The world is ours and ours alone

Interview with the Rifles

The Rifles are about to perform here in Amsterdam. This should be their biggest show outside of the UK. They already know he Dutch audience from previous performances including the London Calling festival, so they are qite sure that the gig will be a good lot of fun this rainy evening in the Melkweg. Before the gig I got the chance to have a nice chat with Grant (drummer) and he told me everything that's new and interesting around this great band from London: The Rifles.

We started right at the beginning. He told me about his school period and what it has been like. At his school there weren't a lot of musicians, but still he managed to start his first band there. They played Nirvana covers and things like that. It didn't make them very populair in school, but I started to get the idea that it is really not important for him to be seen as a real rockstar or something like that. He really doesn't have an attitude, he even seems a bit shy!

It's getting really obvious that they are in this just for the music. They are not really interested in everything that is usually associated with the rock 'n roll lifestyle. Especially the fahion, they really don't try to have a specific kind of style. Grant told us that they are nobody but themselves on stage, they don't put up an act and they don't put on stylish clothes just to look cool.

It seems like a very grown up point of view. That's what also comes to my mind when I see them perform. They are different from most of the Britpop bands, because they're more serious and grown up. You can even see it in the audience where the average age is definitely above 25. Which is rare in the Britpop scene.

Despite of the lack of critical acclaim they got with the previous album No Love Lost, they still managed to built up a solid fanbase. Even though this fanbase is growing bigger and bigger, they still realise where they came from and where they once started. That might be one of the ingredients of their succesfull career. It's just like Grant told us: 'You shouldn't act like a rockstar if you would like to be in a succesfull band, you should just keep on going and don't try to be just like the other rockbands.'

But even though the Rifles are different from a lot of other rockbands, they do like to hang out and have fun. Music is definitely the most important aspect of their career, but Grant does admit to enjoy things such as groupies and alcohol. Well, boys will be boys and rockstars will be rockstars.

Another aspect that resembles a lot with many other Britpop bands are the lyrics. Most of their lyrics are about experiences they've had trough everyday life. They don't get inspired by poets and the darker side of life. What you hear is definitely what they're all about.

Although there might be some interesting facts that you couldn't know from just listening to the lyrics. Like the fact that Grant admitted to be terrified for dogs.' They jump on you and they scratch you!'And do you know that Joel is getting married? Fortunatly that wouldn't change the Rifles as a band. They will continue to keep on going and make great music.

Like every band they do have to urge to become bigger and bigger. They want more people to know them, but that might be the only change that this band will go trough during the next years.

The Rifles is the sort of rare grown up Britpop band that sticks to your mind. They are able to stand out in the big Britscene mass and that makes them right about:

The world is ours and ours alone!

Geeky freaky London Calling...

Alright I am not going to say a lot about the London Calling gig I've been last saturday. I used to LOVE London Calling! But this time I was actually very disappointed...I looked like everything had changed, the music the style, the clothes..Is everybody fed up with the nice cheerful britpop nowadays? I undersatnd that there has been an overdosis of new britpop bands, but that is something to be proud of! I love britpop as it uses to be. The britpop from the Wombats, the Pigeon detectives, the Rifles, Look See Proof, The View.....whatever, even the Arctic Monkeys! But I don't like things such as the Klaxons, Cage the elephant, broken records and other stuff that appeared this time on London Calling! Especially the Rascals were horrible...I almost fel asleep while watching them! This new sound is a mix of some kind of rock with electro and dance. It has no remarkable conrous and it contains strange instruments. You won't believe me but I have seen a chello and a violin on stage!!! Not that I didn't have any fun, cause it was fun, but I was also sooo tired cause I just returned from my snowboardholiday that same day...And when the music is terrible I also love to watch the artist..At least when they look good. In seems to be 'hot'to look as a nerd...I am sorry but trust me that is not 'hot'or 'attactive'at all. They all looked like geeks, some made like geeks, some real old fashioned geeks, that should have never been in a band if it wasn't 'hot'nowadays.But well...trends come and go..You will see, just like the skinny jeans that 'should'dissapear according to the fashion desingers...We will strike back...And we will come back harder and faster than ever before!!!

A Look at the View...

I've had the same jeans on for four days now, I'm gonna go to a disco.....

Yeah, that's the View!!! The View is a band from (kind of predictable) Scotland!!! They play, well it's difficult to say...But my Ipod says: Britpop, pop, alternative and punk... I guess that they are just very original. When I first heard the song Same Jeans, I thought that this might be a one week band... The song same jeans is nice, but it sounds like every other Britpop song.. Sometimes this Britpop hype drives me a bit crazy...I like Britpop, but there are soooo many of same Britpop bands!!! So I thought that The View was just another... But I was wrong.... I have seen them in concert like a month ago and I have to say, I still wasn't completely impressed.... Then I got their cd: Hats off to the Buskers And I came to find that they really have their own sound! Same jeans is comparable with the song 'Don't tell me', it's nice, but not brilliant. They do have some brilliant songs on the cd... The song 'Skag Trendy' sounds very experimental and very good!! His voice goes from high to low to high to low...Well I don't know how to explain it..You should just listen to it! The song 'The Don' almost sounds like country...It makes you feel like line dancing..Very strange, but you can not say that they are the same as all the other Britpop bands... The song 'Face for the radio' makes me think of 'Hey there Delilah' from the plain white t's. A very emotional, beautiful rockbalad...I love it! And then 'Typical time' ...Well, typical it is... I makes me want to sing pompompom...Yeah actually I don't know how to explain it:P But my favourite song is 'Wasteland', this song has a weird structure (just like the rest of the cd)... It starts with a kind of ska melody, it turns on in somekind of reggae and then it turns over in punk! You should hear it, it's so completly weird, that it becomes great! I can't say that this is my favourite cd ever, but it is definately the most original one...With their rich amount of styles you would think that the cd becomes a mess, but that is not true! Despite their strange structure, they do have their own sound and you would recognise them out of all the Bripop bands! The punk, reaggae, ska, country and Britpop makes the cd original, very funny and above all just brilliant...

Best new band...

Mirror mirror on the wall who is the best new band of all...

... I have seen a lot of new cool bands this year! Most of them I have seen on London Calling, London Calling is a great opportunity for new bands to get famous. I've seen my favourite new bands there; the wombats, the pigeon detectives and look see proof. A choise between those had been very difficult, because they all have there charme.... The Pigeon Detectives are very energetic and have a super great performance! Their songs are catchy and they play cheerful britpop;) Yeah..I know what you think..Another britpop band??? Yes, but they are seriously they kings of Britpop, they leave all the others far, very far behind them!!! The Wombats make britpop as well, but also not in the usual way... They are soooo funny!! And their music is original, in a positive way! I just love them:) Look see proof is, what a surprise......Britpop! Listen to their songs like casualty, discussions and local hero and you will understand why I like them so much:) But one has to be the winner... And the award goes to...tadadada... Ooo it is soooo difficult:( Well you have to know that I actually love them all, so I let some other people decide and the chose.... Look see proof!!!! Congratualions:) They are the only band from those three that isn't quite famous in the Netherlands yet and the only one that hasn't released an album here yet, but I assure you....

They are going to be HUGE!!!!!!!

I'm about to explode!!!

I'm about to explode from the many ideas I've got for this site! Gosh their is so much I would like to tell you! Okay lets start to tell you about my main goals for this site... Well, for you it is just some entertainment... Maybe you will get some knowledge out of it...Discover some new bands, yeah I have a weak for not yet famous bands;) Bands like look see proof, assembly now and of course Deep Insight:) I think that bands like these deseve way more respect and publicity, because they make terrific music and everyone should be able to enjoy that, don't you think so?! I have been telling you about the main goals of this site for you, but it is also a way for me to express myself and get the chance to interview some bands:) There is sooo much I would like to ask some bands, and I hope that I will be able to do that. These interviews can be very useful for the artists as well... If I get the chance, then I will do anything to get the bands publicity in the Netherlands. I can send the interviews to music magazines, I can send the music to some Dutch radiostations or make flyers for them and spread that around at concerts of comparable bands...All to help them, isn't that nice;)? You can ask me anything on this site, anything you wanted to know about punk rock but was always afraid to ask;)! Not that I am an expert...But if I don't know the answer, I will look it up for you, or ask others! Answers 100% guaranteed!!! I will also do some polls and ask your opinion about for example the best band. So it is not only my opinion that counts;) But as you might know, punk rock is not only a type of music, it is a lifestyle! We're about to discuss that as well! By the way, if you are reading this now and think I don't really like punk rock and I am more into britpop, hardrock, metal, emo or whatever kind of rock, don't stop reading!!! I like all kinds of rock, well maybe not all, but I tollerate them all;) Don't worry we're all one big family!! Every week we will have a band of the week and a song of the week and every month we will have a band, song, guitarist, lyric and concert of the month! Will you help me to choose them?!