Goth rockers rise again for festivals

Trevor Bamford and his wife Scarlet Moonchild Bamford will reunite with guitarist Nick Hopkinson, of Wollaton, for the concerts in February as Midnight Configuration.

And the husband and wife musicians will also be performing at the shows as Death Party UK - their current “Gothabilly” project.

“It’s two bands with the three of us in it,” said Trevor. “It’s going to be a bit full-on! I have never played in the US before. It’s going to be a bit strange. I will believe it when I am on the plane.

“I got an email out of the blue from the promoter who invited Midnight Configuration to play. He owns a club called Club Terminal. I explained that we would have to reform, but we could also perform as Death Party UK - two for the price of one! It’s quite an attractive offer.”

Trevor, 56, released eight “very dark and intense” studio albums of gothic industrial music with Midnight Configuration.

He was born in Aspley and moved to Hucknall ten years ago - before discovering that his grandfather had been born on Beardall Street.

He performed in several groups, ran his own record label and lectured in music technology at South Notts College. He is now studying for a master’s degree in popular music and culture at Leeds Beckett University.

He and Scarlet perform with Death Party UK, which he describes as “the UK’s best Goth’n’Roll, Gothabilly, Punk Rock Cowboy Darkwave band!”

Scarlet describes herself as “a wife and mother who never in a million years would have expected to be singing in a band let alone flying across the world to play.”

She said: “I’ve been a ‘Goth’ since I was about 15, I never grew out of the phase. I’m a creative person but more on the clothing side of things. Trev is the driving force, he’s a through and through musician.

“Midnight Configuration is what brought us together several years ago as we met at a gig. The rest is history as we married a few years later.”

Joint problems prevented her playing guitar and drums, so she contributes vocals to Death Party UK, and they travel “up and down the country playing gigs as and when we can.”

She said: “It’s really exciting to be flying to LA and Mexico City and I’m looking forward to it. It’s an honour to have been asked in the first place and it will be nice to finally meet some of our international fans that we have been speaking to.”

Despite their forbidding image, she said: “Our music is for dancing around to and we usually get everyone dancing!”