Girls Under Glass

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Girls Under Glass
Origin Hamburg
Genre(s) Industrial rock
Gothic rock
Darkwave
Years active 1986–present
Label(s) Cellar Door
Members
Volker Zacharias (vocals & guitars)
Hauke Harms (electronics & keyboards)
Axel Ermes (bass)


Girls Under Glass (abbreviated as GUG) is a musical group from Hamburg, Germany.

[edit] Biography

[edit] 1986

Girls Under Glass were founded by Thomas Lücke (singer), Hauke Harms (electronics & keyboards) and Zaphor aka Volker Zacharias (guitars) as an offshoot of the gothic rock formation Calling Dead Red Roses.

[edit] 1987

Debut album was recorded: Humus. For this record Dr. Fluch joined the band and played bass guitar.

[edit] 1989

Girls Under Glass supported bands such as Fields of the Nephilim, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and were just big stars in the German gothic-wave-scene. At this point of time the band was playing together with two guest musicians (Marcel Zürcher, drummer of Abwärts, Schwansee, Shanghaid Guts) and Olaf O (bassplayer). Flowers (second album was recorded). Members: Thomas Lücke (vocals) Zaphor (guitars) Hauke Harms (keyboards), Axel Ermes (bassplayer). Axel joined the band and was integrated into the real band-line up. Axel and Zaphor played at this point of time parallel in the German cult band Cancer Barrack.

[edit] 1990

Zaphor left Cancer Barrack and concentrated on the third GUG album. Main singer Thomas Lücke left the band and Zaphor took over the singers part. Rodney Orpheus of The Cassandra Complex produced the third GUG album called Positive and started a friendship with Zaphor. Zaphor joined The Cassandra Complex studio and live-lineup and was working together with Rodney for many years. 1990 was really a year of changes and re-starts.

[edit] 1991

Project Pitchfork were playing their first gigs as support band for the Positive-tour.

[edit] 1992

Darius the 4th album was recorded. This is the first CD recorded with a real drummer (Marcus Giltjes, ex Pink Turns Blue). As a new guitar player Girls Under Glass welcomed Raj Sen Gupta.

[edit] 1993

Christus was recorded, also with Raj Sen Gupta plus Markus Giltjes. For the following tour Raj left the band and Girls Under Glass worked together with Robert Wilcocks of Sleeping Dogs Wake and Cobalt 60 for the next 3 years.

[edit] 1995

Crystals & Stones was recorded as a trio again (Volker, Axel & Hauke) The band recorded this album in their new own studio. Die Krupps did a remix of "Die Zeit", which became a club hit in Germany. For this record the band was touring with Robert Wilcocks again. Additional drums on tour were played by Tippi Agogo (musician from Vancouver and close friend to The Legendary Pink Dots and Skinny Puppy musicians-scene).

[edit] 1996

First shows in France and Spain.

[edit] 1997

Firewalker was recorded. The hardest record GUG ever made. Totally inspired by the American industrial metal & electro music scene such as NIN, KMFDM, Stabbing Westward, Gravity Kills, etc. Girls asked ex-KMFDM drummer Rudi Naomi to join the band for the tour. GUG toured together with Deathline Int'l, a German-American-electro-act.

[edit] 1998

Equilibrium was recorded. GUG calmed down a bit and found their way back to the more Gothic and Wave orientated style. Later issued in the United States by Van Richter Records.

[edit] 1999

The seminal anthology record Nightmares for the United States was compiled. The record includes the biggest hits of GUG's career as well as out of print and new unreleased tracks including a cover of the classic track "Halloween" theme by John Carpenter. Released by Van Richter Records.

[edit] 2001

Minddiver was recorded, the first album on their own label Aragon Records. It includes a cover version of Madonna's "Frozen". GUG made their first appearance in London (UK), co-headlining the famous GOTHAM – Festival with Clan Of Xymox European Tour together with Fair Sex. Frozen was later re-released as the title track on another album by Van Richter Records.

[edit] 2002

European Tour had been recorded on 16 Tracks. Released on Aragon as first real live album Live in Light & Darkness.

[edit] 2003

GUG paused for a bit more than 1 year. No gigs or studioworks.

[edit] 2004

New material was written and recorded. Producer JP Genkel joined the production and recorded the album Zyklus in his IMPULS studio, Hamburg. Zyklus was released in February, 2005 on Metropolis Records.

[edit] 2006

Focus released as a DVD . This is the first GUG DVD.

[edit] Discography

  • Humus (1988)
  • Ten Million Dollars (1989)
  • Flowers (1989)
  • Random (1990)
  • Positive (1990)
  • Never Go (1990)
  • Live At Soundgarden (1991)
  • Darius (1992)
  • Christus (1993)
  • Down in the Park (1994)
  • Exitus (1995)
  • Crystals & Stones (1995)
  • Die Zeit (1995)
  • Firewalker (1997)
  • Nightmares (1999)
  • Equilibrium (1999)
  • Minddiver (2001)
  • Frozen (2001)
  • Erinnerung (2002)
  • Light and Darkness (2003)
  • Ohne Dich (2004)
  • Zyklus (2005)
  • Touch Me (2005)
  • Focus (DVD) (2006)

[edit] References