Hailing from Northwest England and formed in 2016, Weimar’s core unit currently consists of bassist John Armstrong (The Speed of Sound), singer-songwriter and rhythm guitarist Aidan Cross (The Bacillus, Black Light Mutants), drummer Anthony ‘Eddy’ Edwards (The Deceased) and lead guitarist Stephen Sarsen (Frank Is Dead, The Bacillus, Playground).
Weimar combine an eclectic range of influences, their songs containing elements of Art Rock, Post-Punk, Cabaret, Chanson, Prog Rock, Funk, Alt Folk, Gothic Rock, Avant-Garde Jazz, Music Hall and Dark Circus. Lyrically they cover themes of the dark side of culture and human nature, drawing on a socio-political awareness as well as historical inspiration. In the spirit of their historical namesake – the German Weimar Republic of the 1920s, in which experimental art, music and cabaret saw a boom period amidst economic uncertainty – their emphasis is on the need for freedom of expression and rebellion in the face of political and social oppression. In the current turbulent political era, which has already sparked talk of ‘Weimar Britain’, this approach has a profound relevance to contemporary culture.
Weimar made their debut on the Manchester live circuit in their original incarnation, featuring Johann Kloos (The Sandells, Erick) on guitar, in late 2016. After building a loyal following on the Manchester underground during 2017–18, Weimar released their debut single, the double A-side “John Doe/Curse the Songs” – produced by Simon ‘Ding’ Archer (Pixies, The Fall, PJ Harvey) – in February 2019, to widespread critical acclaim and a hugely successful launch gig at The Eagle, Salford. Following this, they began work on the recording of their debut album at Vibratone Sound Studio, Manchester. The band’s second single, “Marvel To The State/Undesirable Master”, a collaboration with Rose Niland (Rose & the Diamond Hand, Poppycock) was released in November 2019, again to positive critical acclaim and another successful launch gig at Manchester’s Foundations Festival. A support slot for Goth legends Skeletal Family followed in January 2020. By this time, the band’s line-up featured Stephen Sarsen on lead guitar.
Weimar became noted in the music press for their diverse style and experimentation with multiple different genres.
“Weimar is a reviewer’s real nightmare when it comes to classification. We can easily imagine that if these songs were released back in the 1990’s, Steve Lamacq would tear all his hair out trying to come up with a name for what they do.” – Vanadian Avenue, Indieterra
The completion of Weimar’s album was delayed due to the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. The album was eventually completed, mixed and mastered during 2021. After almost three years in the works, the album, “Dancing On A Volcano”, finally saw its long-awaited release in June 2022, preceded by a non-album single “The Girls Of LA” in March of that year. Both single and album achieved widespread critical acclaim across the globe, with “Dancing On A Volcano” being named 10th Best Album of 2022 in Sound & Vision‘s Top 50 Albums of the year, and 2nd Best Debut Album of 2022.
2023 saw the debut of the visual feature, “Dancing On A Volcano: The Movie” on the band’s YouTube channel, consisting of videos for all 12 of the album’s tracks in sequence, combining the mediums of music and film into a distinct audio-visual experience in the form of a ‘filmic album’.
Weimar are currently working on new material for their follow-up album, and expect to make announcements later in 2024.