Welcome, to the phantasmal world of The Nightmare Arcade...where Ghosts and Ghouls try to infringe Johnny Reaper , and his friends! Music, Art, Story and Cosplay!
Wow....I cant believe I am finally going to MCM London Expo again! It feels like forever!
I remember the very last time I went in 2019, I was very unhappy(not because of the event) and because I was unhappy, I was unable to enjoy the company of my friends, and did not even want to film anything.
This went on during the pandemic too. I lost so much of myself...and only recently, have I started to pick up the peices and become myself again.... now I can get back to being, THE NIGHTMARE ARCADE!'
Here is some brand new art for you to enjoy and a mini snippet of Wednesday Addams dancing to Rockstar. Now....what am I going to wear?.....
I never thought in my life we would experience something as crazy as a pandemic.
Suddenly, things we knew and loved , were taken and restrited from us, we had to wear masks, and we couldnt hug people anymore.
No more gigs, no more events, people losing loved ones (I lost my dearest grandfather) and it was just, like being in a prison.
The Nightmare Arcade has not suffered though, I have been creating stuff, but I have not been doing it at the fast pace I wanted to, because, to be honest, I lost my passion, and my motivation. I think we all did.
I am slowly, picking myself up, and finishing off my music video 'Ghost.' I have been drawing this painstakingly, scene by scene, and its starting to fall into place!
J-con is cancelled for the 2nd year running, and I am heartbroken a little, I miss the people there and I miss the convention interaction. Gosh, I miss everybody so much.
I did manage to create something though..I have been updating my Youtube with content , until 'Ghost' is complete...check out the trailer right here!
Also, I missed being Johnny Reaper, so I also recorded this cover by 'Ghost' called 'Dance Macabre'.
The only time I dressed up for the entire year, Halloween. I was alone, and the UK went into another Lockdown November 1st. I remember just , sobbing, because it seemed it would never end.
But now...fingers crossed, things will be returning to normal again...we can hug eachother...and sing...and play music outside again...now we just need to get rid of these masks!
Hey Hey Hey! Here's some news! Nightmare Arcade will be performing at Forever Heros Festival on the 5th October 2019! AT Alberts, Nottingham! Check out the details here!
Looking forward to it! The last show in June was awesome, performing at the Maze , Nottingham..which has sadly closed down ! After this one in October there will be another on 16th November, but more on that when the time is near! Now we just need to get rehearsing!
''I'll take away the pain you feel, the torment in your mind...cos I can help you breathe again, I'm the cure you cannot find....so let me be your painkiller tonight.....!'
The Nightmare Arcade live band. Here we are!
The band members consist of the front girl Angie, James, and Zero!
Zero has always been a friend of mine, having met back in 2008 after being introduced by another friend.
Nightmare Arcade was already a band from my 2006-2007 college years when it consisted of myself and my best friend Sam. We were both drawn to eachother because we had the same interests and hobbies . I didnt think we fit in much with the other college students on our year , but that did not matter, because we had eachother. We managed to perform as best as we could with what we had! We were also given two session musicians for a college 'tour' of Germany!
From Left: Sam, Myself 2007.
Nightmare Arcade 2007 , Germany
Performing in a school ! Sam on the Keyboards/Vocals and myself on Bass and Vocals!
In my story, my characters are the misfits in a way, but because they have eachother, they do not care about the opinions of society ! This was inspired by the friendship me and my best friend have!
But after enrolling onto a Higher academic year, i had to put the live band in a box for a while.
Nightmare Arcades Music would not be performed with a live band until 2018.
I met Zero when a family friend brought him into the cafe I was working in after hearing about my project. Zero wanted to put together another band for me, however, things happened, and I needed surgery on my knee , so things , did not work out at that moment in time. I did not feel ready, because i was still in the early stages of discovering the sound I wanted for NA , plus I was still a confused teenager.
However, when things are meant to be, they will find a way.
After losing touch, and me continuing to create Nightmare Arcade content online through Myspace (Where I eventually achieved Diamond Status, but now Myspace deleted it all) I attended a gig one night in 2014, and found Zero there! We decided to add each other on the social network and etc. So we were in contact again!
During that period of time, Nightmare Arcade was still an online project, with the main character Johnny Reaper being brought to life through Cosplay. Johnny Reaper became the mascot of J-CON Derby in 2011 ! He still holds the title! New music and an extra two characters were introduced to the story..but more on that in another post!
Roll on 2016-2017...i started to attend open mic nights around Nottingham, and I became good friends with a few people, who were fans of Green Day, like myself!
In July 2017, I attended the Green Day concert in Sheffield. It was one of the best nights ever.
Deep down, I felt a tinge of sadness too, because i reminised about my band and playing live. I had forgotten how much i had missed it. I had performed with a backing track for so long, I realised that, I wanted a band again.
Then that week, one of my Green Day friends, messaged me and invited me to be a part of a Green Day Tribute band , as the female Mike Dirnt!
I dont think i said yes fast enough!
Video footage with Bertie as on Vocals, Zero on Drums, Myself on Bass, and Adam on Guitars.
Filmed at the Tap and Tumbler, Nottingham.
This is when I finally got to work with Zero in a band! The Green Day tribute was extremley fun, and the first show we had at the Tap and Tumbler in Nottingham, I wanted to cry, because I forgotten what it was like to perform with a band. All sorts of memories flew in my mind.
Soon enough, I approached Zero to ask about if we could make Nightmare Arcade a band .
Of course the answer was yes!
I was introduced to James , at an open mic night , where I was the spotlight artitst!
There is also another band member , but due to her own music commitments, she could not attend reheasals as much .
However, the band practices we did have went very well, and we performed our first gig at J-CON!
Photo by Oliver Cambray
From Left: James, Angie (aka Johnny Reaper) and Zero
The sound proof sheild that Zero had to use!
After the J-CON gig, we had a little break, due to my reheasals (I was in a theatre show!)
Roll on 2019, we were approached by students at Confetti, who had seen our performance at J-Con and wanted to record a music video for us!
An inspiration i had given them was the American Idiot video by Green Day!
Shots from the Music Video! (Video at top of blog post!)
We managed to film the video in under 3 hours! And he had tons of fun! A classic Zero antic consisted of him changing into his shirt and walking over to the camera man topless , saying ''Im ready for my close up now!''
Fast forward to today, Nightmare Arcade have a gig at the Maze , Nottingham on the 4th June! So we are going to continue working on the music. The music that tells the story of my characters!
Who or what is the Nightmare Arcade? Let us introduce you!
A musical project where a live band performs music that tells a story!
The story begins with Johnny Reaper, the youngest heir of the Grim Reaper. Johnny was banished from the Underworld. His crime? For simply, wanting to follow his dreams of being a Rockstar, and not follow the plan his Father had laid out for him.
Johnny Reaper's journey out of the Underworld was a turbulent one, but he still managed to acheive it. He found himself in the cemetery after, confused, yet free. He suddenly hears a voice in the distance...a young girl. Her name was Aimee...and she was not afraid of Johnny...at all. Destiny had brought them together at that very moment. Both of the young dreamers had a love of music!
Johnny soon resided at the Arcade cafe business of Aimee's Uncle. Aimee sometimes worked there with her cousin Aiden. Together, Johnny, Aimee, and Aiden would run the cafe every other day, But Johnny discovered after hours....the place was haunted.
''Aimee, the cafe is haunted you know. Don't you feel that? Something is in those machines man... it's not right...the energies within...they are not of this realm...at all.....''~ Johnny Reaper.
Thus, the name Nightmare Arcade was coined to the cafe by Johnny himself!
After adjusting to the land of the living and convincing enough people he was just a goth who REALLY like his Halloween costume, Johnny Reaper and Aimee decided to venture out to local music clubs so they could start their musical journey. There they met Candy Armstrong...who one stage, was a fantastic performer who was envied by many...but behind closed doors...was battling a serious battle with herself...could Johnny and Aimee help her?.....
Eventually, Johnny, Aimee, Candy, and Aiden all grew closer together, to embark on adventures to overcome obstacles and battle demons in the spirit realm...and the living realm.
The Nightmare Arcade live band perform music based on the story of these characters, and we invite you into our realm, where music, art, dreams and more combine!
''It's amazing how your heart can be, the leader of your destiny.''
From left to right: Aiden, Aimee, Johnny Reaper, and Candy Armstrong.
