**French avant-garde metalcore powerhouse NOVELISTS 2024 China tour**
Presented by Choice. After six years! Our beloved novelists return with new works and lineups.
**Hangzhou Station**
Guests: Return to Sender / Cries Of The Past.
Performance time: November 16, 2024.
Performance location: LiveShop Uni by you Live.
The band NOVELISTS was formed in Paris, France at the beginning of 2013. 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 band A CALL TO SINCERITY, while Florestan and Amael are brothers.
At the beginning of 2015, NOVELISTS officially signed with heavyweight 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, Australian avant-garde guitar prodigy PLINI was invited to assist. Another song “Echoes” was guest-starred by Pierre Danel, guitarist of the strong French avant-garde metalcore band Kadinja. After this album was released, 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 bands 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 renowned heavy 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, garnering 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 an online search for a new lead vocalist.
On October 27, 2020, Novelists announced that former Alazka lead vocalist Tobias Rische would be their new frontman. At the same time, Pierre Danel, the former guitarist of KADINJA, joined the band, opening up countless possibilities for their arrangements! A month later, the band signed with 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?’.
In May 2022, Novelists toured Europe with Swedish post-hardcore band Imminence and participated in the UK Tech Fest in the summer of the same year. In 2022, Novelists released two singles, ‘Smoke Signals’ and ‘Heretic’, with the latter featuring a guest appearance by Florian Salfati, the lead vocalist of French post-hardcore band LANDMVRKS.
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 vocalist. Interestingly, CC had previously starred as the female lead in the music video for ‘5:12 AM’ released by the band in 2017, and she is also the wife of LANDMVRKS guitarist Nicolas (truly a French heavy metal family). It is speculated that CC will share her experiences from this China tour with her husband, and if the response is enthusiastic, it could directly influence LANDMVRKS to come to China. In any case, let’s look forward to it! SEE YOU IN THE PIT!
**Hangzhou Special Guest – Return to Sender**
Return to Sender, a band named after the phrase ‘Return to Sender’, was born in the winter
