South East London rockers Black Bordello unveiled their second album White Bardo on 23 September 2024. The emerging four-piece indie band explore themes of mortality, mythology, quantum physics and spirituality in White Bardo. Lead singer, songwriter and band founder Sienna Bordello became fascinated by the metaphysical and spiritual realms after the release of their self-titled debut album released in 2020, which focused on sexuality, womanhood and social disparities like misogyny.

White Bardo is a 9-track album which received support from the likes of CLASH, Wonderland Magazine and The Most Radicalist. The band gained traction for their powerhouse live performances as the supporting act for The Libertines. The band is composed of Sienna Bordello, Daniel Gowers, Jerome Alexandre, Melody Wayfare, Indigo Pearce and Francis Wolfe. Their signature sound is ever-evolving, and laced with elements of post-punk, modern blues as well as chamber pop. 

Stream Black Bordello – White Bardo below:

The lead single ‘Nunhead’ was written by Sienna during the pandemic, after she witnessed children playing with toys on graves, while their mom’s drank in a South East London cemetery. The track is a rampage of fervent emotion, mortality and social commentary interspersed with bursts of whimsy. White Bardo is a triumphant odyssey for Black Bordello, illustrating their unshakeable ability to set trends and not follow them.

On the inspiration behind the album, Sienna reveals; “It’s a positive escape route that came about from negative occurrences. After failed therapy sessions, I learned Transcendental Meditation, Tibetan Buddhism, the Book of the Dead and started reading the Bhagavad Gita and essays on quantum physics. These texts as well as being in situations where I witnessed death first hand caused me to wonder about the temporary nature of this reality. It’s true that in hospices they know about the Bardo because they see people enter it and stay there for weeks on end. Neither dead nor alive. And sometimes in that space we see truly phenomenal things occur. You could enter it any time just by settling your mind. The Bardo is not a morbid place but rather a waiting room or an emancipatory space. Some things may have to end, but joy lies in the fact that more things come then begin.”

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