Not so long ago, I was asked a question: what is the main reason for running a music blog? The answer for Indieterria has always been the same: to introduce our readers to music and artists that break moulds, follow their own paths and give voice to those musicians who find it harder to be featured in the mainstream music press. We love reviewing the underdogs – creators coming from the working class, minority backgrounds, non binary, trans, playing eclectic or avantgarde music. Today, we are delighted to feature a legend of the Yorkshire underground cultural scene: Christopher Nosnibor. Many independent artists know him as a music journalist, others as the brilliant noisemaker and spoken word performer, we are proud to call him a friend. We sat down with Christopher to discuss his new book, new album, inspirations and what he loves and hates about the British indie circuit. Long piece, we know, but in a world where we are constantly rushed to do the next thing, it’s good just to stop and listen, and Christopher is one of those people whom you should definitely pay attention to.
“The Beast of NOISENIBOR” album cover
Christopher Nosnibor is a man with many faces. You are a journalist, writer, poet, composer, performer, activist, self described music obsessive. If you were to describe yourself in a few words, what would they be? Please introduce yourself to the readers of Indieterria.
Christopher Nosnibor: It’s rather strange looking over my CV, as I often find myself thinking I should be doing more… But I generally say I’m a writer, and I use that in various ways, which aren’t necessarily related, at least directly. And a lot of the things I do, or have done, have happened by chance, or I’ve simply slid into them. I suppose that makes me something of a poly-artist, or a jack of all trades…
Although my work is fairly diverse in both content and media, everything I do comes from the same process, whereby I create in order to understand the world and myself, and wanting work through that idea or thought.
You have graced our pages several times in the past. We have reviewed your single “Festive Fifty” in December 2024 (as NOISENIBOR) and an album “Anti Social Distancing” in November 2022 that was released under the alias of …(everything) ruined. This will be our first proper interview. We have to ask – how many projects do you currently have? What is the difference between …(everything) ruined and NOISENIBOR?
Christopher Nosnibor: …(everything) ruined was a project born out of necessity in a way. Paul Tone and I were booked for a few slots with our …(something) ruined collaborative project, but circumstances – including public transport and various other issues meant they couldn’t happen, and at fairly short notice. Rather than cancel, I went ahead with the commitments solo, but rebranded them as …(everything) ruined to mark a distinction, and also out of respect to the partnership. I didn’t feel right to go out as …(something) ruined, because that’s us. But what I achieved felt worthy of consolidating in recorded form, hence the Antisocial Distancing EP.
I don’t even know how many projects I currently have on the go. Enough to trigger some high anxiety. I do panic about these things, and it does get overwhelming at times. But I find that being creative helps manage that.
Your music may not be not for everyone but it’s elaborate, deep and strangely therapeutic. You operate on the border of industrial, noise, metal, ambient and experimental/avantgarde music. If we asked you to label your music, what genre would you choose?
Christopher Nosnibor: I often feel quite uncomfortable talking about my music, and tend to be quite self-deprecating, often referring to it as ‘white noise with shouting’. Obviously, I’m doing myself quite a disservice with that. I took a lot of cues from power electronics and early industrial, and was immensely flattered when a promoter referred to what I was doing with …(something) ruined as being “like Whitehouse but not edgelords”. And I think that’s really what I’m going for. My music isn’t for many people, but those who are into it are really into it. The catharsis of extreme noise, but without a lot of the questionable aspects of that scene. There are some shady, right-wing elements in the noise scene, and a lot of people pushing brutal S&M imagery and the like for attention, and that shit got tired in the 80’s, but they’re still doing it. My music, and particularly my live performances, tend to be intense, and in some respects confrontational, but it’s with the aim of catharsis and engagement, rather than offense. There’s also a humorous aspect to my lyrical content. I rage against the most mundane everyday frustrations and corporate bullshit, as pieces like “On Mute” and “Weighted Vest” attest. So, to answer the question after a substantial detour, I’d probably pitch it as harsh noise or extreme electronica in order for people to get a measure of what it does, but it’s really only half the story.
Let’s talk about your inspirations. We can hear the legacy of Mike Patton’s Mr.Bungle, The Rita, The Haters, Prurient and Vatican Shadow (Dominick Fernow). You seem to be particularly influenced by Japanese artists such as C. C. C. C. or Hijokaidan (Jojo Hiroshige) with their unique mixture of cold wave, echo ambient and free jazz. Who else is on your list of your musical heroes?
Christopher Nosnibor: I have many, although most of the music I actually listen to is a million miles removed from the music I make. I got into music – proper music – via The Sisters of Mercy and The Mission in the late 80’s, when I was around 12, 13, and was a hardcore trad goth in my early teens, before getting into grunge and delving deeper into post punk and then discovering industrial – Cabaret Voltaire, and Throbbing Gristle. I was in a band in the early 90’s, but musicianship wasn’t my strong point, and nor was singing, despite being the singer. But I was alright at programming drum machines, which proved useful some time later… After some time out, and many years as a reviewer, and a spoken word artist, I found that spoken word and noise collaborations suited me well, and rather than being a poor musician, making “music” that was as far removed from the conventions of rock, etc., appealed to my aesthetic. You can’t judge what I do on the same terms as conventional songs, be it rock or electro. But yeah, Prurient, Merzbow, Masonna, Consumer Electronics, Kenji Siratori, a load of Japanese extreme noise… I love all that.
Christopher Nosnibor photographed by Jimbob Bradley
You just released your newest record, a compilation called “The Beast of NOISENIBOR”. Tell us more about it.
Christopher Nosnibor: I recently turned fifty. I’m not one for nostalgia or reflection in the main, and I absolutely do not celebrate my birthday. But I do get a bit het up on landmarks. I made a big deal of the “quarter century club” when a friend and I turned 25 – obviously, that was also coincidental with the millennium year, so it felt significant. 50 hit me hard because while the societal norm is to refer to it as “middle age”, unless I’m going to live to a hundred – which realistically I’m not, and nor do I wish to – I’m past middle age. But I have done a lot in the last few years, and it seemed like an appropriate time – not for a retrospective per se, but a summary of my work to date. The title reflects the fact that it’s not the best of – it’s a beast, and a lot of raging noise.
“The Beast of NOISENIBOR” was supposed to be released on vinyl, but at this moment it is only available as a digital release. What happened? Is the vinyl release still on the cards?
Christopher Nosnibor: Technical incompetence on my part, I suppose, really. I make noise and throw it out into the world digitally or live. I had no idea that certain frequencies and levels, which are fine for downloads and CDs, are not fine for vinyl. I received a test press and it sounded great, but the manufacturer emailed to say “we can’t go ahead with this”. There will be a CD edition – with bonus tracks – in a rather flash gatefold sleeve, very soon, and the vinyl will happen, but not until I’ve revisited all of the masters and completely reworked the levels and had it mastered. You live and learn, I guess.
You are a prolific writer, a published author of “The Plagiarist”, “Retail Island”, “Deserted Island” and many others. You write about autocratic societies, corrupted officials, lack of freedom and absurdity of empty existences. You mentioned online that a new book is in the works. Can we ask about the title and release date?
Christopher Nosnibor: The new book is very much a departure from anything I’ve written before. I suppose it’s a memoir of sorts. The working title is Reflections After A Life. It’s a memoir of sorts. I never thought I’d write a memoir. I started writing it after my wife died at the age of 44. Selfishly, it’s not about her, but about dealing with the bereavement, life as a single parent to a teenage daughter, it’s a mess of reflections and contemplations, dream notes and endless panic attacks. It’s not a fun book – and I think a lot of my previous books have been quite fun – but it’s a book that hopefully offers something that other people who have suffered loss can relate to. The writing is done, bar some editing, and if all goes to plan, Incunabula Media will be publishing it. We go way back to when I worked with Dave Mitchell, who now runs Incunabula, and was publishing Paraphilia Magazine.
We have seen you being described as a writing machine. How do you manage to get so much done? We will admit – we are kind of jealous! What`s your secret?
Christopher Nosnibor: Well, that’s my own strapline, and it’s a bit of a jape, and something I owe to some extent to Stewart Home – but put simply, I don’t sleep much! Plus, I simply force myself to write daily. I have a dayjob, and I’m a single parent, but take inspiration from JG Ballard. He raised three kids on his own after his wife died, wrote every day and disciplined himself to write 1,000 words a day. I set myself the same goal. I make myself write at least one review a day, and chisel away at non-review work to top up the word balance. On a good day, I go over… But I also would add that I feel that writing is like a muscle. The more you exercise, the more you can do. Some people run and run until they can run marathons. I just write. And write. And write…
You have built a cult following as a main writer at Aural Aggravation. Speaking from the position of a fellow music journalist – we have countless artists praising your words and taking on the feedback you offered. What are you looking for in a music when you agree to review a record?
Christopher Nosnibor: My inbox is quite literally bursting, and I receive more great music than I can even open the emails for, let alone listen to. I really can’t complain about that. I’m in a position I could only have dreamed of as an aspiring reviewer in my teens, although back in the 90’s I also aspired to get paid for this. Times have changed. Just receiving so many submissions and having a solid readership feels like a huge achievement now. What am I looking for? Something that surprises me. Something that grips me. Something that punches me between the eyes. I’m open to pretty much anything, although that ‘anything’ tends to be from the darker side of the spectrum, and excludes punk-pop. I’m broadly of the opinion that there’s something decent in every genre – with that one exception, which largely consists of middle-aged white men in long shorts singing about girls in high school. It’s lame and it’s more than just a bit creepy.
And to balance things, what puts you off in music? Our pet peeves in the influx of industry plants and the cruelty of some artists that ask us for a review (racism, transphobia). In such instances, we scrap the article. Has it ever happened to you to refuse to cover an artist? What irks you in musicians?
Christopher Nosnibor: Apart from pop-punk, while I am rather a fan of industrial stuff, there are some dubious characters in that milieu, and I refuse to give anyone with links to nazis coverage, and the same goes for abusers. I have, in the past, run pieces critical of these artists and their positions and associations, but as William Burroughs said, “the revolution will come from ignoring others out of existence”. So generally, that’s my stance now. There’s a guy who used to front a major act who assaulted his girlfriend, but because she forgave him and subsequently married him, he seems to get a pass for it being in the past. This seems wrong to me. Even if his previous band, and his solo work, wasn’t shit, I wouldn’t cover him. I got sent his album and was offered press for his tour dates. I just deleted those emails. Shorter answer: there’s no space for any act I know to be racist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise obnoxious, at Aural Aggravation, or in my life in general.
But because I receive around fifty submissions a day, it comes down to whether I’m refusing to cover an act or simply missed the email or it didn’t grab me… I simply haven’t got the time to read or reply to everything. I used to feel guilty about it, because it felt rude, but now I think those who submit stuff accept that if I cover it I do, if not, sorry (or not sorry, depending).
The “industry plant” thing is interesting as a development. In the 80’s and 90’s, you had pop factories like Stock, Aitken and Waterman, and the conveyor belt manufacturing of instant pop stars through the likes of Pop Idol and The Voice, and the ‘next generation’ which always emerges from the Brit School – not to mention the world of K-Pop and so on. The recent trend for labels inserting acts into more alternative circles and selling them as emerging from the grass roots of the industry is altogether more insidious and actually takes away from the artists who are really starting out from nothing, lugging gear around at weekends and on days off work and playing to thirty people as a bottom-of-the-bill support act. And they’re the bands I’m wanting to see, wanting to write about. Lately, I’ve been covering more local gigs where I’ve not been invited to review. I go as a paying punter. It’s possible to see three quality bands – no hype – for a fiver – in a grassroots venue and they’ll be every bit as good as an arena band. And you’ll be feet away from the stage, the beer will be decent and cheaper, and you won’t have to walk half a mile to the loo or the bar. It’s in the small venues where it’s really happening.
So many people have admiration for you because you know the industry inside out. You are on both sides of the barricade: writing about music and composing or performing. Not going to ask you which one is better, but rather do you think it helps to know all the sides of the music business?
Christopher Nosnibor: Absolutely. I consider myself very much peripheral to all of it when it comes to the industry. Both as a “music” maker and a reviewer, I feel like I’m a DIY guy. I’m shit at networking – a lot of it’s a lack of confidence, if I’m honest, and I feel as if I’m fumbling my way in all fields. But I’ve met many great people, and at this level, everyone – pretty much – is generous and supportive of one another. And knowing what it’s like to have no time for a soundcheck, what it’s like to deal with technical issues, and simply how terrifying it can be to get up on stage, means I certainly have respect for any act who gets up there and does it. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to be critical in my reviews, though, particularly when there are egos pushing to the fore.
It’s been a very busy year for you. What are your plans for the next three months and the new year? Any gigs so we can see you live? Any announcements worthy of sharing with the rest of us mortals? Here’s your chance to tell us anything that you are hiding up your sleeves.
Christopher Nosnibor performing by Dave Walker
Christopher Nosnibor: I always wear long sleeves, because I have so much stuff up them. That, and because I sunburn really easily. I have a lot coming up, as it happens. I have another EP in the pipeline, which I’ll likely slip out digitally without fanfare when it’s done. More significantly, I’m currently working on a collaborative project with Bloom (Deborah Fialkiewicz and Dan Dolby plus me for this iteration), set for release on Canadian label Petroglyph when it’s ready. And in November, I’ll be performing spoken word for the first time since 2021 at the Chemic Tavern in Leeds (9th November, afternoon event), and I’ll be bringing the noise at The Fulford Arms in York on the 11th, when I’ll be playing post-watershed.
Paul Tone and I are also hoping to reconvene …(something) ruined before too long, too. The pandemic really fucked things for us in terms of performing, and it’s live that we really make noise magic. We recently released audio of one of our shows, and even I’m amazed hearing it again: it’s brutal.
Beyond that, I’ve probably got enough pipeline projects to keep me going for the next three years, never mind the next three months.
And the last question: we try to keep it light and funny at Indieterria. Let’s imagine that you have been tasked with writing a soundtrack to the new video game. Is it survival horror, space odyssey or something different.
Christopher Nosnibor: It would have to be some kind of survival horror, set in a post-apocalyptic world. Although I kinda feel that that’s what I’m soundtracking already at the moment…
You can purchase “The Beast of NOISENIBOR” at https://christophernosnibor.bandcamp.com/album/the-beast-of-noisenibor
Christopher Nosnibor live:
9th of November, The Chemic Tavern, Leeds, Sunday Afternoon Acoustic and Spoken Word, free entry
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1442472140326980
11th of November, Fulford Arms, York at EMOM XXII Electronic Music Open MIC, Tickets
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/1532256724428959/
Christopher Nosnibor online:
https://christophernosnibor.com/
https://auralaggravation.com/
http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/
https://www.facebook.com/christopher.nosnibor
https://www.instagram.com/nosniborchristopher/
https://christophernosnibor.bandcamp.com
https://x.com/chris_nosnibor
The album was released digitally on 8th of September.
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