Leandra Ghoulish asks fanbase to ‘stay tuned’ and denies Passing Stones Magazine rumours about leaving the band, while going on tour with Idris Raoul’s Agesilaus Santander
RockStar Leandra Ghoulish of Angelus Novus, we congratulate you here and now.
Hi, thanks.
Thank you for agreeing to this Alterview. You have refused for several weeks now to talk about the band.
Yup. To begin with, there’s not much to talk about, so let’s not get too dramatic with this introduction now.
On the 28th of September you said you’re done with the Angelus.
I did not say that –
You’re quoted in the Passing Stones Magazine –
So what? Can we please just avoid all the bullshit? Sometimes some people just have a rough time –
What people?
People in general, some people in general.
People like Marcus Leary, the Angelus’ guitarist?
People like myself, too. Sometimes things get rough and you think things, and you say things, sometimes you even do things, but not everything you say is a fucking statement, you know? I wish people would just calm down. What happened was that someone in the band was going through a rough time, like we all do sometimes . It’s a rough industry, alright? Things get hectic and stressful and confusing, drug abuse is not a secret in this industry, okay? And when you have a friend who’s going through a rough time, you just stop everything and try to help them.
You’re talking about Jules Progmhose, Angelus’ drummer, and his hospitalization in May.
Everybody knows what I’m talking about, okay? We had a full summer schedule, including a festival tour. It was rough, but we’re all friends eventually, you know? We care about each other and if someone’s in trouble, the right thing to do is to stop everything and help him.
But you didn’t.
I don’t know if I can say we did, I don’t know if I can say we didn’t. So Marcus said we should get another drummer for the 2019 tour, it was a hard decision. I wasn’t up for it at first. Lenny wasn’t up for it at first either. So we talked to Jules, we went visiting him, it was around the 5th of June, and for him it was obvious. He said we had to get another drummer. he had to be there for three months minimum, that’s what they said to him, and he had to keep with the program, that was, I mean, that was a fact. He had to get better. So he said, yeah, we should play with another drummer for the festival tour. The indoor tour we planned for August was cancelled, it was just for the festival tour. so we had to get a drummer, and we had to do it quick. That’s all.
And you insisted on Idris Raoul, who was the first original drummer of Angelus Novus.
Not even. We weren’t even Angelus Novus when we played with Idris. The Angelus started with Jules. And I didn’t insist –
In the first years, Idris said the band ditched him –
No, okay. That’s, we’re not getting into this right now. It was a decade ago, a decade, okay? Idris started his own band, Agesilaus Santander, in 2011 or something, we stayed in touch, I always appreciated his music, it was always mutual. Agesilaus Santander are great, they’re dark, they’re out there, they’re something completely different than anything you call rock music today. So we always appreciated him on his own merit, you know, he’s hyper-talented, not just as a drummer, as a person. And it’s always been that way.
So he said yes.
Yeah. he said he’d join us for the festival tour, and before we knew it, it was kind of a big deal, everyone wanted to see the Angelus with Idris, even people who’s never heard his music, so it was a thing. It was great. It was a great festival tour. but we all knew it’s temporary, we all knew Jules is getting better, and Jules is the Angelus’ drummer, no question about it. No question about it whatsoever. Then what happened was, that in September, once the tour was over and Jules was finally out, and well, and that’s the most important thing, okay? In September Idris asked to me play a set with Agesilaus Santander in Washington, and I said, why the fuck not? So we did three sets, unannounced, small venues, that’s it. It was great. We did Agesilaus tracks, not a single Angelus Novus song. And we talked about it, and we spent some time together, and we wrote some stuff together, I mean, Idris and I, I felt I was really getting into the Agesilaus vibe, into their darkness and complexity, and we wanted to schedule a few gigs together for October and November. That’s it. That’s all. had nothing to do with the Angelus. And then the fucking Passing Stones Magazine started this whole story that I didn’t want Jules to come back and decided to leave the Angelus and join Idris’ band, and I was like, what the fuck?! I mean, fuck.
So why did you say you’re done with the Angelus?
I didn’t!
Marcus Leary said you did.
Okay. No. so Marcus had a rough time with it, okay? And maybe I didn’t, I mean, maybe I didn’t take the way he felt about it seriously enough. I admit it.
Why did he have a rough time with you playing with Idris’ band?
It doesn’t matter. Maybe they have this bad vibe between them. Maybe they’ve always had it, and that’s okay. But we’re not 8, you know? It’s not like we get into a tantrum coz someone plays with a friend that another friend doesn’t like, you know? This is bullshit. That’s it. It’s a non-story. It’s a non-anything. The only story that matters is that Jules is doing well and that’s the only thing I care about.
So currently you’re touring with Idris’ band, Agesilaus Santander.
I wouldn’t call it touring, you know. we did 3 sets in October, and we have 4 coming up this month. It’s an Agesilaus concert. I mean, I go up to sing and play a few songs with them, that’s it. Small venues. It’s very, I mean, it’s very intimate, it feels very authentic, like, just singing your songs. Just playing your guitar. The interaction with the crowd has been amazing so far. I feel like I’ve missed that, you know? it’s hard to get in bigger venues. I mean, it’s not that it doesn’t happen, it’s just, you know, it’s different.
Can you understand why saying things like that may upset the Angelus’ band mates and fanbase?
No. I can’t understand that. The Angelus is alive and kicking. Agesilaus is a great band to play with, and Idris is a close friend. Why would that upset anyone? I think, I’ve always thought, that these collaborations are a great thing, both artistically and personally. That’s it. That’s great.
Anything else you’d like to say to your fanbase?
Yes. Stay tuned and stay away from bullshit.
And away from drugs?
It’s not funny.
I wasn’t trying to –
Okay, great. Bye.
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