Interviews

An interview with Spanish crust/screamo band TARSIUS TARSIER

3 mins read

“Ceremonia de Atadura de Manos” by Spanish hardcore demons from TARSIUS TARSIER more than justify the band’s hard work by incorporating and expanding upon the furious hardcore / screamo grenre they’ve taken root in. These guys have delivered a record that’s more concerned with honesty and reckless immediacy than with appealing to the masses, and that is particularly why I’m inviting you to get acquainted with their work and be inspired by some of the issues covered in their poetic lyrics.

The “Ceremonia de Atadura de Manos” LP is available via Japanese label LongLegsLongArms Records.

Hey there guys! It’s my pleasure to welcome another amazing Spanish band here on IDIOTEQ! Please introduce the band to our readers. Who are you and how and when did you form the band?

Greetings from Madrid! First of all, we would like to thank you for your interest in TARSIUS TARSIER and for this great interview!

TARSIUS TASIER is formed by Javi (vocals), Pedrosa (drums), Jechu (bass) and me (Manuel; guitars).

Unfortunately for the readers of this interview, the story of our band is the typical one… haha The band was formed two years ago by me, Jechu and Javi with the intention of make some fast, dark and intense hardcore. We started to look for a drummer and one month after Pedrosa was in the band. The process was really fast! Only a few months later we started to play our firsts shows and think about to make some future recording.

What does TARSIER TARSIUS mean? Where did that name come from?

TARSIUS TARSIER is just the name of a primate specie hehe We aren’t really in love with this animals but we just were tired of looking for “serious” names. We decided to choose for a name which sounded good to our ears. The “look for a name” process can become torturing!

:) How was 2014 for the band? Did you play a lot of shows?

2014 was a really great year for us! We have played a lot of shows and it’s been the year of the release of our first album so you can imagine how good 2014 has been for us! It would be crazy to complain about 2014 being a modest band as we are.

TARSIUS TARSIER!

Did you travel a lot? What are some of the best memories of touring?

Unfortunately we couldn’t go out to play because of the recording and the local shows. We have plans to do that the next spring.

Bummer, huh? :) Ok, so how does a crust hardcore / screamo band team up with a Japanese label? Tell us a story of your cooperation with Long Legs Long Arms. Is it the only DIY label you’ve been working with so far?

Iván Ferro (who is the producer of our album “Ceremonia de Atadura de Manos”) was the link between the label and us. Longlegslongarms had released some recordings of Ivan’s bands (like Ictus or Khmer). Iván contacted the Akihito (the label owner) when the recording was finished and suggested him to release the album. Akihito said yes and we were amazed!

 LONG LEGS

Tell us a bit more about the Madrid hardcore scene. How vital it is? What are some of the pros and cons of being a punk band in your area?

It’s a complicated question. The scene here is quite open but a little diffuse. It isn’t weird to see a concert with bands of different styles. For example, our last show was a fest formed by stoner, grind and metal bands hehehe Anyway, there are a lot of great bands here in Madrid!

Ok, so let’s take a different angle. There’s been a lot of talk in the hardcore punk scene about racism. Has TARSIER TARSIUS dealt with any issues regarding race?

We (as a band) have never had any problems with racist issues. Here it’s quite the opposite; there are a lot of bands with foreign members and there isn’t any problem with that. Sometimes there are some problems (rarely) with that but it’s not typical in the Madrid’s underground scene.

What would you say about the state of racism in Spain in general?

Racism is something that exists here, we can’t deny it. Where we live (south of Madrid) there are a lot of immigrants and you know, there are people who throw their shit and frustrations with the weak ones (foreigners) because of the economical crisis.

TT

Are you involved with any activist or political organizing?

We don’t follow any political movement.

But there has to be somthing that upsets you about the politics of your country, right?

Living immersed in this big economical crisis which makes people to commit suicide because they can’t pay their bills and mortgages, we find the political movements as a frustrating shit. People can’t stand this situation anymore. Fortunately, some new political parties with younger people and great ideas have emerged in the last years. Let’s see if they can bring some hope to the most punished social classes.

Ok guys. Thanks a lot! Any final thoughts to share before we say goodbye?

Little more need to be said! We just want to thank you for your support. It’s been a pleasure! and thanks to Migueloud of WORMED for the help

Thanks! Cheers from Warsaw! See you on the road.

Cheers! We hope to see you sometime!

TARSIUS TARSIER Facebook
TARSIUS TARSIER Bandcamp

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