The Catenary Wires em entrevista: "Tocar como um dueto é mais assustador!"

The Catenary Wires são Rob Pursey e Amelia Fletcher e vêm de Kent. Após alguns anos a viver a cena independente de Londres em várias bandas pop lendárias (Tender Trap, Marine Research, Heavenly e Talulah Gosh, decidiram mudar-se para Kent, onde abundam as paisagens verdejantes e calmas.

Especialistas em duetos indie emotivos, capturam o espírito de Nancy Sinatra e Lee Hazelwood, Serge Gainsbourg e Brigitte Bardot, e lançam-nos numa Inglaterra moderna. Til the Morning é o novo álbum do duo, tendo sido gravado em 2018 na Sunday School, no meio do nada em Kent. Editado em julho pela Tapete Records, Til the Morning é um trabalho mais complexo e ousado que o anterior Red Red Skies lançado em 2015. 

A Threshold Magazine esteve à conversa com o duo britânico sobre as suas influências musicais, a paisagem sonora de Kent, o novo álbum Til the Morning, e os anteriores projetos dos quais fizeram parte. 

Em primeiro, gostaríamos de saber quem são os The Catenary Wires? Existe uma história por trás do nome do vosso projeto?

ROB - Os Catenary Wires são eu e a Amelia. Sentamo-nos na nossa cozinha e compomos as músicas numa guitarra acústica. Tocámos a maioria dos nossos concertos como um duo, mas mais recentemente reunimos uma banda maravilhosa - Andy Lewis (baixo e violoncelo), Fay Hallam (órgão e vocais) e Ian Button (bateria). Com a dupla, é mais íntimo e podem ouvir melhor as palavras. Com a banda completa, a experiência é mais rica e poderosa. Ambas as versões parecem funcionar muito bem. Tocar como um dueto é mais assustador!

O nome surgiu simplesmente porque eu amo a palavra "catenária". A ideia de um padrão de correntes interligadas é atraente, e os fios catenários que formam os padrões em loop suspensos sobre uma linha férrea sempre me atraíram. É uma palavra romântica e geométrica. É também um pouco obscuro e ninguém parece saber como pronunciá-lo. O que não é tão bom para um nome de banda, talvez.

AMELIA - Sinto-me menos apaixonada por fios catenários depois de ontem, eu, o Andy e o Ian ficarmos presos num comboio muito quente durante 3 horas devido a um fio catenário ter quebrado na linha à nossa frente! No lado positivo, acho que é bom que nossa música esteja associada a algo que pode ser tão poderoso e tão frágil!

Quando se trata de escrever uma música, por onde costumam começar?

ROB - Começa quase sempre com uma melodia minha ou da Amelia com alguns acordes na guitarra. Se gostarmos do que estamos a sentir, elaboramos toda a estrutura e a melodia, e muitas vezes completamos as harmonias. Quando chegamos a essa "sensação", escrevemos as palavras.

AMELIA - O processo de composição de músicas envolve muitas paragens e começos, inventar novos excertos e descartar outros antigos. Normalmente, começamos num só lugar e quando a música está terminada, a ideia inicial estará completamente abandonada.

Onde encontram a vossa inspiração para compor? Será nas gravações de campo em Kent?

ROB - Essa é uma boa pergunta. Eu acho que a paisagem aqui faz-nos pensar muito sobre as coisas. É silenciosa e às vezes bastante misteriosa: não oferece distrações óbvias, mas atrai-nos e o faz-nos ouvir os próprios pensamentos. Eu amo o fato de que ocasionalmente se pode ouvir a paisagem no disco - uma rajada de vento ao longe, pássaros a cantar nas proximidades.

AMELIA - Musicalmente isso é verdade, mas acho que é menos verdade com a letra. Essas são mais inspiradas pelas nossas próprias experiências pessoais.

Qual é a vossa primeira lembrança de música?

ROB - A minha primeira lembrança de música é ouvir “Itchycoo Park” dos Small Faces na rádio e de me arrepiar na espinha. Acho que tinha cerca de 3 anos.

AMELIA - Existe uma rima infantil sobre dedos que diz ‘Tommy Thumb, tommy thumb where are you?’. Quando eu tinha mais ou menos 2 anos, percebi mal a música 'Tommy Thumb' quando esta foi cantada no infantário. Cheguei a casa e cantei a música com determinação para meus pais, mas usei a palavra 'Waddigore', que não tem significado. Os meus pais adoraram e cantamos sempre a música dessa maneira depois disso.

O primeiro disco que me lembro foi Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club band dos Beatles, que os meus pais tinham. As letras estavam na capa e eu aprendi muito. Tinha talvez 6 anos. Ainda as conheço todas.

Podem-nos dizer o que trata este novo álbum Til The Morning?

ROB - Bem, acho que deliberadamente queríamos escrever da perspetiva das pessoas da nossa idade. E agora estamos na meia-idade! Temos filhos para cuidar; moramos juntos como casal há 20 anos. Vivemos com as duas mães e passámos os últimos cinco anos a cuidar da mãe da Amelia, Jean (ela tinha a doença de Parkinson e morreu tristemente no ano passado). Por outras palavras, este não é um estilo de vida de rock and roll, mas é o que é a nossa vida. E é como um milhão de outras vidas, é claro. Então, escrevemos sobre isso - ansiedade sobre o futuro que nossos filhos herdarão, mortalidade, medo de divórcio e solidão (conhecemos muitas pessoas da nossa idade cujos casamentos terminaram) e tentamos ver o mundo do ponto de vista de uma mulher de 80 anos. É realmente o oposto do rock and roll! Sempre quisemos ser o oposto do rock and roll, com os seus clichês e posturas machistas. Encontrámos uma nova maneira de fazer isso.

Existem algumas diferenças no processo de composição entre Red Red Skies (2015) e Til The Morning?

ROB - Eu acho que a primeira parte do processo é a mesma. Mas com Til the Morning, fomos muito mais ambiciosos com os arranjos - fomos compondo e adicionando mais níveis às músicas. Red Red Skies foi mínimo: Til the Morning é muito exuberante.

AMELIA - Acho que também nos tornamos mais aventureiros com a composição. Eu sinto que o primeiro álbum funcionou como uma experiência. Quase que se pode ouvir uma banda a tentar descobrir o que ela quer ser. O novo álbum é mais variado e também mais seguro de si.

Vocês são de Londres e já fizeram parte de várias bandas pop lendárias, como Tender Trap, Marine Research, Heavenly. O que distingue The Catenary Wires de todos os outros projetos?

AMELIA - Na verdade, não somos originalmente de Londres. Nós os dois crescemos no campo e conhecemo-nos em Oxford – O Rob foi brevemente o baixista da minha primeira banda, Talulah Gosh, antes de nos abandonar porque achava que éramos muito desorganizados e cheios de nós mesmos. É verdade que depois mudamo-nos para Londres e moramos lá até nos mudarmos para o interior de Kent.

Eu acho que essa mudança foi importante. Antes todas as nossas bandas eram muito baseadas em grupos, com todos da banda a contribuir para o som e todos a ser necessários para qualquer concerto. Quando nos mudamos para o campo, não conhecíamos ninguém local que pensávamos estar interessado em fazer música connosco. Então tivemos que descobrir como fazer algo que funcionaria apenas com nós os dois.

ROB - Como precisamos de tocar as músicas de Catenary Wires como uma dupla, às vezes em modo puramente acústico, sabemos que as palavras e as músicas devem ser o mais fortes possível. Não podemos confiar em guitarras altas ou ritmos fortes (como poderíamos nas nossas outras bandas), de modo que as músicas precisam de poder emocional para funcionar. Eu acho que a outra diferença óbvia entre esta banda e as outras é que eu canto ao lado da Amelia. Não tínhamos voz masculina nas outras bandas (além do ocasional dueto com Calvin Johnson). Eu tive que aprender muito e, definitivamente, ainda estou a aprender...

Porque decidiram deixar Londres para a quietude de Kent?

ROB - Teve muito a ver com as crianças e as avós. Precisávamos de espaço para todos. Além disso, como nós os dois fomos criados no campo, pareceu um regresso a casa de várias maneiras.

AMELIA - Nós os dois gostamos do facto de termos tido muito tédio e ociosidade nas nossas infâncias. Momentos em que não havia realmente nada a fazer além de passear ou ler um livro. Estávamos preocupados que as crianças nunca ficassem entediadas em Londres! Também queríamos que eles achassem emocionante ir a Londres para uma visita, em vez de crescerem indiferentes a isso. Acho que basicamente queríamos torná-los um pouco descolados!

O que nos podem dizer sobre a cena cultural de Kent no momento? Existem outros artistas inovadores que ao mesmo tempo vos servem de inspiração?

ROB - Estamos numa parte bastante remota de Kent, então não há muita coisa  a acontecer aqui. Mas não estamos longe de Ramsgate, Rainham, Margate e Hastings, e há muitas coisas interessantes a acontecer em todos estes lugares. Eu gosto muito de poesia e há muitos bons poetas que trabalham localmente. Recentemente, fizemos uma colaboração com uma poetisa de Canterbury, Nancy Gaffield. Nós (e uma amiga local, Darren Pilcher) criámos paisagens sonoras para acompanhar o seu poema Wealden, que é uma peça psicogeográfica sobre a paisagem desta parte de Kent.

AMELIA - Também temos um celeiro antigo na nossa casa, que estamos a usar para organizar pequenos eventos culturais. As coisas estão a começar a acontecer aqui também. Tivemos Darren Hayman a interpretar o seu projeto Thankful Villages, um amigo chamado Matthew King a tocar piano no filme mudo Nosferatu, e até realizámos um pequeno festival chamado 'Words and Music' que combinava alguns dos nossos músicos indie favoritos com alguns dos nossos jovens poetas favoritos.

Qual é a música que têm ouvido em “repeat” nas últimas semanas?

ROB - Para mim, é “Jobseeker” dos Sleaford Mods. Estou um pouco obcecado por eles no momento.

AMELIA - "Low Light " de Red Red Eyes. Nós fizemos alguns concertos com eles recentemente e eles são ótimos. Uma espécie “Broadcast conhecem Young Marble Giants”. A Laura tem a voz mais linda.

The Cathenary Wires atuam hoje (13 de setembro) no Salão Brazil, Coimbra, e amanhã (14 de setembro), no Camones Cinebar, em Lisboa. 

Entrevista: Rui Gameiro

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Isolated Youth in interview: "The most important thing is to be a good representation of what we are"

We have seen them and we can tell you first-hand: Isolated Youth is going to be the next big new thing in the contemporary post-punk panorama over the following decade.

They are shy in concert but it's all because of their surprisingly young age that, in a way, amazes us. It happens firstly because their sonority is so mature that it immediately gives us goosebumps; secondly, because they are creating their very characteristic world - that emancipates through a wonderful celestial voice which is not so common in the scene - and thirdly because their sonority is really assimilable for all music lovers. Trust us, you don't need to be a dark soul to enjoy it. 

In this great discovery, we were really lucky because At The Rollercoaster managed to bring them to Portugal opening the performances of Actors in the past 30th and 31st of August 2019. So we went to the Lisbon concert, at RCA Club and exchanged some words with Axel (voice, guitar, synth), Andreas (drums), Egon (bass) and William (guitar) - the four lovely souls working behind Isolated Youth's identity. 

The nice thing is that you can now get to know them better by reading the interview they gave us on the last day of August, right below:

Threshold Magazine (TM) - I would like to start this interview by asking you how did you all meet. I know that you (Axel) and William are brothers but I would like to know the whole story behind.

Axel - Yes, we are. So, we invited Egon to play live with us. Egon is a childhood friend, and our mothers have also been friends for most of their lives. Andreas has been William's friend for a couple of years. So we have known each other for a long time. 

Andreas - Me and William knew each other from like when we were 18 or 19 through common friends. And then I met Axel through him and later I met Egon. I was the last one to join the band. William and Axel started out writing music together at their place and then they knew Egon since earlier and they knew he played bass. William said "come play with us" since you (William) knew that I played drums. We felt a real chemistry early on. That was in March 2017. 

TM - Did you have any written songs around that time? 

William - We had quite a few songs. It just came naturally to us to write our own music instantly, so we never played any covers. We started writing our own things right of the bat. 

Andreas - And kind of developing as musicians through that. 

TM - Did you have a musical education? 

Andreas - I had, in the elementary school. And Egon as well but I would say… 

Egon - Not too much. 

Andreas - Yeah not too much. We've all grown as musicians through playing with each other. 

TM - So I'm really curious to get to know how and why did you choose Isolated Youth to name this project. 

William - I was in London with a friend and I was wandering home from a bar, late at night, and I was writing to the other guys trying to come up with a name and I think I had a t-shirt that said "Isolation", and then I figured "Oh well, Isolated Youth might suit us because it fits with our sound and us as a group, and where we are from". I wrote it in the group chat and everyone was like "Yeah that’s nice".

TM - You were saying that Isolated Youth started in March 2017. Before this Warfare EP, you have released a s/t cassette with three songs. Can you share the story behind that release? 

William - Basically, we figured that we didn't want to put anything out until we were ready, but we wanted to make something small for the people following us in the beginning, coming to our shows. So, we just did like three one-takes in our rehearsal space and wrapped the cassettes ourselves, and sold them at gigs or whatever. 

Axel - Only 25 cassettes were made. 

Andreas - We just wanted to release something physical without publishing anything online. And then we were properly ready to record in the studio, so It was a conscious decision to wait a while before we went to the studio to record and release the first EP. And also because we wanted to find a suitable label… 

TM -  Now that you are talking about record labels, I really would like to know how did you form a "relationship" with Fabrika Records? 

William - We put out a thing on Youtube where we were playing in our rehearsal space. We'd been a band for maybe two to three months at the time, maybe, and then a promotor saw it and asked whether we wanted to support Lebanon Hanover in a really big show in Stockholm, and then Lebanon Hanover saw us live and really liked it. So William and Larissa put us in contact with Fabrika and said "you should sign them", and they did (laughs). So that's about it. We became friends with them, they are lovely people, we really like the people working in Fabrika. It was a good fit for us as well. 

Andreas - And before we put our EP out, William Maybelline from Lebanon Hanover came to do a show in Stockholm and he was talking about that he wanted to make a remix for a song. Then we went to the studio, recorded our song "Safety" and he made a remix really fast. He came to Stockholm and we hung out with him and recorded our music video for the remix. That was the first proper release. So, the remix came first. It was nice to be involved and do something with him. 

TM - About this new Warfare EP, is there a concept behind it? 

William - The full EP is kind of supposed to be a collision between light and dark. We are striving for light in our work but there is also sinister to it. Well, Warfare is like a spiritual warfare, a call to arms. How do I put it? Wanting to protect your close ones in a quite harsh world. 

TM - And what about the song "Safety"? 

William - I was actually really ill when I wrote that thing. So, I had been at home sick for like a month, so that's where it originates from, from that feeling of being vulnerable, I suppose and from knowing that things can go either way and also the fact that you never actually know what’s going to happen. Me and Axel sat down and put the song together, but yeah, it was written in a time I was really sick. 

TM - I would like you to name three bands that you think are influential for your work as a band or as people. 

Axel - For me, it's Stina Nordenstam in Sweden, that's a very important artist for me. We like some of what The Knife has done, and... 

William - And also classical composer Arvo Pärt from Estonia. We admire him. 

Axel - Yes we love him, very much. 

Andreas - And also the early post-punk sound from the '80s. We take something from a lot of artists. Bowie of course. There's a lot of different artists. 

TM - Is there an ideal that Isolated Youth follow as a guide for your work as a band or not really? 

William - I think honesty, is important to us is in the way you play, the way you write lyrics, the performance… 

Andreas - And taking the opportunity to be better and evolve. 

TM - If I ask you "Where would you like to be in 3 to 5 years" what would be the answer? 

William - We have a creative ambition, mostly, I think. Trying to expand our music and our expression. 

Axel - Mainly a creative ambition, not too many numbers or anything. 

William - And of course always play good shows, and having a good live experience. 

Andreas - And to give our honesty to the songs. That's the most important thing, for us, to be a good representation of what we are so that the audience that sees us for the first time can get the Isolated Youth thing (laughs). 

TM - To finish, what was the last concert that you've seen and the last album that you've listened to? 

Axel - I listened to the first Board of Canada, Twoism. I liked it. That was the album I listened to. Last show I saw… 

William - I mean, we see shows quite often when we are involved, but maybe you want to know the concerts we went to see by ourselves… I have to think… 

Andreas - We went to see Yves Tumor in Stockholm a while ago, and that was pretty cool. And the last album I listened to was on the plane and it was Aphex Twin, …I Care Because You Do. 

Egon - I listened to I Will Say Goodbye by Bill Evans. 

William - I mean, we've been listening to music in the car, but an album, hmm… 

Axel - And I think the last show for me was a Swedish artist called Thåström. It's a very big artist in Sweden. 

William - I listened to the Suspiria soundtrack by Thom York. It's for a movie and it's really cool. I would recommend everyone to listen to it. 

TM - Thank you so much. It was lovely to meet you. I don't know if you want to add something else for the Portuguese readers… 

Andreas - We were amazed by the country and the city of Porto. We arrived a day before the show… 

Axel - Very beautiful churches in Porto!

Interview: Sónia Felizardo

Photos: Virgílio Santos

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Buzz Kull in interview: "that is my driving force to make people feel empowered"

 

Buzz Kull is getting an acclaimed position within the European underground dark scene that started with his first album, Chroma (2017, Burning Rose) and has been growing since he released his second worthy album New Kind Of Cross (2018, Burning Rose/ Avant! Records / Funeral Party).  In this growth scenario, we managed to interview Marc Dwyer (the mentor of the project) after his debut in Portugal on the 30th of June, at Stereogun, Leiria.

In this interview, we talked about the beginning of the project, the hit "Dreams", the meaning of Buzz Kull, the fact that Marc is such an ethical human being, his secrets on stage, among lots of other interesting things that you can find out below.

Threshold Magazine (TM) - You started this project in 2010, right? At the time I remember you were a duo… 

Buzz Kull – 2010 was when I first start writing and recording the first few tracks. In the beginning it was just myself recording in my bedroom and then when it gained some popularity online – I never intended on ever making it a project, it was only a personal thing, kind of like therapy – and again, when it gained the unexpected momentum, I then asked Rebecca if she would like to join to perform and write with me, sadly she had other projects and passions going at the same time and my time was flakey when it came to making time for each other and she moved to a different city. 

TM - Why did you take so long to release the first album, Chroma? 

Buzz Kull – I never knew how to work with or understand labels, in Australia it was really hard to figure that part of existing in music, every label that in Australia at the time was a big corporate label and no one really cared about what I did, I never felt disheartened about that because I understood exactly why and where I was, at the time. I was aware that I had more things going on in Europe so I still felt like I had an audience. I began talking to other labels here in Europe and not long after Fabrika contacted me about doing a 7-inch for "I Disappear". I was not really aware of Fabrika until they made contact and noticed how many bands I enjoyed were apart of the family. This was around the time I wrote the first song on the album - "Dreams". 

TM -That was exactly the song that made me explore your work! 

Buzz Kull – "Dreams" was like the first song that made me realise I needed to make an album, it was released as a digital single through Fabrika. I continued to write and record to finish the full length and went through a few ups and downs in the process that made me want to stop, give up and sometimes even turn my back on the project. An Australian label - Burning Rose, wanted to put the album out, which they did, and I thought it was going to be too much old news for people by the time it came out. I was wrong, It was the opposite and I was caught off guard by the response I received for the release. 

TM – How did you get signed with the Italian label AVANT! Records? 

Buzz Kull – Avant! were tied in with the Australian label who released my first record – Burning Rose – and the American label Funeral Party. So, Burning Rose put out my first record and then when the second record came about, we decided to take a different direction where we would do an Australian Release, an American Release, and a European release. At the time all the three labels were working with another band and they decided to do take action in a similar way. I was really happy with the release with all three labels as I appreciate all that they do and they all have a really great catalog. 

TM – What was the main inspirations behind the creation of Buzz Kull project? You said before it was a bedroom project, but what were your goals? 

Buzz Kull – I had depression at the time from a lot of things that were going on in my life. I was in a music project at the time but the band was slowly falling apart in its own way, I was very inexperienced and my ability to record was really bad, so I never really saw myself being in the position that I am now, but I just wanted to do it, to make myself move forward from the past. I was really surprised and shocked with what I was capable of creating, ejecting it from my mind and bringing it to the surface and making myself cry in the process, like an experience of mixing pleasure with pain, in the end they did make me feel a lot more confident within myself because I was basically able to expel the negative energy and feeling within me. 

TM – What's the story behind the name Buzz Kull? 

Buzz Kull – At the time, I wasn’t really sure about what was going on my head. The only reason I put those songs online was to be a form of storage to save the songs because the computer that I was using to record at the time was crashing and I was losing a lot of projects that I was working on, I was aware of the struggle if I were to lose the songs, I would have felt miserable. Once I felt they were complete, I would put them on Soundcloud. I always liked the way Buzz looked within a title and I also love the film - Kull the Conqueror. I formed the two together which to me, looked aesthetically pleasing. 

TM – That’s interesting. But there is a more interesting thing I want to know. I think it was last year, a time in your life where you were offering free tickets for your shows to the people experiencing financial problems. That was so humane and ethical and I really wanted to know the reason why you did it. 

Buzz Kull – Everyone deserves to see a live performance and If I have the control of a few names to offer on the guest list, I am more than willing to give those spots to people who are experiencing the financial hardship. 

TM – About today’s show. You went even more brutal on stage than in the studio! 

Buzz Kull – I like the diversity between making your live show more intense than what's on record, that's the difference between seeing a live show to listening to a record, you get to hear what it was like making it vs what it's like performing, the energy and the power behind playing it live is a lot stronger because its there, right in front of your face. It's like a formula where you are making it fit and suit the surroundings you are in at the time. You can make it sound safe, like the record, I wouldn’t go to a show and expect to hear it exactly like the record, I prefer the power over familiarity, it has a much greater impact and I hope people feel the same way when I do this. 

TM – Do you feel like your music is in a way political or social, that it reflects some problems in this scope? 

Buzz Kull – In a way yes, everyone has their woes on political movements and I am yet to hear of anywhere that exists in perfection, I hone in on the negatives and that is my driving force to make people feel empowered and overcome the toxicity people are surrounded by every day. 

TM – How would you describe the Australian music scene? Where do you think Buzz Kull fit into it? 

Buzz Kull – It's very underground. Australia is like a very large machine where the only bands that really do well are the ones that are safe and follow the lead of current trends. If one project does well - let's say it's a psych-rock band or a garage rock band – there will be another 10 or 20 or more a month or later. Buzz Kull has changed since I first start writing, I never changed it to impress anyone. I only changed it to because I felt my writing process matured and my inspiration has come from different formats. Every time I leave after touring, I get so inspired by new music that people introduce to me or bands that I see perform. That is what makes me grow and evolve as an artist. The "get quick fame" situation that exists in Australia, I don't believe in it at all. I still don't have much traction there and I'm ok with that because I can go home, I can record, have minimal distractions, do my personal things, work a normal job and not feel the pressure. 

TM – To finish, what was the last show you've seen and the last record you’ve listened to? 

Buzz Kull – The last concert I saw was Zanias (laughs!). Wait, I went to see Second Still before the tour started, they just released a new album through Fabrika Records which is really good. And the last record I've listened to was Ministry - Twitch. Oh, and I've been listening to a lot of High Functioning Flesh and the recent EP from Multiple Man - High on the Hog. They are part of the three records I've been listening to most recently. 

TM – I don’t know if you want to add something else, for instance, how was the “debut” in Leiria… 

Buzz Kull – It was great! I was not sure what to expect especially for an early show, but I really appreciate the fact that people were willing to come out on a Sunday. Most people prefer to stay indoors and have a day of nothing before starting the blue Monday. I was really glad that there were more than 10 people on the show (laughs). 

TM – Thank you so much, it was lovely meeting you!

Interview by: Sónia Felizardo

Photos by: Virgílio Santos

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Brutus em entrevista: "Na Bélgica passámos de palcos pequenos (…) para salas lotadas"

Os powerhouses belgas Brutus são naturais de Leuven, e trazem consigo até ao Rodellus o segundo disco do trio, Nest, lançado em março último pela britânica Hassle Records. Enquanto possuidores de uma angústia vincada proferida num assalto sónico sem precedentes, surpreenderam a cena underground com o seu primeiro álbum Burst, de 2017, com a sua abordagem de hardcore temperada com uma veia mais emocional e melódica. A banda regressa a Portugal após passagem pelo Porto em 2017, atuando em Ruilhe, Braga, no dia 20 de julho.

A Threshold Magazine esteve à conversa com o trio belga sobre a sua discografia, as suas influências musicais, a cena underground onde estão inseridos, e muito mais. 

Threshold Magazine - Vocês têm causado algum burburinho desde o lançamento do vosso primeiro longa-duração, Burst. Sentem que causaram impacto na vossa cena musical local? Esse impacto estendeu-se para outros sítios?

Peter - Mmm. Essa é uma boa pergunta, mas é difícil responder por nós mesmos. Continuamos a trabalhar, tocar, fazer tours, passo a passo, mas não "medimos" o nosso impacto e é difícil julgar isso nós mesmos. Uma coisa é certa: como fazemos tantas tours, não podemos visitar muitos concertos e conhecer as bandas locais. Sobre Brutus - verdade é que na Bélgica passámos de palcos pequenos, de 50 a 100 pessoas, para salas lotadas com 750 pessoas, isso é uma loucura! E agora vamos ver se isso também acontecerá fora da Bélgica.

TM – Sobre o vosso novo registo Nest, o processo de composição e gravação mudou em relação ao álbum anterior? Algum evento em específico influenciou a concepção deste álbum?

Stijn – Sim, definitivamente. Com o nosso primeiro álbum, podíamos "escolher" as nossas músicas favoritas desde que a banda começou, depois adicionamos algumas músicas novas e gravámo-las. Isso foi o caso de BURST. Mas com o nosso segundo álbum, começámos a escrita do zero. Isso significa que as músicas lidam com um determinado período de tempo e uma sensação que estava bem presente no momento da escrita. 

TM - Os vocais e a bateria da Stefanie [Mannaerts] são certamente um dos pontos maiores da vossa música. Perguntando à Stefanie, sentes que a tua contribuição ajuda a distinguir-vos do resto das bandas dentro da vossa cena?

Stefanie – É difícil para nós dizer ou julgar. Não é a nossa intenção destacarmo-nos ou ser diferente de outras bandas. É assim que funciona para nós e como começámos a banda.

TM - Em termos de influências musicais, que bandas acham que tiveram mais impacto no vosso som?

Peter – É totalmente diferente para nós os três. Enquanto a Stefanie se dedica mais ao pós-metal, como Cult of Luna e Russian Circles, e também gosta muito de eletrónica mais dark, Stijn é mais country e cantautores. E eu gosto de todos os tipos de música, desde que a melodia e a energia me atinjam. Eu acho que a mistura de todas essas bandas e géneros em cada um dos nossos headphones constrói a matriz de Brutus. No começo, quando começamos a escrever juntos, estávamos à procura de confrontos no nosso gosto musical, mas agora começamos à procura de semelhanças.

TM - Como é que chegaram a acordo com a Hassle Records? São fãs dos outros artistas da editora?

Stijn – Hassle acreditou em nós desde a primeira demo que enviámos, e isso é uma sensação muito fixe. Algumas pessoas do outro lado do mar gostam do que fazemos e querem trabalhar para nós e investir na nossa música? É de loucos. Nós tivemos o mesmo com a Sargent House. E é claro que gostamos de todas as bandas das nossas editoras, é como se fossem uma grande família.

TM – Há algum novo valor dentro do underground belga que queiram destacar? 

Stefanie – Eu não sei se eles ainda são underground, mas bandas como Stake (ex-Steak Number Eight) e Raketkanon definitivamente deveriam estar no vosso radar! Além disso, bandas como Whispering Sons, The Guru Guru, Sunflower e Slow Crush estão a dar cabo de tudo! 

TM - Que registos deste ano vos impressionaram até agora?

Peter – Bem, eu gosto muito do novo álbum dos PUP. E Fontaines D.C… E é claro, as novas músicas de Russian Circles e Chelsea Wolfe parecem ser realmente promissoras! E como a Stefanie disse, o novo álbum de Stake (lançado pela Hassle Records no outono) será louco. O novo de Raketkanon (III) também está muito louco! Procurem por eles.

TM - Acerca da vinda a Portugal, o que sabem sobre o país? Já tinham passado por cá? Em termos musicais, há alguma banda oriunda de Portugal que conheçam?

Peter - Para ser honesto, a única banda portuguesa que conheço é Easyway, uma banda de punk rock de 2004-2006? E fizemos um show de aquecimento para o NOS Primavera Sound no Porto em 2017, no Maus Hábitos. Estivemos apenas 24 horas na cidade, mas conseguimos dar um belo passeio! A vibração no clube e a caminhada foram ótimos! Esperamos ver mais disso na próxima semana!

TM - Como se sentem a tocar a vossa música num cenário campestre como o Rodellus? Existe alguma banda do line-up que estejam curiosos para ver?

Stijn - Estamos prontos para ser surpreendidos, até breve!

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Structures in interview: "we called ourselves a rough wave band"

Structures are growing faster and it’s not about the hype anymore, they do really have some kind of rough blood running into their veins and an easy-going energetic aura that surrounds their sonority, as seen on stage. Their attitude is, in a way, punk-influenced, but what they do is a rough wave thing. 

In order to get to know what that means - as in, between all the process involved in the project and nowadays - last 25th of May we managed to catch these promising French Structures before their show at MONITOR, in Leiria, to talk about their journey. You can now read in detail all the things discussed that afternoon through our interview, transcribed down below.

Threshold Magazine (TM) - Last year I got to know your band through a friend that showed me your first tracks, published on Soundcloud and no longer available. Were these the demos of this new Long Life EP? 

Pierre - It wasn't a proper release, it was just some demos and then we moved it from Soundcloud to the promotion and to the final product. 

TM - Do you have a concept as a band? 

Oscar - There's no concept (laughs). We just compose together and there are no rules. 

Pierre - Actually there is some kind of a concept because we called ourselves a rough wave band, that's a term we invented because we didn't want to be called a post-punk or coldwave or punk band. It is also like a way of living that we are into, and we compose and we write songs about what is deep inside of us, like problems, mental issues and… 

Marvin - Anxiety... Depression… 

Oscar - Deep stuff too… 

Pierre - And that is a form of therapy for us. 

TM - How did you all meet? 

Pierre - In college or high school. Maybe 10 - 15 years ago. 

Oscar - We all born in the same city, in Amiens. 

Marvin - It's in the North of France, but now we are all living in Paris.

TM - Do you feel that there has been any change from this moving process between Paris and Amiens? 

Oscar - Amiens is a kind of depressive city. 

Marvin - And also Paris. 

Pierre - When you are born in a city and you grow up in that city, especially when you do music, in some kind of way you want to move, to travel and to see other cities… 

Oscar - And there wasn't much structure in Amiens, so we were bored. Paris is the opposite because there is many… 

Marvin - so many gigs! And many places to play. 

Pierre - And more professionals in the music industry, more labels, journalists…

TM - Why did you choose the name Structures? 

Pierre - In fact we were looking for a band name which really had something concrete, German stuff like architecture so, Structures was very strict, something hard. And it is also the name of one part of the first minimal exhibition that ever happened in minimal art, it's called Primary Structures, from 1966. 

TM - You were saying that your music is somehow influenced by feelings such as anxiety and depression. Do you feel these feelings are necessary to compose your music? 

Pierre - Well, that was the start. 

Oscar - But we don't search to be depressive. 

Pierre - We are not looking for depression, but somehow is a more inspiring way to create songs, for us. 

Oscar - We have love songs. 

Pierre - Yeah, we have love songs, depressive songs. 

Marvin - It's a lifestyle to be sad. 

Oscar - We are not happy to be sad. We are sadder to be happy (laughs). 

Pierre - We need Structures because it is our home therapy and that's also a way we have to find people who can join our therapy. If you are feeling lonely, depressed, lost, shy, maybe angry, you can join too! 

TM - What do you mean by "I Live a Long Life"? That song is about what in specific? 

Pierre - Long Life is about when you are tired of everything. Really tired, and you know and see everything happening in the world or in your own life every time, and you always accepted it and went further but, at some point, you just say "Fuck it! I live a long life!". And the body too. It’s like physical and mental, like when you are really tired. In some kind of way, it's our way to say "Fuck it". 

TM - You released Long Life EP and then suddenly you are getting a lot of attention in the current underground panorama. How do you feel about this? 

Oscar - We don't feel that dimension. We get lost some times so we don't know exactly where we are. We feel it, but not really. 

Pierre - Hopefully we will. That gives me fear, in some way angst and stress, because you don't know what is happening properly and you feel it, but not really. You see professionals gathering around the band saying "I want to work with you and blah blah blah", you begin to be scheduled at festivals and then labels listen to your work and everything… 

Oscar - It's hard to have the control over everything and you just have to live it like that. It’s something general like… 

Adrien - For example, we signed with a booking agency and they work in the gigs we make and we don't have control over that. 

Pierre - For me, the main stress issue is that it is happening really fast. The band will be two years old in August, so in two years it's like we were there and now we are - we don't know exactly where we are - but… 

Oscar - And we want to go further, but we don’t know if it would be possible.

Pierre - And that's scary when you grow really fast. 

Adrien - For me, the problem is within the music industry. For example, about two years ago everybody was talking about The Blaze, and then in two, three months everyone was listening to The Blaze and now no one listens to The Blaze. 

Pierre - Is not because we don’t hear about something that it is finished. Some bands have their own fanbase… 

Adrien - Ok, maybe The Blaze is not the best example. It's more like young people who start projects and then they became stars within months. 

TM - How would you describe the French independent music scene and how do you think that Structures is integrating into it (if you consider it that way)? 

Marvin - We just try to make our music without thoughts. And the French rock-wave is really growing, currently. There are many bands that are getting attention, especially in the independent circles, like Rendez-Vous, The Psychotic Monks, Bryan's Magic Tears, and many others. And that's kind of cool. 

TM - To finish, what was the last album that you listened to? And what was the last concert you've been at? 

Marvin - Rendez-Vous, in the suburbs of Paris, in the last week. 

Pierre - The last concert I've seen was H-Burns, who is a French singer. It's pop, psych-rock. And the last record I've listened to it was Dogrel from Fountains D.C. 

Oscar - The last record I've listened to was Bryan's Magic Tears' 4 AM.

Check all the photos from Structures' performance at MONITOR, here.

Interview by: Sónia Felizardo

Photos by: Miguel Silva

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