Black Angel

We chat with Matt Vowles, half of Black Angel to discuss the band's sound, upcoming Glomfest, and what Matt fills his time with when he isn't making gothic rock.


Featured Songs:
Black Angel - Luxx


Visit https://www.blackangelmusic.com/ for more Black Angel
Visit https://glomfest.com/ for more information about Glomfest

Void Signal intro courtesy of Processor. Visit https://processor2.bandcamp.com for more Processor.

Transcript

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Hello again, and welcome to Void Signal. I am your host Brian Prime and this week is a chat with Matt of the UK based goth rock band Black Angel, one of the headliners from the upcoming Glomfest. If you've not heard of it and you're able, this September you can catch Black Angel, The Royal Ritual, Aeon Sable, and many more performing a select run of dates on the west coast of the united states. You can catch me at the San Francisco date of Glomfest in September. You can also catch me at Dark Force Fest in New Jersey beginning of May, come see Void Signal live, play some trivia, and make memories. I'll also be at Mechanismus festival in Seattle, end of May, doing Void Signal Live again and performing with Skull Cultist opening night of the festival. I'll also be at Wasteland Weekend again this year. If you see me at any of these things, please say hello! I'll give you something for doing so, it's like a little game where you find me in the crowd, except it's easy because I'm huge.
Matt isn't just one half of Black Angel, he also works in film doing audio production, mastering, and scoring. Black Angel is a UK-based goth rock band that emerged in 2018. Their debut album, The Widow, was praised for capturing the essence of 1980s goth music while maintaining a fresh and modern sound. The band followed up with their sophomore album, Kiss of Death, which showcased influences from iconic bands like The Sisters of Mercy and The Damned
Before we get to the chat with Matt, this episode of Void Signal is sponsored by Glomfest. It's a fantastic traveling festival showcase hitting the west coast of the US this September and features an incredible lineup. You won't want to miss it. Visit Glomfest.com for more information, that's G L O M fest.com. 
Once again, I'll remind you that Void Signal is ad-free and powered by people, please consider visiting voidsignal.net or patreon.com/voidsignal to support the void signal project for as little as two dollars and get hours of content in exchange. Every little bit helps, thank you for your consideration.
Void Signal theme song remix for this episode by Processor, thanks as always to Johan for giving Void Signal a soundtrack.

Okay, our time is at an end again. Enjoy the chat with Black Angel, get your tickets for Glomfest


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Brian Prime: [00:00:00] Welcome to Void Signal. I'm your host, Brian Prime. I am joined, by Matt from Black Angel. You are going to be on the upcoming. Gloom fest, and playing in the United States. I'm so excited to see you. I've, uh, when I first was approached, uh, I'll finish this little, uh, diatribe very, you know, very quickly.

Sure. When I was first approached, about, the festival, black Angel was a name I knew and stood out to me as, I've been enjoying your music for a couple of years now. So I was excited ~to. You know, it was a chance to, I don't get off and wear a band I like and intend to have on, sort of comes to me in a sense.~

~Uh, ~so I was very excited, that this worked out this way. But, so thank you so much for, making this work and joining me for this. How are you, I guess we'll start with that. Just how are things with you lately? I know we had to reschedule this because you're rehearsing to, tour and play shows, but, how are things with you aside from busy?

Matt: I'm good. Firstly, thank you for the, invitation. Always good, to sort of spread the gothic rock word. And you know what is really nice is that, you have heard of us because, I've been in the [00:01:00] music industry for a long time and the landscape has changed very much. Even though I think, gothic rock is a very kind of niche.

A sort of niche, I wouldn't say market, but a niche musical genre, it's still difficult to make a, an impact. You know, we rely on many different platforms from Spotify to band camp, et cetera, et cetera, uh, you know, to social media. And it's really difficult to just make a dent. So it's really nice when somebody either asks us to play a show, play a festival, or like yourself, you're like, oh yeah, I've heard of you.

You know, so I'm really glad that you're on the show. So thank you for the invitation. 

Brian Prime: Mm. Yeah, my pleasure. Your music was a fresh coat of paint on something that feels familiar and, I've been really enjoying my time with that. So I'm really looking forward to catching you, at the San Francisco date, for GLO Fest.



Matt: That's great. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. Yeah. Looking forward to that. So, tell me a little bit about what brought you to doing. This, like what brought you to music? What brought you [00:02:00] to making, making this band and trying to, speak to the world? 

Matt: It was interesting that you just said then it's like an old, something that's been around for a long time with a new, you know, fresh coat of paint.

I grew up in the eighties. And you know, when the sister Susie, I was a little bit late to be around for like the late seventies, but I was a teenager in the early eighties. When I first started gonna clubs, it's very different in the uk You can go to a club, we were gonna clubs when we were like 14 and drinking and, you know, all that kind of stuff.

It's a lot easier in the UK than it is here. But if, if, you know, if you're tall and in the eighties you just needed like a friend's brother's fake driving license, which were paper back then and you could just like photocopy one. It was a lot, it was a lot easier. And everybody just kind of starts younger in the uk so I was gonna golf clubs.

When I was about 15, 16, and it was the early, I guess it was like, say [00:03:00] Suzy's second album. Juju had just come out, sisters, bloodline. I don't think it'd come out then, but one of the big hits, so maybe it was 19 90, 87 'cause electric could just come out and wild flowers really, really popular in this particular club.

I did go there for, a few years. I've always been a fan. I've always loved it. I grew up on it. Um, but I also grew up, like I say, in the eighties on New Wave, I was a huge fan of Duran Duran. I still am. Rio is one of my favorite ever albums. Um, but Spanel Ballet, you know, all of the new wave, bands that were, that were around at the time.

And, and that's what I listened to and that's what I've always listened to. So it was a kind of, you know, fast forward 20 years and during that time, I'm from a place, you know, I'm from Bristol in the uk, uh, a big for, you know, trip hop. So I was a big fan of Massive Attack at Porters Head. Mm-hmm. I was influenced by them a lot, and I did a lot of those projects over the years.

I worked in film and television, as a rerecording, but, and also a [00:04:00] producer for musical project. So it was like a. Everything in the sort of melting pot. Fast forward 30 years later, um, and I was just kind of done with like sampling and synthesizers and all that, and I just got back to real, instruments.

So hopefully it's, uh, it's an amalgamation of all, you know. Um, so I, I like keeping things authentic. I do research stuff like our research. Every drum machine that the Sisters of Meer used and I use them to program stuff 'cause I'm not trying to copy it, but there was something about the feel of it that I liked back then and I still love now.

So I do look up a lot of the technical stuff and I try to, make my music have that feel plus. The production and the music of the eighties, the way songs were written, especially in the uk I try and add that too. So hopefully with that and the technology that I use today, like [00:05:00] harking back to a lot of that older eighties technology, I think that's where people say, yeah, it's got that kind of eighties feel to it, but it feels, you know, it's like a fresher.

Yeah. Or I haven't heard this before. So that's what I hope to do. And if I'm doing that, then that's really good. And then also we found, after the first album, we changed vocalists and after a really, really long search and about to give up, Corey Landis, uh, uh, vocalist, he. Popped out of Craigslist from somewhere and it just clicked.

And now, you know, five, five albums later, uh, it, he, you know, he is definitely the sound of Black Angel, which is great. So I hope he stays with us. 

Brian Prime: Yeah, yeah. It is such a pleasant mixture. Of the two, of sound with powerful vocals and, being very approachable and sort of, um, it's a band that I have played, in social settings, for friends who are, you know, he's a [00:06:00] metalhead guy, but he, is a lover of music and so, you know, playing for him and he's like, ah, this is so good.

This reminds me of. You know, X, y, Z, like, and, just being really delighted that it's, it reminds of a thing, reminds him of, him, excuse me, reminds him of a thing but is not, that thing is a new thing. And, ~um, I. I, ~I'm always a fan of that. I'm always so delighted to discover like music or, even just a movie or any piece of art really that just reminds me of something else that I loved and sort of, I feel like it helps you understand yourself a little bit better.

Maybe, I don't know. Maybe that's a little too romantic. 

Matt: Well, hopefully they're just good songs. I mean, the one iconic thing of the goth scene is Andrew Eldridge from Sisters Going, I'm Not Gone. Which, you know, hopefully our songs, I'm not, definitely not comparing them to theirs, but if you played these songs in any genre, hopefully they're just good [00:07:00] catchy songs.

That's what I like. You know, most of the songs in the eighties were just kind of catchy pop songs, and that's, that's what I think these are just in that wrapper. Sure. You know, um, which is the rapper I choose to, to, to put them in. Um, but hopefully they're just good melodic songs that, that they're not like.

Like cheese ball, likable, but there's something to them that you can kind of connect to or latch onto, or the melodies are, you know, the hooks are memorable, so, you know mm-hmm. Hopefully with that that's the kind of core of it. And then there's the lyrics, which I was never a fan of, of lyrics.

In fact, the first. Couple of albums, black Angel albums, I openly asked people for help on them, and I connected with a bunch of other songwriters who would try and help me just write the lyrics. Um, and then after, you know, a couple of albums of done, of doing that, because I, I was never into it before.

I now really enjoy that, the process. I write all of the music first. Mm-hmm. And then I sit down and I [00:08:00] go, okay, I guess I better find some lyrics and vocal melodies to fit with this. And, that process I really enjoy. Now, I never did, but, now I do. And then when you get that golden moment and the light bulb goes off and you go, ah, that would be perfect.

That's what I guess gives me the most pleasure from this process. Or one of the biggest, I think the biggest pleasure from all this is either somebody saying, I heard your song in a club and I loved it, or somebody sends me a clip. From a club and everyone's dancing on the dance floor.

That, is the number one thing because that's what got me into it, all those years ago, was dancing on the dance floor. And if I can get people on the dance floor now, then it's like job done, you know? 

Brian Prime: Yeah. It warms my heart to hear you say that 'cause I, I definitely share that sentiment of.

I like to see people having some of the experiences that I did of, you know, finding a song or finding music that speaks to them and just really like, they connect with, [00:09:00] I think it's so, valuable at a time when we can, end up feeling sort of disconnected at times. But yeah. Job done. On that part, writing, good songs, uh, you mention, you did get me thinking though, you mentioned trip hop and I started daydreaming about gothic trip hop, and that sounds delightful to me, but I mean, uh, okay.

So is, ~uh. I, ~I assume that, this is your main baby, for now. And, blank Angel is sort of your main thing. What else do you have going on in your life and in the rest of your dime? 

Matt: Um, I've, I ha I do now, and I always have, a supervising sound editor, a rerecording mixer in Hollywood, basically.

So, films, you, you know, you go to the movies and you go, wow, that sounded great. Well, I'm one of the guys that sits there and, pushes the faders to make that happen. So I work as a supervising sound editor with the director. We, uh, we conjure up what the sound they want and [00:10:00] then I have a crew and we go out and we cut and we build and we hopefully, you know, uh, make the film sound like the director wanted.

And then I sit in the mixed chair with my mixed partner 'cause I do dialogue and music. And then we mix it and hopefully we turn it into something Sounding a amazing, and I've, I've always done that and it is, I'm very, very lucky. If I won the lottery, I would still do this and work for free. It's my total passion of, of movie making.

Yeah. Um, so that takes up. Most of my time, it has been my full-time career. At the moment, Hollywood is pretty much on fire, literally, or has been, and the industry is in its worst slump that it's ever been. So it's really difficult. Out there at the moment. Oddly enough, my, my, lovely wife Catherine, she's got into voiceover and she does voiceovers now for, commercial projects.

And I spend a lot of my time helping her with auditions. 'cause I'm a total workaholic and I need to be working all the time or the right, it drives me. [00:11:00] Bananas. So we spend a lot of time on that and with the film stuff that's hopefully catching up. And then Black Angel, this will be the first year.

We're not going to, put out an album. In the past we've put out an album every year. Mm-hmm. Um, and a few people have said on the side, you know, why don't you just slow down and promote? 'cause I just love writing and producing and I'd never spent any time really, um, I guess. Playing and promoting.

So that's what we're kind of doing this year. We're trying to do as many shows as possible, so it's really exciting to be on this glom fest. 

Brian Prime: Gotcha. 

Matt: ~Um, with, ~with Christine, and it was super nice of her to invite us and we're looking forward to it. But yeah, this year we're gonna, we just wanna play and, concentrate on that rather than just like, keep, you know, churning out another album.

And it's not just because of that, it's not like a factory. I just really enjoy the process. But this year I've stepped out of it and I've gone, okay, well we've got six albums and I think people should, you know, maybe more people should hear [00:12:00] of us. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. 

Matt: And sort of share it a bit more. So that's what I'm kind of concentrating on this year.

Brian Prime: Gotcha. Understand. That makes a lot of sense. That also leaves open the possibility for the seventh album to be gothic trip hop. Potentially. Potentially. So who knows what the future holds? I mean, who, who knows? 

Matt: Yes. Anything could happen. ~Yeah. ~

Brian Prime: ~Um, well that, I mean, ~that's fantastic. I mean, I get to benefit 'cause I get to, you know, catch you at the festival.

Which I'm really looking forward to. It's a pretty great lineup. I've spoken to, David and, Nino, from Aon Sable, and people are so excited to see each other and see the other bands perform, there's a lot of really positive energy going into this festival people seem so excited about it 

I feel anticipation when I mention it to people. Is that something that, I mean, you must be kind of feeling a little bit under the gun, with, you know, squeezing in rehearsals and things. But you know, from the sound of it, you're kind of used to working in that mode. What are you gonna do for a break?

[00:13:00] Uh, when are you gonna, well, actually. Yeah, 

Matt: September seems a really long way off. I wish it was like next week Yeah. Or something. We do, we are, we are actually playing in, we're playing in San Francisco in a couple of weeks time, which will be nice. And then it's good three or four months until, the GLO Festival, um, which would be, which should be fantastic.

As you had just mentioned it, we are definitely excited about going to meet all the other bands and hanging out and stuff. Hmm. Uh, and de definitely in this scene, there's no kind of, you know, ery or who's that type deal. It's like, who are you guys? What do you do? And Oh yeah, I've heard of, oh yeah, I heard that track.

That was really good. And I think it'll be really nice to sort of hang out on these four dates. And, just get to know new people and stuff, you know, we're excited to do that. I think one thing, not speaking for, you know, Christina David, but I think they're gonna swap the lineup around and stuff, so there's no like, oh, they're going on last and they're going on first.

I think it's just gonna be, they're just gonna shake it up. Mm-hmm. Which is, which is [00:14:00] nice for us, you know, it'll be nice that we walk into it knowing that. Who knows who's gonna headline the, this particular date or that particular date. And we just sort of play and, enjoy it. And mainly for us, we just hope that we can just sort of spread the word a bit more, the whole word and more people kind of get to, know us, you know?

'cause like I said, it's really difficult to make a dent, these days. Or at least I think so maybe somebody has the, the magic formula, it's difficult. Well, actually one thing I have found is, is bands like, let's say for example Twin Tribes. Mm-hmm. Super popular now. Not really my cup of tea, but they play a lot.

And you've gotta give them props for going out there year after year, tour after tour, and it's paid off, you know, and ~um, uh, ~all power to them for going out and, you know. No doubt sacrificing stuff to go out on the road. Yeah. And I'm sure it is, is very difficult and it is paying dividends for them. So, you know, I definitely applaud.

Yeah, I definitely applaud them. 

Brian Prime: ~Uh, shout out to, I'm sorry, just to interject really quick there too, ~shout out to actors for [00:15:00] doing the same thing, just like touring like crazy. I mean, like, I saw them here in Reno in a tiny all ages show with 50 people or something, and they played their guts out and it was an amazing show for.

Some pittance of an amount like 10, like $10 or something and like I had this fantastic time and then you see them, you know, playing main stage at Dark Forest Fest or whatever it may be, you know, years later. Yeah, that. Shit is hard, but it does seem to pay off at least in, in those two cases. But, yeah, that does seem to be pretty important.



Matt: Definitely. It seems to be a better way to get your stuff heard than the way that seems more obvious, which is getting it on, things like Spotify and band camp and spreading the word via social media. It seems to spread quicker through live events. I guess it's kind of 

back to the old days where, there were no cell phones, certainly no internet. And it was just all word of mouth and vinyl records and listening [00:16:00] to, friends music and bootleg tapes and all that kind of thing, it inter spread all around the world quickly enough then.

So maybe that still is the, the pride and brew tested way of, of doing it, you know? 

Brian Prime: Yeah. And, uh, just to, uh, I am curious though, so. In this case, it kind of sounds like maybe there hasn't been a lot of opportunity for crossover between this, your personal project, your sort of creative outlet with, any benefits that might arise from your proximity of working in audio in.

The movie industry. Does that make sense? Am I formulating that question? Yeah. Okay. Basically 

Matt: you saying how do we get our stuff on movies? 

Brian Prime: Yeah. I mean, I guess just have you, has there not been a, a chance for some like, ah, I'm gonna have my song in this trailer, or sizzle reel or whatever. ~I don't know.~

~Um, right. Yeah.~ 

Matt: Yes, we have had stuff placed, in, uh, we have some stuff on Riverdale and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, sort of those sort of, uh, [00:17:00] between sort of darker shows. Sure. Which is fantastic. And it's good. It's, it is a lot of hard work. It is a lot of hard work those have come about 'cause they knew the picture editors.

And I kind of said, oh, you know, wait, wait, will you just give this a listen? And then it it, they went in the temp and it stayed in, you know, it stayed in there. I'd love to get our stuff in more, I mean, a lot of people do say, oh, I could really hear that stuff in a movie. So I think that there is some of that.

In there, in the style, because I also do write music for, film and TV occasionally too. So yeah, it would be fantastic. I'd love it, especially if it's a really cool, you know, imagine if we had something in nos ferra, then, you know what that or something like that, that would be amazing.

And then, yeah, you suddenly become very, I wouldn't say the word well known, but a, a. Are aware of you very quickly. Yes. So yes, I would, but it is a really difficult thing to, to, to kind of. And, and get into, but I do, I do sort of, I, I do try and I have, [00:18:00] we, you know, our music is with a lot of music supervisors here in, in Hollywood, but it's gotta the right project and the right time and all that kind of thing.

And, it really is a 24 7. Grind. Yeah. To, to get it seen or heard and stuff. And, yeah, it's, it's something I do, but, I, well, I guess I should do it more really. 

Brian Prime: I mean, to me, a sort of person outside of. Seeing the, those inner workings. It seemed like a, just sort of an obvious question of like, ~uh, ~

Matt: ~what about, yeah.~

~No, no, no. Totally. Totally. Okay. ~Normally by the time I get to it, it's all that stuff being decided, anyway, and, it's certainly a film. It's, it's normally having a personal relationship with the director as well. Mm-hmm. Takes a lot of effort and you've gotta be in the right circles and all that kind of stuff, you know?

Gotcha. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. And you did mention that you've been doing this for quite a long time. So, any apprehension about, switching from, you know, your day job and, you know, passion of, you know, doing audio engineering and producing and everything to, [00:19:00] um, sitting and ju or, you know, and being sort of in the studio, sitting to performing on stage and, uh, you know, going overseas and things?

~Um, ~

Matt: ~I cer ~certainly at the moment, there's not enough, we're not big enough for this to be full time, and I'm kind of glad that over the years I've never relied on this, to pay the bills because I think it would've just driven me completely crazy. I've been fortunate enough that this is my, you know, black Angel is my musical project that I can if I, if you'd like, switch on and off whenever I want to.

I don't, but I could. But it's never, I, it would, I, I think I would love to do it full-time, but, the moment I really enjoy that I have the balance, and as long as Hollywood survives this, these next couple of years, and I can pay the mortgage and look after my family and all that kind of stuff, then [00:20:00] Black Angel will just continue.

For as long as I kind of want to keep writing and performing. And at the moment I haven't got any thoughts of not doing that. 'cause I really just, I really, really enjoy it. And, I really love hanging out with, Corey. And when we play live, we have Manisha Jones who sang on every, one of our albums and she comes with us when we play live.

And Aaron Cruz, he's a super nice guy. Very, very good, great guitarist. I played in Hollywood for years and years and he, he plays with us when we play live, as well to help fill out the, the sound. And I really enjoy, doing that with him. And I'm gonna, you know, we're really gonna enjoy when we go to Glom Fest and we will travel together and, sort of hang out together and stuff.

It's nice to out LA and do something, different. So yeah. Would it, it would be great to go on a big tour. We'd love to tour.

Nobody has offered to do that for us yet. So if anybody's listening, I'm [00:21:00] open to. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. Good to know. And audiences here, would benefit and they do stand to benefit from seeing you and, catching you at the festival. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm quite excited for it. Um, and I, you know, we did sort of have to reschedule this and, I don't want to keep you too long, but you did mention, all the other things you have going on in your life.

Providing for your family and things. So, the last question of the show is just what is something that you have been enjoying recently? And your answer can be anything. Book, TV show, movie. Just what is something you wake up and you're jazzed about. 

Matt: I guess waking up. That's 

Brian Prime: a good answer. 

Matt: 50, 55 now.

So, uh, just waking up is that, that's a, that's a tick, you know, every day. Yeah. Um, is, I guess the, the best thing is, and it's, you know, I. I did reflect on this the other day. It almost feels like I'm on holiday every single day, and I'm so thankful for that. I do a job that I, if I could pick any job I have an amazing wife [00:22:00] and kids and I have an actual studio here on our property, which I use as a commercial studio for film project.

For mixing, but it's my like getaway where I can literally just shut the door and work or do whatever I need to do in here. And so I guess I'm just really thankful that I've got the balance of work, family, music, life. And so that's, that's just really good. And I, I, and I think so what's kind of new, it's kind of new.

Every time I pick up the guitar and I come up with a new idea or something, it's like, wow, this is great and I'm so glad that I can do this. You know? So, yeah, definitely appreciative of that. And I guess the other thing is just very briefly, especially Bandcamp, all the people that do reach out to us on Bandcamp and buy our records.

And vinyls and CDs and stuff. It's, it's, you know, that's, that's one of the biggest, buzzes you kind of get from this. It's like, oh, someone wanted to buy my stuff. Definitely very grateful to all of the people on band camp that supported us for the last, and [00:23:00] I'm, I'm really looking forward to playing these shows and we really wanna put on a good show.

A great show. So did you say you are gonna see us at San Francisco? 

Brian Prime: Yes, that is where I will be in September. Great. Well 

Matt: you just gotta come say hello. Come. Absolutely. ~Uh, put, ~put a name to face, come and have a beer and, uh, it'll be nice to chat a bit more. 

Brian Prime: Yeah, absolutely. I'm looking forward to it, and, excellent answer.

I'm so glad for you, I mean it, that you've got this sort of complete package. Not many people get that, and you seem, humble and happy about it, and aware of it, and, uh, you know, uh, good for you. I always just answer the question myself. The thing I have been enjoying recently is.

Um, damn. What have I been enjoying? Just, some stability. I, started a new job about two months ago and, it's, but being good at it. What do you do? Uh, I work for a company that makes, the. Dental, loops that dentists wear that have the oculars, the magnifying glasses in them. I work for a company that makes those, and so I work in their [00:24:00] customer service department and they care a lot about their reputation.

So I am actually paid to take care of problems. It is instead of, you know, the customer service of like, oh, you know, go kick rocks or whatever. We want to, they want to fix it, and get it right. So it's been. It's been nice. It's been really pleasant, and I've been able to be good at it, because I'm just paid to care about people and what they're going through and help them fix it.



Brian Prime: Which 

Matt: is good because in, in 2025, that doesn't happen a lot. So, you know, yes, I'm glad that you have a company that appreciates you and you find something that's fulfilling and you, you, you know, it, it, it makes you feel good, which is awesome. 

Brian Prime: Yeah. 'cause so many people don't get to experience that.

So I, yeah, I try to be self-aware and humble enough to, to know that that's the case. But yeah, we, I guess we were both quite fortunate in that respect. Well, that is all. I will let you go and thank you so much for, meeting with me and, um, putting this together on short notice, I'm looking forward to seeing you in September.

[00:25:00] Um, I will, be in touch via email, for like promo photos and things like that, but, yeah, thank you so much again and have a great rest of your day. 

Matt: Thank you very much for the invite and having me on the show. Yeah, 

Brian Prime: thank you. Cheers. Bye. 

Matt: Okay. ~Take it easy. Bye bye-bye.~