Ellen Southern: Medieval Songs Reimagined as Dark Neoclassical Music

Ellen Southern, an English singer and visual artist based in Bristol, blends medieval and Renaissance music with dark wave, dark ambient, post-industrial, and doom metal in her band Dead Space Chamber Music (DSCM). Alongside guitarist Tom Bush, cellist Liz Muir, and drummer Katie Murt, she transforms ancient texts and melodies into contemporary avant-garde works, avoiding historical recreation in favor of esoteric reinterpretation. DSCM has toured the UK with hackedepicciotto (Alexander Hacke and Danielle de Picciotto) and cellist Jo Quail, and performed at the 2024 Ritual Union Festival in Bristol. Southern and Bush also curate the Dark Alchemy event series in historic churches and crypts with the Churches Conservation Trust, featuring experimental artists like The Dance Society, Nero Kane, and Maud the Moth. Her solo project Site Singing combines vocal recordings and art in ancient sites. Southern cites medieval art, manuscripts, hymns, and folk songs as key influences; her current album The Black Hours was inspired by a medieval manuscript. DSCM is working on a new album and plans a UK/Europe tour in 2025.