When you’re told that you’ll be interviewing a gothic industrial band, you never know what to expect. Will they be pale-faced vampires with fangs and a thirst for human blood? Will you need to keep a string of garlic and a crucifix handy? But upon entering the cosy confines of the Time Out headquarters, the only remotely frightening thing about Vrank was their mutual preference for black clothing.

The soft-spoken trio of Frankie Tsoi, Phillip Ng and Kijo Lau make up the local goth industrial band, although they prefer to be called by their respective stage names: Vrank, Phantom and Kijo. It’s all part of the image they try to project that is typical of the gothic music scene. “Gothic is relatively less technical musically as it has more to do with the atmosphere and the vibe, creating something scary and dark,” singer/guitarist Vrank explains.

This idea influences everything they do from their names and lyrics to the album art and stage performance; to them, presence and presentation is just as important as the music. “Before a gig, a lot of the bands spend 100 per cent of the time practising their songs. We probably spend a third of our time on our playing, a third on doing the computer background and synthesiser and a third to think about how to present ourselves on stage,” says Vrank.

For their live shows, they’ll don long dark trenchcoats, black lace-up boots and makeup (“smoky eyes, black lips, eyeliner”). However they don’t want this to be the focus of their show. “I think it’s pretty sad that most people misunderstand our stuff. They would think these guys are visual rockers and would focus mainly on our outlook. The look is important but I hope they can concentrate more on the atmosphere and music of gothic industrial and not only on how we dress,” says guitarist Phantom.

Despite that, they won’t tone down the theatrics. For their upcoming show for the release of their debut album on September 18, they’re planning on adding new elements to their gig. “Maybe putting oil or black sticky things all over our bodies, maybe half-naked dancers,” says Phantom as some possible ideas. They sure do know how to set up an ideal atmosphere for some dark moody rock. 

Leon Lee

Vrank play Hidden Agenda on September 18. Tickets: Hidden Agenda, 2591 0499