LAM has gained a large and loyal following all over the world, from the USA to Europe to Latin America (where the live band has toured extensively), and beyond. LAM has headlined and co-headlined concerts and major festivals with bands like The Cure, Green Day, HIM (HIM has cited LAM a favorite artist), Rammstein, Soft Cell and many more. LAM has performed to crowds of over 30,000 people as headliner and co-headliner on major music festivals around the world. However, London After Midnight maintains a strong underground and independent "personality" despite being a top seller (charting in the top 10 and top 20 German DAC, and other European independent charts, with each of 4 CDs released) and a major draw at music festivals year after year.
Songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and founder Sean Brennan is known for his strong stances in favor of animal rights, pro-environmental and human rights issues, anti-corporate control of media, and support for progressive and liberal political and social causes. Whatever the approach or subject matter, the music of London After Midnight is deeply touching, powerful, socially aware, romantic, emotional, disturbing, haunting, moving, and often exhibits a morbid wit with its sardonic humor (listen to the tongue-in-cheek "Your Best Nightmare" and try not to think of an Edward Gorey story).
LAM is all this, while at the same time appealing to a wide variety of people. There really is no classification that fits London After Midnight (despite LAM's "dark" image) because the music is so varied and the lyrical content (and even LAM's personality and causes) are unique and uncommon in today's music scene (often breaking boundaries- much to the outrage of people who live and die by genre labels). Sean Brennan shuns all labels (as any artist worth their salt will do) and the music he creates can really only be classified as "London After Midnight".
From 2015-2019 LAM headlined major festivals around the world, including Wave Gotik Treffen multiple times, and many other events. In 2019 Sean Brennan started his own record label, Darkride Records, and released "Selected Scenes from the End of the World: 9119", the original 1991 album remixed from the original master tapes (it is NOT A REMASTER- it's completely remixed from the multi-track master tapes). This new mix restored missing audio tracks and includes a never before released song from the 1991 sessions. Darkride Records released the "Oddities Too", similar in theme to the 1998 album "Oddities" with unreleased music, new music and much more. The all new un-named LAM album and a complete remix of "Psycho Magnet", remixed from the original master tapes, is also underway.
Main discography:
-Selected Scenes from the End of the World, 1995 CD (originally released as a cassette in 1991)
-Psycho Magnet, 1995 cassette, 1996 CD
-Oddities, 1998 cassette, 1998 CD
-Violent Acts of Beauty, 2007 CD
-Selected Scenes from the End of the World: 9119, 2019 CD (remixed from original multi-track master tapes)
- Live From Isolation, 2021 CD.
- Oddities Too, 2022 CD
Permanent line-up:
Sean Brennan: music, lyrics, vocals, most of the instruments.
Current live line-up:
Jeremy Kohnmann: guitar
Michael Areklett: bass
Pete Pace: drums.
Hate
London After Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a blackened pearl.
Oh how useless seem
The offers of this world.
A shroud is wrapped and bound,
To Gallows led away
Though innocence is mine.
The dog will have his day.
All the Love turned to Hate,
The blade is in too deep and your repentance comes too late.
Oh wits misery,
The madness of your stay.
The best revenge,
A price which you must pay.
The children hide behind,
Behind their little masks.
They are, at their games,
The only ones who laugh.
All the Love turned to Hate,
The blade is in too deep and your repentance comes too late.
So did I deserve,
Your lies and treachery.
The curtain closes now.
The bell, it tolls for thee.
All your lies, all your shame.
And it drives you even madder that you've got yourself to blame.
The lyrics of London After Midnight's song "Hate!" seem to describe a situation where the singer has been wronged by someone and is seeking revenge. The witching time, or the time of magic, is not enough to save the singer from the useless offers of this world. They have been taken away as an innocent person, yet the dog will have his day, indicating that they will eventually get what they want. All the love has turned to hate, and the blade is in too deep, indicating that the singer is consumed by hate and is willing to do whatever it takes for revenge, and the other person is too late in realizing their mistake.
The madness of your stay is another way of referring to the madness of what happened. The best revenge is a price that the other person must pay, and the children who hide behind their little masks are the only ones who laugh, possibly indicating that their innocence has been preserved. In the end, the singer questions whether they deserved the lies and treachery that they received, but the bell tolls for the other person. They have brought this on themselves and now must face the consequences of their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the witching time,
The time of night associated with supernatural activity and magic.
Like a blackened pearl.
As worthless and unattractive as a pearl that has become discolored or tarnished.
Oh how useless seem The offers of this world.
The rewards and promises of society appear empty and meaningless.
A shroud is wrapped and bound, To Gallows led away Though innocence is mine.
Being wrongly accused and sentenced to death by hanging, despite being innocent.
The dog will have his day.
Karma will eventually catch up with those who have done wrong.
All the Love turned to Hate, The blade is in too deep and your repentance comes too late.
Love has turned to hate, and it is now too late for the person to try and make amends for their wrongdoings.
Oh wits misery, The madness of your stay.
The pain and suffering caused by one's own foolishness and poor decisions.
The best revenge, A price which you must pay.
The best form of revenge is to make the person face the consequences of their actions.
The children hide behind, Behind their little masks.
Children hide their true emotions and selves behind the masks they wear when playing.
They are, at their games, The only ones who laugh.
Children are the only ones who can find joy and happiness in their games and activities.
So did I deserve, Your lies and treachery.
Being deceived and betrayed by someone who was trusted.
The curtain closes now. The bell, it tolls for thee.
The end is near, and the person must face the consequences of their actions.
All your lies, all your shame. And it drives you even madder that you've got yourself to blame.
The weight of lies and shame causes the person to go insane, knowing that they are solely responsible for their predicament.
Lyrics © THINGMAKER MUSIC
Written by: SEAN BRENNAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind