Wait, whatt?! Well, yes, it may be a bit awkward at first, but it’s quite understandable or at least very nice once you understand what happened. Supported by the same agency as a couple of other bands being interviewed for IDIOTEQ as we speak, Swiss melodic punk rockers from ÜBERYOU have received the following set of questions by mistake. The fact that we actually haven’t arranged an interview didn’t hold them back from sitting down and answering them for us to serve you guys a proper follow up to our recent feature and song premiere! So, here’s the unplanned interview with the lovely ÜBERYOU, who have revently premiered a new song via IDIOTEQ and announced a bunch of live shows, all detailed at this location. Check it out, but first dive into the interview below and stay tuned for their new EP “Frontiers” teased by the following track.
Photo by Boris Müller.
Hi guys! How are you? How’s everything at your end?
Hi there. All good! About ten days to go until the start of our tour – so we’re really excited!
Can you give us a brief summary concerning the history of your band?
We came up with the idea of the band in late 2008. What started as a drunk idea got a little more serious in 2010 when we released our first EP. At that time, all of us have been involved in promoting shows or working at shows in some way. The band has always been about our friendship and sharing our passion for music and celebrating the good times. Nonetheless, we soon tried to tour outside of Switzerland. This led us to places as far away as Cuba and Brazil – this is something we would never have expected a couple of years ago.
What is the constant driving impetuous behind running and developing your band?
We already have so many great memories of different tours and shows with this band. And I think that those memories keep us hungry for more. We always tried to go to places that are not exactly just around the corner. That makes things a bit complicated every now and then… but on the other hand it keeps you up and running.
Is it a good time to be a touring punk rock band in your area? How would you comment on the state of your local music scene?
I guess that there is no bad time for touring. To be on the road with your friends is one of the most fun things to do! The Swiss Punk-Rock scene is pretty small. If you go to a show, you usually know about 90% of the crowd. Nonetheless I lately got the feeling that more stuff is happening than a couple of years ago. A bunch of really cool new bands came up and are making records and try to tour
What was your portal into your local punk rock scene? How much does being from Switzerland shape your sound?
To be honest, I don’t really think that there is a specific Swiss style of Punk-Rock. Musically we are mainly influenced by international bands. Lyrically we sing about personal experiences and our daily struggles. I guess that those themes are not bound to a certain country but happen anywhere.
Are there any current names and projects worth mentioning here?
One of our favorite bands out of Switzerland are THE PEACOCKS. They have been around for more than 25 years and are probably still the hardest touring band.
Two other really cool bands are VALE TUDO and THE STRAPONES that will tour Cuba with us this August.
Ok guys, to let’s dig in and find out more about this new project of yours. How did all of you guys come to link up for this release?
Ian, our singer, has been pretty active in booking shows, hosting bands and buying lots of good records. it is him, that got in contact with the labels. A dream came true, when all these great labels told us, that they are willing to put out this 7inch.
Have you been compiling your material exclusively for this record? Or did you already have these tunes recorded before?
All songs are brand new and haven’t been on any other records. We are very happy with how they turned out and couldn’t be more excited to release them and play them live!
Ok guys, so how about touring? Gig-wise, what are your plans for the next months?
In about ten days we will start this South America tour that will probably be our biggest adventure so far. We will be on the road for three months and visit 7 countries! We’ll start in Cuba where we will be part of the Brutal Fest tour. Later we will go to Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile before we’ll conclude the tour at Fest in Gainesville Florida.
Photo by Martin.
Considering the digital times we’re living, do you think it’s beneficial for bands to work their asses off and tour heavily these days?
For a band like us it is not beneficial in a financial way. BUT it is beneficial in any other way. The experiences we made on tour with this band pay off way more than any sum of money and have shaped our lives and our band in so many ways!
Ok guys. Thanks a lot for your time! Any final thoughts or shout-outs?
Thank you! We hope we’ll make it to Poland soon!
Cool, thanks :) Good luck with your future plans and projects and cheers from Warsaw!
