Good evening.
So here we are, the extended version. It’s going to be pretty hard to compose something succinct and brief, especially in light of current accusations against members of the band. But, in order to gain a greater clarity and transparency on the actions of Steve Gillham, and groomer Torsten “Fred West” Trautwein, some screenshots need to be presented to make sense of their fanaticism. And of course, doing ones “dirty laundry” in public is tasteless, but even more distasteful is the fact that we are now having to do theirs for them, exposing ourselves to the turd soiled trappings of their incongruence.
Several days ago, they started to backpedal when confronted that this was a personal issue only on their side, not “political”, and since SOLSTICE espouses no political lyrics or takes any side, and never had, we can only assume that their accusations against ourselves, and close friends were designed to get at one person. I will state clearly, my core values do not allow me to support anything so deep rooted in misogyny, or the sexualisation of children in schools by the latest agenda they believe we should all adopt, and my politics remained between me and the ballot box, when we still had a democracy that was; now, most of us normal sane people are left with nothing but to become dissidents. Most of the backpedaling by the Chuckle Brothers is now unfortunately deleted by the political officer in charge of the inquisition for fear of looking like cunts. To me, to you.
However, those accusations, are extremely damaging at best, and are at worst, unforgivable. They knew exactly what they were doing, trying to break the will of one band member (me) by targeting and attacking others wholly unconnected. What they didn’t expect was whole bunch of wonderful people shining a light on their activities and exposing their hypocrisy.
2 + 2 does not equal 5 “comrades”, and we refuse to be gaslit, or intimidated into agreeing with you.
Point 1.
We should honestly expect a full retraction of those statements, and perhaps an apology if they had any shred of decency. In particular, for one of our closest and oldest friends in Germany, a known Anti-fascist in his younger days. Someone, who unlike these individuals was happy to go toe to toe with anyone seeking to encroach on his liberty. You actually know nothing of this person, a misinterpreted 3 year old photo used as “evidence?” A 3 year old photo some of the accusers and those quick to condemn had no problem with at all, until groomed into a frenzy by Trautwein, and one which had been taken from a private instagram account. The fact that I am just clearly giving the rods to the picture taker is curiously ignored.
Why wait three years to try and exploit that photo? Did these slacktivists also take the ones of my children? Very likely…but for what purpose? I shudder to think. So, no “Nazis” here, but plenty of Orwellian hate week LARP there. It might be worth mentioning that there are pictures in the “Only the strong” album, released by Manuel Trummer which clearly depict the Sunwheel drawn on peoples heads who passed out, drunk. No one had a problem with that either, or with my opinions expressed on the corrupt EU in that certain German magazine since 2013 which remain the same to this day.
Context is important, as is understanding the huge cultural gulf between the impoverishment of Northern England, and it’s working class humour (Only Gruber does some mincing is real!), and the self perceived entitlement of Southern Germany’s chattering class. But, as my old mate J.F. in Stuttgart told me, “In Germany if you have a grudge against someone here, you can settle it by calling them a Nazi”. Wise words, and indeed very foretelling.
Point 2.
In establishing that there are no “Nazis” in the band, or associated with the band, and looking at Gillham’s cries of “smear campaign” we reach the conclusion that this is an act of defamation designed to discredit and….wait for it….a smear campaign! By Gillham and Trautwein!
Point 3.
“Right wing conspiracy theories”… That would be “right wing conspiracy theories” taken from OSI sources and left wing websites who are independent, not state controlled media? In sporting terms, we would call that an own goal. It’s also another wilful act of defamation made only to discredit and dehumanise, to portray an individuals’ valid opinions and concerns as outlandish and try to shame them into shutting up because of your own narcissism and cowardice.
Of course, the dullards axis of Trautwein and Gillham were also behind getting SOLSTICE removed from that festival in Hamburg by the promoter (A man also attacked now himself as one can read on the Forum pages of the magazine he now acts as editor of) by reporting every comment I made in public of open defiance, Not content, and wanting to take it a step further they threatened to report me to the German “Secret Police”, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) via social media, and have me imprisoned for expressing dissent to a nationwide house arrest.
By asserting my sovereign rights as a human being, and denying their calls for concentration camps and forced injections (sound familiar?) the authority these miniature Hitlers thought they could wield was challenged. Like most useful idiots, they took to social media yet again to launch another round of attacks. Tom WHW himself warned me of their intentions, that again they were messaging people to throw me under a bus, to publicly belittle me as a “conspiracy theorist”.
Yet, here we are 4 years later, and I was proved right. Went the day well, chaps?
Point 4.
I was deeply humbled and owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who helped me out when I needed surgery; I am, in my personal affairs deeply private, I wouldn’t have ever asked for help from anyone, but out of concern for my well being Tom WHW insisted on setting up a support fund. Seeking to undermine this Gillham and Trautwein straight away went about their daily business of spreading disinformation and untruth. As I write, I deal with the realities of my condition as best I can, thankfully the days of pissing blood full of cancerous cells are past but until I can call myself fully healed I feel at best utterly exhausted.
Anyone wishing to verify that I’m talking truth, is welcome to accompany me to the hospital and hold either camera as it’s inserted into either orifice at my next appointment. Be my guest. Bring your own packed lunch though.
If it's not enough, if you really need a full breakdown of my circumstances five years ago I'm quite happy now to divulge information which is held on official medical records; a combination of splitting from my wife, being homeless and sleeping rough, suffering from a serious medical condition, compounded by another (a complete nervous breakdown bought on by dealing with multiple trauma and which took me into therapy) and then getting displaced to Germany for two years (the first of which I could not see my beautiful children because of illegal travel restrictions). Is that enough information for the ghoulish onlookers? While again, I'm hugely indebted to everyone who supported my physical needs, it was a small group of friends and bandmates who had the empathy and will to take care of me on a day to day basis, those people who you sickeningly describe as "Nazis" now looked me in the eye on a day to day basis and shared their love and energy. Daryl, Dan Capp and his family, Lennaert, Hermann and his family; my friends Leigh, Staff, Emma, Sven, Flo and his family in Deutschland, Rob Miller, Tom Phillips and Marc Stauffer. What can I say?
Again, because of the pathological need to disseminate disingenuous disinformation, Trautwein and Gillham knew much of this, which is clearly proven by screenshots of another of their accomplices comments, which again, brings us around to defamation...again; there are enough screen shots of the comedy (sic) double act insinuating otherwise to incriminate them. Despite Trautwein been clearly told by Daryl, after Daryl had reached out to explain that Trautwein and Gillham’s insinuations were completely wrong and based in their own dark fantasies, they both doggedly persisted in their malicious attacks. Daryl obviously felt a line had being crossed with this kind of amoral behaviour and treatment of someone who was sick.
Point 5.
Continually trying to intimidate Daryl by harassing him for over three years by personal message and public posts has had no effect other than to cause him inconvenience, and because he wouldn’t capitulate to their angry toddler demands, they further compound matters by trying to destroy his extra curricular activities like absolute gobshites. It makes me only despise them both even more.
Point 6.
Bringing my ex-Wife into it, persistently bringing up her name by someone who neither knows her, and someone she utterly hates is not a good idea, in fact it’s absolutely shameful, but I’ll cover why shortly. For those of you in Germany who know her, and who stood by and watched Gillham and Trautwein bring her into it without challenging them are going to have to look me in the eyes and explain why sooner or later. First, some history; over a 6 year period it was the members of SOLSTICE who babysat Gillham constantly, putting up with his addictions, and increasingly bizarre behaviour fuelled by as he claimed at the time “the drugs” until it all reached a climax in 2000.
When he assaulted my wife at WOA in front of Tony Taylor of TWISTED TOWER DIRE, it was her and Tony who eventually dissuaded me from planting my foot up his aerse after I was told of his behaviour. After all, what would it gain? Punishing someone with alcohol and drug issues does not solve their problem. Why did he do it? Because she wouldn’t go get me to “put him on the guest list”. A recurring motif in Gillham’s life as his local promoter can testify, such an entitled little Disney pixie he is so.
He was ignored, until a week later, when his band played a gig I organised, and again under the influence he accused myself and my bandmates of ripping him off after we paid him £115 GBP of the £125 GBP the venue paid us, all this culminated in me telling him to fuck off and not to turn up the following day to the METAL INQUISITION festival in Bradford. Of course, he did, with no money, and demanded that someone put him on the guest list..…again.
After his behaviour during the previous week, he was told to fuck off, again, my festival, so no fucking chance, I could not believe his audacity. In light of his continued abusiveness, I dropped his band there and then from my MISKATONIC label, in front of him and his bandmates Gary and Jonny, while he pleaded that it again, “wasn’t him, but the drugs he had taken in Sweden”. I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour from addicts, or acknowledge their illusory get out of jail free card. Gillham was already punished once before for his behaviour, I saw no reason to make public his transgressions again and rub his nose in them. That would be like kicking your dog, repeatedly over the course of a day, for shitting on your carpet.
And here is the real reason for all this vitriol, after putting up with someone for so long, rescuing them from the numerous beatings they would have received after trying to start fights over 20p on a pool table while again heavily intoxicated, or shrieking in a packed pub that he “wasn’t a queer” when he was propositioned by one of our friends who actually was gay, Gillham subsequently projects his deep sense of loss of that opportunity as absolute rabid hatred and playing the victim with a two decade revenge campaign, pointedly refusing to take responsibility for his actions by just walking away from his mistake and dealing with it. That in my mind would bring him the closure he needs; not getting on the internet every evening with his trusty cans of Hofmeister lager and mouthing off.
Point 7
I honestly felt sorry for Gary and Johnny of his old band (who both apologised also for his behaviour at the time), and for his brother Michael (who doesn’t share Gilliam’s totalitarian government approved views by the way) who did last year actually try to patch things up between both parties excusing him as “not knowing when to keep his mouth shut” and “gobby”. It failed because within less than 24 hours of speaking with Michael, his brother was again on another of his extended rants under the influence of alcohol against someone who had looked at him in the street. Ridiculous.
Point 8.
Have I threatened to kick Gillham’s head in? Yes, he relieved people of money (A huge amount) for records he was allegedly selling and sent them nothing, as a last resort they asked me to step in, and I did. Not cool at all to have to threaten someone with a leathering to repay their debts. We are still no clearer whether the monies taken under false pretences was ever repaid. This is still not the cherry on top of this shit cake baked in the oven of Trautwein’s OCD though…
Point 9.
No one in SOLSTICE is homophobic, we have friends, and fans who are gay. Our interactions with them are given the same respect as we give everyone else. It’s not our place to tell you who or who not you can have an adult relationship with. We actually played a gig in Bradford, with a trans performer with the “DEATH’S CROWN IS VICTORY” line up, not a single demeaning remark was made by the members of the band, in fact PTK watched the entire set by that performer and cheered vigorously while we warmed up.
Daryl might verify that we met one of his friends at a later gig in London we played, who is Moslem, disabled and trans. That individual was greeted warmly and acknowledged as a human being by myself and PTK, not an object of derision. Myself and our old bassist used to work the door as security for Gay + Lesbian nights at a local venue, and seriously if we were homophobic, would we have helped out our friend Tom of CHEVALIER with a place to crash, sharing a room with him, and supporting him publicly when he came out as gay? Does that sound like the actions of men with issues against homosexuality?
And so, trying to beat us with an ideological stick to support your cause only strengthens our resolve, paints a HUGE target on YOUR back for people on the opposite end of your fake binary, and makes you look like the weak, flaccid facsimiles of men of character that you are. I have an idea, why not take your WOKE politics and shove them up Chairman Krause of the Deutsch Chinese Communism party’s aerse?
Point 10.
At no point, in any of the past 23 years has Gillham attempted to build bridges and apologise, one look at his timeline on Facebook reveals a smorgasbord of hate campaigns directed at anyone and everything, recently his attempting to smear the band BLOOD COUNTESS (weak - absolutely great band and Nina is a killer vocalist; is there some kind of vaginal envy going on with these attacks?), attacks on WINO (Weaker, even distastefully bringing Eric of TROUBLE’s passing into it to smear and discredit WINO), MGLA (including insinuations that they would beat them up...yeah...right!), GARGANTUAN BLADE (Trautwein and Krause again cropping up with their smug comments), attack after attack on just about everyone who he sees as his enemy are so depressingly regular we can set our Argos timex watches by them.
But most disturbingly of all, to quote F.P. Kutzbach, “this is nothing new, they attack SOLSTICE every few months”. This is beyond an obsession, both of them need to seek counselling in my professional opinion. Some form of CBT would probably help.
These are NOT the “golden years” of internet forums two decades ago, where we were ALL complete dickheads, arguing like kids speeding their heads off on blue Powerade, over band X and band Y and who was the “truest” (Evan Lawton, you naughty little scallywag, I’m pointing at you). The truth is, everything said in what they are complaining about is a targeted response to Gillham and the despondent sheeplike cretin that is Trautwein, as a reaction to their poking the hornets nest with unceasing malicious yammering. Trust me, the more you provoke me, the more vicious the resulting retaliation will be. A perfect reflection of the ugliness that they seek to assail me with.
Damn, who can forget Trautwein’s legendary limp hate campaigns against Reverend Bizarre, Warning, and then Solstice? All are long known in the underground. I actually lost track of how many rehearsals I went to when our ex-bassist Ian “Izak” Buxton would casually try to wind me up by telling me, week in, week out, with what new fantasy Gillham had conjured up in the alcoholic fog of persistent attention seeking.
The fact that Trautwein also condones the murder of innocent Palestinian men, women and children in Gaza by tastelessly flying his Israeli flag on his internet profile, and wants to throw both Russian and Ukrainian young men and women into the meat grinder of war with his “standing with Ukraine” and his obviously deep hatred of anyone Russian should also be publicly questioned.
Anyone recently criticising his stance is belittled as a “Russian troll” by Trautwein’s "rough and tumble" digital army . Will Trautwein be extending his “standing with Ukraine” by enlisting with the Ukrainian armed forces to fight against “Putinism”? Of course not, it’s just another in a long list of his empty causes supported only by digital virtue signalling. How convenient, it’s easy to march in lockstep from the safety of the keyboard. Not a single call for peace from the sorry aersed lot. Just hate.
VENDEL and SCALD forever, that’s all I can say.
Point 11.
Any subtlety, nuance, or intellectualism that allegedly exists in Gillham and Trautwein’s message (whatever that message may be) is lost in the monotonous cacophony of their bleating; everything becomes distorted, unpalatable and lacking clarity as they try to cover up each successive lie with an even bigger lie, and more backpeddling.
I won’t even begin to discuss characters like that funny looking chap with the face nappy of the band Wheep, or the “Britains got no talent” winner Kieron Tuohey either (Don’t think for a minute that we didn’t laugh at your slap down by Pat Clancy as you tried stirring shit using your “concerned citizen” pantomime character), or even Deutsch journalist Michael Kohsiek surreptitiously contacting the entire population of England to try and condemn myself and Dan (sorry Michael, the messages we were shown were vaguely humorous though, wishing you 17 million fuck off’s, again, and good luck with the future career writing the TV reviews in Bild, and your current activities sneaking around trying to smear PRIMORDIAL).
But, a get out of jail free card for Libera. Andreas “The Mole” Libera WAS given a set list by Andy, our old guitar player some 12 years ago with a sunwheel imprinted in Braille on it…it offended Libera so much he simply had to play the gig the week after in Denmark and drink the free beer, and then continue to ask myself, or Andy, to play on his recordings right up until last year. Best of luck, Pal. I’m crestfallen to hear of your anguish and I haven’t slept for days thinking about your internal torment. Cracking weekend though, especially the morning after when myself and Andy, still drunk tried to steal a busload of audience. Please don’t tell Chairman Krause that we also piled all the chairs on top of Ustu either when he passed out drunk, it’s against the Deutsch Chinese Communism party’s health and safety holy war he’s trying to implement.
But I digress, just as Gillham backpedaled as we show, and tried to end the riotous public relations disaster of their making, because as clearly stated in the first screenshot, “It’s turned messy, and we really should all be concentrating on music and art” we can leave this door open for their morbidly kaleidoscopic clown show to scuttle through and depart of their own volition.
They made a series of abhorrent mistakes. Those mistakes are their crosses to bear, not mine, or my bandmates, or my friends. I can fully empathise with Trautwein wanting to protect his chum, but I can think of nothing more damaging to any cause he allegedly might want to highlight and support, than hijacking it and shaking his tiny little digital fist at the skies and blaming one person for his self inflicted woes, and the other sitting in their flat and consuming Hofmeister lager all day and working himself up into an alcohol fuelled frenzy to air illusory grievances. These are the actions of chancers looking for another way to absolve their own moral bankruptcy.
So, here we stand, waiting…
Never surrender.
Postscript.
I'll leave you with just another example of the malignant gossip spread by the deluded mind of my favourite supporting actor, Chairman Krause, fed to him by Gillham and Trautwein.
