine (Crass) for a special performance at Larsens in 2013. She’s part of the Ladyfest Brussels collective.
Cha left the band in May 2014 to pursue her musical endeavours with Lady Fucked Up and Lem. Alinovsky (Digital Dance, Tuxedomoon, Anna Domino, The Durutti Column...) replaces her on drums.
What they said about Baby Fire:
« I've got a good feeling for this record. The material is so good. And different. » Tony Barber
« I've been following along a lot of your songs for a long time. I like the shape you are taking and it's so great that you've been collaborating and expanding your sound. » Carla Bozulich!
« Klasse van eigen bodem. » Gonzo Circus
« Watch this band closely, for there is something very special here. »
jerseybeat.com
« The overall tone of the release is one that combines sexy nonchalant vocals (think Justine Frisch- mann of Elastica) with straightforward instrumentation, but the best songs are the ones that are spoo- kier and darker. As far as debut releases go, this one outlines where the collaboration could move in the future, and it certainly leaves a portrait of a band that has their future work cut out. » Foxydigita- lis.com!
Two nice reviews in French here and here, one in English here, one in Flemish in Dark Entries here, two in German in Kulturterrorismus here and in Wiener Zeitung here and one by Leslie Snyder in Jersey Beat here:
"Baby Fire is a great independent haunted rock duo that brings back the darkness of early alternative rock music with an exciting and frigid modern edge. The Duo’s second CD “The Red Robe” is a must have for fans of dark alternative rock music. Baby Fire lets listeners know that the world can often be a cruel and heartless place to live in."
Another one in Vital Weekly:
"I quite enjoyed the post-punk sound of this CD, especially when their sound is forceful and aggressive, which seems to be more in the first half of the release than in the second half. The Banshees influence is one that is very strong in this album, but also, especially in the vocals and lyrics, a (feminine) Crass influence. Songs are pretty short, two, three minutes, and have an excellent force. It works best when speed and aggression is left in tact for a song, a bit slower it doesn't seem to work as well. I quite enjoyed this album. Like Savages and Candelilla, another all girl group to watch out for." (FdW)
Review in New Noise Magazine ( French ) with a very very good 8/10!!!!
"Après avoir enflammé les amateurs de rock charbonneux avec No Fear, son premier album sorti en 2011 chez Cheap Satanism Records, Baby Fire - projet mené de main de maîtresse par Dominique Van Cappellen-Waldock, alias Diabolita - rallume joliment les braises avec The Red Robe, nouvel opus (au moins) aussi ardent que le précédent. Lancé comme un projet solo par Diabolita (chant, guitare, theremine), Baby Fire s'est assez vite transformé en duo avec l'arrivée d'une autre musicienne, opérant sous le doux nom de Cha (percussions, claviers). Ayant décidé de partir pour se consacrer à ses autres groupes (Lady Fucked Up et Lem), Cha a été récemment remplacée par Alain Lefebvre, alias Alinovsky. Enregistré avant ce départ, à Essex (Angleterre), dans les studios Exitstencil (légendaire fief des anarcho-punks de Crass) et sous la houlette de Tony Barber (ancien bassiste des Buzzcocks, reconverti producteur), The Red Robe porte encore la griffe, ô combien acérée, de ces deux jeunes femmes qui ne sont pas trop du genre à parler chiffons et conter fleurette, mais plutôt du genre à brûler chignon et calciner pâquerettes… Le lecteur l'a déjà compris : s'aventurer à l'intérieur de cet album à la beauté sépulcrale, traversé de martèlements lancinants et de feulements obsédants, de cet album fiévreux sur lequel planent les ombres intenses de PJ Harvey, Siouxsie ou Carla Carla R. Bozulich, s'aventurer là, au coeur de ce brasier sonore, n'est pas une expérience de tout repos. Nous la recommandons néanmoins très chaudement." Jérôme Provençal
Track listing:
1. Door of Mercy
2. The Red Robe
3. TheWolf
4. Victory
5. Dogs
6. Sunrise with Sea Monsters
7. Mother
8. Cold
9. The Perfect Dress
10.At the Very Heart of the Darkening of the Light 11.A Secret Ceremony
12.The Lit Light
released January 20, 2018
