News From The Front is a four-piece band playing some straight-up Hede hardcore. Not much is known about these individuals either, but they revealed some things from their secrecy. Right now they’ve got three D.I.Y-EPs released, namely: Hat & Blod, State Of War and The Front. They’re planning to release a fourth EP this summer. This is the fourth band in chronological order, from the Hotet Från Skogarna compilation. Hopefully you’ll find this one entertaining too. I asked them about their contribution to the compilation, what Hede hardcore is, what zines they prefer and much more. Tune in for some furious hardcore and interesting anecdotes.
Have you named yourself after the Bad Religion song?
– So is the case. We thought it fitted our profile quite well.
Could you tell me a little bit more about yourselves?
– Nils skateboards, Anders plays Chess, Christoffer is a chef and Olle can do the jigging.
Have you played in any other band prior to this one?
– Yes, many. One worth checking out is Release the fucking fury.
Why be Hede Hardcore when you can be Ume Hardcore?
– It ain’t that cool changing team just because you want to win! Besides that, Ume is miles and miles away from us. We have our origin in Hede so thought it be cool to branch it as Hede Hardcore (only HC band from there).
There’s also another band with the same name as yours, have it created any confusion yet? – Not as far as we know. It could be because we haven’t had our world tour, yet.
What would you say is the essence of hardcore?
– We believe that the essence of hardcore is, as in many other genres, the urge to express your opinions and making other people aware of them.
So you’re one of the bands being featured on the Hotet Från Skogarna compilation, what do you think about the concept?
– Great concept. Why not make use of each other if you want to reach out to more people? To be able to be a part of something as HFS, and to be able to support in any way we can is really great. We’re big supporters of D.I.Y and we hope that it can show people what you can do by yourself as long as you work hard.
Could you tell me anything about the two songs you’re contributing with?
– One is about everything being for sale, old weak, poor. The song is called ”Välkommen till Helvetet”. The other one called ”F.O.I” is about the Swedish weapon export. We sell most weapons per person in the world, we are selling to dictatorships! The big parties see no problem in this continuing, it brings us money and jobs. Capitalism in a nutshell!
What do you think about the Swedish hardcore-scene as it is now?
– It seems to be doing quite well, almost daily you can read about gigs arranged in the HC blogspots. We have lots of great sounding HC bands. The country is being privatized and ruined by the right wing parties. The need to play, punk/hc is growing.
Have you read any fanzine that you liked really much? If so, which one(s) did you prefer?
– Nowadays its mostly blogs and hardly any paper zines around. But we’re big fans of both Lukinzine, Mosher and Doomsday Mag.
Could you tell me about the basic life of a Swedish hardcore-band these days? What is your cycle of life?
– The cycle of life is such as always. People work hard and we always try to play as much as possible.
You’re also famous in newspapers and stuff since you’ve been reviewed, what do you think about the gracious fame?
– We haven’t seen much of that gracious fame that you speak of other than the pat on the back after a gig. But we’re pretty fine with that.
What would you say have been your worst live-experience so far and the best?
– The worst one was when we played at event for children in Vemhån. Poodles (known from Melodifestivalen) did a really good gig and supported us well because we were the last band on stage. When we started, our guitarist Rickard was too drunk to plug in the amp, using a gas mask scaring all the children away. We had no audience, they didn’t pay us and it sounded crap. Best, the gig in Sveg. It was crazy!
Could you tell me anything about the recording for Hotet Från Skogarna? Do you have any funny anecdotes?
– All the bands had a great time in the studio. Destructive Doris often came to visit. Johan, our ex singer came to put down some lines. He also tried to stay in the singer position and had an opinion about everything. Old habits aren’t changed that easily!
If you had nicknames for each of the band-members – what would those nicknames be?
Anders “Lionheart” Åström,
Olle …
Nils “Bloody pig dog” Landin
Christoffer “Ctothep” Persson
By the way, could you tell me anything about the material you’ve released so far? Are you planning on releasing anything new in the near future?
– We have three D.I.Y EP’s released this far. Quite the same style on’ em all, low tuned HC with screaming vocals. Reporting on the world order, the capital in command and the resistance. This summer we plan on making our next EP!
What new and upcoming bands would you sincerely recommend to the readers?
– The bands on the HFS compilation!
Do you think you’ll be doing any touring this year?
– No tour booked yet.
Which place is the most beautiful place you’ve ever visited in Sweden?
– The biggest bear made by wood in the world. The so called “pigbear” in Sveg is a great tourist-attraction and it is always a joy to lay your eyes upon it. Rumor says it’s becoming moldy though.
If you were a music-journalist – what would you give your band on a scale from one to ten? – That judgment is for others to decide.
What do you think about the music-journalism of today? Is it worth keeping?
Anders: – It feels a bit homogenous. I’d like to see more reviews ignoring the common opinions. For example it would be interesting to one who don’t get the greatness of Hellacopters. Of course it’s worth keeping!
What do you thing is the key ingredient for a hardcore-band to have if they want to stay original?
– That you use your own head and make your own conclusions.
Have you gained any die-hard fans yet?
– One, he’s called ”Kuken” (the cock).
What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t playing music at all?
– Skating and destroying.
In what way do you think you’ve evolved since your first release and first live-performance?
– Besides getting older. Not much, same old HC and same values.
Where do you think you’ll be in five years from now?
– Touring the world shredding it into pieces, no but seriously: you shouldn’t mess with the future.
So, where can we find you if you’re not in the studio or on a stage?
– Olle in the lake, Christoffer in the kitchen, Nils on shitlife, Anders on chessboards.
Thank you for this interview! Could you tell me what your final wish would be right now?
– Rest would be nice, but no time for that. Now rehearsals!
Download their EP Hat & Blod here for free:
http://kiwi6.com/file/i5avyv542q
You can also find them over here:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/News-From-The-Front/119442851404566
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/newsftf/
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