Well we certainly didn’t see this one coming!…
Today JOY. promoters and Brighton’s Concorde 2 venue have announced that Darkwave duo Lebanon Hanover will be performing live on 20th March next year. As far as we can recall this will be their debut Brighton concert…unless you know different? Tickets will be going on sale at 10am on Friday 19th June – details HERE.
Lebanon Hanover is the brainchild of former art student Larissa Iceglass (born Larissa Georgiou) from Switzerland and William Maybelline (born William Morris), who lived in the North of England. They had befriended each other online at Last FM, and both shared a soft spot for 1980s music videos, as well as a penchant for the beauty of art nouveau aesthetics, exploring British seashores and forests at night. One beautiful day during the summer holidays in 2010 Larissa arrived in the coastal town of Sunderland, not very far from Newcastle. They began the music making process at that time and it was quite a productive period. They realized that their chemistry was working, so they decided to put their respective musical solo projects on ice to work on songs together.
During this early phase, songs like ‘Die World’, ‘Einhorn’ and ‘Totally Tot’ were recorded within a mere two or three days. A couple of weeks later William went to Berlin to make more music with Larissa. Very soon after, they decided on the name “Lebanon Hanover”, which is actually a town in New Hampshire, USA.
Lebanon Hanover’s first gig followed only a few weeks later in October, at Berlin’s King Kong Club. Seems like no one’s able to remember the correct date. But does it really matter? The rest is history …
Lebanon Hanover’s music has been compared to 1980s gothic rock and post-punk acts such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure and Bauhaus. The band has a minimal, dark sound. Their songs have a signature light synth sound, deep bass and melancholic lyrics. Iceglass has stated that she finds bands with “depth and honesty” like Malaria!, Kraftwerk, D.A.F. and The Smiths inspiring.
Lebanon Hanover’s output has been constant over the past 15 years, with no less than a dozen releases to their name – these being:
2011: ‘Lebanon Hanover / La Fete Triste’ (split EP with La Fete Triste)
2012: ‘The World Is Getting Colder’ (album)
2012: ‘Why Not Just Be Solo’ (album)
2013: ‘Tomb For Two’ (album)
2013: ‘Gallowdance’ (single)
2015: ‘Besides The Abyss’ (album)
2016: ‘Babes Of The 80s’ (single)
2017: ‘Lebanon Hanover Anthology’ (compilation EP)
2018: ‘Let Them Be Alien’ (album)
2020: ‘Sci-Fi Sky’ (album)
2023: ‘Better Than Going Under’ (EP)
2025: ‘Asylum Lullabies’ (album)
The best place to familiarise yourself with their tunes is to visit their Bandcamp page HERE.
