It isn’t Greek-born, London-bred goth singer Cosmas Livanos‘ first time in Columbus.

Better known by his band name, Livan performed a show in Columbus with Alice Cooper in the summer. The band is currently touring with Cooper but has six solo concerts scheduled, including one in Columbus.

Livan is scheduled to play at 8 p.m. at The Basement Thursday.

“One reason we are coming back is because we had a great response from the audience in Columbus,” Livanos told The Lantern.

“They really embraced it so we decided to do a headline show.”

The band’s most recent album is titled “Off the Grid.” Livanos said the record is based on a live show.

Livanos said he doesn’t like to listen to his own albums, but prefers to perform his songs live.

“We play them so much, we analyze them, they become blurred and not a song anymore. When we play it live it becomes a song again. It adds style and sounds better to my ears,” Livanos said.

Livanos said he prefers to play for the largest audience possible, but said it’s always better to perform solo.

“I like to play for as many people as I can. There are more people in the audience when we play with Alice Cooper. It’s a really nice tour, but one aspiration is always to play for your own crowd,” Livanos said.

The band originated in London and plays for audiences throughout Europe, but has been touring in the United States for the last year.

“In Europe we play for crowds of 1,600 to 2,000 people, but we have never done a headline show in America before,” Livanos said.

Despite his success, Livanos hasn’t always been in the music business. After graduating with a master’s in psychology from the Imperial College London in 1998, Livanos worked in London prisons with inmates for five years.

“I thought that there was something to be done there. It was very tough but rewarding work,” Livanos said.

Livanos said if he ever stops making music, he might go back to work in the field of psychology.

“It’s fascinating work, but I don’t want to be a shrink,” Livanos said.

Though he didn’t start his career in the music industry, Livanos has been playing in bands since he was a kid.

Livanos started out playing drums in school, but now plays the piano, keyboard and guitar.

He said that the show is more than what he does as a performer.

“It’s about the show as a whole,” he said. “It’s spectacular — the other players, the songs, all the other theatrics.”

Generating revenue is one of the struggles bands face, Livanos said, but breaking into the business isn’t the only hard part of being in a band.

“You’re on the road all the time, away from loved ones, and you get to hear from all the critics in the world,” Livanos said.

Those critics seem to like Livan’s shows.

“The evening started off with a post-punk bang, as UK-based Livanos grabbed the crowd by their combat boots and delivered,” said Mara Robinson of the Cleveland Free Press.

Livanos and the rest of the band travel across the country on a tour bus, but the band members don’t have time to do a whole lot.

“Sleep. The others like to do other things, I’m the loner of the group. But we’re so busy all the time, we like to sleep and eat.”