Deep Bleak: Shaping East London’s Alternative Scene

I met the duo at a lovely, quaint spot in Dalston, London called Jack’s Cafe. Walking in felt like being transported back to the mid-2000s. The air was colored by the constant humming and static noise of the old fridge in the back. The cashier offered me a warm smile, and I was hit with the smell and sound of sizzling English sausages under these intense fluorescent beams. From the window, I noticed a striking juxtaposition—a building across the street that seemed to be from the 19th century, with its weathered brown brick, separated by mere space from a white, contemporary-looking apartment complex. It is here, in this unique and characteristically whole East London scene, that Liam Butler, bassist and producer for Deep Bleak, was the first to greet me with a hug. Butler’s entire persona felt like he had been transported back in time from a more post-punk era. And yet, something about him made me feel completely secure. 

A famous English writer, Jonathan Raban, described London as a ‘soft city,’—a place that seems to be made of plastic. It molds itself and the people within it. I find this exceedingly true of this talented duo that arose from the Midlands and East Germany and has now established a staple presence in Hackney and East London. The members, Liam Butler (Bassist) and Sarah Neumann (vocalist), offer a post-punk, electronic feel to reveal new perspectives on truth and “the bleakness of life.” Neumann says, “I don’t want to be surrounded by just pretty things; it’s boring.”

Inspired by the sounds of PVA, Boy Harsher, and Mount Kimbie, the band offers a darker-wave alternative, full of synth brilliance that detaches itself from reality and the expectations of ‘the norm.’ In their songs, deep Sartrean and Nietzschean philosophy collide with lyrical poetry that offers its listeners an outerworld truth—demanding our attention. 

Under the label, Lost Wisdom,  they emphasize that the relationship focuses heavily on a more civic-minded approach rather than a “hardcore signed label”. Butler says, “Chris who runs lost wisdom is a legend, he’s been so (instrumental) in getting us exposure, and we appreciate him a lot.”

Following their debut single, Double Nature, released in November 2023, and their follow-up singles, Alive To Feel and Perfect Drift, Deep Bleak is now about to release their long-awaited debut, self-titled EP, on November 7th at Biddle Bros Pub, 7:30 pm GMT.  The EP features four tracks, including one brand-new single, “Dancing On Broken Bottles,” accompanied by its hauntingly exorcistic music video. The band is also Neumann’s second entry into the music industry as her first solo project, Atka, garnered significant critical acclaim before joining the band, including being named the No. 1 EP of 2023 by Paste Magazine and receiving a strong New York Times review from John Parales, who said  her song, Lenny, was a “transform(ation) of what could have been a basic two-chord rocker into an emotional siege.” Now, she has united her sound with Butler’s to create ethereal music, and we’re excited to see them produce more.

With that, FRONTRUNNER Magazine is proud to share our conversation with Deep Bleak.

FRONTRUNNER: Sarah, you’re from East Germany, and Butler, you, the Midlands—both areas known for having a smaller and more intimate population. Did growing up in those areas influence the sound or the core values of Deep Bleak?

Butler: Those places can look a little bit rough, a little bit bleak, actually, but on the inside, they’re just thriving with community and people getting on with life wherever they’re at. It kind of reminds you that some aspects of life seem really bleak, but when you look beyond the surface, you see how wonderful it truly is. I thought the name Deep Bleak sounded cool as well. Like, what are you doing tonight? “Oh, I’m going to see Deep Bleak!”. My household growing up wasn’t music driven at all, it was just mainstream radio tunes in the background. I was lucky that I was introduced to bands like the Pixies, Killing Joke, The Cure and Sonic Youth by my best mate’s dad when I was about twelve years old which was incredibly formative for me and made me want to learn and write music.

Neumann: The towns themselves, where I come from, mostly east of Berlin, are just quite bleak—very white walls and houses. I think we related with each other in that way and spent time in places that weren’t really considered ‘desirable.’. We weren’t thrown into the music scene; we had to create it ourselves. My family wasn’t into music much except for some Johnny Cash and Shania Twain, so I was mostly only exposed to what we sung in music class and to the charts on car rides to school when I was little—so that was basically David Guetta and Lady Gaga blasting on every radio station on repeat when you are in Germany (laughs). In my teens, my friends and I would travel to Berlin with our pocket money to see hardcore/emo bands, like Bring Me the Horizon or Of Mice and Men, before I got into more alternative and experimental electronic music in university and before coming to London. 

FRONTRUNNER: Most of your lyrics just bleed of lyrical poetry. In your song “Alive To Feel,” you mentioned earlier that the objective of the song is to ‘hold a mirror to anyone inclined to burying their shameful past’. Can you expand on this philosophical idea?

Neumann: It’s interesting because, while we are a band, some of our lyrics are very personal, where sometimes we don’t even discuss them much—it mostly remains in our personal space. I studied philosophy, and my master’s thesis was on Sartre, so that was the headspace I was in when writing the lyrics. I’m very interested in exploring the dichotomy of being a product of one’s environment while being at the same time fully responsible for one’s actions at all times. Sartre states, “You’re responsible for every single one of your actions”. It takes a lot of courage to look at all those actions and admit, “Well, I couldn’t have done otherwise,” but you must have kindness towards yourself to be able to accept your wrongs. 

Butler: If I write any lyrics or ideas for lyrics I would read bits from the poetry book Hate Poems by John Tottenham then start jotting. His poems are dry, bleak and really funny which is a great influence for deep bleak.

FRONTRUNNER: You’ve worked with prominent producers, like Oliver Wright, Kai Campos, and Heba Kadry. How do you navigate creative ideas, and what have you learned from working with others?

Butler: We’re lucky to have great talented friends around us who are up for helping, especially if we get stuck on a tune. I love collaborating in general as I would rather hear someone’s perspective on an idea because they’ll show you ways of thinking you’ve never approached before. I’m more interested in “what would you do with it”? We are very open to suggestions; it’s collaborative primarily, not an ego mission. We are not afraid to ask for help.

FRONTRUNNER: Sarah, you previously performed as Atka, and you received notable critical attention. Was it hard merging your sound with Liam’s synth-heavy instrumentals and establishing a unified identity for Deep Bleak?

Neumann: Having a solo project is a lot of hard work because you bear all the risks and responsibilities on your own. The pressure of having to prepare everything for a show wasn’t really helpful to my creativity. Being in this band really just helped me let go, I guess. Butler’s instrumentals were very synth heavy, intense and super fast so there was really nowhere for me to hide as it is all so out in the open. It allowed me to express this darker part of myself. I don’t think we would be making the kind of music we do make just on our own—it’s very much a venn diagram and what we bring out of each other relationally.

FRONTRUNNER: What’s the hardest thing you’ve had to accept as artists, and what message do you have for our readers?

Butler: The hardest thing is mostly finishing songs. It’s so easy just to leave songs and get excited about something new.

Neumann: These songs we’re releasing were written about three years ago. I get really anxious about having a lot of “open tabs” like that. That’s a big thing to overcome, but it’s part of the lessons we’ve learned—more letting go and allowing yourself to really feel the art and be a part of it in performance. For me, that meant being okay with being so exposed as a performer, which was challenging because I’m a lot more introverted. I am not so much interested in copy pasting an aesthetic, which we so often do in the age of social media, where the image is our currency. It’s more about prioritising the creative process and accepting the cringe you have to go through to make something interesting and original.

It is safe to say we expect great things from this original band as they continue to explore and possibly create a whole new wave of music in East London. Butler has already indicated that the band’s sound is evolving, and they have been writing a few more pieces inspired by The Smiths—he says, “works that might be a little ‘prettier’ rather than purely dark-wave.” 

We must keep an eye out for this original duo that continues to offer imperfect art in a world striving for perfection and, in turn, revealing truth.

Deep Bleak is available to stream on Spotify here.