CHIFFON MAGNIFIQUE- "it doesn't matter how weird or niche we get, people seem to connect and have a fun time in the crowd and that's like religion to me"
CHIFFON MAGNIFIQUE
AS PART OF:
BLACK PLANET
25TH JULY TWO VENUES THREE STAGES 21 BANDS
O come, creatures of the night!
Bear witness to BLACK PLANET: A Celebration of Australian Dark Music.
Descending for the first time as a full-spectrum gathering of darkness, Black Planet hosts 3 stages across two iconic venues: The Bendigo Hotel & Nighthawks. Built for devotees of sonic extremity and shadow culture, this inaugural edition transforms the night into a living cathedral of sound, atmosphere, and chaos.
The night will be separated into 3 spaces:
The Ossuary (Bendi Main Room) - A shrine to brutality and all things heavy
The Void (Bendi Upstairs) - A chamber devoted to noise, ambient, drone and experimental
The Black Hearts Lodge (Nighthawks) - A sanctuary of goth, darkwave, post-punk and nocturnal romance
Headlining Black Planet 2026 is THE AMENTA - One of metal's most uncategorizable acts, THE AMENTA have been synthesising the ugliest aspects of death, black, and noise into a unique maelstrom for over 25 years. Well-known across the world for their intense live shows, THE AMENTA combine speed, anger, and a weird sound with smoke and strobes to create a brutal, overwhelming experience.
Joining them across the 3 stages are: Mammon’s Throne, Hybrid Nightmares, Victoria K, Küntsquäd, Bentham’s Head, Knife, Npcede, Živa, Inaugural, Chiffon Magnifique, Blood In The Champagne, Dystropolis, Palliative, Blood of a Pomegranate, Military Position, Anocht, AnnaBortionist, Serene Ailment, Angellis Taliuu, and Koolooz.
Part of what makes Black Planet a genuine celebration of the national scene rather than a
Melbourne-only affair is how many acts are travelling in specifically for this bill. The Black
Hearts Lodge in particular pulls from well outside Victoria, which only sharpens the "Australian
dark music" framing the whole night's built around.
ARTIST:
CHIFFON MAGNIFIQUE
The Black Hearts Lodge, Nighthawks — 20:20-20:50
Chiffon Magnifique
is the solo post-punk/minimal wave/gothic project of Gold Coast musician and
producer Jed A. Walters, built from synthesisers, drum machines, strangled guitar and a haunting
baritone. Recent single "Anxietika" — from the forthcoming debut album of the same name — is
built around Walters' own experience of generalised anxiety disorder, drawing on Martin Dupont's
"Hot Paradox" as a reference point for its blend of danceable drum machine and atmospheric
drone. Themes across the catalogue run to pain, death, sex and leather — gothic rock as both
confession and costume. A solo act travelling down from Queensland for a slot in exactly the
room built for this sound. The deep threads and attention to emotional resonance are not to be missed.
is the solo post-punk/minimal wave/gothic project of Gold Coast musician and
producer Jed A. Walters, built from synthesisers, drum machines, strangled guitar and a haunting
baritone. Recent single "Anxietika" — from the forthcoming debut album of the same name — is
built around Walters' own experience of generalised anxiety disorder, drawing on Martin Dupont's
"Hot Paradox" as a reference point for its blend of danceable drum machine and atmospheric
drone. Themes across the catalogue run to pain, death, sex and leather — gothic rock as both
confession and costume. A solo act travelling down from Queensland for a slot in exactly the
room built for this sound. The deep threads and attention to emotional resonance are not to be missed.
INTERVIEW:
1. "Nocturnal romance" is a specific phrase to be filed under — darkness as seduction and ritual rather than pure aggression. Where does Chiffon Magnifique sit in that, and where do you push against it?
Darkness as seduction and ritual is a great way to put it. The pure masculine aggression of some heavier and darker subgenres doesn't seem to suit me and the act - and I agree. My music and whole ethos comes from a local fun creative community and purveyors of trad goth fashion, graveyard aesthetic, but I really feel I marry the whimsy of New Wave and 80s colourful music too. Like the cross-pollination of the weirdness and whimsy of The B52s and Pee Wee Herman. I guess I'm a goth who isn't scared to be silly and pull funny faces, because life is silly really. My music is dark and sad sometimes, but it's also sexy and silly and camp. I like having no boundaries there.
2. Post-punk and darkwave carry a lot of inherited iconography at this point — is that a language Chiffon Magnifique is consciously working inside, or something you're trying to strip back to zero?
In my earlier days I had a big filter that I used to put myself through - like even putting on outfits or recording music I'd always ask "would The Cure do that? Would Bauhaus do that? Will audiences take me seriously?" But I've grown more open and fluent with things that break out that monochrome mentality - for example I used to think I should stick to the black shirt and black trousers, a la Joy Division, but experimenting with theatrical makeup and a splash of colour here and there is fun. The stage lightens up and demands more attention. The songs can do that too with glistening synth sounds and maracas, sexy 80s sax and all that. I'm proud of my wide range of influences and I'm just putting together something that I'd love to go see, not what I think people wanna see from a specific genre.
Darkness as seduction and ritual is a great way to put it. The pure masculine aggression of some heavier and darker subgenres doesn't seem to suit me and the act - and I agree. My music and whole ethos comes from a local fun creative community and purveyors of trad goth fashion, graveyard aesthetic, but I really feel I marry the whimsy of New Wave and 80s colourful music too. Like the cross-pollination of the weirdness and whimsy of The B52s and Pee Wee Herman. I guess I'm a goth who isn't scared to be silly and pull funny faces, because life is silly really. My music is dark and sad sometimes, but it's also sexy and silly and camp. I like having no boundaries there.
2. Post-punk and darkwave carry a lot of inherited iconography at this point — is that a language Chiffon Magnifique is consciously working inside, or something you're trying to strip back to zero?
In my earlier days I had a big filter that I used to put myself through - like even putting on outfits or recording music I'd always ask "would The Cure do that? Would Bauhaus do that? Will audiences take me seriously?" But I've grown more open and fluent with things that break out that monochrome mentality - for example I used to think I should stick to the black shirt and black trousers, a la Joy Division, but experimenting with theatrical makeup and a splash of colour here and there is fun. The stage lightens up and demands more attention. The songs can do that too with glistening synth sounds and maracas, sexy 80s sax and all that. I'm proud of my wide range of influences and I'm just putting together something that I'd love to go see, not what I think people wanna see from a specific genre.
3. Black Planet's being pitched as a "living cathedral of sound" — where does your most recent release, or whatever's next in the pipe, sit inside that? Anything dropping around the show we should know about first?
We're putting out our first single since 2024 next month, and we'll definitely be showcasing that. It's called "Marionette" and it's an ode to the playfulness of roleplay and I've presented it in a minimal electronic ditty that has toy piano, squealy synths, sax and synth bass. Its inspired by Suicide, The Normal, Cabraet Voltaire kind of vibes. And Lyra, our backing vocalist, will be smacking the heck out of a toy tambourine in it.
4. This is billed as a celebration of Australian dark music specifically. What does that qualifier - Australian - actually mean to what Chiffon Magnifique does, if anything? And why does this underground still matter to you, this far in?
In our country we have these special little subcultures that I do not take for granted. We get to present our darkness, our soul, our worries and fears and heartache and even horniness live onstage to good people who just want to come out and support independent live music. Gone are the days of worrying about not getting played on Triple J or getting on a label, because who cares? It's too hard in this industry unless your act appeals to the mainstream. You gotta look after your own soul and just have fun. I've found over the years more and more it doesn't matter how weird or niche we get, people seem to connect and have a fun time in the crowd and that's like religion to me.
5. Bendigo and Nighthawks are two venues, three rooms, one night. What are you actually trying to do to a room when you play it - what's the physical or psychic effect you're chasing?
We've looked at heaps of photos of Nighthawks and it looks like a fun lil space. It's got divey gnarly underground vibes that i feel Lyra and I will feel right at home in. I wanna stand out in a way that shows were dark and silly and whimsical and theatrical. We have characters that we play with each song and tap into the protagonists and antagonists present in the lyrics. It's been great rehearsing and I cant wait to put on our leather and lace and just go for it in Nighthawks.
6. In a world of clones and sheep, your act is a standout-binding the drama of goth/synthy musical wizardry with artistic and striking theatre whilst addressing anxiety and other real-world experiences- how the hell do you do this so confident and competently? what is your main motivation for this fine act?
Thank You so much, that's so sweet! I've always presented my anxiety and inner turmoil through music, but this is the first act I've ever been in that does it in a way that actually connects to people. Years of working on songwriting and song structure, sequencing and creating atmospheres. There are singalong parts, jammy bits that you can just dance to, but all throughout there's groove. So I have no trouble presenting it confidently knowing that there's a great groove backing it up and we can all just dance dance dance ( in the words of Ian Curtis <3).
LINKS:
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SO GRAB A TICKET ASAP AND START WORKING OUT HOW YOU CAN SEE EVERY BAND...SOMEHOW
KILLER PRICES TO BE HONEST;
Both venues: $75+BF
The Bendigo Hotel Only: $45+BF
Nighthawks Only: $35+BF
ALL PICS ARE FROM THE ARTIST OR BAND'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES
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