Keith van Zyl and Peter Davidoff join DJ Jason to talk about their new South African Goth band, Blackrose Accord.
Check out their new EP, ‘Ghosts and Storms’ here. It’s available on bandcamp for free (“name your price”) right now!
DJ Jason: When was Blackrose Accord formed?
Keith: We’re relatively new, actually. We spoke about collaborating on a musical project in April of 2025 already, and ‘Ghosts and Storms’ was the end result of that decision.
Peter: Yeah, Keith and I kind of threw the idea around and it snowballed faster than either of us expected. We clicked on the sound pretty quickly, since we both have a bit of an obsession with atmosphere and mood. Honestly, it was either start this project or sit in Joburg traffic wondering what could have been. I think we made the right call.
DJ Jason: How has the local music scene received Blackrose Accord?
Keith: I, personally, was surprised at how our EP took off the first few days after its initial release, considering the fact that there was next to no marketing for it except for a few posts on Goth South Africa and the Batcage. We have gotten a heck of a lot of support from South African goths and alternative folks, and our song ‘Sister Moonchild’ seems to be a firm favorite. We have been played at several gothic and darkwave events across the country, including Descension in Pretoria, The Batcage in Johannesburg and Floodland in Durban. I am both humbled and totally blown away by the reception we have received from the local scene. They seem to enjoy our music.
Peter: I’ll admit, I thought we’d maybe get a few plays and a polite golf clap: “Nice effort, boys, now back to Bauhaus.” Instead, people actually connected with it. And ‘Sister Moonchild’…yeah, I don’t know what it is about that track, but every time it comes up people seem to lose themselves in it. I’m not complaining. Honestly, the fact that we’re being played at events alongside some heavyweights in the scene is surreal to me.
DJ Jason: Have you played live? Do you plan to tour? If so, where?
Keith: We have not yet played live, no. We probably will, some time in the near future, but it will definitely just be at some local venues in the Pretoria and Johannesburg areas. Travelling is rather expensive, and we’re just two middle class guys who are not rolling in cash. Also, we would rather try to build a bit of an overseas following before even attempting to take our show across the ocean. But that would be pretty awesome if it ever comes to that.
Peter: Yeah, no world tour just yet. Unless someone wants to sponsor two goths with day jobs. We’re realistic about it. Start small, get our live set tight, and give the local scene a proper show first. I mean, if we can’t make Pretoria goths happy, what hope do we have in Berlin?
DJ Jason: What goth bands would you enjoy playing with?
Keith: Too many! The Mission, Rosetta Stone, Corpus Delicti, Clan of Xymox, Ikon, London After Midnight, to name just a few. There are just so many amazing gothic rock and darkwave bands out there who have shaped my musical journey, who I would absolutely love to share a stage with.
Peter: Same here. There’s a ridiculously long list. I’d lose my mind if we ever get to share a bill with Clan of Xymox or London After Midnight. Honestly, even just opening for a smaller international act would be huge for us.
DJ Jason: Your songs have a mixture of classic goth and new elements. How did these uniquely flavored compositions on the new EP come together? Are your two members from differing musical backgrounds or ideologies?
Keith: I composed all the songs drawing from the sound of early to mid 1990s second wave gothic rock, where goth bands such as Rosetta Stone, Suspiria, and earlier, Sisters of Mercy (on the Floodland album) were incorporating synths into their music along with some classic gothic rock guitaring, while still firmly staying within the gothic rock genre. I then gave the demos and lyrics to Pete, and he worked out his own guitar riffs for the songs, and did his own unique take on the vocals. Granted, Black Cloud sounds a bit more like a modern day darkwave track, but I still thinks it works.
Peter: For me, it was about leaning into what Keith already had but making sure it didn’t just sound like a museum piece. I love the 80s and 90s stuff, obviously, but I also grew up on a lot of heavier guitar music like metal, punk, horror punk and the like, so when I added my parts, some of that bled through, but without the distortion and with an extra splash of some shimmery goff FX. Plus, I’d get bored if I just tried to be a carbon copy of someone else’s sound. The goth scene’s always been about evolving within the shadows.
DJ Jason: Who or what are your inspirations musically? And lyrically?
Keith: For this particular EP, as I stated above, my inspirations for the sound came from various bands from what some call the second wave of gothic rock. As for the lyrics, ‘Ghosts and Storms’ is my homage to the strange, the misfits, the outsiders, and those on the margins. We were not broken. We were made this way.
Peter: Vocally, I definitely lean into the lineage of darker voices, like Elusive, Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division etc. That whole school of singers who can sound like the world is ending but still make you want to dance. There’s something about that mix of melancholy and energy that hooked me straight away. Musically I still carry bits of my past obsessions with heavy metal and horror punk, so there’s always a little grit sneaking in, even when we’re aiming for atmosphere. As for lyrics, Keith is the sole lyricist for Blackrose Accord. I write songs, but not the type of stuff that would fit this project. I just try to make sure that Keith’s words come across in a way that feels raw and honest. Half the battle is selling the mood without overcooking it.
DJ Jason: Do you have a current goal for Blackrose Accord?
Keith: Nothing set in stone. But we would like to steadily build our fanbase. Currently I am just happy to share our music with anyone willing to listen.
Peter: Same here. No master plan, no five-year roadmap on the wall. Right now it’s about putting out music that feels genuine and finding the people it resonates with. If that’s ten people in a basement club or a thousand streaming it online, I’m good either way.
DJ Jason: Are you aware of the two other goth bands with Black Rose in their name? What do you think of Black Rose Burning (US) and Black Rose Moves (UK)?
Keith: I am sad to say that I was not aware of these bands. Go ahead. I deserve to have my goth license revoked. But seriously, I will have to check them out. Thanks for introducing me to bands I did not know.
Peter: See, this is the part that cracks me up. Keith’s supposed to be the elder goth here, and somehow I’m the one who’s heard of Black Rose Burning. That’s backwards, isn’t it? But seriously, I think they’re a pretty solid band with really strong songwriting. As for Black Rose Moves, I must admit, I haven’t heard of them either. But I think it’s cool that there are multiple Black Rose bands out there. We’re all just different shades of the same bloom.
DJ Jason: The black rose part of your name reminds me of the famous Ikon song Black Roses… but that’s probably not where your name came from, right? What is the origin and/or meaning of your band name?
Keith: The name was the toughest thing we struggled with when we started this project. We wanted something that was unmistakably gothic without being cheesy, and went through various silly sounding names before settling on the black rose as the symbol of our project. The accord part is to indicate a collaborative effort. The reason we chose to make Blackrose one word was because the acronym for Black Rose Accord is BRA…
Peter: Well, if we kept with BRA, we could have said that we’re very supportive and uplifting to our fans… But seriously, the black rose part is the real heart of the name for me. It’s beautiful but dark, fragile yet defiant, like the music we try to make. It’s a symbol of embracing the strange, the overlooked, the things that bloom best in shadow.
DJ Jason: The first time I was made aware of South Africa’s goth scene was in the mid 90s at Carnival of Souls festival where I met a South African goth through the organizer Trev Bamford (who told us that we were the people that travelled the furthest to be there). What is the goth scene currently like in South Africa?
Keith: The scene over here has never been very large, but has been persistent. Purely gothic events such as Floodland, Batcage and Descension would draw something between 20 to 40 people to events currently, while joint alternative events like those by OHM (gothic, industrial, metal) would draw crowds of 100 plus. But South African goths are very serious and passionate about the music, and taking a look at the new generation of goths, I think the scene has a bright future.
Pete: Yeah, I’d agree with that. The numbers might not be huge, but the commitment is impressive. Everyone you meet is genuinely into the music and the aesthetic, not just following a trend. And it’s kind of charming in a way. Intimate venues, small crowds, but everyone is fully there, you know? It makes attending events feel more personal.
DJ Jason: Were either of you in other bands before this? Also, are there any other South African goth bands that you would like to mention?
Keith: I am actually currently in two other bands, the darkwave band Hexotericka which I started back in 2007, and experimental synth project Retinal Burn, with Dutch vocalist Lilani Eyck. I also recently worked on an Afrikaans synthpop project called Spookklank (Afrikaans for Ghost Sound), but it was just a once off, and I am still in the process of mixing and mastering the album. Previously I was also in the gothic rock band Disciples of Sorrow, and in high school I was the vocalist for an indie rock band called Balance of Power. We sucked big time. As for other South African goth bands I would like to mention, there are the original South African goth rockers, No Friends of Harry, who started in the 80s, and are doing a reunion tour right now. Other awesome South African goth bands include The Awakening, The Eternal Chapter, Mr. Barleycorn, ANKST, Silex and the short-lived The Weave.
Peter: See, this is where Keith makes the rest of us look lazy. He’s got about fifteen projects going at once, and I’m just trying to remember where I left my guitar cable. My own band history is less impressive. Back in school I was in a nameless punk band that lasted about two weeks—we managed one rehearsal before collapsing under the weight of teenage drama. But right now, outside of Blackrose Accord, I’ve got a solo project called Dark West. It’s basically what happens when you mash up gothic rock with dusty Wild West themes—dark saloons, desert ghosts, that kind of thing. A bit niche, but it scratches an itch for me. I also worked with another South African darkwave project, Chrystovarr D’annan, which is fronted by Allen Simpson—Keith’s friend and one of the founding members of Hexotericka. That collaboration is actually how Keith and I met, so in a way, Chrystovarr’s to blame for this whole thing. So yeah, Keith might be the multi-project workhorse, but I like to think I bring a little cowboy gloom to the table.
DJ Jason: Final word. Is there anything more you would like to tell the readers?
Peter: If you’ve made it this far into the interview, first off—thank you. That means you actually care about what two weirdos in black are doing down here in South Africa, and that’s huge for us. Blackrose Accord is really just about making music that feels honest, atmospheric, and a little haunted—something for the misfits, the outsiders, and anyone who’s ever felt more at home in shadows than in the spotlight. And hey, if you come to one of our shows in the future, don’t be shy. We’re friendly. We only look like we might hex you.
Keith: What Pete said. And from myself, I would personally like to thank everybody who has supported us and this little musical adventure. We love you all.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578296170168
Bandcamp page: https://blackroseaccord.bandcamp.com/
Included photo and editing by Tanita Zwart.
