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Alternative Rock band formed in September 1991 in Athens, Greece.
On 12/12/1992 they performed live at Steki F.L.S. (Thessaloniki) along with 'Honeydive'. With an excellent front woman, Flora Ioannidi, one of the best voices of the greek alternative scene. On 10/5/2012 they reformed for a benefit gig at Τώρα K44 (Athens), where they performed along with 'Three Way Plane' & '45Rats'.
Greek band Make Believe played an icy post-punk variant on their 1995 mini-album Playground. Their rhythm section was a rigid post-hardcore program, but they added to this style a bit of Goth rock and shoegaze romanticism, while vocalist Flora Ioannidi sang with an authoritative level of expression a 'la
Anneke van Giersbergen or Sarah Shannon. Amidst all of this, their melodramatic refrains recalled Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam.
The verses characterized by a muted arpeggio and a dark-punk mood. There is no bad song in the bunch, but the style is one of gratuity.
This group's EP is a fascinating artifact of the mid-nineties that benefits from a great vocal performance and some flexible guitar work. They disbanded in 2000.
MEMBERS:
Vocals & lyrics: Flora Ioannidi
Guitar: Tasos Nikogiannis (1991-1993), Diamantis Kazouris (1993-2000)
Bass: Yiannis Velis
Drums: Takis Koulis (1991-1997), Giorgos Apostolou (1997 - 2000)
Το συγκρότημα ''Make Believe'' ιδρύθηκε τον Σεπτέμβριο του 1991 στην Αθήνα. Πρόκειται για ένα αγγλόφωνο ανεξάρτητο εναλλακτικό μουσικό συγκρότημα. Στην αρχική σύνθεση της μπάντας συμμετείχαν οι παρακάτω:
Φλώρα Ιωαννίδη - Φωνή
Γιάννης Βέλης - Μπάσο
Τάσος Νικογιάννης - Κιθάρα
Τάκης Κούλης - Τύμπανα
Στις 12 Δεκεμβρίου του 1992 παίξανε live στο στέκι της Φιλοσοφικής σχολής της Θεσσαλονίκης μαζί με το γκρουπ ''Honeydive''.
Το 1993 θα έρθει στην μπάντα ο Διαμαντής Καζούρας ως κιθαρίστας στην θέση του Τάσου Νικογιάννη.
Το 1994 θα γίνει η πρώτη κυκλοφορία της μπάντας ''Make Believe''. Πρόκειται για ένα 7ιντσο βινύλιο με τίτλο ''Leave Me Alone / Mess Goes On'' όπου περιείχε τα δύο τραγούδια που αναφέρονται. Η ηχογράφηση του έγινε στο Praxis Studio στις 26 Φεβρουαρίου και στις 9 Μαρτίου του 1994. Η κυκλοφορία του έγινε από το τεύχος #10 του fanzine "Στις Σκιές Του Β-23".
Την ίδια χρονιά συμμετέχουν στην συλλογή ''Toxic Babies In A Rock'n'Roll Land'' με το τραγούδι ''Floating World'' το οποίο δεν έχει συμπεριληφθεί σε κανέναν από τους δίσκους που κυκλοφόρησαν. Εκείνη την χρονιά είναι που υπογράφουν συμβόλαιο με την ανεξάρτητη δισκογραφική εταιρεία ''Hitch-Hyke Records''.
Το 1995 θα κυκλοφορήσει ο πρώτος δίσκος του συγκροτήματος ''Make Believe''. Πρόκειται για τον δίσκο ''Playground'' που κυκλοφόρησε από την ανεξάρτητη ''Hitch-Hyke Records''. Ο δίσκος κυκλοφόρησε σε 10ιντσο βινύλιο με έξι τραγούδια αλλά και σε μορφή cd η οποία περιελάμβανε οκτώ τραγούδια. Τα δυο επιπλέον τραγούδια, που είχε το cd, ήταν τα ''Leave Me Alone'' και ''Mess Goes On''
τα οποία είχαν κυκλοφορήσει το 1994 σε 7ιντσο βινύλιο από το τεύχος #10 του fanzine "Στις Σκιές Του Β-23". Τους στίχους των τραγουδιών του δίσκου ''Playground'' είχε γράψει η τραγουδίστρια του γκρουπ Φλώρα Ιωαννίδη ενώ η μουσική υπογράφεται από τους ''Make Believe''. Το καλοκαίρι του 1996 θα κυκλοφορήσει ο δίσκος τους ''Blue One''. Ο δίσκος αυτός θα κυκλοφορήσει και πάλι από την ανεξάρτητη ''Hitch-Hyke Records'' σε 12ιντσο βινύλιο αλλά και σε cd. Στα τέλη του 1999 το γκρουπ ''Make Believe'' θα κυκλοφορήσει την τελευταία του δισκογραφική δουλειά. Πρόκειται για τον δίσκο ''Wide'' που κυκλοφόρησε και αυτός από την ανεξάρτητη Hitch-Hyke Records.
Το "Wide" είναι λοιπόν το πρώτο, και μια μεγάλη γεύση είχαμε πάρει στο rockwave festival, στην παρουσιαση του από την τετράδα των Ιωαννίδη (η μαγική θηλυκή φωνή), Καζουρη (κιθάρα), Αποστόλου (drums) και Βελή (μπάσο). Τα σχόλια και οι εντυπώσεις μου δεν διαφέρουν και ιδιαίτερα
από τότε. Ενα εκ των κορυφαίων rock groups της εποχής μας, μοιάζει παγιδευμένο στις επιταγές της συντηρητικής πλέον μερίδας του εναλλακτικού ακροατηρίου, όπου η επιβεβαίωση της φόρμας αρκεί και περισσεύει. Κι όμως, οι κιθαριστικές εμβολές, η συμπαγή ρυθμική κίνηση, η τρυφερότητα που ανέδυαν οι κιθάρες και ακόμα περισσότερο η φωνή της Φλώρας Ιωαννίδη, κάποτε δεν ήταν προϊόν φαντασίας και πομπός (και δέκτης ταυτόχρονα) φρεσκάδας.
Make Believe – Playground
Label: Hitch-Hyke Records – LIFT 033
Format: CD, EP
Country: Greece
Released: 1995
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock
TRAXS
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01. Stay [4:45]
02. Stepping Out [2:32]
03. Shut Your Mind [4:05]
04. Hollow [4:07]
05. Child [5:39]
06. Lillith [2:38]
07. Leave Me Alone [4:07]
08. Mess Goes On [3:12]
Recorded By, Producer Costas Parissis
Tracks 1 to 6: Recorded in January 1995 at Praxis Studio.
Tracks 7 & 8 are bonus. Originally released as a 7'' single (B-23 Records, B-23/001, 1994) Tracks 7, 8: Taken from the 7" "Leave Me Alone / Mess Goes On"
Great Kostas !!! The fact that there are still greek bands you can put in amazing. Dirty good alternative rock. 30 min. playing time the only downside. That could been longer.
ReplyDeleteBut there are still 2 lps. How are they ??
This is their best.
DeleteI wonder how those independent records came to production. I mean I can guess that the bands paid themselves for the usually mediocre production and even the pressing of the albums. Fuck it, I wouldn't be surprised if they had to pay the venue in order to play. Not to mention the overpriced instruments. The climate was never good for bands in Greece. Since then, the scene is more or less dead.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the cause of the decline of the greek music scene ? Why is the scene as good as dead ? Was it the economic and social desaster ? Enlighten me a little what you think about it.
DeleteThere is no decline of Greek Rock scene. This is a bull shit. In this moment there are many great bands. Try to listen the last album of "Thee Holly Strangers" (2022), and then tell me about the death of the Greek Rock scene. Sorry but I can't hear Malakies.
DeleteAll the better ! I'm glad that the music scene lives in greece. I'll take care of
DeleteThe Holly....
Yesterday i got the do-cd from Modern Eon on Cherry Red. I sold the lp in 1987
in a mental stupor. What a pleasure in this quality.
My comment wasn't for you Josef, was for the unknown who wrote the comment about the Greek scene, and trust me I know very well what's going on in the Greek Rock scene.
DeleteNo problem. I know the comment wasn't for me.
DeleteI insist that the scene is long gone and dead. OK, there are various groups that somehow manage to make a record or give a few live shows of questionable success, but I don't find this enough. Do they have access to proper studios? Do they have a proper contract? Do they get any exposure or airplay? Are there decent stages to host them on a regular basis? Do they manage to make a living from music?
DeleteNot to mention that for years the market of musical instruments was so exploitative. This changed only thanks to Thomann and similar stores. And then thanks to another economic disaster the people willing to invest into a musical instrument and lessons are less and less.
In my opinion, the climate is just hostile to anything that isn't Vandi-like.
This is your opinion and it is accepted. But I don't agree. The Greek bands never had a manager to promote them, they alone put the money for the studio and their instruments and hardly any group managed to live from their music. Right now every city has a bunch of bands that will never be known. Who knows a great band from Patras who played amazing Reggae music and they were called "Jah Loves Maria"? They didn't even manage to record a record. Have you ever heard of the amazing "Incorporeal Idols"? Did you see them in concert? Apart from a self-produced demo CD, they achieved nothing else and passed into oblivion along with hundreds of others. The punks from Chalandri "Οι Παρείσακτοι" and "XLOS" did you and the others ever learn them? I uploaded their independent productions because I'm famous for the blog and they gave me their CDs. Do you know how many bands are lining up to give me their work to upload or promote? I should make a blog just to promote indie productions. Well, not to bore the matter, things have never been easy for ROK in Greece and never will be in the present or in the future. Right now there are hundreds of remarkable groups that will never be known and will sink into oblivion because Greece has too little of a market to support its underground musicians. The fact that a group manages to put out a vinyl or a CD on the market so that it seems that there is movement in the Greek scene, that means nothing to me. Wasted labor and satisfaction in our vanity it is. As a musician myself, I never managed to make a living from my music even though I could gather my friends Nikos Spyropoulos (Σπθριδούλα), Andreas Koutepas (Αέρα Πατέρα), Anda Lampara (Villa 21), Antonis Garinis (Σαββόπουλος) and help me to record a CD. It was, is and always will be difficult for ROK in Greece. The reason why is not seen so strongly now, maybe because there is no musical movement like Punk in the past. I won't bore you anymore, your opinion is welcome, but I strongly disagree with you. Greece is the only country which is so small, it had, has and will always have a rock scene, as long as there are new kids who are boiling their blood. Thanks.
Delete