INTERVIEW: CRADLE OF FILTH IN CONVERSATION WITH DANI FILTH
Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
In anticipation of Cradle of Filth’s co-headline tour of Australia with DevilDriver in July, I had the privilege of chatting with the band’s enigmatic mastermind and one of the most influential figures in the extreme metal scene, Dani Filth.
“The tour will be high octane, theatrical and loud,” stated Dani Filth. “It’s important to know that it is a co-headlining tour. But we are starting to think about how we are going to structure the setlist. We have about one hour and 15 minutes – so there will be tracks from ‘The Screaming Of The Valkyries’ and we are wondering how we can get fans involved with choosing songs they love. And, we are heading into the studio in about three weeks to make a follow-up album. So, there may be some new tracks to test by July”.
Cradle of Filth continues to captivate audiences worldwide with their unique blend of black metal, gothic aesthetics and macabre narratives.
“I am looking forward to coming to Australia,” said Dani Filth. “It has rained here for the last 58 days. Only today have we got a nice spring day. I just hope we get some time to enjoy Australia and get to have a look around. We are always so busy touring and working. Life is so busy”.
The Suffolk-based Cradle of Filth seem to be in constant movement with 14 studio albums and a new one on the way. The band are flaunting a newfound energy.
“We are in the early stages of writing. Touring in the UK, Europe, then Australia. Things are all coming together for Cradle. And I have a new car, and trying to get my record collection uploaded into it,” chattered Dani Filth.
When I asked him if he liked being a musician with an amazing back catalogue and some very engaging and beautiful lyricism – the reply was very English.
“It’s alright,” said Dani Filth nonchalantly. “If I wasn’t a musician. I might have become a journalist. Thankfully that didn’t happen. I love travelling as part of Cradle. I love the freedom. The blank canvas to write. I do not like following trends. With Cradle, I have been able to forge my own path. It’s what I do”.
And what Dani Filth does is write. He has lyrics that navigate his band’s trademark opulence, with an eye for economy and imagery.
“I like writing. I have tried to write a book of poetry. I started in 2006 but I keep raiding and plundering it for song lyrics,” he explained. “I'll write some poetry and then something comes along where I need to write some lyrics and it just fits perfectly and I'm like, “I don't want to use you” because then the poem is gone. I’ve put it in a song, and I never get to finish the poem because we're so busy. But I will continue to nibble away at it”.
“But it’s also a sore point,” he continued. “I got an upgrade for my Apple Mac, and somewhere between just letting the computer do its own thing, it deleted years of my work. So, there were these amazing poems, that I just have no record of anymore. It was one of those things I never thought would happen. It's like: it's saved in the cloud. Yes. But if you delete it, it's not saved in the cloud and I don't know how the hell it got deleted. But it’s my plan when I have time to get back to it – listen to some music and write”.
When I asked about what he likes to listen to – the answer was a surprise.
“Soundtracks,” Dani Filth opined. “I like horror movie soundtracks. When I am thinking I do not want someone yelling in my ear. I love AMICUS productions and some Hammer Horror”. This makes perfect sense as he joked about the Egyptian sarcophagus in his study. “It’s my mummy,” he quipped.
Two of metal’s extreme pioneers, Cradle Of Filth and DevilDriver, will co-headline an Australian tour in July 2026 and it looks like it will be a concert of surprises as these two bands dominate Australian stages.
Tickets are available now. The tour dates are:
9 July – The Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD
10 July – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW
11 July – The Forum, Melbourne, VIC
14 July – Hindley Street Music Hall, SA
16 July – Astor Theatre, Perth, WA
