Ashton Nyte was everyone’s favourite South African gothic musician. In true gothic spirit, he fearlessly and stubbornly refused to compromise for any commercial success. He recently released a new album from his home in the US and will be the opening act for Wayne Hussey. Patricia Morrison was curious about South Africa’s famous goth.
Let’s play catch up. How did you land up in the US and are you happy?
Well, I’m chatting to you from St Louis (US), home of Chuck Berry and William S Burroughs. I tell you! Chuck still performs here once a month and William’s ghost still looms large downtown. My relocation story is pretty simple. I met my wife at a concert, when touring the US with The Awakening (for the second time) back in late 2007. It was love at first sight. I’ve been living here since early 2008. And yes, I am happy, thank you.
You have just released an album through Just Music. You have carte blanche to promote it in this interview, as you see fit.
I think the new album, Some Kind Of Satellite, has come full circle in a sense. Listening to it, you can probably hear little bits of the many shades, styles and flavours I’ve flirted with, or had full-blown affairs with, over the years. Satellites are synonymous with communication. I think the album is about communication, relationships, personal discovery and growth. It is also about distance and isolation. It is intimate, delicate and glamorous and filled with fabulous rock ’n’ roll swagger at the same time. It observes and partakes and sometimes licks its wounds. I call it “poetry for the broken-hearted…who still like to dance from time to time”.
Living in America, how did you get this gig with Wayne Hussey in South Africa?
I was kindly invited by Adrian Skirrow from ASP Records and the good people at The Barnyard Theatre. Being a Mission fan since my teens, I did not hesitate to leap on board with both of my pointy boots.
Have you met him before and if so what happened and what were your impressions?
I chatted to him on the phone in 1999. We had just released the third Awakening album and, riddled with the feeling that we had kinda headlined all there was to headline in South Africa, were looking beyond the borders. I can’t remember how I got his number or why he agreed to the call, but chat we did. He most graciously took the time to give me a few pointers and a few contacts across the pond. remember him being humble, witty and a conversational treat, who was in no hurry to get me off the phone. Very kind indeed.
Are you excited to be performing in South Africa again?
Absolutely! I toured last year with The Awakening, as part of our Anthology XV tour and made a few solo appearances. It feels great to be returning with a new album, especially one I’ve wanted to put out into the world for so long now. I really am excited to be sharing what I do with the people who allowed me to do it in the first place. We are booking US and European dates to follow later this year, which is exciting too. I enjoy circus life.
What can we expect from your live performance. (You have always been so intense, yet so isolated on stage, which I always thought was way cool.)
Thank you. The shows on this tour are intimate, yet theatrical and dramatic affairs. Some of the shows, like the ones I’m doing with Wayne, are more bare bones – just me and my guitar. Other performances will include a dear friend or two adding an extra sparkle to the melodrama that is Ashton…yet still in an intimate, theatrical setting. The set will celebrate the new album, earlier solo work and work released as The Awakening.
What has kept you persevering musically?
My addiction to creating and performing and the overwhelming sense that I haven’t quite heard all there is to hear, yet. Coffee also helps.