EMF Bring Bella Lugosi Back to Life Just in Time for Halloween

Just in time for Halloween, British dance-rock quintet EMF has released a modern yet faithful cover of the Bauhaus post-punk classic “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.”  Incorporating the trademark indie-rave aesthetic of Forest of Dean’s favorite sons within the dark confines of the iconic midnight anthem, EMF brings new life to the undead classic.

“At the local pub in our teenage years was a jukebox,” recalls vocalist James Atkin. “The go-to record that eventually got worn out by us was Bauhaus’ ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead.’ To be able to revisit this and do our own EMF-inspired cover version is a real treat for us, a real Halloween treat, that is. It may come as a surprise, but we embraced true goth culture in our youth. The first band I actually saw play live was The Mission.”

The first band guitarist Ian Dench saw, however, was the band that provided the source material. He recalls, “I saw Bauhaus play at Bristol Locarno in the U.K. on October 10, 1982. I was 18. Their energy and the way they created an atmosphere was electrifying, especially when they played ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’.”

Premiering via Brooklyn Vegan, their rendition of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” caught the ear of Bauhaus guitarist David J, who commented, “A colony of bats burst out from the Forest of Dean to the soundtrack of ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ fed through a contemporary minimalist dystopian filter. The tight rhythmic dub echoes making for a propulsive drive that sees this compact and condensed cover rush past the finishing line in misty Transylvania.”

EMF has gifted fans with this holiday classic to tide them over. “I dreamed of being able to do a cover of ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” says Dench with a sinister smirk. “There’s a ghoulish significance to releasing EMF’s version almost exactly 43 years closer to the grave.”    The song is not available commercially, having been released just for Halloween.  Meanwhile, the band has a new EP out tomorrow, October 24th, which includes a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough.” (EMF Records)

The band consists of James Atkin (vocals, guitars, programming), Ian Dench (guitars, programming), Derry Brownson (samples), Stevey Marsh (bass), and Aid Todd (drums).