Olexiy Nikitchenko of the Ukrainian goth band, The Nightchild, is interviewed by Alex Von Nihil
- Alex: What influences your lyrical themes?
Olexiy: Oh, there are many things, which influence the lyrics of the Nightchild. The main theme is the vampires. I draw inspiration from the movies, books, and the games dedicated to them. Many songs were inspired by the Vampire The Masquerade Redemption and Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines PC games. Those who ever played these games will name our songs dedicated to them with ease. 🙂 In addition to the vampires I like to write some kind of the little horror stories. Many of them are inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. I also write down my thoughts and share them with the listeners. Sometimes, I write about the kingdom of the dreams. It’s the world where anything can happen. Sometimes, a random movie can give the idea for the song and sometimes I write funny sketches about the cats.
- How did you come to play this style of music?
Well, previously I played metal. But in 2002 – 2003, I discovered that several bands I liked alongside the metal music play goth rock. I have to mention that there was the lack of information in the city I lived and I had no access to the internet so I even didn’t know that The Sisters of Mercy play goth rock. When I discovered the name of the music style, I decided to say “Good bye” to the metal music. I always wished to play simple melancholic tunes. So, I end up in the goth rock band. 🙂
- Unlike the previous releases, “Inside” features songs with lyrics in Ukrainian. Will we be hearing more of that in upcoming releases as well?”
Yes, I decided to write the lyrics in my native language and sing in it. And I believe, I succeed! Ukrainian language is very melodic one so, I had no problem with the vocal parts. I plan to do songs in Ukrainian onwards. Maybe someday, I will use Ukrainian language only. But there always will be the English translation of the songs in the booklets for the listeners to grab the idea of the songs.
- Can you tell us a bit about the goth/dark alternative scene in Ukraine? Is it a big scene out there? What are some of your favorite places to perform or hang out at?
Gothic subculture was merely a fashion in our country and didn’t gain ground. So, I can’t say that we have a scene in Ukraine. There are a bunch of bands, which play dark electro/EBM, a couple of deathrock bands, several guys who play melodic metal and call it goth, and a lot of the new generation of postpunk bands that sound like a hundredth copy of Joy Division. There were also a couple of goth rock bands but they split up unfortunately. There are no goth clubs in Ukraine. Those who organize the events should rend a night club to make a party. That’s why we don’t have the favorite places to play.
- The Nightchild have played in countries other than Ukraine. Which countries would you want to some day play in?”
The only foreign country we played in was Russia. We performed there in 2008 and 2010. Well, I would like to perform in any country where our fans are. The only limitation for me personally is the fact that I can’t stand heat. So it’s better to perform when it’s cold. 🙂
- What have you been listening to lately?
Well, I have a lot of music in my player and I listen to it when I go to the work and when I go home. Yesterday I’ve heard the song “Unbound Pleasure” by Lyncelia and it impressed me. And I also listened to the La Danse Macabre 4 by At Sea Compilations.
- Which band, either current or defunct would you like to tour with?
I would like to tour with The Sisters of Mercy (obvious answer, huh?), Ghostdance, Christian Death (with Rozz), X-Mal Deutchland, Fields of the Nephilim, This Cold, Lisa Wars, Terminal Gods, MekroKiev.
- As a performer, you must have had some crazy experiences doing live shows. Can you describe your most memorable experience performing live?
Well, there are few stories I can tell. 🙂 At our first show we didn’t hear the playback well, so we outran the song in a couple of bars. 🙂 In 2009, I performed in Kyiv on Halloween. The sound engineer in the club got used to the metal bands. And I played guitar with the slight overdrive. When we finished soundcheck for the guitar he said: “All right, we finished with the clear sound, let’s check the overdriven sound!” There was a really crazy experience at the same performance. The club crew switched the fog machine during the performance and it influenced my vocal cords. I suddenly understood that it’s hard for me not merely to sing but also to speak and I had to play three more songs. So, I screamed these three songs. After the performance I could only whisper.
- What goals do you have for the Nightchild?
My goals are very simple – I want to create more songs in the goth rock style and release the new albums. I adore composing the music. 🙂
- Do you have a message for the fans?
I wish our fans all the best a the best of luck! Be yourself and listen to the music you like! Goth on!
