🕯 latest news (oct '98 – mar '99)

2 oct: new single midnight vessel dropped on cassette this week! only about 100 copies made. it’s rough but brilliant. rafe’s voice cracks in the bridge and doreann’s bassline feels like thunder in a bottle. if anyone’s got a clean rip, send it in please!!

15 oct: flyer spotted around oxford — says “GLASS CATHEDRAL / ONE NIGHT ONLY / 11 NOV – THE CELLAR.” probably their last show before they record the EP (rumours say they were saving money for studio time in manchester). santi’s been teasing a “new track about secrets.”

29 oct: tiny interview in Brighton Sound Weekly — rafe said, “we’re just trying to make something that’ll outlive us.” no one realised how heavy that’d sound now. doreann barely said a word but smiled the whole time. santi kept making jokes about “burning the stage down.” foreshadowing, maybe.

11 nov: gig at the oxford cellar was massive — rafe was on form, doreann looked moody as ever, and santi smashed the drums (literally, broke a stick mid-song, legend). crowd wasn’t huge (maybe 70-80?) but everyone was right up front, shouting every word. rafe opened with “midnight vessel” and dedicated it to “anyone who ever wanted to disappear and didn’t.” still gives me chills thinking about it.

12 nov: can’t even write this without crying. reports say the van crashed on the A34 after the show. all three gone. proper gutted. the local radio announced it around 9am — everyone at school went quiet. people brought their tapes and left them outside the oxford cellar doors, candles still burning from last night’s set. doreann’s bassline from “foxglove hymn” hasn’t left my head since.

13 nov: the papers got it all wrong, calling them “up-and-coming” like they weren’t already everything. fans have been writing in with stories — someone said rafe stayed after the gig to help a kid fix their guitar strap. santi gave away his last drumstick. doreann just smiled, said “we’ll be legends if we make it home.” it hurts more reading that now.

14 nov: vigils being held in brighton & manchester. fans leaving tapes, letters, daffodils, and guitar picks. someone drew a chalk halo around the curb near where it happened. we’re lighting candles tonight at 9pm — wherever you are, join in. glass cathedral forever ♡

17 nov: rumours going round about a tape found in the wreck. supposedly had “tell your secrets” on it, half-finished. no one’s sure if it’s real or just wishful thinking. either way, we’ll keep looking. this site’s staying up as long as i’m breathing. – liv

21 nov: NME printed a tiny column calling them “ghosts with guitars.” bit rude but also kind of true? they said the sound from the oxford gig still hasn’t left their monitors. spooky stuff. i tried recording the static on my own radio tonight and swear i heard a faint hum of doreann’s bass under the fuzz.

28 nov: someone mailed in a photo from the oxford cellar. it’s grainy but you can see santi grinning right at the camera, raziel behind him mid-song, hair glowing gold under the light. might post it once i scan it (dad’s scanner takes HOURS).

dec ’98: fans from leeds and london planning a tribute zine called cathedral echoes. they’re asking for poems, drawings, and setlist memories. proper DIY spirit. santi would’ve loved it. if anyone wants to contribute, email me — i’ll post scans once it’s printed.

jan ’99: almost two months gone and still people are finding their tapes. found one marked “demo 7 – slow heaven.” might be nothing but static, might be everything. if anyone’s got a working cassette player, test it and send word.

feb ’99: first tribute show happening next month at the manchester youth hall. bunch of local bands playing covers. someone said they’ll end the night with “tell your secrets,” just the crowd singing. also, rumour: a bar in brighton played “foxglove hymn” on the jukebox and every light flickered. take that as you will. legends never really die, do they?

mar ’99: someone’s uploading blurry scans of their handwritten lyrics to a new “online journal” site called livejournal or something?? wild. also, a fan said her radio switched stations by itself last night and played the first two lines of “midnight vessel” clear as day. either coincidence or they’re still tuning in.

update: april ’99 — one of the tribute zine editors sent me a badge that says “glass cathedral forever.” i’m wearing it to sleep. still feels like they’re out there somewhere. – liv