Presented by Choice. The French avant-garde metalcore supergroup NOVELISTS’ 2024 tour. After six years! Our beloved novelists return with brand new works and lineups. Shanghai station. Guests: Forget and Forgive / VANTA. Performance time: November 15, 2024. Performance location: Yuyintang Music Park.
The band NOVELISTS was formed in Paris, France at the beginning of 2013. The members include lead singer Matteo Gelsomino, guitarist Charly Kelevra, guitarist Florestan Durand, bassist Nicolas Delestrade and drummer Amael Durand. Matteo, Charly and Nicolas are all former members of the famous French metalcore group A CALL TO SINCERITY, while Florestan and Amael are brothers. At the beginning of 2015, NOVELISTS officially signed with the famous heavy metal label NUCLEAR BLAST and began recording their debut album in the studio. In March of the same year, the first single ‘Gravity’ from NOVELISTS’ new album was officially released. The MV of this song exceeded 100,000 views in just less than four weeks. On November 6, NOVELISTS’ debut album ‘Souvenirs’ was officially released. In the song ‘5:12 AM’ on the album, the Australian avant-garde guitar prodigy PLINI was invited to assist. Another song, ‘Echoes’, features a guest appearance by Pierre Danel, the guitarist of the French avant-garde metalcore powerhouse Kadinja. After the release of this album, it received wide acclaim. The authoritative Australian music magazine ‘LOUD’ highly praised this album as ‘A masterclass in modern metalcore’. NOVELISTS’ debut album tour received responses from many well-known bands, including the assistance of famous groups such as BREAKDOWN OF SANITY, DREAM ON DREAMER, SILENT PLANET, and FOR TODAY. And later, NOVELISTS’ performances at multiple large music festivals such as HELLFEST, IMPERICON, and UK TECHFEST have further consolidated their position in the field of avant-garde metalcore in Europe and even globally.In June 2017, the band released their single ‘The Light, the Fire’. Subsequently, they toured with While She Sleeps and Northlane. A month later, they signed with the heavy metal label SharpTone Records and released their second studio album ‘Noir’ in September 2017.
In the summer of 2018, Novelists embarked on their first Asian tour, covering China, Japan, and South Korea, which garnered a strong response with multiple sold-out shows. Novelists released their third studio album ‘C’est La Vie’ in January 2020. In April 2020, the band parted ways with Gelsomino and began seeking a new lead singer through online auditions. On October 27, 2020, Novelists announced that former Alazka lead vocalist Tobias Rische had become their new lead singer. At the same time, former KADINJA guitarist PIERRE DANEL joined the band, adding countless possibilities to the band’s arrangements! A month later, the band signed with the independent label Out of Line Music and released their new single ‘Lost Cause’. In 2021, they released two more singles, ‘Terrorist’ and ‘Do You Really Wanna Know?’. Novelists toured Europe with Swedish post-hardcore band Imminence in May 2022 and participated in the UK Tech Fest that summer. In 2022, Novelists released two singles, ‘Smoke Signals’ and ‘Heretic’, with the latter featuring a guest appearance by French post-hardcore band LANDMVRKS lead vocalist Florian Salfati. On April 6, 2023, Novelists officially announced that Rische had left the band. In September of the same year, the band announced that female singer Camille Contreras would be their new lead singer. Interestingly, CC had played the lead role in the music video for 5:12 AM released by the band in 2017, and CC is also the wife of French metalcore band LANDMVRKS guitarist Nicolas (quite a French heavy family indeed). It is speculated that CC will share her experiences from this China tour with her husband, and if the response is enthusiastic, it might directly influence LANDMVRKS to tour China as well. In any case, let’s look forward to it! SEE YOU IN THE PIT! – Guest in Shanghai – Forget and Forgive In August 2019, with the grand release of their first full-length album ‘Let Bygones Be Bygones’, Forget and Forgive (hereinafter referred to as FAF), this band that has been striving in the underground rock scene for ten years, finally opened a new chapter in their career.From the intro piece ‘Departure’, brimming with the breath of life and symbolizing hope and new beginnings, to the tender and tear-inducing closing track ‘Floating Life’, FAF has crafted a decade-long journey into an auditory feast with 11 distinctive songs, presenting ‘Let Bygones Be Bygones’ filled with love, passion, sorrow, hope, and gratitude to everyone. Following the album release, the nationwide tour allowed fans to leave their mark on the opening chapter of FAF’s new story, fulfilling a long-held wish of the band.
The onslaught of the pandemic made the beginning of winter in 2020 feel incredibly long and cold, but FAF, a band that emerged from confusion and doubt, was not crushed by the overwhelming dark forces. Having started anew, how could they halt their steps? Although unable to create waves with fans and friends on-site, they dedicated every moment to adjusting their state, always ready to return to the stage and deliver the best live experience; the creation of new songs is also underway. In July 2020, the band unexpectedly released the single ‘1% (Stay)’, allowing fans to feel an emotional re-impact from the band amidst the surprise. Although not a song to ignite passion, the lead singer Ding Wenbin’s heartfelt vocal performance still dominated the emotional direction of the song, pouring thousands of thoughts into the listeners’ hearts and resonating with them. VANTA, established in 2020 in Jiaxing, expresses the idea of being insignificant or disregarded, where everyone is small and should have reverence for the world and nature. The Chinese name is ‘Wan Ta’. Using the tower as an image, it represents a strong belief, and Wan Ta represents the collection of countless steadfast beliefs. In 2020, after renaming from SHEISTOBLAME, VANTA released their first single ‘FLUX’. In February 2021, at the Star Cluster’s opening performance, VANTA made their official debut, bringing a powerful metal wave to the audience. Subsequently, they have released four singles ‘Effect of Bleed’, ‘The Spirals’, ‘FALSE LINK’, and ‘Tastes Good’, conveying their beliefs to the audience. All information regarding the tour’s guest lineup, merchandise releases, and viewing guidelines will be released on the official platform of Choice Records, please stay tuned. The full text opens on 11/15, Friday, with the show starting at 20:00, and the specific duration of the performance will be determined on-site.
