The Sisters of Mercy return to Brazil in 2025. This time, the band, led by the legendary Andrew Eldritch , will perform on September 26th in São Paulo, at Tokio Marine Hall. Tickets are on sale at the Ticketmaster .
In an interview with Wikimetal , guitarist Ben Christo talked about what it's like working with The Sisters of Mercy, nostalgia, recording a new album, and the passion of Brazilian fans.
Wikimetal: The Sisters Of Mercy released their first record in 1980 – the year you were born. What's it like being part of a band with such a rich history?
Ben Christo : It's really strange, because most of the Sisters of Mercy's history, chronologically, occurred after the last recording. So, let's say from 1994 to 2024, that's 30 years of the band's history where there were no recorded works. So, it's quite fascinating that you're in a band where the catalog was recorded, it happened in the first, let's say, 10 to 15 years of the band. And since then it's been based only on live performances, which I've been a part of for 20 years. So it's bizarre to be part of something that almost had two different eras. And connecting those two in one performance now is the challenge we're trying to tackle.
WM: You've been part of the band since 2006. What's it like working with Andrew Eldridge?
BC: It's interesting, very interesting, because he's a fascinating individual, a very intelligent, very talented individual. And I learned a lot from him, I learned a lot about how to write better songs, how to perform better live. And a lot of that is about restraint and holding things back. When I first joined the band, my playing style and my songwriting style occupied all my time. I wanted to be doing things all the time. And if I wasn't playing a part of a song, I felt like I wasn't doing anything. Now I understand that it can be much more powerful to just stand on stage with two or three notes and look at the audience, that's much more effective than playing a lot of notes and looking at your records. You can have a much better connection with people if you show restraint. Restraint in playing, restraint in writing.
So, when I'm co-writing with Andrew, in recent years, I know that for a song to pass the filter of being accepted, it usually needs to be three or four notes effectively executed in a dramatic, cinematic, and intriguing way. And that's much more challenging than doing a lot of notes and saying, 'Look, I did a lot of things.' I did three notes and I think they're pretty good. He definitely taught me a lot about restraint. What I find really fascinating about Andrew Eldridge is that if you look at a lot of other artists and the music videos they're making, they're all like, 'Hey, look at me, I'm amazing!' Whereas Andrew's posture is to be hiding, getting out of the camera's view, consoling himself.
Think of “Dominion” and “Lucretia My Reflection,” those videos where he has a spectral presence that fades and is enigmatic. I think that’s another thing that gave the band longevity. It’s that he maintains that mystery. And even today, Andrew Eldritch isn’t a man with a social media presence. While many of Eldritch’s partners have their own Instagram pages. And as a fan of some of those other bands, sometimes I felt a little disappointed that I held this person in such high regard, and now they’re posting about… The mystery is gone.
Plans to release the successor to Vision Thing (1990)
WM: Live, the Sisters play songs never recorded on their albums, some well-known to fans like "Crash and Burn," which has been performed since 2000. Are there plans to release a new studio album?
BC: I have a political answer to that question. As you can imagine, I get asked this a lot. And a politician's answer is that there are no plans to record an album. There are no plans not to record an album. So, we'll see what happens.
WM: How do you feel about the band not releasing new albums?
BC: I think initially I was a little disappointed, because we wrote some great songs together and it would be wonderful to have them recorded and it could be a great recording process. But as time went on, I realized that it's quite liberating to be able to write new songs without having to record and release them, and still be able to be creative. Because the reason why many bands write and record albums is so that people come and see the live show. We don't need to do that. People already come to see The Sisters of Mercy live.
We'll play anywhere in the world and 2,000 people will show up. So we don't have to put these songs on a record. And the process of recording an album is extremely time-consuming, mentally, emotionally, and physically, and very expensive. We don't have to do that; we can just write the songs. And there's no filter system, no record label saying, "We don't want you to do this song, or we want you to release this song. The new promotional photo should look like this, we want this person to do the artwork for you, or this should be the solo." We can write things and enjoy them without any limitations. So we're pretty sure we don't need to record an album for people to still come see the shows.
A hit with young audiences.
WM: “No Time To Cry”, a classic from First And Last And Always , is on the soundtrack of the new season of the Netflix series 'Wednesday' . Has the band noticed any impact after being featured on the soundtrack of a famous series?
BC: I think it's raised the bar for the younger, newer fans we have. We now play shows with audiences ranging from 18 to 60 years old, which is a great thing. I think maybe a number of these new fans learned about the band through things like soundtracks, I believe. The song “Never Land (A Fragment)” was used in the series American Horror Story: Hotel . So these synchronizations of the band's music with modern television, I think that helped. And it also illustrates the unexpected nature of the music, Andrew's lyrics, and his voice, so that when people hear this music for the first time, teenagers hearing this music for the first time, from almost 40 years ago, they find it incredible! And there's not that aspect of “What is this? This is old music, this is what my mom and dad like, I hate this.” There's still an element of excitement, inspired by magic, that Andrew is able to impact through his vocals and lyrics.
WM: The Sisters Of Mercy are cult-like in Brazil and are always performing here. Do you and Andrew have any idea about this true 'cult following' of the band in our country?
BC: That's a great question. When we play in Brazil, the response we get is very different from, say, in North America, Australia, Europe, Western Europe. I believe people have the same level of passion for music all over the world. I think the love for music, no matter where you're from, or anything like that. Music is a medicine to heal people, wherever they are. I think people just express that love in different ways. And what we've seen, particularly in this part of the world, is that this passion is shown very visually and very vocally, by people screaming and yelling and feeling so excited to see the band. And I think we're definitely aware of that level of euphoria and almost hysterical excitement that happens in this part of the world. But why do you think the way you respond to rock and metal is so passionate and so alive in a way that's different from other places in the world?
WM: The Brazilian people are very passionate and loyal to the style; we collect records, go to concerts, and want to meet the artist.
BC: So how did you find out about The Sisters of Mercy? Because you're too young to have grown up with it, certainly when the records were coming out. So you must have discovered it through something else.
WM: I was 13 when I discovered the band, and even today I identify with their music. I've always liked the dark, gothic style, so I fell in love with Andrew's dark vocals. And I met some other fans who showed me many other things about the band.
BC: Well, that's good. It was an immediate connection. I think a lot of people have that. When they first hear The Sisters of Mercy, they immediately either love them or they're not interested. It's very much one or the other. And I think a lot of artists have that divisive quality, where you listen and you either love it or it's not for you. Whereas if something makes you feel like, 'This isn't necessarily a winning piece of art,' because it didn't really make you feel anything. And I think the reaction people have to The Sisters of Mercy when they first hear them is this: 'What is this? It's amazing.' And that was my reaction when I was 14 and I heard the band for the first time. I remember listening, I remember the music, the moment, and thinking, this is amazing, this speaks to me, I connect with this, this is meaningful.
Projects beyond The Sisters of Mercy
WM: You have other projects and were part of Ghost for a period, recording the live album 'Ceremony And Devotion'. How do you manage to balance these projects and what was it like being part of a band with greater appeal like Ghost?
BC: I can't confirm or deny that I was in that band. I can talk about other bands I've been in. I played with a band called Ricky Warwick & The Fighting Hearts , and Ricky Warwick is a singer who was in a band, The Almighty , that I loved when I was young, and he also played in Blackstone Riders and Thin Lizzy for a while. So I really enjoyed it.
I started working with him when I was a fan, and in recent years I've been developing my own band called Diamond Black , which is a combination of '80s with some darker, synthetic elements, and I've really enjoyed working with that as well. It can all be quite time-consuming, playing on different projects, and so I think what's happening at the moment is I have The Sisters of Mercy, which is a project, I have my own band, Diamond Black, which is a passion project, but we're really building it. And then I occasionally play with other artists who… Sometimes the reason I play with them is because they are heroes, and the honor and joy of being able to play with these artists that I grew up listening to is a gift. And for me, if you can define success in any way, it's not about money, it's not about fame, it's about working with people you admire and getting the validation that they want to work with you.
WM: What can fans expect from this new show in our country next month?
BC: We decided on the setlist very close to the show, so I can't say anything yet about what might be on the setlist, but I can say, based on the shows we've just done, that the setlist will probably be a good balance between the released albums and the new songs we've written in the last 5 to 6 years.
WM: Can you leave a message for Wikimetal readers?
BC: Hi, this is Ben Cristo from The Sisters of Mercy, wishing all Wikimetal fans, readers, and listeners a very, very happy day. And we're excited to see you and connect with you through music. So, thank you very much.
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