Albin says hello again

A post in English? That can only mean one thing - Albin Sunshine Julius took some time off from the preparations before the new tour that starts the 6th of March in Budapest to answer a few questions once again.

N&MI: You are returning to Copenhagen so I take it you either got a smörrebröd and/or a blowjob last time?

Albin: Ah, I didn't get a Smörrebröd or a Blowjob but it was OK, as the organizers are really cool people. I have known them for a long time and they prepared a great aftershow-party. We stayed till 7 am and I had no sleep all night.

N&MI: One thing I always enjoy during your live-shows is how you take the music you released on records and transform it on stage into something sounding completely new. With an absolutely fantastic new album out and another one on it's way, what surprises do you have up your sleeve for the people attending in Copenhagen? Any chance of new material that has yet to be released?

Albin: We will play one song from the new album in another version and 2 songs we never recorded and a transformation of two other songs. We already have a concept. On Wednesday the rehearsals starts, but we will have to see, as we have a new guitarist in the band... But it will be quit exciting!

N&MI: Lets talk about the latest album. First off I have to say I was blown away by it. I think my first words after hearing it was 'This is pure gold'. I feel it's a step forward as well as a step backward to the earlier days. A fusion of old and new if you will. Was this something you had in mind or did it just come naturally as the album began to develop and progress?

Albin: Thank you for the flowers. Well, we never have something "in mind" - we go in the studio and start a song by jamming around and then we build it up, and you never know before what comes out in the end. But I am very happy with the result as well and the way we go forwards now. At the moment we work at a new album and this will be "dance" music in a very kincky way. Lets see... It's always exciting to see how an album evolves. And that is what keeps making music interresting for me.

N&MI: There is a lot of talk about piracy these days. Is this something you feel the effects of and what are your thoughts on it? Do you think there is a way to counter it?

Albin: I don't see a way. People still think music should be free and musicians are arseholes who don't have to pay bills and finance their life in some way. I'm not talking about getting rich. I think the biggest problem is that with this attitude more and more people give up. It's not possible to run a label these days and fewer and fewer people are able to invest in a proper production. In the end people kill what they steal.

N&MI: Last question is the same as last time we did this - Is there anything special you would like to tell your fans here in Scandinavia?

Albin: Well, I'm still craving for the same things - Smörrebröd or a Blowjob!

LOVE!

N&MI: Thanks for taking the time off once again during the busy season and I'll see you in Copenhagen on the 10th.

There you have it once again folks. Make sure to catch at least one of the shows on this tour. I've said it a thousand times before but this is one of those rare bands that are just as good or better on stage as on record. If you ever seen them live you know what I'm talking about and if not start ordering tickets after you finish reading this. Along for the tour are also Bain Wolfkind, Deutsch Nepal and Varunna. The tourdates and info are as follows:

March 6th: Budapest @ Kek Yuk: focusabyssi [at] gmail [dot] com
March 7th: Bratislava @ U OČCKA
March 8th: Praha @ oo7 Strahov
March 9th: Dresden @ Reithalle Strasse E
March 1oth: Copenhagen: @ KRUDTTØNDEN
March 12th:Oslo: @ Revolver
March 14th: Rotterdam @ Baroeg
March 15th: Bruxelles @ Magazin 4: elektrocutionrecord [at] hotmail [dot] com + special guest: Aluk Todolo
March 16th: Paris @ Glazart
March 17th: Milano @ : Palazzo Granaio

Der Blutharsch, Bain Wolfkind och Deutsch Nepal live i Köpenhamn

Då var man nyss hemkommen efter två dagar i den danska huvudstaden. Konserten med Der Blutharsch på onsdagskvällen kan summeras med ett ord; Magisk. Det märks att Albin & co. har kul på scenen och att de gillar det dom gör. Många andra band hade inte känt sig inspirerade för fem öre att spela för en så liten publik men Der Blutharsch gav järnet precis som vanligt. Detsamma får sägas om Bain Wolfkind som var lika cool som vanligt. Han var först ut på scenen för kvällen och öppnade med Pimp Stick. Under sitt set rev han av en hel del hits som till exempel Shiny Steel Blade och My Name Is Poison.

Nummer två upp på scenen var Deutsch Nepal. Deutsch Nepal har för mig alltid varit bäst på skiva men jag måste säga att Linas liveframträdanden har blivit bättre och bättre. Tyvärr verkade dock ljudet strula en del under framträdandet.

Kvällens höjdpunkt och "main event" var Der Blutharsch och vad jag tyckte om det framträdandet har jag redan skrivit i inledningen av det här inlägget. Första låt för kvällen var spår 6 från Der Sieg Des Lichtes Ist Des Lebens Heil och på den vägen fortsatte det under hela första halvan av konserten ungefär. Jag skrev ner en setlist men den tycks ha försvunnit tyvärr. Albin menade hur som helst allvar när han sa att de skulle spela äldre material och det blev en hel del glada överraskningar. För en stund så tyckte jag mig även höra en helt ny låt mitt i allt men när jag koncentrerade sig riktigt noga så visade det sig vara en äldre låt där tempot helt enkelt dragits ner rejält. Riktigt kul! Detta sätt att framföra låten gav musiken ytterligare en dimension. Efter att ha gått av scenen så ropades de upp på scenen ytterligare en gång och började med en låt från den nya skivan Flying High! och körde ett set som var ungefär lika långt som det första. Man fick helt klart valuta för sina entrépengar. Der Blutharsch är och förblir något av det bättre man kan se live och om du någonsin får chansen att göra det så ta den (varje gång).