Spritiual Front

Spiritual Front return to Covo Club for a truly special night: a double set featuring Spiritual Front Plays The Smiths and a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Armageddon Gigolo!

Spiritual Front was formed in 2000 as the solo project of Simone H. Salvatori. Initially defined by a dark, melancholic experimental folk sound, it gradually evolved into something that has been compared to the work of Nick Cave, Swans, and Scott Walker.
Between 2003 and 2005, the one-man band grew into a fully fledged group — refined, cohesive, and powerful. Requests for live shows across Europe increased, reflecting not only the band’s artistic growth but also the emergence of a distinctive style, described as decadent pop, marked by a vintage sensibility and an image deeply influenced by the founder’s passion for cinema.

The themes explored by Simone H. revolve around the search for identity through a turbulent and untamed exploration of sexuality, stories of separation steeped in anger, bitter sarcasm, and irony — always permeated by nihilism and razor-sharp humor.
During this period, the band boldly fused folk, indie rock, tango, and country rock into an unmistakable blend, as exemplified by Armageddon Gigolo (2006), recorded with musicians from Ennio Morricone’s orchestra. The album cemented Spiritual Front among the best alternative acts of the year and among the most respected and beloved Italian bands abroad.

From 2006 to the present day, Spiritual Front have received enthusiastic acclaim for their live performances around the world. The band has also contributed to the soundtracks of the TV series Las Vegas and the film Saw II, as well as to various independent films, theatrical productions, and contemporary dance performances.

In 2010, Rotten Roma Casino was released, once again featuring musicians from Ennio Morricone’s orchestra, further testifying to the band’s love for cinematic soundscapes. During live shows, films by Pasolini, Fassbinder, Scorsese, and others are projected.
Guest contributors include Tying Tiffany, Sonja Kraushofer (L’Âme Immortelle, Persephone), Tomas Pettersson (Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio), Antonia Plastique (Welle:Erdball), Lydia Lunch, and many more. The illustrations were created by American artist Chris Askew, while the graphic design was handled by Paolo Soellner (Klimt 1918).
The album was released in two versions, both accompanied by a DVD featuring music videos such as Sad Almost a Winner (a reinterpretation of Fassbinder’s film Fox and His Friends), Odete (inspired by J.P. Rodrigues), and Darkroom Friendship, along with interviews and readings performed by Alessandro Tiberi and Emanuela Nitti based on texts by Pasolini, Mayakovsky, and Pavese.

In 2013, the band released two albums: Open Wounds, a collection of their early works rearranged and remastered, and Black Hearts in Black Suits, a neo-classical chamber pop concept album dedicated to German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, described as a fusion of Arvo Pärt and Marc Almond, Nick Cave and Michael Nyman. Several tracks were also included in a film by Saverio Di Biagio.

The band is currently promoting the double album “Amour Braque”, conceptually inspired by Pasolini, Żuławski, Jarman, Visconti, Techiné, and Fassbinder. It is a sincere and ruthless analysis of romantic and sexual relationships, tracing a path between tenderness and decadence — the word braque can in fact mean “lowlife,” “dirty,” or “mean.”
Amour Braque stands as a new manifesto of suicide pop, combining gloomy alternative rock with dark folk, chamber pop, and ’60s-tinged sounds. The album artwork was created by artist Saturno Butto’, and guest contributors include Dope Stars Inc., Matt Howden, King Dude, Client, and many others.

Finally, “The Queen Is Not Dead” is a tribute album to the legendary Manchester band The Smiths, which entered the German charts just a few days after its release. Artists involved include Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd, Blue Pearl), Riccardo Galati, Filippo Marcheggiani (Banco del Mutuo Soccorso), Michał Stępień (Mgła), Jairo Zavala (Calexico), King Dude, Traci Danielle (My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult), Riccardo Spilli (Il Balletto di Bronzo), and Sasha Boole (Me and That Man).