“Sean Woodward is, without a doubt, one of THE most fascinating figures in the Post-Industrial underground.” – Heathen Harvest. Read the whole review at Heathen Harvest.

Already described as “a perfect mixture of surreal, curious, magical and dark moments”, my new album as Gothick includes 12 original songs of love and mysticism, including Poh Teck Tung in memory of Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson and Walworth Road Surrealist, inspired by the artist Austin Osman Spare.

As well as writing and performing the songs I also mixed and produced the album at The War Room studio in Warmbrook, Albion.

It is released by Quartier23 in Berlin on Monday, 23rd May 2011 and has already nearly sold out on pre-orders.

For the latest Gothick news visit www.gothick.co.uk

To purchase the CD digipack, visit Quartier23

Follow the adventures of Lord Jonathan Void of Headley, his daughter Lady Elizabeth and a cast of Victorian gentry and villainy including the mysterious Magister, K’Lar (the gentleman ape), Vice-Marshall Abrahams and Lieutant Greaves. Be astonished at the might of the rail steam juggernaut The Imperium. Be in awe of the commercial shenanigans of the trade in Crystal. Gasp at the strange behaviours of the people of the Court of Paris and the modern wonder of the Victorian Age that is the Channel Bridge.

The Crystal Parliament & Other Stories brings together the steampunk adventures of Jonathan Void, the intrigue of the time-tripping, occult detectives The Cabal and the science fiction wonder of the Tales from The Rim. For the first time stories which appeared in Estronomicron magazine are gathered together to show the genre-spanning tapestry majesty of the tales. A vast narrative spanning Victorian England, The Second World War and the depths of space is brought to life.

Publication is currently under discussion.

When not working on the two new albums and two new compilation tracks from Gothick , I was asked to design a cover for a new anthology of poetry and prose. The image to the right was the original based upon the client brief. After some reflection and feedback from the client, the more sparse image on the left was produced. I think it works better and in the context of a pamphlet probably fits the style better too. Expect to see the publication around September.

LIVING POETS II.IV Available Here at the Dragonheart Press Store [PDF : 8o+ Pages]

When is the task of editing poetry completed? With the publication today of the latest issue of Living Poets magazine it`s obvious that arbitary deadlines have to be established otherwise the task becomes endless. It is also easy to underestimate the work in hand. When I set the original publication date as Christmas Eve 2010 it transpires I was being very optimistic. I had thought the task of reading, selecting and producing the issue would be easy. I have, afterall, edited 12 issues before it! There’s something about a themed issue – and this one’s was Winter, which sucks you in. You get caught in the flurries of place, the air heavy with the promise of snow and insights into those moments of the year when everything changes. It’s apparent from the wide body of work submitted for this issue that many poets feel this too. Whether its the traditional elements – and these vary from culture to culture, or the stark beauty of nature at its most splenderous, there is something about the spirit that invades this time that is caught here.

I had also planned diversions for this issue. I wanted it to have a new format, more of a glossy magazine cover with quote pulls and bold text proclaiming the number of poems, key poets names. You might recognise Glyn Hughes for example who kindly contributed at the 11th hour. I also wanted to move it into the 21st Century in terms of an iPad friendly ePub version, maybe even an App. As usually happens, these were just diversions created to steer one away from the task in hand. With writing these are all too obvious – the open coffee shop, the world to be observed. For an editor they have a similiar way of cropping up dressed as grandoise plans for the publication. In the end these plans have remained on the drawing board, literally with their cover options awaiting approval. They’re not, however forgotten and will begin to influence the next issue with the arrival of our new Reviews Editor, direct from writing for Mills and Boon!

Perhaps the mosty contentious issue with this publication is the price. After the success of the previous issue, with over 1000 free downloads it was felt that a nominal cover charge would help offset the costs of many hours spent in its production. We have kept it low, feeling that £1.49 in these times of UK austerity is not excessive.

In answer to my initial question, the task is never truly over. I have a very hands-off approach however. Once submissions are reviewed its a swift matter of deciding what is suitable and what is not. Its the poetry that falls between these two extremes that usually receives the most attention. I short note to the poet, thanking them and attempting to encourage them. The application of the spotlight to key phrases that may have drawn my eye in the first instance and the enduring desire to fuel their passion. As a poet myself I know how distant rejection slips can seem and it has always been my intention to let poets know that there work has been carefully considered.

So now its time for you to settle down in a comfy chair, throw some more logs on the fire and see out the winter with the new issue of Living Poets.

Kenneth Grant, with his wife Steffi, created books that were more than mere pages and pictures. They were magickal totems, memes that lay waiting to be discovered and offered the keys to a worldview based upon the philosophies of Thelema and riddled with adventures from the Darkside. Its perhaps fitting then that I should discover news of his passing whilst undergoing research on the Qlippoth.

His edition of Magick and Confessions were epic introductions to the life and works of the English mystic Aleister Crowley. His editing of those works, together with The Magical Record were my first introduction the the Libers of that philosophy, long before Magical Childe in New York issued the definitive pocket edition of Liber AL.

For a long time his introduction to the work of artist Austin Osman Spare was an extremely rare and extremely expensive volume. Magical Revival is a springboard into the oceanic depths of his Typhonian Trilogies. He once kindly inscribed a volume to me and on this dark night I return Vodoun Blessings to Aossic Aiwass, cartographer of the arcane.

Remembrance Page at Fulgur | The Legacy of Aossic Aiwass 718

So where does this festive season find our other-worldly hero ? Yep, trapped on Earth as he has been for millennium, a little jaded even with the amount and extremity of the snowy weather he finds in the British Isles in this year of the Nazarene, 2010. But he has strategies to prevent drenched shoes and wet trouser ends, he has ways of defying gravity itself!

So, now you know a little of our protagonist, I think its time to get that mug/glass of your favourite tipple, stoke the hearth fire, pull up your comfiest chair and begin the Flip Book of my little tale of The Lord Ov Missrule …

You can also download the PDF from the publisher, Screaming Dreams, ideal for iBooks on your iPad!

Sleazy was a distant yet manifest influence on my own work. It started with the ownership of a rare book – it turned out to be from the Threshold House library and amongst the works auctioned after Jhonn Balance’s death. It led me down a path both different and familiar and to a greater understanding of the impact of the underground music scene.

I was working on a final song for the new Gothick album which included some rampant glitchy effects (courtesy of my Korg Electribe MX) – they reminded me of Coil’s New Backwards album – when I heard the news about Sleazy. I’ve not been able to articulate the freezing effect his death had, but this instrumental is in his memory :

Poh Teck Tung by Gothick, a song for Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson.

I never knew him personally but made sure that I was on the front row at Heaven in London when Throbbing Gristle played there in 2009 ev because Coil, Sleazy and Genesis have had a profound impact on my understanding of the definition of music and what it means to be a creator of music – it’s not all singer-songwriters, U2 and Metallica!

The Guardian newspaper obituary | Make a Donation in his Memory

The new track WHOLE OV THEE LAW is now available on the FREE 4-CD compilation, DO WHAT THOU WILL released by the Notariqon net label.

The Booklet also features the Forward I wrote about Aleister Crowley’s Liber OZ.

Visit the Notariqon page to get the compilation.

The track can be downloaded on its own from last.fm

Work has just finished on the new Gothick track WHOLE OV THEE LAW.

I was invited by Akoustik Timbre Frekuency to contribute to the Notariqon release DO WHAT THOU WILL which will be available in July 2010 ev. Each contributor was asked to take a 10 minute sample of a Tibetan bowl being ritualistically played and build a track based on the text of Aleister Crowley’s Liber Oz.

I spent several days re-sampling the original material, finding nuances and building them into a framework of subliminal beats over which I have woven bouncing bass, trademark Gothick crunchy guitars and vocals. After 11 versions in the studio where various elements of the mix were finely honed the track will soon be available from Notariqon – watch this space for updates !

* CD artwork for illustration only, DO WHAT THOU WILL features original artwork and booklet.