INTERVIEW: IN CONVERSATION WITH ROME
Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi
No Barriers caught up with ROME: Jerome Reuter, the musician behind the name
ROME (taken from the last four letters in Jerome’s name) is the main musical project of Luxembourgish singer and song writer Jerome Reuter. He is about to tour Australia for the very first time. He has a voice that’s rich like wine and reminds me of a young Leonard Cohen. His lyricism and use of metaphor and language is terrific – in that it is beautiful and terrifyingly insightful and his realpolitik view of the world is needed in a time when people doubt what is real.
ROME’s discography covers over 20 full-length albums, where he has blended his dark lyricism with post-punk and ‘chanson de geste’ (epic poems) styles to create captivating and honest meaning in his songs and music. This year he has released the albums: ‘Anthology 2016-2025’, ‘The Dublin Sessions II’, ‘Civitas Solis’, ‘Terres De Sang’ and ‘Flowers From Exile’.
‘The album releases are coming as I end the ROME part of my musical project,” stated Jerome Reuter. “I have bundled up songs – bits and pieces – songs that didn’t fit anywhere and I put them together. There is no real concept album in the group like I have made in the past. Just songs I liked and wanted to get out into the world”.
And, what amazing songs they are: the acoustic loveliness that considers the impact of mourning and loss in the song ‘Western Wall’, the fantastic acoustic pop of ‘The Brightest Black’, the honest and perceptive ‘Alesia’, the practical politics of ‘Food For Powder’ to the shrewd ‘Tomorrow We Live’. It’s wonderful to hear an artist who is using beautiful language and imagery from war and trouble to tell us about life and how it really is.
ROME’s music is characterized by his lovely lyrical baritone voice. His sonic palette is a fusion of military style drumming, atmospheric electronic textures, and ethereal acoustic guitars. He complements his melodies with samples and those poetic lyrics that often explore themes of war, love, loss, pain, and death. It is life affirming to hear lyricism that draws inspiration from the heretic Tommosa Campanella, the historian Snyder who wrote of ‘blood lands’ like Ukraine in Europe and other literary and philosophical figures such as Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Albert Camus, Ernst Jünger, and Jean Genet who also thought deeply about the light and the dark of the human experience.
‘We are in the meat grinder of war at the moment,” said Jerome Reuter. “When we think about it - life is strife and conflict with bits of calm thrown in. I am sick of the ambiguity. Like the name ROME suggests, I like to face problems face on. The thing about the idea of empire and of ROME - it is masked in light and dark - good and evil just like all things. Unfortunately, so many died to build countries and nations and they are soaked in the imagery of blood”. The path to hell is paved by good intentions that don’t always end as intended. And, ROME’s songs reflect those shades of grey in life as “Europe sinks into seas of fire” as he writes and sings in his brutally honest song ‘By tradition’.
ROME will tour Australia in late August and bring his musical poetry to our shores. ‘Yes. It will be my first time in Australia’ explained Jerome Reuter. “I have never been before so I am looking forward to seeing a bit of the country between the shows. I don’t like the heat so I thought the timing was right. I want to perform in a very special way with stripped back shows, solo performances that I don’t normally do – when you perform with a band you are so structured. Performing solo means I can relax and sing songs that fans can pick from all of my back catalogue. I love performing solo because it means you live in the moment”.
ROME is like his name’s sake. He is brave. Performing solo shows with no fixed songs shows real confidence in his song writing and performance craft. He is also bold in that he will return to tour Europe and then head to Ukraine to perform after his Australian shows. “Yes. It’s pretty risky,” stated Jerome Reuter. “But I have played there 5 times and it is always difficult but the people of Kyiv are good people. It’s hard for people and friends I know in bands there that cannot get permits to leave and perform music”. It was a worthy decision and action to risk danger or cancelled shows due to bombing to take music to the people of that war-torn region.
For 20 years Jerome Reuter as ROME has been a force to reckon with in the musical underground in Europe. Through relentless touring and a steady stream of high-quality albums and songs ROME has built a remarkably loyal following and it will wonderful to welcome him to Australia. ROME’s solo and acoustic concert is one you probably do not want to miss this year: it promises to be remarkable.
Rome is touring Australia in August 2025. Check it Out!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
August 22: Adelaide, The Metro w/ Isomer
August 23: Melbourne, The Evelyn,w/ The Veil, Wolf Arrow Rain, Sun Vessel
August 29: Brisbane, Crowbar, w/ King Dude
August 30: Sydney, The Vanguard, w/ The Veil, Klavier Krieger, Sun Vessel
