The Hiram Key

Rank #704 Kingston upon Thames, UK Rock / Pop / New Wave

About

Members: Gary Ash, Sean Flude

Sounds Like: David Bowie (Official), The Cure, Nick Drake, Placebo, Echo and the Bunnymen

Label: Spiral Staircase records, ECHOZONE, The Global Goth Collective

Manager: Gary Clarke

Bio: They dont want to change the world, just record some songs they would like to listen to.
The English Indochine?

Akin to a gothic Travelling Wilburys, the Hiram Key consists of Gary Clarke (ex-Nosferatu), Darren Bottrill (ex Cureheads) Irish Dave(ex-Killing Miranda), Roi Robertson (on loan fro... See Full Bio

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Status

Posted a new song: "Meds" http://www.reverbnation.com/c./poni/194914815 #music

Press

“'Amerika' is outspoken in some places and very subtle in others which.Tracks 'Azru In The Mirror', 'Suzanna', 'Solomon's Tears' and '1+1=3 2U' should be recognizable by now. Their impeccable gothic pop evoke the top forty flirtations of Goth's heyday in the 1980's.The new songs 'Amerikafka', 'Karl's Song' and 'The Nature Theatre Train' shake up the bands formula with the former two exhibiting a slower, darker and deeper sound, while the latter explores a more avant garde construction.The production, as on the EPs, is clean and modern sounding without losing that rough edge that gives the guitars and drums a bit of grit.As a unit The Hiram Key are near untouchable as song writers. Their individual pedigrees bring elements from different disciplines of gothic music which have combined to create something that will appeal to many in the scene.”

— Sean Palfrey, Dominion Magazine

“Recorded and mixed by the band at their second ever live show supporting Star Industry at London's Slimelight, The Hiram Key demonstrate a tightness to their performance from the get go. This set will be broadcast on a radio show partnered with Wave Gotik Treffen this April and then released for free via the band's website. Live albums are funny things. There is inevitably a trade-off between atmosphere and sound quality and in any live music documentation, be it a photograph or recording, atmosphere is king. Some of the better (and usually over-dubbed) live albums recorded throughout the years are near indistinguishable from a studio album which sucks the "you should have been there" vibe out of them. So it is surprising to hear a band record and produce their own live set so early on and have it sound as good as this.”

— Dominion magazine

“The 2nd of The Hiram Key's pre-album EP releases, 'The Map', continues to evolve the dynamic pop-Goth sound of the band. The songs are still infused with the lost sense of classic song writing that is becoming of what is essentially a Goth super group. But The Hiram Key get a little more playful on 'The Map' utilising backwards instruments and samples to greater effect and generally adding a rockier feel to the proceedings. before venturing into The Hiram Key's familiar 'Disintegration' era The Cure meets 'Deep' era Peter Murphy sound for a guaranteed crowd pleaser. 'Istanbul' continues the laid back feeling with it's smooth bass groove and acoustic guitars showing that The Hiram Key have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. The EP closes with a strong live rendition of 'Forever' that turns up the guitar distortion for a heavier David Bowie meets Iggy Pop meets Suede take on the band's sound.It is evident that The Hiram Key's previous effort, 'The Quest' EP was no fluke. ”

— Shaun Palfrey, Dominion Magazine

“Deze ep is de voorbode van het album “Amerikafka” dat in april staat te verschijnen. Als ik u verklap dat in deze groep ex-leden van Nosferatu actief zijn dan weet u op z’n minst ongeveer in welke muzikale richting u moet zoeken. The Hiram Key is goth op een vriendelijke manier, met sterke new wave en Cure invloeden, opgericht uit onvrede met de richting die de actuele goth scene uitgaat. Traditioneel dus. Op opener “Arzu In The Mirror” ligt een vergelijk met The Cure voor de hand maar dat belet niet dat het best een aantrekkelijk nummer is.”

— Kurt Ingels, Dark Entries Magazine BE

“One of the pleasures of working at SOS is that you never know what kind of music you’ll be dealing with from day to day. There’s no better way to broaden your horizons than by taking on a genre that’s unfamiliar and new to you, and this month’s Mix Rescue is a case in point. The Hiram Key are a four‑piece band whose music is firmly rooted in the old‑school goth of Bauhaus and the Cure. Although they haven’t followed the trend towards electronic music, they’ve made full use of modern software technology in recording their album Amerikafka. ”

— SOS, Sound On Sound magazine

“Remember when "pop" wasn't a dirty word synonymous with over-produced and manufactured reality TV talent contests? Even in the days of Stock, Aitken and Waterman, The Cure and Peter Murphy were still injecting some credibility into the weekly Top Of The Pops line-up. The Hiram Key tap into that commercial accessibility of yester-year while still keeping their Goth credentials at the heart of their sound. Which isn't really a hard task considering the band is comprised of members from Nosferatu, Killing Miranda, Noah and Mechanical Cabaret.This is a fantastic EP that hints at great things to come with two more EPs and a full length album due out over the next few months. The Song writing is superb and the performances are excellent. However, the production on occasion feels a little tinny at volume, though this may be the result of MP3 compression more than anything else.”

— Sean Palfrey, Dominion Magazine

— Sean Palfrey, Dominion

“The second of The Hiram Key's pre-album EP releases, 'The Map', continues to evolve the dynamic pop-Goth sound of the band. The songs are still infused with the lost sense of classic song writing that is becoming of what is essentially a Goth super group. But The Hiram Key get a little more playful on 'The Map' utilising backwards instruments and samples to greater effect and generally adding a rockier feel to the proceedings. It is evident that The Hiram Key's previous effort, 'The Quest' EP was no fluke. 'The Map' follows it up nicely displaying more dimensions to the band's sound and hinting at more to come. Again the production gets a little tinny at times and could do with a bit more bass to it, but it isn't a major issue that will detract from the songs.”

— Sean Palfrey, Dominion Magazine

“Akin to a gothic Travelling Wilburys, the Hiram Key consists of Gary Clarke (ex-Nosferatu), Sean Flude (ex-Noah), Roi Robertson (on loan from his Mechanical Cabaret), and Belle Star (Nosferatu/Killing Miranda). With influences such as Bowie, Placebo, The Cure, Bauhaus, the Psychedelic Furs, Gary Numan, and Joy Division, these chaps have surely drunken from the right cup to then spill out their own brand of goth. With songs such as 'This Train' and 'Solomon's Tears', the Hiram Key display carefully thought out tunes, though far from being contrived and stale, which will keep the listening boogying in their black boots around homes and venues worldwide. ”

— Baz DH, Dominion Magazine

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Recent Blogs

The hiram key
Mar 20, 2011
Well this is the first time I have set up a blog... Things are happening so fast... [more]

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Songs

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Play "Meds"

Meds

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Play "Amerikafka Attrition Remix"

Amerikafka Attritio…

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Play "The Mayan Lie - demo version"

The Mayan Lie - dem…

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Play "Amerikafka - Sampler"

Amerikafka - Sampler

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Play "The Quest EP Sampler"

The Quest EP Sampler

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Videos

Amerikafka - The Hiram Key (cute funny kittens)

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Sep 7

Mother Live
London, UK | 8:00pm
Mother Live
London, UK
Sat Sep 07 8:00pm
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48 hours of tribute to The Cure, Video walls, competitions, giveaways, Cure influenced bands, beers, curries and laughs..each night finishes with a drunken sing a long with the Cureheads. The 5th Curefest International Curefan gathering over two venues. Current Line-up... The Essence (NL) - London only... The Last Cry (UK) - Crawley Only... Strap On Halo (USA) - Both shows... Luxury Stranger (UK) - Both shows... Lotus Feed (DE) - Both shows... The Hiram Key (UK) - Both shows... Halocline (CH) - Both Shows... The Cureheads (UK) - both shows... Tickets now available: London - £12.50 Crawley- £2 London & Crawley - £14.50 London Pair - £24 Crawley Pair - £4 London & Crawley Pair - £28

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Spirits Of Another Day
Sweet ! Peace from Sunny Detroit City !
m1015
....great know your sound..really intense/deep somgs here !!!!!.ciao
In Fell Traitors
Gothic music minus techno and minus metal? Why its just like what we grew up on! I get some Cure and also Psychedelic Furs.
Amandine Marjolene F...
Lovely songs indeed! and I like the video too...I can't dissociate the sound from the visual so videos are important to me...all the very best!! X
Lotus Feed
hey guys, very nice stuff up here! looking forward to seeing you in cologne in june... best wishes and greetings lotus feed