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{{Short description|British neofolk band}}
{{Infobox_band |
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
band_name = Death In June |
{{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
image = [[image:Dij-03.jpg|330px]] |
{{more citations needed|date=April 2014}}
years_active = [[1981]]–present |
{{Infobox musical artist
status = Active|
| name = Death in June
country = [[Australia]]|
| image = Death In June (15322996113).jpg
music_genre = [[Dark ambient]]<br>[[Experimental music|Experimental]]<br>[[Folk music|Folk]]<br>[[Martial music|Martial]]<br>[[Neofolk]]<br>[[Post-industrial (music)|Post-industrial]] |
| caption =
record_label = [[New European Recordings|NER]] |
| image_size = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
current_members = [[Douglas Pearce]]
| alias =
| origin = [[England]]
| genre = {{Flatlist|
*[[Neofolk]]
*[[industrial music|post-industrial]]
*[[Experimental music|experimental]]
*[[dark ambient]]
*[[post-punk]] (early)}}
| years_active = 1981–present
| label = [[New European Recordings|NER]]
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
* [[Crisis (band)|Crisis]]
* [[Current 93]]}}
| website = {{url|www.deathinjune.net}}
| current_members = [[Douglas P.]]
| past_members = [[Patrick Leagas]]<br/>[[Tony Wakeford]]<br/>[[David Tibet]]<br/>[[Boyd Rice]]<br/>[[John Murphy (musician)|John Murphy]]<br/>Richard Butler
}}
}}
'''Death In June''' is the creative music works by [[England|English]] [[Folk music|folk musician]] [[Douglas P.|Douglas Pearce]], better known as Douglas P. Originally formed in [[Britain]] in [[1981]] as a trio, Death In June became the sole work of Pearce in [[1985]] after both members left to work on other projects. From that point on, Death In June became the work of Douglas Pearce and various collaborators. Pearce now lives in [[Australia]].
'''Death in June''' are a [[neofolk]] group led by English musician [[Douglas P.]] (Douglas Pearce). The band was originally formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 as a trio. However, after the other members left in 1984 and 1985 to work on other projects, the group became the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators. Over the band's four decades of existence, they have made numerous shifts in style and presentation, resulting in an overall shift from initial [[post-punk]] and [[industrial music]] influence to a more acoustic and folk music-oriented approach. Douglas P.'s influence was instrumental in sparking [[neofolk]], of which his music has subsequently become a part.


==History==
Over Death In June's two decades of existence, numerous shifts in style and presentation have occurred, resulting in an overall shift from initial [[post-punk]] and [[Industrial Records]] influence to an overall more acoustic and [[folk music]]-oriented approach. Although sometimes considered controversial, Death In June has become very influential in certain [[post-industrial]] musical circles. Pearce's influence was instrumental in sparking [[neofolk]], which his music has subsequently become a part of.
===Origin===
{{main|Crisis (band)}}


Pearce formed Death in June in 1981 in England, along with [[Patrick Leagas]] and [[Tony Wakeford]]. Pearce and Wakeford had been members of the openly [[left-wing politics|left-wing]] and [[anti-fascist]] [[punk rock]] band [[Crisis (band)|Crisis]], which formed in 1977. Crisis had gained a substantial following in the UK [[punk subculture]]. Crisis performed at rallies for The Right to Work, [[Rock Against Racism]], and the [[Anti-Nazi League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://louderthanwar.com/crisis-interviewed-2017-new-line-up-legendary-punk-band-back/ |title=CRISIS Interviewed 2017 -new line-up of legendary punk band back in action |publisher=Louder Than War |date=2020-04-18 |accessdate=2023-03-19}}</ref>
==Crisis==
Pearce formed Death In June in [[1981]] in [[England]], along with [[Patrick Leagas]] and [[Tony Wakeford]]. Pearce and Wakeford had been members of the influential political punk band, [[Crisis (British band)|Crisis]] [http://www.deathrock.com/crisis/index.html], which formed in [[1977]]. '''Crisis''' had gained a substantial following in the U.K. [[Punk rock|punk]] scene, which was getting its legs at that time. Crisis performed at rallies for [[Rock Against Racism]] (RAR), and the [[Anti-Nazi League]] (ANL), organizations that [[neoist]] and Crisis/Death in June critic [[Stewart Home]] wrote were fronts for the [[Socialist Workers Party (UK)|Socialist Workers Party]].[http://www.stewarthomesociety.org/dij.htm] Home further stated that the SWP organized a tour of [[Norway]] for Crisis and that Wakeford was a "card-carrying member of the SWP".


===Early Death in June (1981–1985)===
Incidentally, Pearce has said, "there is a writer called Stewart Home, who has always loved the group (Crisis)," and Home named his novel, ''Come Before Christ and Murder Love'' after a Death In June song of the same name. Pearce has said the song dates from his years in Crisis.
Death in June soon left the punk scene behind and began to infuse their sound with [[electronics]] and [[martial music|martial]] style [[drum]]ming, combined with a [[Joy Division]]-influenced post-punk sound. Then a few years later to the synth-heavy folk style with acoustic guitar. The synths were phased out. The later music had atmospheric sound loops, dialogue samples, industrial beats, etc. added.
Their lyrics maintained much of the [[poetry]] and political urgency of the early Crisis recordings. Tracks such as the early single sides "Holy Water" and "State Laughter" demonstrated an ongoing fascination with political systems. The new name of the band came from an in-studio mishearing of "death and gloom".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Death in June Bologna 8/4/85|url=https://www.debaser.it/death-in-june/bologna-8-4-85/recensione|access-date=2020-08-10|website=DeBaser|date=3 May 2020 |language=it}}</ref>


In early 1984, Wakeford was fired from Death in June for "bringing his '[[right-wing politics|right-wing]] leanings into the group'"; at the time he had been a member of the [[National Front (UK)]].<ref name=Forbes>{{cite book |last1=Robert |first1=Forbes |last2=Stampton |first2=Eddie |date=November 9, 2015 |title=The White Nationalist Skinhead Movement, UK & USA, 1979-1993 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KkxjCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA161 |publisher=Feral House |chapter=1985 |pages=161–164 |isbn=9781627310253}}</ref> Further on, Douglas P. would abandon any overt interest in politics in favor of a more [[esoteric]] approach to his work.
[[image:Dij-10.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Early Death In June. From left to right: Douglas Pearce, Tony Wakeford and Patrick Leagas.]]


====Introduction of folk music====
==Early Death In June (1981-1985)==
For 1984's ''Burial'' LP, Death in June began to adopt a more traditional European folk sound, using more acoustic guitars, references to ancient and contemporary European history, and combining heavy percussion with electronic soundscapes and post-industrial experimentation.
Death In June soon left the reticent punk scene behind and began to infuse their sound with [[electronics]] and martial style [[drum]]ming, combined with a [[Joy Division]]-like post-punk sound. Their lyrics maintained much of [[poetry]] and political urgency of the early Crisis recordings. Tracks such as "Holy Water" and "State Laughter" demonstrated an ongoing fascination with political systems. Further on, Pearce would abandon any overt interest in politics in favor of a more [[esoteric]] approach to his work.


====''Nada!'' flirtation with dance music====
===Live debut===
The ''[[Nada!]]'' (1985) LP introduced a temporary dance sound to Death in June accompanied by other tracks with the previously introduced folk elements. Douglas P. would later state this period was brought about by Patrick Leagas, which is further justified by Leagas' other work as [[Sixth Comm]] and later by his joining [[Mother Destruction]], where he would further explore themes of [[Germanic paganism]] and historically inspired music.
The band played their first show in November, 25 1981 in [[London]], [[England]] followed by a short British tour in 1982 (The may 28th show to be rereleased unofficially by Patrick Leagas later in 1987 as ''[[Oh How We Laughed]]'') and a more extensive tour in 1983.


===Introduction of folk music===
====Patrick Leagas departs====
Patrick Leagas abruptly left the group in April 1985 after a tour of Italy, resulting in many cancelled shows in the UK and Europe due to follow that tour. Leagas, who began calling himself [[Patrick Leagas|Patrick O-Kill]], later formed Sixth Comm. Thereafter, Death in June has consisted solely of the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators.
During the recording of 1983's ''[[The Guilty Have No Pride]]'' LP, Death In June began to adopt a more traditional European folk sound, using more acoustic guitars, references to ancient and contemporary European history, combining heavy percussion with electronic soundscapes and post-industrial experimentation.


===Mid-period Death in June (1985–1996)===
===Tony Wakeford departs===
Wakeford was asked to leave Death In June in January 1984 after a show in [[Paris]], [[France]]. Wakeford began his own project with the [[folk noir]] band [[Sol Invictus (band)|Sol Invictus]] . Despite the departure, Wakeford has remained on good terms with Pearce and would later guest on stage during a few shows.


====Creation of World Serpent Distribution====
===''Nada!'' flirtation with dance music===
In 1991, Douglas P. named and helped form [[World Serpent Distribution]];{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} a British distribution company that specialized in esoteric, experimental and post-industrial music, which would distribute his [[New European Recordings|NER]] releases until the late 1990s. During this period, Pearce collaborated with many artists who also had material distributed through the company in various ways.
The ''[[Nada!]]'' (1985) LP introduced a temporary dance sound to Death In June accompanied by other tracks with the previously introduced folk elements. Pearce would later state this period was brought about by Patrick Leagas, which is further justified by Leagas' other work as [[Sixth Comm]] and later by his joining [[Mother Destruction]], where he would further explore [[Germanic paganism]] and historically-inspired music.


====Collaboration with David Tibet====
===Patrick Leagas departs===
[[David Tibet]] formed [[Current 93]] in 1982. After being introduced to Douglas P. by [[Alan McGee]] of [[Creation Records]] at the Living Room Club, London in 1983, Tibet eventually began working with Death in June. Upon meeting Tibet, Douglas P. began to devote more of his time to a new circle of collaborators, who introduced him to various [[Thelema|Thelemic]], [[Satanism|Satanic]] and [[Hermeticism|Hermetic]] disciplines that markedly affected his approach to composing music. Familiar with the [[Runic alphabet]], Douglas P. introduced them to Tibet. Tibet similarly had been long interested in [[magic and religion]] and implemented these concepts in his early recordings with Current 93.
Patrick Leagas abruptly left the group in April 1985 during a tour in Italy, resulting in cancelled shows during the tour. Leagas, who began calling himself [[Patrick O-Kill]], formed Sixth Comm. From that point until the present, Death In June has consisted solely of the work of Pearce and various like-minded collaborators.


Douglas P. introduced a folk influence to Current 93/David Tibet, who in turn contributed to Death in June's ''Nada!'' (1985) LP and its remix version titled ''93 Dead Sunwheels'' (1989), as well as the albums ''[[The World That Summer]]'', ''[[Brown Book (album)|Brown Book]]'', and ''[[The Wall of Sacrifice]]''. He continued his work with Death in June, ending their collaborations with a contribution to the (1995) LP, ''[[Rose Clouds of Holocaust]]'' before their eventual split.
==Mid-period Death In June (1985-1996)==
===Creation of World Serpent Distribution===
In 1991, Pearce named and helped form [[World Serpent Distribution]], [http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=56] a British distribution company that specialized in esoteric, experimental and post-industrial music, whom would distribute his [[New European Recordings|NER]] releases until the late 1990's. During this period, Pearce collaborated with many artists whom also had material distributed through the company in various ways.


===Collaboration with David Tibet===
====Collaboration with Boyd Rice begins====
Experimental musician [[Boyd Rice]] was a friend of the group and had documented one of their earliest performances back in 1982. He was later invited to contribute a spoken word piece to ''The Wall of Sacrifice'' LP. From then on, a long series of recording collaborations continued between Boyd Rice and Douglas P. which included the albums ''[[Music, Martinis and Misanthropy]]'', ''[[In the Shadow of the Sword (album)|In the Shadow of the Sword]]'', ''[[Heaven Sent (Scorpion Wind album)|Heaven Sent]]'', ''[[God & Beast]]'', ''[[Wolf Pact]]'', and finally ''[[Alarm Agents]]''. Douglas P. also made a small appearance acting alongside Boyd Rice in the film ''Pearls Before Swine''.
[[David Tibet]] was a former member of [[23 Skidoo]] and formed [[Current 93]] in [[1982]]. After meeting Pearce at a club in [[1983]], Tibet eventually began working with Death In June. Upon meeting Tibet, Pearce began to devote more of his time to a new circle of collaborators, which resulted in various [[Thelema|Thelemic]], [[Satanism|Satanic]] and [[Hermetic]] disciplines that markedly affected his approach to composing music. Familiar with Germanic [[Runic alphabet|Runes]], Pearce introduced them to Tibet. Tibet similarly had been long interested in [[magic (religion)|ceremonial magick]] and implemented occult concepts into his early recordings with Current 93.


====Collaboration with LJDLP====
Pearce introduced a folk influence to Current 93, whom in turn contributed to two of Death In June's [[Vinyl record|LP]]'s: a remix of the ''Nada!'' LP titled ''[[93 Dead Sunwheels]]'' ([[1989]]), as well as the following tripdych ''[[The World that Summer]]'' ([[1986]]) ''[[Brown Book]]'' ([[1987]]) and ''[[The Wall of Sacrifice]]'' ([[1989]]). He continued his work with Death In June, ending their collaborations with a contribution to the ([[1994]]) LP, ''[[Rose Clouds of Holocaust]]'' before their eventual split.
[[Les Joyaux De La Princesse]] collaborated with Douglas P. on the ''Östenbräun'' double cassette release. Douglas P. sent LJDLP source material, which LJDLP would remix and send back.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} Douglas P. would later appear live with Les Joyaux De La Princesse for a joint show in 2001.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}


====Collaboration with John Murphy begins====
Pearce also contributed to Current 93 projects, including the definitive [[apocalyptic folk music|apocalyptic folk]] LP, ''[[Swastikas for Noddy]]'', ''[[Earth Covers Earth]]'' and ''[[1888]]'' releases from ([[1988]]), as well as playing live with Tibet's group.
Douglas P., having moved to Australia, came back into contact with [[John Murphy (musician)|John Murphy]] of [[Knifeladder]] and previously of [[SPK (band)|SPK]]. Murphy began playing live percussion with Death in June during tours from 1996 onwards. From 2000, a period of very stripped down, largely acoustic live performances for Death in June began up until Douglas P. announced no further live shows in 2005. In September 2011, a European tour was announced commemorating the 30th anniversary of the group's foundation in 1981. However the tour started off in Sydney, Australia without the actual inclusion of John Murphy; Murphy died on 11 October 2015.


===Contemporary Death in June (1996–present)===
Pearce has stated that after he stopped contributing with Current 93, Tibet replaced his acoustic guitar works with that of [[Michael Cashmore]].


===Collaboration with Boyd Rice begins===
====Collaboration with Albin Julius====
After queuing to meet his idol Douglas P. backstage at a performance in Munich in December 1996, [[Albin Julius]] of [[Der Blutharsch]] later collaborated and toured throughout Europe between 1998 and 2000 with Death in June. Together, they produced the albums ''[[Take Care & Control]]'' and ''[[Operation Hummingbird (album)|Operation Hummingbird]]'', as well as the live album ''[[Heilige!]]''. In comparison to previous Death In June works the material on these albums is primarily sample based, building on musical motifs from the likes of [[Richard Wagner]], [[Franz Schubert]], French 1960s pop icon [[Serge Gainsbourg]], amongst others. The two albums mark a significant departure from previous or subsequent Death In June material, featuring very little by way of Pearce's guitar, and could be classified as a part of the [[Martial industrial|martial music]] genre. This is itself a genre which Pearce had arguably invented in 1986 on ''[[The World That Summer]]'' album with tracks like "Death of a Man" and again in 1989 on ''The Wall of Sacrifice'' album with the title track and "Death is a Drummer". Pearce wrote a song loosely inspired by an untitled Der Blutharsch song for the ''[[Fire Danger Season]]'' Der Blutharsch tribute compilation. The track title was later created/revealed as "Many Enemies Bring Much Honour", which also appears on the rework and rarity album ''Abandon Tracks!''.
[[Image:Friends-01.jpg|350px|thumb|right|[[Boyd Rice]] (left) and Douglas Pearce (right) in the early 1990's.]]
[[Boyd Rice]] of [[NON]] met Pearce on tour in [[Japan]] during this period. He was invited to assist on the ''Wall Of Sacrifice'' (1989) LP, where he contributed a spoken word piece. This was to mark a long period of collaborations with Boyd Rice in the early and late 90's between the two, leading to side projects such as [[Scorpion Wind]] and albums bearing both the Boyd Rice and Death In June names.


====Demise of World Serpent Distribution====
===Collaboration with Erik Konofal===
The late 1990s marked the beginning of a court case between Death in June and World Serpent Distribution regarding payment and distribution issues with several other artists that were then on the label. This led to many artists that had sided with or had a similar experience to Pearce's leaving the distribution company and largely moving to [[Tesco Organisation|Tesco Distribution]] Germany, as well as other then well established labels such as [[Eis & Licht]]. Eventually, Pearce was issued an out of court settlement for the case, which, according to him, led to the demise of World Serpent Distribution.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} This led to reissues of most of the major albums in the Death in June discography being made freely available, with overhauled, deluxe packaging and a considerably cheaper price.
[[Erik Konofal]] of [[Les Joyaux De La Princesse]] collaborated with Pearce on the ''[[Ostenbraun]]'' (1989) 2xTAPES release. Pearce sent Konofal source material, which Konofal would remix and send back after making any musical or aesthetic changes.[http://industrialmusic.ru/ljdlp/text/interview/] Pearce would later appear live with Les Joyaux De La Princesse for a joint show in 2001.[http://www.heimdallr.ch/Live_Reports/2001/Brusselsgb.html]


===Collaboration with John Murphy begins===
====Collaboration with Andreas Ritter====
On the ''[[All Pigs Must Die (album)|All Pigs Must Die]]'' LP, Pearce was assisted by [[Andreas Ritter]] of the neofolk group [[Forseti (band)|Forseti]] who played [[accordion]] on a few tracks on the first half of the LP. This marked a return to the previous folk sound of Death in June. Death in June have also appeared live with Forseti and Pearce appeared on Forseti's ''[[Windzeit]]'' LP.
Pearce having recently moved to [[Australia]], he came in contact with [[John Murphy (musician)|John Murphy]] of [[Knifeladder]] and previously of [[SPK (band)|SPK]]. Murphy began playing live percussion with Death In June during tours in the late 1990's. This began a period of very stripped down, largely acoustic live performances for Death In June up until Pearce announced no further live shows in 2005.


After Andreas Ritter suffered a stroke and subsequent loss of memory and ability to play musical instruments, Pearce contributed acoustic versions of Death in June songs to a tribute album to Ritter entitled ''Forseti Lebt'' released in August 2006.
==Contemporary Death In June (1996-present)==
[[image:Dij-19.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Douglas Pearce (left) with [[Albin Julius]] (right) of [[Der Blutharsch]] from the ''[[Operation Hummingbird]]'' LP (2000) insert.]]
===Collaboration With Albin Julius===
After meeting Pearce backstage at a concert in 1996, [[Albin Julius]] of [[Der Blutharsch]] collaborated heavily and toured with Pearce, acting as a semi-member of the band. Together, they produced the ''[[Take Care And Control]]'' LP (1998), ''[[Heilige]]!'' (1999) live LP and ''[[Operation Hummingbird]]'' LP (2000) albums. These albums were remarkably extroverted in comparison to previous Death In June albums and featured a bombastic, neoclassical, post-industrial and extremely martial sound with few traces of the previous folk elements. The music created during this period could be classified as a part of the [[martial music]] genre. Pearce has sometimes guested on Der Blutharsch records since then and covered an untitled Der Blutharsch song for the ''[[Fire Danger Season]]'' (2002) Der Blutharsch tribute compilation.


====Collaboration with Boyd Rice ends====
===Demise of World Serpent Distribution===
After completing the ''Alarm Agents'' LP, Pearce announced it would be his final collaboration with Rice, citing the decision as having been mutually decided during the recording of ''Alarm Agents'' in a studio situated in a valley in [[Wellington]], New Zealand as helicopters flew beneath the two of them. Pearce recalls: "We turned toward each other and said, 'This is going to be the last collaboration. It can't get better than this.'"{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} In 2013, in order to dismiss all speculation and questions about future collaborations between Pearce and Rice, Rice announced via Facebook that he had severed personal and business relationships with Pearce.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}
The late 1990's marked the beginning of a court case between Death In June and World Serpent Distribution regarding payment and distribution issues with several other artists that were then on the label. This lead to many artists that had sided with or had a similar experience to Pearce's leaving the distribution company and largely moving to [[Tesco Distribution]] Germany, as well as other then well established labels such as [[Eis & Licht]]. Eventually, Pearce was issued an out the court settlement for the case, leading to the demise of World Serpent Distribution. [http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=108]


====Collaboration with Miro Snejdr====
Afterwards, this lead to a flood of reissues of most of the LPs in the Death In June discography being made freely available, with overhauled, deluxe packaging and a considerably cheaper price.
In April 2009, users of the Death in June Yahoo Group pointed the [[YouTube]] videos from pianist Miro Snejdr doing covers of classic Death in June titles: "I watched the videos Miro had posted on YouTube of instrumental songs from Death In June's ''The Rule of Thirds'' album and was very impressed. Courtesy of these members of the DIJ group we were put in contact with each other."<ref name="MIROSNEJDR">{{Cite web |url=http://theendofbeing.com/2010/11/23/death-in-june-interview-with-douglas-p-and-miro-snejdr/ |title=Interview with Douglas P. and Miro Snejdr. |access-date=13 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708170703/http://theendofbeing.com/2010/11/23/death-in-june-interview-with-douglas-p-and-miro-snejdr/ |archive-date=8 July 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Consequently, the piano-based album ''[[Peaceful Snow/Lounge Corps|Peaceful Snow]]'' was released in November 2010, with rearrangements by Miro Snejdr of Douglas P.'s guitar-based demo recordings. Those original recordings were later released on the album ''[[The Snow Bunker Tapes]]'' in 2013. Since 2012, Snejdr is also performing live with Death in June, either on piano or accordion.


===Timeline===
===Collaboration With Andreas Ritter===
On the ''[[All Pigs Must Die]]'' LP (2001), Pearce was assisted by [[Andreas Ritter]] of the neofolk group [[Forseti (band)|Forseti]] who played [[accordian]] on a few tracks on the first half of the LP. This marked a return to the previous folk sound of Death In June. Death In June have also appeared live with Forseti and Pearce appeared on Forseti's ''[[Windzeit]]'' LP (2003).


{{#tag:timeline|
===Collaboration With Boyd Rice ends===
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:30
After completing the ''[[Alarm Agents]]'' LP (2004), Pearce announced it would be his final collaboration with Rice, citing the decision as having been mutually decided during the recording of ''Alarm Agents'' in a valley of [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]] as helicopters flew beneath the two of them. Pearce recalls: "We turned toward each other and said, 'This is going to be the last collaboration. It can't get better than this.' I think we were more concerned with making the mix O.K.; we can live with this. I think Alarm Agents is a good good-bye."[http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=108]
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:20
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1981 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}}
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1981
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1981


Colors =
==Name origins==
id:lead value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_music,_lyrics
Much has been made of the origins of the name, ''Death In June''. It is sometimes considered to be an allusion to the [[Night of the Long Knives]] [[Sturmabteilung]] purge on [[June 30]], [[1934]]. However, Pearce has said that he once misheard Patrick Leagas during a rehearsel and he "heard" it as "Death In June". The group then subsequently applied it to the project in 1981. Pearce has stated that the name does not express any single idea for him and remains multifaceted.
id:drums value:purple legend:Drums
id:piano value:blue legend:Piano,_accordion
id:lines value:green legend:Studio_albums,_various_live_contributions


BarData =
==Neofolk music==
bar:Pearce text:"Douglas P."
{{main|Neofolk}}
bar:Wakeford text:"Tony Wakeford"
Pearce's influence was also instrumental in creating a genre of music called neofolk throughout [[Germania]] and [[Scandinavia]]. Pearce often plays live with artists that are considered a part of this genre and guests on their records.
bar:Leagas text:"Patrick Leagas"
bar:Tibet text:"David Tibet"
bar:Butler text:"Richard Butler"
bar:McDowall text:"Rose McDowall"
bar:James text:"Andrea James"
bar:Read text:"Ian Read"
bar:Carey text:"Gary Carey"
bar:Rice text:"Boyd Rice"
bar:Mannox text:"James Mannox"
bar:Norris text:"Simon Norris"
bar:Cashmore text:"Michael Cashmore"
bar:Finley text:"Campbell Finley"
bar:Leviathan text:"Richard Leviathan"
bar:Wearing text:"Max Wearing"
bar:Murphy text:"John Murphy"
bar:Marthinek text:"Albin Marthinek"
bar:Ritter text:"Andreas Ritter"
bar:Snejdr text:"Miro Snejdr"


PlotData=
==Influences==
width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
[[Image:Deathinjunelive.jpg|275px|thumb|right|Death In June live.]]
bar:Pearce from:01/01/1981 till:end color:lead
===Literary===
bar:Wakeford from:01/01/1981 till:01/12/1984 color:lead
Pearce expressed admiration for the writing of [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], The [[Eddas]], [[Yukio Mishima]], [[Saxon people|Saxon]] poetry and [[Jean Genet]]. Although some of these influences have waned as the discography has increased, recently Genet and Mishima were quoted in the booklet of the rare track retrospective ''[[Abandon Tracks]]'' (2001).
bar:Leagas from:01/01/1981 till:07/06/1985 color:lead
bar:Tibet from:06/01/1983 till:06/01/1995 color:lines
bar:Butler from:01/01/1984 till:07/06/1985 color:lines
bar:McDowall from:01/01/1986 till:07/06/1995 color:lines
bar:James from:06/06/1986 till:06/06/1988 color:lines
bar:Read from:06/06/1987 till:06/06/1991 color:lines
bar:Carey from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1988 color:lines
bar:Rice from:01/01/1988 till:06/01/2004 color:lines
bar:Mannox from:06/06/1991 till:06/06/1996 color:drums
bar:Norris from:06/06/1991 till:06/06/1996 color:lines
bar:Cashmore from:06/06/1991 till:06/06/1996 color:lines
bar:Finley from:06/06/1992 till:11/23/2001 color:lines
bar:Leviathan from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1998 color:lines
bar:Wearing from:06/06/1995 till:06/06/1999 color:lines
bar:Murphy from:01/01/1996 till:06/01/2014 color:drums
bar:Marthinek from:01/01/1998 till:11/01/2000 color:lines
bar:Ritter from:06/06/2000 till:06/06/2005 color:lines
bar:Snejdr from:11/09/2010 till:end color:piano
}}


===Musical===
==Discography==
{{Main|Death in June discography}}
Pearce has stated that [[Nico]], [[Scott Walker]], [[Ennio Morricone]], [[Industrial Records]]-era [[Industrial Music]], ''[[Forever Changes]]''-era [[love (band)|Love]] and traditional European [[folk music]] have all been influences on his work.


===Film===
===Studio albums===
*''The Guilty Have No Pride'' (1983)
Film and certain television programs have been a major influence on Death In June, sometimes being worked into compositions or referenced directly in album titles. Influential films and television shows include ''[[The World That Summer (film)|The World That Summer]]'', ''[[Take A Closer Look]]'', ''[[The Night Porter]]'', ''[[The Prisoner]]'', ''[[Night And Fog]]'' and ''[[Come And See]]''.
*''Burial'' (1984)
*''[[Nada!]]'' (1985)
*''[[The World That Summer]]'' (1986)
*''[[Brown Book (album)|Brown Book]]'' (1987)
*''[[The Wall of Sacrifice]]'' (1989)
*''[[But, What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?]]'' (1992)
*''[[Rose Clouds of Holocaust]]'' (1995)
*''[[Take Care & Control]]'' (1998)
*''[[Operation Hummingbird (album)|Operation Hummingbird]]'' (1999)
*''[[All Pigs Must Die (album)|All Pigs Must Die]]'' (2001)
*''[[The Rule of Thirds]]'' (2008)
*''[[Peaceful Snow/Lounge Corps]]'' (2010)
*''The Snow Bunker Tapes'' (2013)
*''Essence!'' (2018)
*''NADA-IZED!'' (2022)


=== Collaborative albums ===
==Symbolism and aesthetics==
*''Östenbräun'' (1989) <small>(collaboration with Les Joyaux De La Princesse)</small>
Death In June has always used symbolism, in lyrics and aesthetic approaches. Often times, these symbols are sometimes slightly modified European historical or ancestral symbols or point to general areas of time, with a small 6 applied.
*''[[Death in June Presents: Occidental Martyr]]'' (1995) <small>(collaboration with Max Wearing)</small>
*''Death in June Presents: KAPO!'' (1996) <small>(collaboration with Richard Leviathan)</small>
*''[[Heaven Sent (Scorpion Wind album)|Heaven Sent]]'' (1996) <small>(collaboration with [[Boyd Rice]] and [[John Murphy (musician)|John Murphy]] of [[Associates (duo)|The Associates]] under the name Scorpion Wind)</small>
*''[[Alarm Agents]]'' (2004) <small>(collaboration with Boyd Rice)</small>
*''[[Free Tibet (album)|Free Tibet]]'' (2006) <small>(collaboration with [[David Tibet]])</small>


==Influences and aesthetics==
===Masks===
===Influences===
According to Pearce, since it's inception, Death In June "did not want to become a part of a normal rock n'roll thing. Pretty boys staring into the cameras with huge cocks and IQs of one million... It doesn't work like that."[http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=28]
Film and certain television programs have been a major influence on Death in June, sometimes being worked into compositions or referenced directly in album titles. Influential films and television shows include ''[[The World That Summer]]'', ''[[Take a Closer Look]]'', ''[[The Night Porter]]'', ''[[The Prisoner]]'', ''[[Night and Fog (film)|Night and Fog]]'', and ''[[Come and See]]''.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}


Pearce has cited [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], the Norse ''[[Eddas]]'', [[Yukio Mishima]], Saxon poetry, and [[Jean Genet]] as strong influences upon his work.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} Although some of these influences have waned as the discography has increased, Genet and Mishima were quoted in the booklet of the rare track retrospective ''Abandon Tracks'' (2001).{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
Since the early days of Death In June, the band would appear on stage wearing various masks and uniforms pertaining to the subject matters presented. The band shunned group photos, with very few ever taken, usually featuring the band masked or with their back to the camera.


Pearce has stated that [[Nico]], [[Scott Walker (singer)|Scott Walker]], [[Ennio Morricone]], [[Industrial Records]]-era [[industrial music]], ''Forever Changes''-era [[Love (band)|Love]] and traditional European folk music have all had a considerable impact upon his musical output.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
In 1992, during a trip to [[Italy]], Pearce encountered a unique mask at a Carnival shop. Fans were so taken by the mask, it became iconic for Death In June. Pearce often wears the mask when playing live and it appears on various Death In June releases, most visibly on the live ''[[Something Is Coming]]'' (1993) double LP.


===Camouflage===
===Neofolk music===
{{main|Neofolk}}
Specific varieties of [[camouflage]] are regularly worn by Pearce and appear on various Death In June releases. Most commonly, the variety of camouflage used is the autumnal [[Erbsenmunster]]/"pea pattern"[http://www.kamouflage.net/camouflage/en_00117.php] (usually on original items) though sometimes the modern [[Bundeswehr]] [[Flecktarn]][http://www.kamouflage.net/camouflage/en_00009.php] or possibly the post-[[WWII]] [[Austrian]] [[fleckerlteppich]][http://www.kamouflage.net/camouflage/en_00008.php] pattern is used.
Through his solo work as Death in June and central musical role in Current 93 through the mid-1980s – early 1990s, Pearce's influence was also instrumental in creating the neofolk genre. As Death in June has become more based around acoustic guitars (''But What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?'' onwards), he has actively encouraged other acts playing this style of music whether it be releasing material on his NER record label in the case of Strength Through Joy and Somewhere In Europe or guesting with them as he has done with Forseti. He also, on Death in June's Brown Book, gave Fire + Ice's [[Ian Read (musician)|Ian Read]] his first exposure. Through work with former Death in June member Tony Wakeford's Sol Invictus and solo work in Fire + Ice, [[Ian Read (musician)|Ian Read]] has also become a significant figure in this field, as documented in Diesel and Gerich's ''Looking for Europe''.


===Masks===
The subject of camouflage has also appeared in the lyrics of Death In June, notably in the song "Hidden Among The Leaves" - A reference to the [[Japan|Japanese]] [[Hagakure]].
He has stated that the masks have no meaning. <ref>http://www.deathinjune.org/interview2011-pride-culturagay/</ref>


===Camouflage===
[[image:Totenkopf6.jpg|175px|thumb|right|The Totenkopf-6.]]
Specific varieties of [[camouflage]] are regularly worn by Pearce and appear on various Death in June releases. Most commonly, the variety of camouflage used is the German World War II [[Waffen-SS]] autumnal [[Erbsenmuster]]/"pea pattern" (usually on original items) though sometimes the modern [[Bundeswehr]] [[Flecktarn]] or possibly the post-WWII Austrian Fleckerlteppich pattern is used. The subject of camouflage has also appeared in the lyrics of Death in June, notably in the song "Hidden Among the Leaves", a reference to the Japanese [[Hagakure]].{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}


===Totenkopf-6===
===Totenkopf-6===
[[File:Totenkopf6.jpg|175px|thumb|right|The Totenkopf-6]]
A slightly grinning skull, framed by a circle and a small 6 in the lower right corner. Death in June has, since at least the ''State Laughter/Holy Water'' (1982) 7", used variations of the Prussian [[Totenkopf]] or ''Death's Head'' symbol. Pearce has stated repeatedly that the symbol is not an endorsement of [[extermination camp]] atrocities and the symbol far outdates the [[Third Reich]], having been used by the [[Prussia|Prussian]] army under [[Frederick the Great]]. Although the particular version used by Death In June is a modified, faintly grinning version of the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] insignia. Pearce has stated the symbolism is clear: "The Totenkopf for Death, and the six for the sixth month - June." [http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=22]

[[image:Whiphand.jpg|175px|thumb|left|The Whip-Hand.]]
A slightly grinning skull, framed by a circle and a small 6 in the lower right corner. Death in June has, since at least the ''State Laughter / Holy Water'' 7″, used variations of the Prussian [[Totenkopf]] or "Death's Head" symbol. Indeed, there is another explanation that has been given by Pearce, he has also stated that it symbolises "total commitment" to the group, akin to the total commitment seen by soldiers of the SS.{{cn|date=September 2024}}


===Whip-Hand===
===Whip-Hand===
[[File:Whiphand.jpg|175px|thumb|left|The Whip-Hand]]
A studded, gloved hand holding a whip surrounded by a circle and a small 6 in the lower right corner. This symbol has been used by Death In June since at least the ''[[She Said Destroy]]'' (1984) 7"/12", stated by Pearce to signify "Control" and relates to ''having the whip hand'', an English expression. [http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=22] The hand is gloved, giving it both a [[Middle Ages|medieval]] and [[Sexual fetishism|fetishistic]] element, and is often used either in place of the totenkopf or with it. This symbol was used later than the totenkopf and is usually secondary to it. As with the ''totenkopf-6'', the 6 presumably refers to June.

A studded, gloved hand holding a whip surrounded by a circle and a small 6 in the lower right corner. This symbol has been used by Death in June since at least the ''She Said Destroy'' 7″/12″, stated by Pearce to signify control and relates to ''having the whip hand'', a British expression.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} The hand is gloved, giving it both a medieval and fetishistic element, and is often used either in place of the Totenkopf or with it. This symbol was used later than the Totenkopf and is usually secondary to it. Although there are no available statements from Pierce on the subject, the glove shows remarkable similarities with the symbol adopted by the [[17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen|17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 'Götz von Berlichingen']]. As with the Totenkopf-6, the 6 refers to June.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}


===Three Bars===
===Three Bars===
Three parallel, up-standing vertical bars accompanied by a small six in the lower right corner. Although a very basic symbol, this symbol likely originates, for the use of Death In June, from the 1943 Kursk version of the insignia of the 3rd SS Panzer Division "Totenkopf". It may have been used to signify the three members of Death In June at the time. Scantly used afterwards for the purpose of Death In June, it first appeared on the ''[[Lesson One: Misanthropy!]]'' (1986) LP and is rarely used when not referring directly to this period of Death In June.
Three parallel, up-standing vertical bars accompanied by a small six in the lower right corner. Although a very basic symbol, this symbol likely originates, for the use of Death in June, from the 1943 [[Battle of Kursk]] version of the insignia of the [[3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf]]. This symbol was used as vehicle markings on the vehicles of that unit. It may have been used to signify the three members of Death in June at the time. Scantly used afterwards for the purpose of Death in June, it first appeared on the ''Lesson One: Misanthropy!'' LP and is rarely used when not referring directly to this period of Death in June.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}


===Runes===
===Runes===
Ancient [[germanic paganism|Germanic pre-Christian culture]] has been more and more a common theme for Death In June with each successive release. [[Runic alphabet|Runic]] text has appeared on many Death In June albums, as well as references to runes in the lyrics of the songs themselves.


The [[Odal rune]] has sometimes been used by Pearce. This can be seen very visibly on the ''Come Before Christ and Murder Love'' 7″ cover. The [[Algiz|algiz rune]] has often been used by Pearce for non-album Death in June purposes, appearing sometimes with a circle around it as seen on ''The World That Summer'' 2×LP, on the official website and elsewhere.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
In a 2005 interview with the Heathen Harvest Webzine, Pearce states: "I'm very happy about that because I see Death In June as part of a European cultural revival. I'm pleased that the Old Gods are being resurrected, for want of a better word. Old symbols. I feel very pleased that I am a part of that process and that I have had influence. At this stage in the game, so to speak, it's not false modesty to say that I am content with my influence."[http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=108]


==Controversies==
=====Personal Bind Rune=====
Death in June frequently utilizes costumes and imagery which invoke that of the [[Nazi Party]].<ref name=Funcheon>{{cite web |url=https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/music/death-in-june-skinheads-say-band-is-racist-7412464|title=Death in June: Skinheads Say Band Is Racist |last=Funcheon |first=Deirdra |date=December 3, 2015 |publisher=Broward Palm Beach New Times |access-date=2023-03-19 }}</ref> Pearce played down the band's imagery, saying, "Obviously people have fallen into the trap of taking it on a surface value. That is their problem."<ref name=Funcheon/> In 1995, Pearce said, "At the start of the eighties, Tony [Wakeford] and I were involved in radical left politics and beneath it history students. In search of a political view for the future we came across [[National Bolshevism]] which is closely connected with the [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] hierarchy. People like [[Gregor Strasser]] and [[Ernst Röhm]] who were later known as 'second revolutionaries' attracted our attention."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Forbes |first=Robert |title=Misery and Purity: A History and Personal Interpretation of Death In June |publisher=Jara Press |year=1995 |isbn=0952556200 |pages=15}}</ref>
This is a combination of runes that is etched on to the ''[[To Drown A Rose]]'' (1986) 10" and the original cover for ''Rose Clouds of Holocaust'' (1995) LP. Pearce has also this [[bind rune]] as something of a signature.


During the [[Yugoslav Wars]] in 1992, Death in June released the live album ''Something Is Coming'', with proceeds going to a hospital organised by the far-right [[Croatian Defence Forces]]. In 1996, multiple Death in June songs were released on a tribute album to Third Reich director [[Leni Riefenstahl]], best known for directing Nazi propaganda films such as ''[[Triumph of the Will]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Death in June: a Nazi band? - Midwest Unrest {{!}} libcom.org |url=https://libcom.org/article/death-june-nazi-band-midwest-unrest |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=libcom.org |language=en}}</ref>
According to Pearce:
"In 1986 whilst staying with Tibet in his flat in [[Freya Aswynn|Freya Aswynn's]] house in north London over a period of 3 nights I dreamed I was falling in a sort of rain of indistinct runes. On each seperate night I managed to concentrate enough on one particular rune to stop it from spinning and moving so I could actually see which one it was. When I awoke I made a note of it. After 3 nights the dream stopped and I decided to try and form an 'appropriate' bind rune from the original 3. This I did and after Freya saw it I basically was given a 'thumbs up' about the whole thing. It definitely does not refer to my name but it definitely does refer to ME." [http://dagaz-music.com/interviews/pdf/DouglasP0402.pdf]


On 19 November 1998, Death in June was scheduled to play with [[Boyd Rice]], [[Fire + Ice]], and [[Der Blutharsch]] in [[Lausanne]], Switzerland. A day prior to the scheduled show, Pearce appeared wearing a sign, restrained by two men (Boyd Rice and Albin Julius) in ape suits wearing Third Reich-era [[swastika]] armbands. He gave a press conference announcing that he had been banned for the first time from playing live. After pressure from a local activist group, the decision was made by the local chief of police Bernard Metraux, due to perceived ambiguity, to not allow Pearce to appear on stage. However, Rice, Fire + Ice and Der Blutharsch were allowed to take the stage. A petition for the resignation of Metraux circulated amongst concertgoers at the show and eventually equaled 184 signatures.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sanctuary.ch/report/DeathInJune/Petition.htm |title=Online copy of the petition |access-date=1 January 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051017140622/http://www.sanctuary.ch/report/DeathInJune/Petition.htm |archive-date=17 October 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the concert, a man appearing to be Pearce took the stage and revealed himself to be Rice. Rice performed an altered rendition of Death in June's "C'est un rêve" to commemorate the event. This rendition of the song was later credited to "NON & Freunde", and was released on the ''Der Tod im Juni'' compilation. After the concert, a website was created by Swiss fans featuring photographs recording the event.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sanctuary.ch/report/DeathInJune |title=Death in June |access-date=1 January 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051018103855/http://www.sanctuary.ch/report/DeathInJune/ |archive-date=18 October 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=====Odal rune=====
The [[odal rune]] has sometimes been used by Pearce, if inverted. This can be seen very visibly on the ''Come Before Christ And Murder Love'' (1984) 7" cover.


A Death in June concert was scheduled to take place at a venue called [[The Empty Bottle]] on 13 December 2003, with Der Blutharsch and Changes. Initially, a group calling themselves the Center for New Community applied pressure to the owner of the club, Bruce Finkelman. Finkelman, who is Jewish, and his staff, which contains African Americans, initially decided the show would go on, feeling there was insufficient evidence to cancel the performance.<ref name="DEROGATAS2003">DeRogatas, Jim. [http://www.jimdero.com/News2003/BottleDec17.htm "Nazis or not? Censorship keeps fans from deciding"], Chicago Sun-Times, 17 December 2003.</ref> Debate continued on The Empty Bottle's website, fueled partially by an email and ten-day telephone campaign waged by the Center for New Community to ban the event. Finkelman offered a compromise: He invited the CNC to distribute anti-racist information within the venue, as well as any other group that wished to do so, and offered to give the venue's proceeds of the concert to the [[Anti-Defamation League]]. The CNC refused.<ref name="DEROGATAS2003" /> Finkelman, feeling the pressure, started to relent and decided to remove Changes from the bill. As the controversy mounted from complaints regarding the band due to the Center for New Community's campaign, he eventually cancelled the night altogether. Due to the mounting pressure and threats of violence by other groups, Finkelman expressed regret for this decision, describing the censorship as a "black mark on the arts community" and continued to encourage open discussion instead of censorship.<ref name="DEROGATAS2003" /> The venue was moved to Deja Vu, another venue in Chicago that Saturday. Members of [[Anti-Racist Action]] began to gather at the venue. The concert was cancelled by the venue owners just before it was scheduled to begin, due to violence between Anti-Racist Action and fans of Death in June.<ref name="DEROGATAS2003" />
=====Algiz rune=====
The [[Algiz|algiz rune]] has often been used by Pearce for non-album Death In June purposes, appearing sometimes with a circle around it as seen on ''The World That Summer'' 2xLP (1986), on the official website and elsewhere.


On 21 December 2005, the [[Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons]] in Germany banned all sales and distribution of ''Rose Clouds of Holocaust'' to minors. The title track has been accused of promoting [[Holocaust denial]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The National Action Trial, Nazi Fetishism, and the Neo-folk Conundrum – Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right |url=https://www.radicalrightanalysis.com/2018/11/29/the-national-action-trial-nazi-fetishism-and-the-neo-folk-conundrum/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Pearce appealed the ban, claiming that his usage of the word "holocaust" references its original Greek meaning of "burnt offerings" and not [[The Holocaust]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Article:Statement1 – Death In June Archive |url=http://www.deathinjune.org/articlestatement1/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The 1987 album [[Brown Book (album)|''Brown Book'']] was also banned for containing lyrics of the Nazi Party's national anthem "[[Horst-Wessel-Lied]]", which violates [[Strafgesetzbuch section 86a]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The National Action Trial, Nazi Fetishism, and the Neo-folk Conundrum – Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right |url=https://www.radicalrightanalysis.com/2018/11/29/the-national-action-trial-nazi-fetishism-and-the-neo-folk-conundrum/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Controversy==
Detractors have accused Death In June of being [[neo-Nazi]], [[fascist]], and [[racist]]. Protests have been staged and occasional performances cancelled due to these accusations. [http://www.jimdero.com/News2003/BottleDec17.htm].


In 2013, a Death in June concert in [[Salem, Massachusetts]] was cancelled and relocated 65 miles away to [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] because of security concerns related to threats of protest.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Steven A. |last=Rosenberg |agency=The Boston Globe |title=Band banned in Salem ends up playing at Lucky Dog |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/east-valley/2013/09/21/band-banned-in-salem-ends/44223700007/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref>
Justification for the cancellations stem from strong aversions to the symbolism of Death In June coupled with an interpretation of select lyrics as containing deliberate Third Reich-era imagery and tropes. When questioned about his interest in the Third Reich, Pearce has responded: "I've an interest in all aspects of the Third Reich. It has had such a huge influence on the world, who could fail to be intrigued by it? However, I've still read more pages of ''[[Das Kapital]]'' than ''[[Mein Kampf]]''!"[http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/articles/article.php?id=23]


In 2017, Oregon record label [[Soleilmoon Recordings]] was listed on the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]]'s hate group registry for distributing albums by Death in June, and [[Boyd Rice]]'s project NON.<ref name="Schmid">{{cite web |url=https://www.wweek.com/news/business/2017/02/21/a-northeast-portland-record-label-lands-on-a-national-hate-group-registry/ |title=A Northeast Portland Record Label Lands on a National Hate-Group Registry |last=Schmid |first=Thacher |date=February 21, 2017 |publisher=Willamette Week |access-date=2023-03-19}}</ref> Charles Powne, the label's owner, denied that Soleilmoon was racist, and said that Pearce and Rice are not racist either.<ref name="Schmid" /> The SPLC pointed out a 1996 quote from Pearce where he proudly aligned with Eurocentric racialism: "I am totally [[Eurocentrism|Eurocentric]]. I'm not overly concerned with the past but I do care about the present and the future. European culture, morals, ethics, whatever are under attack from all sides these days."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement regarding Soleilmoon Recordings and Death In June |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/03/07/statement-regarding-soleilmoon-recordings-and-death-june |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |language=en}}</ref>
Pearce, who is openly [[homosexual]], has also collaborated with various ethnic [[Jew|Jews]] throughout his discography, the official Death In June site sports an Israeli flag and Death In June played live in [[Israel]] on [[June 18]], 2004 for a dominantly Jewish audience.


When asked about his views on racial purity, Pearce responded, "I prefer to suck, white, uncircumcised cocks of a certain age so I suppose that rules out quite a few races and religions in one huge act of sexual discrimination. However, that's natural selection for you. It follows on that, of course race is important to me!"<ref>{{Cite web |title=White, Uncircumcised Cocks: An Interview With Death In June's Douglas Pearce |website=Dagobert's Revenge Magazine |url=https://www.dagobertsrevenge.com/ae/musick/dij.html#white |date=2000 |access-date=2023-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124112729/https://www.dagobertsrevenge.com/ae/musick/dij.html#white |archive-date=24 January 2021 }}</ref>
===Censored in Lausanne, Switzerland===
On [[November 19]], 1998 Death In June was scheduled to play with Boyd Rice, Fire + Ice and Der Blutharsch in [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]]. A day prior the scheduled show, Pearce appeared wearing a sign restrained by two men (Boyd Rice and Albin Julius) in ape suits wearing [[Third Reich]]-era [[swastika]] arm bands and gave a press conference announcing that he had been banned for the first time from playing live.


==References==
After pressure from a local activist group, the decision was made by local Swiss chief of police [[Bernard Metraux]] due to perceived "ambiguity" to not allow Pearce to appear on stage but Rice, Fire + Ice and Der Blutharsch were allowed to take the stage.
{{reflist}}

A [[petition]][http://www.sanctuary.ch/report/DeathInJune/Petition.htm] for the resignation of Metraux circulated amongst concert goers at the show and eventually equalled 184 signatures. At the show, a man appearing to be Pearce took the stage and revealed himself to be Rice. Rice performed an altered rendition of Death In June's "C'est Un Rêve" to commemorate the event. This rendition of the song would later be credited to "NON & Freunde" and released on the ''[[Der Tod Im Juni]]'' compilation.

After the show, a website[http://www.sanctuary.ch/report/DeathInJune/] was erected by Swiss fans featuring photographs recording the event. Pearce later recorded a song about the censorship on ''Operation Hummingbird'' in 1998.

In a 2005 interview with Pearce, he recalls the event: "This has to do with politics, not to do with me because they had a local election and they thought I was going to bring an army of skinheads to Lausanne and destroy the city. Because they've heard from someone in Germany who contacted a policeman in Bern. And the policeman in Bern contacted the authorities in Lausanne. This is like gossip. This is like fishwives. This is like old women. I don't care about old women gossiping. If at the end of the day, it means I don't play, good, I don't want to play in the city of old women talking about people behind their backs. And they are so stupid they believe in all the rumours.

When I had a meeting with the Council a day before the concert, they were absolutely petrified of me. I wanted to play the records and say 'I am not going to destroy you' but they were just so scared. Because they were worried about their political future. They were not thinking about Death in June as Being a Nazi group, they are thinking that I, Jean Pierre Nobody, want to be Mayor of this town and I must win the good citizens over of this town to my calls and, therefore, I will be a knight in shining armour, I will always stand up to those things that everybody hates. So, I will stand up to Nazi, skinhead hordes that are coming to destroy Lausanne.

Of course, there were no Nazi, skinhead hordes and I didn't play and they got elected. So, life goes on. The fishwives got their wave (sic)."[http://www.gothicinfo.net/site/index.php?id=19&article=100]

===Censored in Chicago, Illinois===
Death In June were banned a second time in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] USA. The show was scheduled to take place at a local venue called [[The Empty Bottle]] on [[December 13]], 2003 with Der Blutharsch and [[Changes (band)|Changes]]. Intially, pressure from a group calling themselves the ''[[Center for New Community]]'' was applied to the owner of the club, Bruce Finkelman. Finkelman, who is Jewish, and his staff, which contains [[African Americans]], initially decided the show would go on, feeling there was insufficient evidence to censor the performance.[http://www.jimdero.com/News2003/BottleDec17.htm]

Debate continued on the The Empty Bottle's website, fueled partially by an e-mail and 10 day telephone campaign waged by the CNC to ban the event. Finkelman offered a compromise: He invited the CNC to distribute anti-racist information within the venue, as well as any other group that wished to do so and offered to give the venue's proceeds of the show to the [[Anti-Defamation League]]. The CNC refused.

Finkleman, feeling the pressure, started to relent and decided to remove Changes from the bill. As the controversy mounted from largely misinformed complaints regarding the band due to the CNC's campaign, he eventually cancelled the night altogether. Due to the mounting pressure and threats of violence by other groups, Finkelman expressed regret for this decision, describing the censorship as a "black mark on the arts community" and continued to encourage open discussion instead of censorship.

The venue was moved to Deja Vu, another venue in Chicago that Saturday. [[Anti-Racist Action]] began to gather at the venue, resulting in violence against fans of Death In June and the concert was canceled by the venue owners just before it was scheduled to begin.

==Discography==
===Albums and EPs===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Format, Special Notes
|-
|[[1981]]
| ''[[Heaven Street]]''
|[[12"]]
|-
|[[1982]]
|''State Laughter/Holy Water''
|[[7"]]
|-
|[[1983]]
|''[[The Guilty Have No Pride]]''
|[[Vinyl record|LP]]
|-
|[[1984]]</td>
|''[[Burial (album)|Burial]]''</td>
|LP
|-
|1984
|''[[She Said Destroy]]''
|12"/7"
|-
|[[1985]]</td>
|''[[Nada!]]''</td>
|LP
|-
|1985
|''Born Again''
|12"
|-
|1985
|''Come Before Christ And Murder Love''</td>
|12"/7"
|-
|[[1986]]
|''[[The World That Summer]]''
|2xLP
|-
|1986
|''[[Lesson 1: Misanthropy]]''
|LP
|-
|[[1987]]
|''To Drown A Rose''
|10"
|-
|1987
|''[[Brown Book (album)|Brown Book]]''
|LP
|-
|1987
|''[[Oh How We Laughed]]''
|Live LP/CD, semi-official.
|-
|[[1989]]
|''[[93 Dead Sunwheels]]''
|EP/CD
|-
|1989
|''[[The Corn Years]]''
|CD
|-
|[[1990]]
|''[[The Wall Of Sacrifice]]''
|LP/CD
|-
|1990
|''1888''
|[[Extended play|EP]], split with [[Current 93]].
|-
|[[1991]]
|''[[The Cathedral Of Tears]]''
|CD
|-
|[[1992]]
|''Death In June/[[Les Joyaux De La Princesse]] - [[Ostenbraun]]''
|2x cassette/CD
|-
|1992
|''[[But, What Ends When The Symbols Shatter?]]''
|LP/CD
|-
|1992
|''Paradise Rising''
|12"/CDS
|-
|1992
|''[[Death In June/Current 93/Sol Invictus]]''
|CD, previously a bootleg before official release.
|-
|[[1993]]
|''[[Cathedral Of Tears]]''
|12"/CDS
|-
|1993
|''[[Something Is Coming]]''
|2xLP/2xCD
|-
|[[1994]]
|''Sun Dogs''</td>
|7"/[[CDS]]</td>
|-
|[[1995]]
|''[[Rose Clouds Of Holocaust]]''
|LP/CD
|-
|1995
|''Black Whole Of Love''
|CDS 7", 10", 12" box set
|-
|1995
|''[[Death In June Presents: Occidental Martyr]]''
|10" LP/CD
|-
|[[1996]]
|''[[Death In June Presents: KAPO!]]''
|LP/CD
|-
|[[1997]]</td>
|''Die Schuldigen und der Nebel: The Guilty Have No Past/Night And Fog''</td>
|2xCD box set, previously a bootleg before official release.
|-
|1997
|''DISCriminate ('81-'97)''
|2xCD, "a compilation of personal choice," previously released material.
|-
|[[1998]]
|''[[Take Care & Control]]''
|LP/CD
|-
|1998
|''[[Kameradschaft (album)|Kameradschaft]]''
|CDS
|-
|1998
|''Passion! Power!! Purge!!!''
|CDS
|-
|[[1999]]
|''[[Der Tod Im Juni]]''
|CD
|-
|1999
|''[[Heilige!]]''
|CD
|-
|[[2000]]
|''[[Operation Hummingbird]]''
|LP/CD
|-
|2000
|''Death In June''/[[Fire and Ice (band)|Fire + Ice]] - ''[[We Said Destroy]]''
|7"
|-
|[[2001]]
|''[[All Pigs Must Die]]''
|LP/CD
|-
|[[2004]]
|''Alarm Agents (as Death In June and Boyd Rice)''</td>
|LP/Coloured Vinyl/CD
|-
|[[2005]]
|''Abandon Tracks''
|2xLP/CD. Rare and previously unreleased material.
|-
|}

===Compilations===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Format, Special Notes
|-
|1983
|''[[The Angels Are Coming]]''
|2x cassette
|-
|1983
|''[[New Horizons (album)|New Horizons]]''
|Cassette
|-
|1984
|''[[From Torture To Conscience]]''
|LP, [[New European Recordings|NER]] compilation.
|-
|1990
|''[[Sacred War]]''
|CD
|-
|1994
|''[[Im Blutfeuer]]''
|CD
|-
|1996
|''[[The Pact...]]''
|CD
|-
|1996
|''[[Riefenstahl]]''
|2xCD
|-
|1996
|''[[Terra Serpentes]]''
|2xCD
|-
|1998
|''[[Thorak]]''
|CD
|-
|1999
|''[[Torture Garden - Bizarre & Eccentric Music]]''
|CD
|-
|1999
|''[[Hate People Like Us]]''
|CD, 2xCD
|-
|1999
|''[[Der Tod Im Juni]]''
|CD in metal tin.
|-
|2002
|''[[Fire Danger Season]]''
|3xCD + shaped-CD, contains a Der Blutharsch cover by Death In June.
|-
|2003
|''[[Steel Night]]''
|4xCD box, 1 disc for Death In June. Recorded live at Stigma Festival 2001.
|-
|}

==Reference==
* ''Misery and Purity: A History and Personal Interpretation'' by Robert Forbes ([http://www.fluxeuropa.com/dij-misery.htm review])


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
===Official Sites===
* [http://www.deathinjune.net/ Official Death in June Site]
* {{Official|http://www.deathinjune.net/}}
* [http://www.deathinjune.org/ Official French-speaking Death in June Site]
* {{Official|http://www.deathinjune.org/}} {{in lang|fr}}
:* [http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/articles/index.php?cat_id=1 Archive Of Death In June Interviews]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070626181651/http://www.deathinjune.org/modules/mediawiki/index.php/Interviews Archive Of Death in June Interviews]
* [http://deathinjune.info/ Official Death In June Merchandise for Europe]


{{Death in June}}
===Unofficial sites===
{{Authority control}}
====E-lists====
* [http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/deathinjune/ Death In June Discussion List]
* [http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/di6/ Take Care & Control Discussion List]
====Live====
* [http://www.fluxeuropa.com/review.htm?item=68 Review of Concert aboard HMS President, The Thames, London, November 22 2003]
* [http://www.geocities.com/hagshadow1/dij.html Images of Concert at The Slimelight, London, April 4th, 2002]
* [http://www.funprox.com/content/pivot/entry.php?id=22 Review of Concert at The Steeple, Waregem, Belgium, April 30th, 2002 with Boyd Rice/NON]
* [http://www.heimdallr.ch/Live_Reports/2001/Brusselsgb.html Review of Concert at Brussels, Belgium, April 1st, 2001 with Les Joyaux De La Princesse, Tribe of Circle and Der Blutharsch]
* [http://music.gothic.ru/events/dij/dij-ph1.htm Performance Images from a Russian Concert (In Russian)]
* [http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20050412075254718 Review of Death In June Concert at The Elysium night club in Austin, Texas, April 8th 2005]
* [http://www.heathenharvest.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Death-In-June-live-at-the-Elysium-night-club-in-Austin%2C-Texas%2C-April-8th-2005 Images of Concert at The Elysium night club in Austin, Texas, April 8th 2005]


[[Category:British industrial music groups]]
====Misc====
[[Category:English post-punk music groups]]
* [http://www.vamp.org/Gothic/Text/dij.html An overview of early DIJ material dating from the early 1990's by Harvey D. Thornburg.]
[[Category:Masked musicians]]
* [http://www.geocities.com/aleph_lamed/dij.html A fan's analysis of Death In June.]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1981]]

[[Category:Folk music groups]]
[[Category:Industrial music groups]]
[[Category:LGBT musical groups]]
[[Category:Neofolk music groups]]
[[Category:Neofolk music groups]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in music]]

[[Category:Soleilmoon artists]]
[[de:Death in June]]
[[fr:Death in June]]

Latest revision as of 00:58, 13 September 2024

Death in June
Background information
OriginEngland
Genres
Years active1981–present
LabelsNER
MembersDouglas P.
Past membersPatrick Leagas
Tony Wakeford
David Tibet
Boyd Rice
John Murphy
Richard Butler
Websitewww.deathinjune.net

Death in June are a neofolk group led by English musician Douglas P. (Douglas Pearce). The band was originally formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 as a trio. However, after the other members left in 1984 and 1985 to work on other projects, the group became the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators. Over the band's four decades of existence, they have made numerous shifts in style and presentation, resulting in an overall shift from initial post-punk and industrial music influence to a more acoustic and folk music-oriented approach. Douglas P.'s influence was instrumental in sparking neofolk, of which his music has subsequently become a part.

History

[edit]

Origin

[edit]
Main article: Crisis (band)

Pearce formed Death in June in 1981 in England, along with Patrick Leagas and Tony Wakeford. Pearce and Wakeford had been members of the openly left-wing and anti-fascist punk rock band Crisis, which formed in 1977. Crisis had gained a substantial following in the UK punk subculture. Crisis performed at rallies for The Right to Work, Rock Against Racism, and the Anti-Nazi League.[1]

Early Death in June (1981–1985)

[edit]

Death in June soon left the punk scene behind and began to infuse their sound with electronics and martial style drumming, combined with a Joy Division-influenced post-punk sound. Then a few years later to the synth-heavy folk style with acoustic guitar. The synths were phased out. The later music had atmospheric sound loops, dialogue samples, industrial beats, etc. added. Their lyrics maintained much of the poetry and political urgency of the early Crisis recordings. Tracks such as the early single sides "Holy Water" and "State Laughter" demonstrated an ongoing fascination with political systems. The new name of the band came from an in-studio mishearing of "death and gloom".[2]

In early 1984, Wakeford was fired from Death in June for "bringing his 'right-wing leanings into the group'"; at the time he had been a member of the National Front (UK).[3] Further on, Douglas P. would abandon any overt interest in politics in favor of a more esoteric approach to his work.

Introduction of folk music

[edit]

For 1984's Burial LP, Death in June began to adopt a more traditional European folk sound, using more acoustic guitars, references to ancient and contemporary European history, and combining heavy percussion with electronic soundscapes and post-industrial experimentation.

Nada! flirtation with dance music

[edit]

The Nada! (1985) LP introduced a temporary dance sound to Death in June accompanied by other tracks with the previously introduced folk elements. Douglas P. would later state this period was brought about by Patrick Leagas, which is further justified by Leagas' other work as Sixth Comm and later by his joining Mother Destruction, where he would further explore themes of Germanic paganism and historically inspired music.

Patrick Leagas departs

[edit]

Patrick Leagas abruptly left the group in April 1985 after a tour of Italy, resulting in many cancelled shows in the UK and Europe due to follow that tour. Leagas, who began calling himself Patrick O-Kill, later formed Sixth Comm. Thereafter, Death in June has consisted solely of the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators.

Mid-period Death in June (1985–1996)

[edit]

Creation of World Serpent Distribution

[edit]

In 1991, Douglas P. named and helped form World Serpent Distribution;[citation needed] a British distribution company that specialized in esoteric, experimental and post-industrial music, which would distribute his NER releases until the late 1990s. During this period, Pearce collaborated with many artists who also had material distributed through the company in various ways.

Collaboration with David Tibet

[edit]

David Tibet formed Current 93 in 1982. After being introduced to Douglas P. by Alan McGee of Creation Records at the Living Room Club, London in 1983, Tibet eventually began working with Death in June. Upon meeting Tibet, Douglas P. began to devote more of his time to a new circle of collaborators, who introduced him to various Thelemic, Satanic and Hermetic disciplines that markedly affected his approach to composing music. Familiar with the Runic alphabet, Douglas P. introduced them to Tibet. Tibet similarly had been long interested in magic and religion and implemented these concepts in his early recordings with Current 93.

Douglas P. introduced a folk influence to Current 93/David Tibet, who in turn contributed to Death in June's Nada! (1985) LP and its remix version titled 93 Dead Sunwheels (1989), as well as the albums The World That Summer, Brown Book, and The Wall of Sacrifice. He continued his work with Death in June, ending their collaborations with a contribution to the (1995) LP, Rose Clouds of Holocaust before their eventual split.

Collaboration with Boyd Rice begins

[edit]

Experimental musician Boyd Rice was a friend of the group and had documented one of their earliest performances back in 1982. He was later invited to contribute a spoken word piece to The Wall of Sacrifice LP. From then on, a long series of recording collaborations continued between Boyd Rice and Douglas P. which included the albums Music, Martinis and Misanthropy, In the Shadow of the Sword, Heaven Sent, God & Beast, Wolf Pact, and finally Alarm Agents. Douglas P. also made a small appearance acting alongside Boyd Rice in the film Pearls Before Swine.

Collaboration with LJDLP

[edit]

Les Joyaux De La Princesse collaborated with Douglas P. on the Östenbräun double cassette release. Douglas P. sent LJDLP source material, which LJDLP would remix and send back.[citation needed] Douglas P. would later appear live with Les Joyaux De La Princesse for a joint show in 2001.[citation needed]

Collaboration with John Murphy begins

[edit]

Douglas P., having moved to Australia, came back into contact with John Murphy of Knifeladder and previously of SPK. Murphy began playing live percussion with Death in June during tours from 1996 onwards. From 2000, a period of very stripped down, largely acoustic live performances for Death in June began up until Douglas P. announced no further live shows in 2005. In September 2011, a European tour was announced commemorating the 30th anniversary of the group's foundation in 1981. However the tour started off in Sydney, Australia without the actual inclusion of John Murphy; Murphy died on 11 October 2015.

Contemporary Death in June (1996–present)

[edit]

Collaboration with Albin Julius

[edit]

After queuing to meet his idol Douglas P. backstage at a performance in Munich in December 1996, Albin Julius of Der Blutharsch later collaborated and toured throughout Europe between 1998 and 2000 with Death in June. Together, they produced the albums Take Care & Control and Operation Hummingbird, as well as the live album Heilige!. In comparison to previous Death In June works the material on these albums is primarily sample based, building on musical motifs from the likes of Richard Wagner, Franz Schubert, French 1960s pop icon Serge Gainsbourg, amongst others. The two albums mark a significant departure from previous or subsequent Death In June material, featuring very little by way of Pearce's guitar, and could be classified as a part of the martial music genre. This is itself a genre which Pearce had arguably invented in 1986 on The World That Summer album with tracks like "Death of a Man" and again in 1989 on The Wall of Sacrifice album with the title track and "Death is a Drummer". Pearce wrote a song loosely inspired by an untitled Der Blutharsch song for the Fire Danger Season Der Blutharsch tribute compilation. The track title was later created/revealed as "Many Enemies Bring Much Honour", which also appears on the rework and rarity album Abandon Tracks!.

Demise of World Serpent Distribution

[edit]

The late 1990s marked the beginning of a court case between Death in June and World Serpent Distribution regarding payment and distribution issues with several other artists that were then on the label. This led to many artists that had sided with or had a similar experience to Pearce's leaving the distribution company and largely moving to Tesco Distribution Germany, as well as other then well established labels such as Eis & Licht. Eventually, Pearce was issued an out of court settlement for the case, which, according to him, led to the demise of World Serpent Distribution.[citation needed] This led to reissues of most of the major albums in the Death in June discography being made freely available, with overhauled, deluxe packaging and a considerably cheaper price.

Collaboration with Andreas Ritter

[edit]

On the All Pigs Must Die LP, Pearce was assisted by Andreas Ritter of the neofolk group Forseti who played accordion on a few tracks on the first half of the LP. This marked a return to the previous folk sound of Death in June. Death in June have also appeared live with Forseti and Pearce appeared on Forseti's Windzeit LP.

After Andreas Ritter suffered a stroke and subsequent loss of memory and ability to play musical instruments, Pearce contributed acoustic versions of Death in June songs to a tribute album to Ritter entitled Forseti Lebt released in August 2006.

Collaboration with Boyd Rice ends

[edit]

After completing the Alarm Agents LP, Pearce announced it would be his final collaboration with Rice, citing the decision as having been mutually decided during the recording of Alarm Agents in a studio situated in a valley in Wellington, New Zealand as helicopters flew beneath the two of them. Pearce recalls: "We turned toward each other and said, 'This is going to be the last collaboration. It can't get better than this.'"[citation needed] In 2013, in order to dismiss all speculation and questions about future collaborations between Pearce and Rice, Rice announced via Facebook that he had severed personal and business relationships with Pearce.[citation needed]

Collaboration with Miro Snejdr

[edit]

In April 2009, users of the Death in June Yahoo Group pointed the YouTube videos from pianist Miro Snejdr doing covers of classic Death in June titles: "I watched the videos Miro had posted on YouTube of instrumental songs from Death In June's The Rule of Thirds album and was very impressed. Courtesy of these members of the DIJ group we were put in contact with each other."[4] Consequently, the piano-based album Peaceful Snow was released in November 2010, with rearrangements by Miro Snejdr of Douglas P.'s guitar-based demo recordings. Those original recordings were later released on the album The Snow Bunker Tapes in 2013. Since 2012, Snejdr is also performing live with Death in June, either on piano or accordion.

Timeline

[edit]

Discography

[edit]
Main article: Death in June discography

Studio albums

[edit]

Collaborative albums

[edit]

Influences and aesthetics

[edit]

Influences

[edit]

Film and certain television programs have been a major influence on Death in June, sometimes being worked into compositions or referenced directly in album titles. Influential films and television shows include The World That Summer, Take a Closer Look, The Night Porter, The Prisoner, Night and Fog, and Come and See.[citation needed]

Pearce has cited Friedrich Nietzsche, the Norse Eddas, Yukio Mishima, Saxon poetry, and Jean Genet as strong influences upon his work.[citation needed] Although some of these influences have waned as the discography has increased, Genet and Mishima were quoted in the booklet of the rare track retrospective Abandon Tracks (2001).[citation needed]

Pearce has stated that Nico, Scott Walker, Ennio Morricone, Industrial Records-era industrial music, Forever Changes-era Love and traditional European folk music have all had a considerable impact upon his musical output.[citation needed]

Neofolk music

[edit]
Main article: Neofolk

Through his solo work as Death in June and central musical role in Current 93 through the mid-1980s – early 1990s, Pearce's influence was also instrumental in creating the neofolk genre. As Death in June has become more based around acoustic guitars (But What Ends When the Symbols Shatter? onwards), he has actively encouraged other acts playing this style of music whether it be releasing material on his NER record label in the case of Strength Through Joy and Somewhere In Europe or guesting with them as he has done with Forseti. He also, on Death in June's Brown Book, gave Fire + Ice's Ian Read his first exposure. Through work with former Death in June member Tony Wakeford's Sol Invictus and solo work in Fire + Ice, Ian Read has also become a significant figure in this field, as documented in Diesel and Gerich's Looking for Europe.

Masks

[edit]

He has stated that the masks have no meaning. [5]

Camouflage

[edit]

Specific varieties of camouflage are regularly worn by Pearce and appear on various Death in June releases. Most commonly, the variety of camouflage used is the German World War II Waffen-SS autumnal Erbsenmuster/"pea pattern" (usually on original items) though sometimes the modern Bundeswehr Flecktarn or possibly the post-WWII Austrian Fleckerlteppich pattern is used. The subject of camouflage has also appeared in the lyrics of Death in June, notably in the song "Hidden Among the Leaves", a reference to the Japanese Hagakure.[citation needed]

Totenkopf-6

[edit]
The Totenkopf-6

A slightly grinning skull, framed by a circle and a small 6 in the lower right corner. Death in June has, since at least the State Laughter / Holy Water 7″, used variations of the Prussian Totenkopf or "Death's Head" symbol. Indeed, there is another explanation that has been given by Pearce, he has also stated that it symbolises "total commitment" to the group, akin to the total commitment seen by soldiers of the SS.[citation needed]

Whip-Hand

[edit]
The Whip-Hand

A studded, gloved hand holding a whip surrounded by a circle and a small 6 in the lower right corner. This symbol has been used by Death in June since at least the She Said Destroy 7″/12″, stated by Pearce to signify control and relates to having the whip hand, a British expression.[citation needed] The hand is gloved, giving it both a medieval and fetishistic element, and is often used either in place of the Totenkopf or with it. This symbol was used later than the Totenkopf and is usually secondary to it. Although there are no available statements from Pierce on the subject, the glove shows remarkable similarities with the symbol adopted by the 17. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division 'Götz von Berlichingen'. As with the Totenkopf-6, the 6 refers to June.[citation needed]

Three Bars

[edit]

Three parallel, up-standing vertical bars accompanied by a small six in the lower right corner. Although a very basic symbol, this symbol likely originates, for the use of Death in June, from the 1943 Battle of Kursk version of the insignia of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf. This symbol was used as vehicle markings on the vehicles of that unit. It may have been used to signify the three members of Death in June at the time. Scantly used afterwards for the purpose of Death in June, it first appeared on the Lesson One: Misanthropy! LP and is rarely used when not referring directly to this period of Death in June.[citation needed]

Runes

[edit]

The Odal rune has sometimes been used by Pearce. This can be seen very visibly on the Come Before Christ and Murder Love 7″ cover. The algiz rune has often been used by Pearce for non-album Death in June purposes, appearing sometimes with a circle around it as seen on The World That Summer 2×LP, on the official website and elsewhere.[citation needed]

Controversies

[edit]

Death in June frequently utilizes costumes and imagery which invoke that of the Nazi Party.[6] Pearce played down the band's imagery, saying, "Obviously people have fallen into the trap of taking it on a surface value. That is their problem."[6] In 1995, Pearce said, "At the start of the eighties, Tony [Wakeford] and I were involved in radical left politics and beneath it history students. In search of a political view for the future we came across National Bolshevism which is closely connected with the SA hierarchy. People like Gregor Strasser and Ernst Röhm who were later known as 'second revolutionaries' attracted our attention."[7]

During the Yugoslav Wars in 1992, Death in June released the live album Something Is Coming, with proceeds going to a hospital organised by the far-right Croatian Defence Forces. In 1996, multiple Death in June songs were released on a tribute album to Third Reich director Leni Riefenstahl, best known for directing Nazi propaganda films such as Triumph of the Will.[8]

On 19 November 1998, Death in June was scheduled to play with Boyd Rice, Fire + Ice, and Der Blutharsch in Lausanne, Switzerland. A day prior to the scheduled show, Pearce appeared wearing a sign, restrained by two men (Boyd Rice and Albin Julius) in ape suits wearing Third Reich-era swastika armbands. He gave a press conference announcing that he had been banned for the first time from playing live. After pressure from a local activist group, the decision was made by the local chief of police Bernard Metraux, due to perceived ambiguity, to not allow Pearce to appear on stage. However, Rice, Fire + Ice and Der Blutharsch were allowed to take the stage. A petition for the resignation of Metraux circulated amongst concertgoers at the show and eventually equaled 184 signatures.[9] At the concert, a man appearing to be Pearce took the stage and revealed himself to be Rice. Rice performed an altered rendition of Death in June's "C'est un rêve" to commemorate the event. This rendition of the song was later credited to "NON & Freunde", and was released on the Der Tod im Juni compilation. After the concert, a website was created by Swiss fans featuring photographs recording the event.[10]

A Death in June concert was scheduled to take place at a venue called The Empty Bottle on 13 December 2003, with Der Blutharsch and Changes. Initially, a group calling themselves the Center for New Community applied pressure to the owner of the club, Bruce Finkelman. Finkelman, who is Jewish, and his staff, which contains African Americans, initially decided the show would go on, feeling there was insufficient evidence to cancel the performance.[11] Debate continued on The Empty Bottle's website, fueled partially by an email and ten-day telephone campaign waged by the Center for New Community to ban the event. Finkelman offered a compromise: He invited the CNC to distribute anti-racist information within the venue, as well as any other group that wished to do so, and offered to give the venue's proceeds of the concert to the Anti-Defamation League. The CNC refused.[11] Finkelman, feeling the pressure, started to relent and decided to remove Changes from the bill. As the controversy mounted from complaints regarding the band due to the Center for New Community's campaign, he eventually cancelled the night altogether. Due to the mounting pressure and threats of violence by other groups, Finkelman expressed regret for this decision, describing the censorship as a "black mark on the arts community" and continued to encourage open discussion instead of censorship.[11] The venue was moved to Deja Vu, another venue in Chicago that Saturday. Members of Anti-Racist Action began to gather at the venue. The concert was cancelled by the venue owners just before it was scheduled to begin, due to violence between Anti-Racist Action and fans of Death in June.[11]

On 21 December 2005, the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons in Germany banned all sales and distribution of Rose Clouds of Holocaust to minors. The title track has been accused of promoting Holocaust denial.[12] Pearce appealed the ban, claiming that his usage of the word "holocaust" references its original Greek meaning of "burnt offerings" and not The Holocaust.[13] The 1987 album Brown Book was also banned for containing lyrics of the Nazi Party's national anthem "Horst-Wessel-Lied", which violates Strafgesetzbuch section 86a.[14]

In 2013, a Death in June concert in Salem, Massachusetts was cancelled and relocated 65 miles away to Worcester because of security concerns related to threats of protest.[15]

In 2017, Oregon record label Soleilmoon Recordings was listed on the Southern Poverty Law Center's hate group registry for distributing albums by Death in June, and Boyd Rice's project NON.[16] Charles Powne, the label's owner, denied that Soleilmoon was racist, and said that Pearce and Rice are not racist either.[16] The SPLC pointed out a 1996 quote from Pearce where he proudly aligned with Eurocentric racialism: "I am totally Eurocentric. I'm not overly concerned with the past but I do care about the present and the future. European culture, morals, ethics, whatever are under attack from all sides these days."[17]

When asked about his views on racial purity, Pearce responded, "I prefer to suck, white, uncircumcised cocks of a certain age so I suppose that rules out quite a few races and religions in one huge act of sexual discrimination. However, that's natural selection for you. It follows on that, of course race is important to me!"[18]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "CRISIS Interviewed 2017 -new line-up of legendary punk band back in action". Louder Than War. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Death in June Bologna 8/4/85". DeBaser (in Italian). 3 May 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  3. ^ Robert, Forbes; Stampton, Eddie (9 November 2015). "1985". The White Nationalist Skinhead Movement, UK & USA, 1979-1993. Feral House. pp. 161–164. ISBN 9781627310253.
  4. ^ "Interview with Douglas P. and Miro Snejdr". Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  5. ^ http://www.deathinjune.org/interview2011-pride-culturagay/
  6. ^ a b Funcheon, Deirdra (3 December 2015). "Death in June: Skinheads Say Band Is Racist". Broward Palm Beach New Times. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  7. ^ Forbes, Robert (1995). Misery and Purity: A History and Personal Interpretation of Death In June. Jara Press. p. 15. ISBN 0952556200.
  8. ^ "Death in June: a Nazi band? - Midwest Unrest | libcom.org". libcom.org. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Online copy of the petition". Archived from the original on 17 October 2005. Retrieved 1 January 2006.
  10. ^ "Death in June". Archived from the original on 18 October 2005. Retrieved 1 January 2006.
  11. ^ a b c d DeRogatas, Jim. "Nazis or not? Censorship keeps fans from deciding", Chicago Sun-Times, 17 December 2003.
  12. ^ "The National Action Trial, Nazi Fetishism, and the Neo-folk Conundrum – Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right". Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  13. ^ "Article:Statement1 – Death In June Archive". Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  14. ^ "The National Action Trial, Nazi Fetishism, and the Neo-folk Conundrum – Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right". Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  15. ^ Rosenberg, Steven A. "Band banned in Salem ends up playing at Lucky Dog". The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  16. ^ a b Schmid, Thacher (21 February 2017). "A Northeast Portland Record Label Lands on a National Hate-Group Registry". Willamette Week. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Statement regarding Soleilmoon Recordings and Death In June". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  18. ^ "White, Uncircumcised Cocks: An Interview With Death In June's Douglas Pearce". Dagobert's Revenge Magazine. 2000. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
[edit]
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