Melbourne-based hard rockers Society Of Beggars latest instalment, new single 'Dance The Evil', showcases pounding drums and searing guitars as they summon the spirits of witches and rock gods that move the Ouija board marker to YES.
Set to feature on the band's forthcoming album titled 'Levitator', 'Dance The Evil' also leans into its '90s post-grunge influences as lead singer Yianni Michalopoulos shares. "It feels amazing to finally release another slice of our weird, occult pie with this authentically rock & roll presentation."We live in this music, in this constant rock & roll dream state. As a band, the records we listen to, the books we read and the films we watch all bleed into it, so to be able to put that energy out there and have people connect with it is incredibly rewarding.
"As a song, I think the idea of occupying space in another person's mind, having a connection on an emotional level, whether it's romantic or whatever, is something everyone can relate to."
Here, Yianni and his brother Jim (guitar) list five 'witchy' things that influence their music.
"As kids, we were fascinated with witches, ghosts, monsters, pirates, you name it, everything from the darker side of the imagination, and it bleeds through into our music now," Yianni and Jim says.
"Here's five 'witchy' things that have inspired our new single 'Dance The Evil' – things that've crawled under our skin and into our subconscious minds. Things that keep us weird."
'THE CRAFT'
Jim: There were a lot of great movies when we were growing up, but 'The Craft' had this other energy about it; it's about dismantling the natural order of things.This scene in particular sticks out, not only because it's a cool-as-sh.t line, but also because it's about people accepting their inner weirdo and revelling in it.
'THE VAMPIRE' BY CHARLES BAUDELAIRE
Yianni: 'The Vampire' is about being so passionate and drawn to someone that you imagine poisoning them to set yourself free, only to realise that it would be pointless because you would inevitably raise them from the dead by reviving them in your mind.I mean, there's love and there's lust. . . and then there is Charles Baudelaire.
DISNEY HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
Yianni: They used to rerun this special on TV in the '90s and as a kid, to see the same imagery that'd already been bouncing around in my little skull at the time, on the television screen, was like being teleported to some wild dimension where it was okay to be comforted by darker imagery.GLORIA TRILLO FROM 'THE SOPRANOS'
Jim: This is one of the best dream sequences in anything ever. It's a character confronting his guilt through his subconscious about a woman who he could never really understand, whilst in the guise of trying to understand himself through therapy. Heavy shi.t.Gloria is a character Tony describes as a 'witchy woman', but only because she's spiritual in a way he can't or won't understand. There’s something really dark and off about this scene, like dreams in real life.
SOPHIA LOREN AND MARCELLO MASTROIANNI
Yianni: I'm always fascinated by the natural chemistry between people. In this interview, Sophia Loren embodies 'bewitching'. There's nothing contrived about her deep connection to Marcello Mastroianni. She seems to truly know him enough to tease him.As actors, as friends or when playing lovers, the two of them are effortless, genuine and in the moment together. Simpatico.
