In late July 2000, London After Midnight (LAM) was contacted by Joseph Brooks (former club Coven 13 promoter) and asked to perform at a one night event of club Coven 13, which the E! Channel would film for the next episode of their "Hollywood Nightlife" television series. This was just three weeks before the event was to take place. LAM was told that this episode of "Hollywood Nightlife" would focus on the club Coven 13, a Los Angeles goth club that had actually closed earlier in the summer due to intense lack of interest (they would re-open for this one night event).

LAM was very hesitant at first because they assumed the E Channel would represent the scene in an unfair and biased way. Also, the band did not frequent club Coven 13 (see footnote #1). After much discussion with one of the club promoters, where Sean Brennan was told he would be one of four people who would be featured in the special, and LAM would be allowed to explain their views on the scene based on their 10 years as a band associated with it, LAM agreed to play the concert as a favor to the club promoters and the E! Channel, because this was a last minute event and the club and the E! Channel desperately needed LAM's fans to fill the club for filming on such short notice (especially since Coven 13 had already closed due to people not attending).

LAM was also assured that the special would in no way focus on vampires or other goth stereotypes, but focus on that club night itself, the average attendees, and the music (just as the "Hollywood Nightlife" episode on club Cherry did. In fact, when LAM was contacted, the club Cherry episode was what the proposed Coven 13 episode was compared to, in format). Also, LAM was told the original air date would be September 14th. This was VERY important! LAM wanted to assure that this special would not be used as Halloween "look at the freaks" material for the E! Channel. This promise, along with most others, was broken by the E! Channel and Coven 13. The special eventually aired at Halloween time and they focused on all the embarrassing goth stereotypes.

After LAM confirmed with the club and began publicizing the concert, Sean Brennan met with the E! Channel who promptly told the band that they would not be featured in the special because they had already chosen some people who they thought would "get ratings" with middle America (Rat Bastard, a very large, stereotypical "scary" biker looking guy - who has since been jailed for child rape, and a self-proclaimed "witch" named Devora. These two people had obvious problems, but fit the bill for the E! Channel as an easy way to paint the goth scene as full of unstable people who thought they were vampires and witches).

The E! Channel went on to say that LAM would not be featured except for whatever concert footage they used and in a short interview segment, which was to take place in a Los Angeles graveyard. LAM refused to participate in any interviews that took place in a graveyard as this would perpetuate the damaging stereotype of goth to people outside the scene. The E! Channel said that they would not agree to another location, and that was the end of it. They said there would be no interview for LAM.

So, in the end, the E! Channel and Coven 13 lied about LAM's involvement and just used the band to draw people into the building for that night of filming (prior to this event, before it closed permanently, Coven 13 had been drawing only about 30 people per night. There were several hundred present for LAM's concert when E! Channel filmed the show, all of whom were LAM fans).

There were only 3 weeks until the concert set for Monday Aug 14th. LAM did not have a permanent drummer or guitarist at that time. They had to borrow a drummer from another band, and their ex-guitarist William Skye filled in. Sean Brennan, from LAM, had a previous obligation to go to Germany to record guest vocals on the next L'ame Immortelle album, and he left for Germany 2 weeks before the concert. He tried to get this event postponed, but the E! Channel would not allow it, according to Coven 13 promoters. The remaining week or so was spent rehearsing and publicizing the event.

LAM spent thousands of dollars on publicity, rehearsal space, rental equipment, etc. They were assured the club would have proper lighting and sound equipment for the night of the concert. They were assured an early sound check. All these promises were broken by the club promoters and the E! Channel. When LAM arrived at the club, there was no lighting system at all and the sound system was nowhere near adequate. LAM had to rent their own lights and light person at the last minute.

Because the club refused to open its doors for the sound check that was promised to LAM, LAM wasn't able to finish sound check until 15 minutes *after* the club officially opened for the evening, the band rushed home to prepare for the concert. LAM came back and did their best under extremely poor conditions in the club, with a staff that refused to cooperate and an E! Channel crew that damaged LAM's gear during the performance. Sound system malfunctions plagued the night and an E! Channel cameraman disabled the drummer's monitor system, which interfered terribly with several songs. Also, the club's DJ would not stop playing music after the band started their show, affecting the opening of the concert. But all in all, the audience overwhelmingly enjoyed the concert.

Before and after the concert the E! Channel filmed the band backstage (none of the before footage was used), where the band explained their views on music and the scene, and introduced the webmaster of the Japanese LAM website who flew all the way from Tokyo, along with many other people of interest who came from all over the US and Canada for the concert. Only about 5 seconds of this footage was used in the final edit, and it was used out of context.

Hours before the club opened there was a line around the block of LAM fans waiting to get into the club. Coven 13 NEVER had crowds like that. Those people were there for LAM. When the club opened and the show started all the people present packed in front of the stage when the band played. The club was packed near capacity. The E! Channel/Coven 13 barely showed any of these LAM fans in the special, but instead focused on their chosen "goths"- Rat Bastard, Devora and their silly friends (all of them associated with the Ghastly Magazine people) as representatives of the evening. If you saw the show you can clearly see these people were not in touch with reality- and wanted to spread negativity about LAM, the band who literally filled the building, enabling them to film their TV show! LAM made it possible for the event to happen on a MONDAY night, at the last minute.

After the concert, E! Channel was so impressed with the huge turnout for LAM, and the concert itself, that they finally agreed to do a separate interview with Sean Brennan (NOT in a graveyard, thankfully). They used only about one minute of this footage, and none of it was relevant to the final edit of the E! Channel special.

E! Channel allowed one of their "goths", Rat Bastard, to insult LAM and imply that the band did not play their instruments on stage. The segment where Rat Bastard says this, the band is playing a new song called "Fear". The rhythm track of the song has a prominent drum loop. That drum loop was what Rat Bastard was referring to. Rat Bastard claimed to be in a band as well, but all musicians know what a drum loop is, and countless bands use them. Rat Bastard is a friend of Ghastly magazine/Faith and the Muse, the people who have been attacking LAM with lies and rumors since 1993. THAT was why he was lying and insulting LAM. See this link for details:
click to read

The main problem LAM has with this whole affair is that E! Channel allowed the special to focus on a group of egomaniacal idiots who claim to drink blood, pray to invisible spirits for a "good time" at clubs, and who present themselves in highly embarrassing ways, to represent goths the world over. As a band associated with the goth scene, LAM can tell you that such stereotypes are very damaging. While this may reflect some people in any scene, it does not represent the majority of people or LAM. They also allowed Rat Bastard to insult the reason that the club had people inside of it, London After Midnight, and he did that because he is friends with the Ghastly people. Also, in order to get ratings, E! Channel ignored the several hundred LAM fans present in the club in order to feature Rat Bastard and Devora making fools of themselves by fulfilling the worst goth stereotypes of drinking blood, claiming to be witches, etc.

Had LAM not played that concert, there would have been maybe 50 people at the filming of this special. Coven 13 recently had their annual Autumn Ball to cash in on the E! Channel special on Saturday, Oct 21. The special was to air the following night. There were at most 150 people in attendance as opposed to the packed club on a Monday night of LAM's performance, which shows that people came to see LAM, not to attend Coven 13. Yet that did not stop the promoters or the E! Channel special from allowing LAM to be insulted and have damaging biased "speculation" about their performance be broadcast all over the planet, in over 120 countries. This was the most unprofessionally handled event LAM has ever witnessed.

For more views of this whole sordid affair, read the INTERVIEWS page of the LAM website. To register your complaints or share your thoughts on the special, send your email to:
television@eonline.com