Rising Aberdeen band Paris Syndrome racked up more than 680,000 TikTok video views and forged a USA following, before playing a gig!
The art-rock four-piece have created a major buzz with their music and unique visual art reminiscent of 1970’s Public Information films.
Paris Syndrome are so red hot fans, and friends, had to be turned away from their first ever show at The Blue Lamp in Aberdeen last September because demand was so high.
Initially conceived as a two-piece with singer/songwriter/musicians Jade Flannery and Lewis Scott, Paris Syndrome went years without playing a gig.
During that time the Paris Syndrome phenomenon grew with one TikTok video smashing the half million view mark.
With the addition of Siobhan Keegan (keyboards, multi-instruments) and Ben Martin (drums) their vision was finally able to materialise on stage.
Jade said: “For a while we had 28,000 followers on TikTok and a video with more than 600,000 views but hadn’t played a gig.
“We felt bad as people we really care about were turned away at the door at our first gig as it was sold out.
“They were asking if we could get them in.
“But we had to tell them we really can’t as it was at capacity for fire safety.
“It’s great to play gigs and add being a local band to the wider reach we have through the Internet.”
Paris Syndrome are ‘not a cult’
The Paris Syndrome phenomenon has built via the release of tracks including Sell Out, Over Exposed and Monsters.
It has also been fueled by eerie, unique and satirical ‘Paris Syndrome Institute’ videos posted on social media.
One video has 688,000 views… and counting.
Paris Syndrome’s online tag is ‘We are not a cult’.
The irony is not lost on the band that they now have fans desperate to be part of the cult of Paris Syndrome.
Lewis said: “A lot of our audience is in the States and across the world due to our material on social media like TikTok.
“As we are all multi-disciplinary artists we wanted to make a mythology around the band.
“We started making semi animated videos that are like 1970’s infomation films.
“They are from what is clearly a cult, but pretending not to be a cult.
“It’s odd as we have a tagline where we say repeatedly on our online content ‘We are not a cult’.
“But a lot of people who have become fans online have started referring to themselves as being in a cult.
“I made the video in my bedroom and more than half a million people have watched it.”
@parissyndromemusic Scientifically perfect internet content. #cult #notacult #informationalfilm #animation #thealgorithm #ultimatecultband #parissyndrome #parissyndromeinstitute
♬ ParisSyndromeInstitute mutogenic contentification – Paris Syndrome
‘Make it loud and shout about something you are angry about’
Paris Syndrome have a backlog of material that they have not yet recorded or played live.
There is a sense that the best has yet to come from this unique band who push the envelope in multi-media.
For Paris Syndrome their music is also a cathartic release and a rage against the machine.
Lewis said: “It’s difficult not to write about what is going on at the moment.
“Music is a way to vent.
“If something makes you angry or you are frustrated about the state of things, you can sing about it.
“It’s good to have the option to turn to turn the distortion up, make it loud and shout about something you’re angry about.
Jade explains: “Music is a way to call for a need for change.
“And to show how you feel disempowered with the way society is going.
“To have that rallying cry behind your music, to inspire people to say we’re not happy about this either.”
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