Interview: Davghter

We had the chance to chat with Harbinger (Dev) and Deadname (Izzy) of the black metal band Davghter from London, who released their second EP Mask Casket the 1st of December this year.

photo by: Dan @diggy_hole

Anna & Igor:
Hi and welcome to this interview with the Anti Racist Metal Blog! We're very happy that you could participate and tell us a bit more about the band and your newest release Mask Casket! How has it been received so far?

Deadname (Izzy):
The EP has been received really well! We're delighted with the reviews so far. It's a big step up for the band and its our first release where the full line up has been involved creatively

Anna & Igor:
Yes, the first EP was all a one woman job, wasn't it? How has having a full lineup impacted the writing?

Deadname (Izzy):
It was! It's been so nice, more influences and more talent! I think you can really hear it in the singles.
Shrovd, one of our guitarists used to be in the groove metal band Empire Warning and I think you can hear that in Hide In Plain Spite, for example

Anna & Igor:
You seem to have a more focused sound compared with the debut EP. is that a result of performing songs live?

Deadname (Izzy):
I think its a band that knows each other a lot better. The live show has become a huge part of Davghter
We had a recent review that said "The band performs at an energy level that will leave you wondering if it’s the last show they will ever play.
Feels about right!

photo by: Dan @diggy_hole

Anna & Igor:
That's always nice to hear about a live show! What is the concept your for your live shows, anything you put particular emphasis on?

Deadname (Izzy):
When I was a kid I didnt have any trans people on stages that I could look up to, and I want to make sure that trans kids coming up today know they can start their own bands, that they feel welcome at gigs and at venues. Theres a strong sense of community at our live shows.
That and the fact that we leave absolutely nothing behind. I'd rather be dying of exhaustion than have someone suggest we didnt go hard!

Anna & Igor:
That's a great mission statement!The band is obviously taking inspiration from lived experience and it's a quite bold statement to have a band with such a clear profile. Was this something that was deliberate and planned, or was it something that gradually evolved?

Deadname (Izzy):
Well the first EP was very personal and had a lot of lived experience in it. This is just the same. But this time it has both mine and Cathexis/Charlotte's stories.
Mourning the Mask is very much her song, where as monstrous flesh is an experience I've had. But both are things that I think a lot of trans people have experienced.
Both being abandoned by family, or fetishised. Respectively.

Anna & Igor:
That's really sad!
Do you feel any separation between how you are on stage and how you are in your private lives, or are the lyrics and experiences too merged together?

Deadname (Izzy):
I think black metal is inherently theatrical. When youre on stage in corpse paint screaming like a banshee, its hard for that to be "me", but as clichéd as it is, I see it as a mix of a release of all the emotion of the experiences we're talking about in the lyrics, and war paint in the fight against transphobia. Davghter is about community and shared emotion through suffering, through joy and through refusing to give up that fight

Anna & Igor:
Do you feel that your local metal community has understood your message? How have your live shows been received by the audience?

Harbinger (Dev):
Our live shows have all been very well received so far. From the stage I’ve seen people of all ages, shapes, sizes just rocking out and enjoying themselves. Izzy and Charlotte have had people approach them afterwards, sometimes with tears in their eyes, stating how they see the trans people in their lives in a whole different perspective. The metal community itself has really embraced the band and its message. Again, from my perspective, I have yet to see anyone from the metal community say anything disparaging about the band. Considering metal and metalheads are all about celebrating outsiders and uniqueness, it feels right that we are understood and accepted.

Anna & Igor:
That's great to hear! our impression of the UK metal community is also that it's a very inclusive community.

Harbinger (Dev):
Oh absolutely, it’s one of the most amazing communities that I’ve been a part of. And am still a part of.

Anna & Igor:
Do you have any thoughts on what makes it that way or how that was achieved, because we've been to other countries where that's clearly not the case. As an example one could use Norwegian metal, where the whole "apolitical"= right wing (but we won't admit it) issue is a huge problem

Deadname (Izzy):
I think we still have problems in the metal scene, but it's more 'in the closet' as metal in the UK is very "alternative" it tends to be left wing in the bigger cities.
But I think that's true of all subcultures. Not just metal

Anna & Igor:
With more subcultures being open for such a project, could you imagine Davghter in a different (sub-)genre? Or with rage being a major driving force in your music, was it to begin with clear that you wanted to have a metal project?

Deadname (Izzy):
Well we had a lot of gigs over the last two years in the extreme punk scene and they're always a wonderful time.
And if there's any trans musicians reading this that want to collaborate, let us know! From grime to disco, we're interested!

Anna & Igor:
That's cool! I think all scenes need more musical collaboration!

Harbinger (Dev):
What about Country?

Anna & Igor:
Asking the really hard questions here!

Deadname (Izzy):
Dev knows I played the London Metal Pride gig in pink cowboy boots so he's playing with fire there!

Harbinger (Dev):
That’s why I said it

Anna & Igor:
So next up is an acoustic dixie land interpretation of Davghter?

Deadname (Izzy):
We did an acoustic gig this year!

Anna & Igor:
We'd like to hear more about that! And see if you have a video of it?

Deadname (Izzy):
I'll try and find one!

Anna & Igor:
The acoustic versions were really cool! you could definitively have some acosutic parts in future songs.

EP cover by Deadname (Izzy)

Anna & Igor:
This brings us a bit back to the composition of the band and how it affects your songwriting:
Can you say a bit about each members musical background and what your impression is of how that affects the songwriting?

Deadname (Izzy):
I think you're probably speaking to the two most "black metal" members of Davghter

Harbinger (Dev):
Although I grew up in a fairly traditional Indian Sikh household, I found myself gravitating toward metal and rock from around age 11 onwards, thanks to programs like Top of the Pops and tape trading. Once I found Black Metal though it was all over.

Deadname (Izzy):
For me - my metal tastes are varied and so are my tastes beyond that. I think my influences are everytbing from Deafheaven to Dolly Parton and Agriculture to Opera

Anna & Igor:
Do you find bandcamp a bit similar to tape trading?

Harbinger (Dev):
I find Bandcamp to be a great place to lose my money.
I’ve bought loads of stuff by bands from there, it’s a great place and it does feel similar to tape trading

Anna & Igor:
Yeah, that's our experience as well. The only ones making money are the postal service.
It has a certain "I'll send you mine if you send me yours" -feel

Deadname (Izzy):
I apologise to everyone on bandcamp as Ive not uploaded the new EP yet! I promise Ill do it tonight!

Anna & Igor:
We were actually going to ask about that later in the interview. as someone who avoids spotify like the plague, we would love to have it available on bandcamp.

Deadname (Izzy):
Entirely my fault. It's got lost in the post-SRS recovery

Anna & Igor:
Recovery is absolutely a valid reason. No blame here!

Anna & Igor:
Can you tell a bit about the song writing process? where do you start when you want to write a new song?

Deadname (Izzy):
What tends to happen is that Shrovd/Ben, Sqirrl/Dan or me will bring in a song that is 80-90% of the way there. And then we'll tweak in band practice.
The first EP was all programmed drums, but now charlotte will write all the drum parts as we go
That really inspires new riffs etc. And adds so much colour

Anna & Igor:
Do you sit then all together and finish the song, or is it only getting finished when you sit down to record it?

Deadname (Izzy):
No we are very much a "play it till its right" band. We find a lot of changes happen in practices and playing live. Rather than recording and then playing the recording.

Anna & Igor:
That's really cool! It definitely helps the songs to be less static and stiff.

Anna & Igor:
Is it always the same person who composes the lead melodies? They seem to have a stilistical similarity to them.

Deadname (Izzy):

When we are dust was almost all Shrovd/Ben, the rest of the EP was predominantly me but wirh heavy influences from all of the band on different tracks. Different people wrote different riffs across the EP. We definitely see it as a collaboration

Anna & Igor: 
What is the inspiration behind including many different elements into the songs?  Especially in a context where black metal can be quite a streamlined subgenre (and again, this might be the Norwegian bias).

Deadname (Izzy):

As an EP I hope it pisses off purists. At Davghter's heart is an acknowledgement that our very existence angers people that want to see the world in a binary, black and white way. So I think our music does the same thing. We're not here to follow the rules, we're here to create an emotional impact. So for us, while I would still argue that each track has significant black metal elements, we make a point of trying to expand into other areas
There's atmospheric BM in tracks in Mourning the Mask and When We Are Dust, but there's clearly melodeath influences im a track like Forge Your Name, and Monstrous Flesh ends on a bit of Disco

Anna & Igor:

What comes first when composing, lyrics or music?

Deadname (Izzy):

They often run independently, we'll have a song and I'll dip into the lyrics vault and see what works, and then tweak it from there.

We rarely write songs to the lyrics though, so I guess composing music first usually

Anna & Igor:
Are there any plans to release more in the near future? and are there plans for a physical release?

Deadname (Izzy):
We'd love to do a small run of a physical release, if we head out on tour with this EP we'll do it. And that's the 2026 plan. We've also already got 7 songs at that 90% mark to go into practice in the new year for the next release too!

Anna & Igor:
That's neat! really exited to hear them! Where do you plan to tour? Can we hope to see you in Noway?

Harbinger (Dev):
I’m hoping that we can travel as much of the world as possible, I would love to see as much of Scandinavia as possible.

Deadname (Izzy):
We would love to come over! If you know anyone that would be up for bringing us over for a couple of shows, we'd love to come.

Anna & Igor:
Have you started booking 2026? Has there been any interest in the band beyond London and UK? Any cool offers for shows?

Deadname (Izzy):
Were touring bits of the UK later this year, but nothing announced just yet. Watch this space!

Anna & Igor:
Cool! there are some really great underground venues in UK.
How do you place yourself in the underground? Do you feel you are a unique band in your niche or are there other bands that you feel you fit well together with?

Deadname (Izzy):
I definitely think we're part of a broader community, with trans black metals that we know and have played with and those we dont - like Karnstein, Lamp of Murmur, etc. Underdark too!

Anna & Igor:
Are there any bigger bands you would hope to share a stage with in the future, or any bigger festivals that are the "dream venue" for you?

Harbinger (Dev):
Speaking personally, if I could get to play Grieghallen that would be amazing. Band wise, I would have loved to tour with Immortal if they were still active.

Anna & Igor:
Abbath is at least active. I don't know how it is with Immortal at the moment

Deadname (Izzy):
I'd personally love to play Hellfest, one of my favourite european festivals.

Anna & Igor:
We have to ask: how is the sound at Hellfest? We've been greatly disapointed by the sound at Wacken the 2 last times we went.

Deadname (Izzy):
I think the thing I l9ve about Hellfest is the themed stages, get the chance to see black metal in the morning and then rock out to cheesy headliners in the evening

Anna & Igor:
Yes, that's our experience with Wacken as well

Anna & Igor:
Speaking of touring: do you have any fun stories, or horror stories from a live show?

Deadname (Izzy):
Well for anyone that knows our live show, it's quite...energetic.
At a gig this summer I managed to grab the lighting rig and swing from that into the mosh pit from the stage

Anna & Igor:
That doesn't sound very safe

Deadname (Izzy):
When we went back to play that venue again there was a giant sign that said
"Swinging from the lighting rig will be an immediate gig stop and a £500 fine"
So we left an impression

Anna & Igor:
But you got it for free? And you got a sign? Well done!

Deadname (Izzy):
I also had my bra ripped off by accident in the mosh bit at Coalition Fest. So davghter shows are never quiet!

Anna & Igor:
Have you considered chainmail? Seems a lot of metalheads making chainmail bras

Deadname (Izzy):
Feels like a way to end up with a lot of stuff getting pinched!

Anna & Igor:
You would need a gambeson bra underneath

Anna & Igor:
The live shows seem to be a really important part of the band. do you feel you are now first and foremost a live band, or is studio releases still the way you want the band to be discovered?

Deadname (Izzy):
I think that for us theyre two separate things: we make choices on the recordings that we wouldn't make live and in reverse.
Its about what's best for the medium: the live show is a lot more about raw emotion, the recorded versions are more considered.

Anna & Igor:
So what you perform live is different from the recording? Do you have any examples on what you feel doesn't translate well to a live setting or the other way around?

Deadname (Izzy):
Vocally I tend to be a bit more reserved on the recordings, where as live Im likely rolling around the stage, roaming the mosh pit, so there's a different energy in the two I think
We also often use clips of transphobic politicians on the record that we dont bother with live

Anna & Igor:
Makes sense to not include them live: having the whole audience and band just stand around listening to that shit could be a bit of a mood killer.

photo by Carol Giannattasio @duskframes

Deadname (Izzy):
Well we talk a lot about the purpose of the music on stage
On the first EP, we had the song Killed about the transphobic murder of Brianna Ghey and I used to read out the names of those people we had lost to transphobia before th3 song. To remind people of the fight we're very much still fighting
Our audience often doesnt know a huge amount about how hard it is to be trans in the UK/US and how hard it is to defend our rapidly decreasing rights
So we often use the intros and stage chat to bring that information to them

Anna & Igor:
Yes, unfortunately it is. As we understand it, the situation for trans people has worsened in the last years. Are you comfortable to say something about how you have been affected by it?

Deadname (Izzy):
Well public healthcare for trans people is almost non-existent. Waiting lists are often decades long. Weve seen year on year increases in attacks on trans people and there was I believe a 100% increase in attacks on trans activists

Anna & Igor:
Ouch, that's really bad!

Deadname (Izzy):
We have all major parties apart from the greens putting out openly transphobic policies.
It's not fun to live on TERF island

Anna & Igor:
It seems like the whole of Europe has been moving in that direction for some time (and of course the states). Do you have to take any special precautions as a band because of this

Deadname (Izzy):
We've never had any issues as a band luckily

Anna & Igor:
That's good to hear!

Deadname (Izzy):
As uncomfortable a subject as this, I think for the most part Charlotte and I have passing privilege which makes things easier

Anna & Igor:
And of course on stage you have the crowd as support

Deadname (Izzy):
Exactly

Anna & Igor:
So then, despite the challenges for the community at large, we can hope that 2026 will be a great year for you, both with touring and, hopefully, a new release!

Harbinger (Dev):
Thank you so much

Anna & Igor:
Thank you for the interview! we're really looking forward to more songs and hope to have a chance to see you live in 2026!

Deadname (Izzy):
Well hopefully nearer to you!

Harbinger (Dev):
Thank you, we hope to see you soon