WyrdStar's own record label, resurrected in 2023 to distribute digital releases of the new single and album by psych-rock band Ditch the Demon. Digital releases are distributed via CD Baby to all major online music services - Apple Music (iTunes), Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, YouTube and many more - you name it, we're there! WyrdStar also designed the booklet for the CD release of Ditch the Demon's 2023 debut album Ain't Dead Yet, distributed via BandCamp (CDs can also be bought at gigs, obviously!).
Prozakville Records was originally set up to distribute recordings by folk-rock cabaret band Danse Macabre. Most CDs are long gone (a few remain); the 2008 EP The Golden Age Of Ballooning is still on the CD Baby roster and digital downloads are available from online retailers.
I play bass guitar in Ditch the Demon and also wrote a few of the songs on our debut album. The band's website at www.ditchthedemon.co.uk was also created and is maintained by yours truly. See website for UK gig dates...
The Prozakville Records logo (pictured) features the Red House Glass Cone in Wordsley in the Black Country (England), a prominent local landmark near WyrdStar's original base of operations.
Other musical endeavours - Atomic Twitten, Aphroditus, etc. - are listed at the bottom of this page. x Steph x
The demon is rising! Formed in 2018 from the beer-soaked music scene of Hastings on England’s south coast, DITCH THE DEMON is a rising powerhouse of goth rock, assimilating power metal, psych and prog under a dark yet uplifting aura. The band’s music is characterised by the epic haunting vocals of Amanda Brooks-Byron, driven by seasoned musicianship and exceptional, inventive songwriting. Influences driving the band's music are diverse. The spiritual roots of Ditch the Demon can be traced to seminal band Coven, whose 1971 album “Blood on the Snow” inspired the Hastings band to forge their own contemporary twist on the classic psych-rock sound. For fans of: Epica, Evanescence, Heart, Paramore, Within Temptation (and Coven!).
DITCH THE DEMON are: Amanda Brooks-Byron (vocals), Karl Mee (guitar), Terry Keen (keyboards), Steph Bennion (bass) and Neil Warman (drums).
Website: www.ditchthedemon.co.uk | Bandcamp: ditchthedemon.bandcamp.com
(PZVR 101 - Released 1 December 2023)
The demon is rising! Formed in 2018 from the beer-soaked music scene of Hastings on England’s south coast, Ditch the Demon is a rising powerhouse of rock, assimilating psych and prog under a dark yet uplifting aura. Ain’t Dead Yet is the band's first full album.
Recorded April and May 2023 at Broadoak Park Studios, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex. Engineered by Glen Mitchel, Martyn Lee and Ditch the Demon. Produced, mixed and mastered by harveysummers.com at Spooky Action Studios.
Download "Ain't Dead Yet" CD album booklet (pdf).
Buy Compact Disc £12 (+VAT) (plus P&P), Digital Album £8 (+VAT) from Bandcamp now. All tracks available from leading online music stores and streaming services.
(PZVR 102 - Released 1 August 2025)
A taste of Ditch the Demon's live shows. Recorded by Setmixer at the New Cross Inn, London, in January 2025. Produced, mixed and mastered by Ditch the Demon.
Download "Live in the Big Bad City" printable CD sleeve (pdf).
Buy Digital Album £5 (+VAT), exclusive to Bandcamp.
(PZVR 100 - Released 13 May 2023)
A furious explosion of sumptuous manic lust and high-speed heavy rock. Download-only single from Ditch the Demon's debut album Ain’t Dead Yet.
Recorded 22 April 2023 at Broadoak Park Studios, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex. Engineered by Glen Mitchel, Martyn Lee and Ditch the Demon. Produced, mixed and mastered by harveysummers.com at Spooky Action Studios.
ISRC: GB ZCW 23 00001
Download-only single, £1 (+VAT) from Bandcamp.
Available on Ditch the Demon's new album AIN'T DEAD YET, released 1 December 2023.
DANSE MACABRE was an earlier foray into live music, again playing original songs (a few of which still get played by Atomic Twitten). The band took its own brand of folk-rock, halloween-pop cabaret around London and beyond, including sets at the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Worcester Music Festival. The Danse Macabre Archive has a brief history, some pictures and even a bit about the sadly unfinished Killer Squirrels: The Opera... DANSE MACABRE were: Ash Harper (vocals), Sarah Taylor (vocals/guitar), Steph Bennion (bass/synth) and Helen Robertson (drums).
Website: www.wyrdstar.co.uk/music/dansemacabre.html
(PZVR 003 - Released 1 May 2010)
Track 1 recorded at Hoopshank's studio, Worcester Park, London, on 20 January 2010. Produced and engineered by Paul Turrell.
Track 2 recorded at Kingsmead Park social club, Allhallows, Kent, on 13 August 2008. Produced and engineered by Linda Harper.
A few remaining promotional copies still available - contact WyrdStar.
(PZVR 002 - Released 31 October 2008)
Danse Macabre present five songs of love, life and death...
Recorded at Ranscombe Studios, Kent, on 11-12 August 2008. Produced and engineered by Jim Riley, Rory Alderson and Danse Macabre.
Some CDs still available, £5.00 (free postage in UK) - contact WyrdStar.
(PZVR 001 - Released 23 August 2008)
Taken from the EP 'The Golden Age of Ballooning'.
Recorded at Ranscombe Studios, Kent, on 11-12 August 2008. Produced and engineered by Jim Riley, Rory Alderson and Danse Macabre.
A few remaining promotional copies still available - contact WyrdStar.
ATOMIC TWITTEN is our small but perfectly-formed acoustic band - with Taylor singing and playing guitar, myself on double bass - playing classic pop, soul and rock tunes in an upbeat folky style, with a few original songs thrown into the mix. We've done a few gigs around Hastings, some of which actually went rather well... The Atomic Twitten page has a few videos of us playing live, with more available on YouTube.
This page also covers "QUILTBAG", the arts and cabaret event at Hastings Pride 2019. In 2022, we revived this as a monthly Open Mic Night for LGBTQ+ Performers at the White Rock Hotel, Hastings. Regrettably, it never really took off in the way we hoped! Quiltbag Cabaret is currently on hiatus. Steph.
APHRODITUS: A MUSICAL is a genderqueer one-act rock opera by Stephanie M Bennion, to be performed by a single narrator/singer backed by a rock band live on stage. The play takes a darkly humorous look at the fight for transgender liberation in western society and how gender-variant people struggle to find a place in the world. The musical centres around the narrator’s black-comedy retelling of their personal journey, how they have dealt with the challenges of life and the tragedy of the one they loved. The show looks at transgender rights through a feminist lens and examines the impact of the vilification of trans people by the media, evangelical organisations and right-wing politicians.
Songs and a script have been developed for a show around 50-60 minutes running time, written with fringe performances in mind. Demo recordings for most of the songs are available on Soundcloud (private link). The Aphroditus: A Musical page gives an overview for anyone interested in helping to stage the show. Steph.
The video below is something I quickly put together around a Christmas song I wrote for Ditch the Demon, which we may record for 2025. The video is the public domain cartoon "Christmas Comes But Once A Year" (Max Fleischer Color Classic, 1936). "Santa's Coming (Krampus Is Gonna Get Me)" - music/lyrics copyright Steph Bennion 2024, all rights reserved. Steph
