[ Vae Victis ]

Meine persönliche Entdeckung des Jahres 2007, VAE VICTIS aus Sydney, erwiesen sich an der Interviewfront als genauso sympathisch wie auf der Bühne. Einige der CFMD Lerer/innen haben sie vielleicht auf ihrer diesjährigen großartigen Europatour gesehen und können hoffentlich mit den ausführlichen Antworten der vier Crusties aus Down Under die Band etwas näher kennen lernen. Thanks a lot, Kieren, Cathy, Fran and James! Peter

Fragen: Peter
Antworten:
C- Cathy, vocals
J- James, Guitar
F- Fran, Drums
K- Kieren, Bass

1.: Hi VAE VICTIS, how did you guys enjoy yourselves in Europe? Generally, more specific questions coming up...
C- I had an absolute blast in Europe, it was crazy, a totally unforgettable experience. It was so great to reunite with old friends I haven't seen in years and meet lots of amazing people, and get to play with so many awesome bands.
F- Unreal, Fucking A1, The best, Insane etc.
K- Yeah, The Europe tour was fucking great. A great mixture of meeting up with old friends and meeting new people/going to new places. Really the whole thing couldn't of been better except by being longer!

2.: Seen any differences between the countries you have been to? Coolest place? Best beer?
J- Every single place we went to was remarkable and awesome in its own way. That might sound like I am avoiding the question but it is the honest truth. I can't describe adequately how overwhelming and amazing it was to find myself in these places I have spent my whole life reading about and dreaming of seeing.
C- Of course there were differences but from the back of a stinky van and the inside of a venue and then back in the van I'm not really in the position to make sociological observations! Everywhere we played was fucking cool, places that stood out were playing on a mountain top in an abandoned hotel surrounded by forest and fire flies in Italy, Liege, Ljubljana, Berlin, Yellow Dog Fest, argh so many more places I wouldn't know where to start...
F- All really cool, Czech has the best beer, Slovenia had the biggest pizzas.
K- Obvious differences? Czech has a serious camera thing going - front two/three rows of people constantly taking pictures. France - people don't spend nearly as much time checking distros as pretty much every other country. Italy - time works differently to everywhere else. Poland - Vodka (what more needs to be said?). Germany - easiest place to get from one place to another. Coolest place? Well I hadn't been to Poland before so that was exciting- had a great night too. Berlin was and always is awesome - the amazing place that is Köpi filled with people having a good time is about as good as it gets. And Packebusch - the ultimate for catching up with friends from everywhere and getting destroyed with them - That fest will stay with me for a long time. Best beer was in Slovakia - but then again it was Czech beer!

3.: Do you enjoy having an international audience at gigs due to the (for you Aussies) short travels within tiny Europe? Any differences compared with shows Down under?
J- It was quite amazing to be able to experience such a diversity of cultures and geography in such a small time and place. To each day travel to a new country and city was really interesting. There is a
really low population density in Australia, and cities are extremely spread out across the barren featureless deserts and scrubby bushland.
F- Love the international crowds. The main difference is the numbers of people.
K- Yeah for sure - had a few people come to shows in different places and of course heaps of the people we met on the tour were at Packebusch at the end too. I love the diversity at European festivals especially. Here of course a lot of the time its the same faces at most of the shows. Not that that is a bad thing but we get fewer travelers through here then Germany or Belgium for example.

4.: Personally i had the great pleasure to witness two of your gigs this summer (Obscene Extreme und Packebusch/Yellow Dog-festival). Now tell me what a nerd i am having been sober at both gigs!
C- You're not a nerd, you wont have a fucked up liver like so many other punks! How nice that you can actually remember our gigs! One person came up to me and said, "oh I saw you guys last night it was brutal i was crowd surfing but I was too drunk to remember what you sounded like but I had fun though....."
F- Nothing nerdy about enjoying music sober.
K- Hey, I did Zoro fest 2000 sober - guess I was about the only one. Been to a lot of shows sober and straight. Been to a lot of shows totally fucking wrecked too.

5.: Seriously: how do you judge alcohol at concerts: more as a problems due to violence caused by intoxication or more as fun due to merry drunk fans? (Yes I do drink but total blackouts have become rare lately...)
C- Personally I don't drink all that often, and I don't see it as a huge problem unless it s a major addiction and you can't have fun without it. But punk does have a very self destructive element about it, that whole keep drinking and drinking mentality gets very tired very quickly...
F- In Europe alcohol wasn't so damaging to crowds as in Australia. As long as people are respectfully having fun, Why not?
K- Can go both ways on this. On the one hand, we've all seen people totally drunk picking bullshit fights/arguments just cos they're not thinking clearly about the situation and they have that '10 feet tall and bulletproof' feeling. On the other hand I've seen much the same shit at straight edge shows so maybe its people that are fucked in general and not the intoxicants they choose.

6.: Regarding Obscene Extreme and Packebusch: i LOVED those gigs, thanks a lot!! Some special memories from you guys about those particular shows?
J- Well really the only thing I can remember of Obscene Extreme is desperately trying not to fall over or puke on stage and wondering if I had enough strength in me to maintain pressure on the frets of my guitar as I was really sick. Packebusch was monumentally great, and sad as well. To have the opportunity to see some of my favourite bands was so cool and something I never would have thought possible. And I don't think I have ever seen so many crusty punks in one place! It was also interesting because it ended up being our last show of the tour, and as it drew people from all
over Europe (and the rest of the world) we ran into so many people who we had made friends with along the way. Let me tell you it was very hard to turn our backs on that place and start on our journey home. I can say with certainty that our brains were furiously calculating and factoring
the possibilities of illegal immigration until the last moment of boarding the plane. Shout out to Grobi for the wicked sound and recording that shit fer us ta.
C- Thanks! Those gigs were really fun. Obscene Extreme- selling our records in the dirt was a special memory, the next day the bass player from Give up All Hope (the band we went on tour with) had disappeared and we formed a search team and searched the perimeter calling his name and stepping over the casualities. Packebusch was beautiful and hot and sunny I got to swim in the river in the day and watch brutal bands in the night what more could you ask for?
F- The incredible amount of beautiful, friendly, like minded freaks. I loved every second.
K- OE was just fucking nuts - so many people all hell bent on having a good time. Playing was a bit strange - huge stage, day time, weird sound problems - but still pretty good. Packebusch was one of the best shows I've ever been at - let alone played. Great people and fucking lots of them Awesome bands. Got to meet up with a lot of old friends - Hi Sabrina. And totally fucking loved playing - perfect end to the tour but as James said it was fucking hard to leave.

7.: Some especially helpful guys and gals from the tour you want to mention/say "cheers!" to?
C- Our amazing drivers Ralph and Peter, GIVE UP ALL HOPE, the Stuttgart crew who looked after us in our jetlagged state, Nikki, Wibke, Max and Miccha who made Bremen so wonderful, Philthy Phil, every amazing person who organised gigs for us, cooked food for us, gave us beers, places to stay- everything- thank you!!!!!!!!!
F- Dunja in Slovenia, she was way cool and really friendly and helpful
K- So many people! Andreas of course, Sven, Give Up All Hope who we toured with. Ralf and Peter. Nikki, Philthy, Marcus, Koppa, Jessica, Dunja, Jakob, Pola. All these people and more put in a lot of effort and really went out of their way to make sure we had a great tour and a great time - which we sure fucking did - and I can't thank them enough.

8.: On concerts or festivals in general: do i find some of you guys right in front of the stage, raging in the moshpit, when other bands play?
J- I love to dance and be a dickhead but not all punk bands have groove and beats that are good to shake your booty to. Come on wise up!
C-You will find most of us up the front busting out disco moves when GIVE UP ALL HOPE play even though they would never dance disco to us hahaha.. If I m not up the front for a band I love then I ll be further back heckling them like a mean motherfucker..
F- Hell yeah, thats where its at. As close as possible at first then at the back towards the end.
K- Fuck, I try to be up the front as much as possible but I'm not as young as I used to be and don't heal so quick. Always up the front for Give Up... though.

9.: Some words about your musical output so far and, of course, the future of the band please. Bright or bleak?
C- Hmm what do you mean, my ex bands? I screamed in World on Welfare from 1998 to 2001 when the band ended, and I was in Scum System Kill, I was the deep growling singer But I had to quit because I didn't have time for two bands and my erm, extracurricular activities... The future of the band is very bright, we're all going to keep making noise forever basically.. I 'd go crazy if I couldn't scream on a regular basis.
F- Way bright - we are just starting to warm up. Heaps of new songs and ideas
K- I am loving the stuff we are doing. I have been playing music in bands for a very long time and this is the most satisfying stuff I've ever done. The future? Fucking bring it on!

10.: You guys like living in Australia? Think of the administration, some travel board or somebody like that pays you $500 for every person you lure down under. Would you try to get people moving and for what reasons?
J- The whole time I've lived here I've been trying to get the fuck out.
C- I love living in Australia for the lifestyle, the beach, the harbour, the heat, the tropicalness of it all, the wildlife, the forests, the mangoes, the desert, rain forests, etc etc.. I'm still in Europe as I write this can you tell I m getting homesick? I wouldn't want to lure anyone else down under because a bigger population would destroy more large tracts of wilderness to create suburbia and I like it how it is. The isolation of the country is an advantage when it comes to camping in beautiful quiet national parks and finding deserted beaches. But we don't get many touring bands down here! We need more to come down!
F- No, its important to me for good people to remain abroad to ensure the growth of the scene. If they all move here, who's going to organise shit there?
K- I have lived in several different countries and must say that Australia is the easiest most relaxed place to live - whether that is always a good thing is debatable - sometimes you need some tension. I don't think anyone needs to pay me - it seemed that everyone I met over there wants to come here. Which is kind of funny cos everyone here wants to go there. Maybe we should just organise a swap.

11.: Which Aussie-stereotypes - you most certainly meet them every day when abroad - are the most annoying?
J- Many Australians are obnoxious, loud, ignorant, culturally insensitive, and arrogant so anyone like that. Anyone wearing green and gold or Australian flag somewhere. People who yell Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi are best avoided.
C- Lots of Irish and English people make jokes to us about our ancestors being criminals, and our country was created by criminals but that's kindve cool haha.
F- Drunk, footy loving, cricket loving, thong wearing fuckhead that won't stop singing waltzing matilda.
K- Well apart from the singing bit Fran just pretty much described me and I'm not even Australian!

12.: Your first reaction when meeting a guy named Hans from Munich is...
C- Guten Tag Hans, Ich Heisse Lieselotte und mein Hund heisst Lumpi.. --The first thing I learnt in German at school! Pity I don't remember anything else!
F- I never had the pleasure. I hear he's nice.
K- Hefeweizen bitte.

13.: Which musical styles outside of crust and punk may find the way into
your hearts? Some special artists or bands you´d like to suggest?
J- I am a music fanatic. I love music. I love every style.
C- Over the last few years I've been proud of how I've broadened my tastes in music. As long as it's not emo hardcore crap I ll have a listen at least once. I love cheesy stuff, cheesy rock n roll, metal, even some cheesy pop for the sake of bad dancing and limbo!
F-Pogues, Pixies, Leatherface and Belinda Carlisle
K- There's music outside of Crust and Punk?

14.: Please name us some hot and little known bands from Australia. And, are you able to name the one favourite band of yours?
J- Schifosi, Crux, Pisschrist, Los Diablos, ABC Weapons, Scum System Kill, Whew, the one favourite band? Well I think my friends probably know me as the guy that every week says 'hey man I lovvve such and such they are totally like my favourite band EVER'. This is such an impossible question to answer, I am going to drop Tutti Parze. An old anarcho crust band from Sydney in the late eighties. Their style and politics had a huge impact on me as I was growing up.
C- good sydney bands-SCUM SYSTEM KILL, smash n grab, mass trauma, Pure Evil, CRUX, new justice team, the subverts, anarchoi, a good band from Newcastle- Shitfight, good Melbourne bands- ABC WEAPONS, schifosi, Mutiny, The Focus and from Adelaide- Captain Clean off and Los Diablos, from Canberra- falujah city rockers I m sure I've forgotten some!
F- Schifosi, Sordid, Shitfight, Smash n Grab, Anarchoi, Spacebong. Schifosi are my favourite.
K- Basically what they said. Check out older stuff like Acid World too. Favourite band going now? Probably Shitfight and Schifosi

15.: Who did influence you as a band or as individuals on your way to the well known crustband you are today?
J- It's probably stretching it a bit to say we are well known. I am influenced from everything around me, I steal ideas and inspiration from all kinds of music (it might surprise you, but I won't say so the others won't get embarrassed). In particular Japanese hardcore like Death Side, Crude, Judgement inspires me a lot in terms of its epicness and melodrama, the Swedes for their sweet d-beat groove that seems to come so natural, bands that have an ear for melody and catchy tunes and aren't afraid to experiment like Post Regiment, and of course all the classic punk/crust classics that go without saying. Also Dragonforce and Village People.
C- When I was a little kid, the first punk rock bands from Sydney I saw had amazing tough strong inspiring women singers which had a really big impact on me.. And then later on, Deb the singer in old Sydney band Bastardos (that Fran drummed in and Kieren played bass in) was an inspiration to me just before I started singing in my first band. Musically lots of bands inspire me just to get out of bed in the morning!
F- Ha ha, Massappeal, Conflict, Bad Brains, Civil Disobedience, Corrosion of Conformity, Numb, Fleas and Lice, Thatcher on Acid, Christ on a Crutch.
K- Subhumans, The Mob (my daughters favourite band too), Disaffect, Sedition, Poison Idea, From Ashes Rise, Disfear, Wolfbrigade, No Idea (NZ) - too many.

16.: Do you think reviewers should explicitly mention the fact that girls/women are part of a band and that they are doing something very special to the "scene" or is that some sort of sexism which should be avoided? I´m not sure about this myself...
J- I don't think any special consideration is required if a woman is part of a band.
C- Hmm good question. In theory punk is great and political but in practice this sometimes is tricky. I really hate to be talked down to or receive special treatment or have people being patronising to women if they're in a band, but it can still be mentioned in a non demeaning way. What I also hate is, Oh you're ok for a girl, oh I didn't think girls could actually do that with their vocal chords, or she sang like a man.. But it is nice also to get some recognition for doing this stuff in an extremely heavily male dominated and often intimidating scene. I think reviewers can easily mention a band members sex by simply mentioning their name in a band review. Hmm fine balance. But no I dont think explicitly mentioning women as part of band necessarily means one is being sexist, as long as it is not done in a patronising way. But if I saw say, an all woman brutal grind band -DAM! I d mention that when I was telling people because that would be fucking amazing!!! For instance we are all humans(gender aside) in a band making music first and foremost. But also if I'm reading a review and if there's women in the band I would actually like to know that as I'm always interested in finding out about bands that have women in them.... Hmm I'm talking in circles here.
F- It's not sexism until its used to sell or degrade. Personally I don't care.

17.: Are you considering punk in general and especially (dark and raging) crust as a rather positive or negative force? Why?
J- It is an overwhelmingly positive thing. It is true 'dark and raging crust' generally tends to have a depressing and bleak tone. But hearing feelings and situations that you can relate to, negative though they may be, it affirms you and invigorates you. Having said that though, I think we consciously try to write uplifting songs that inspire you, I'm not sure if it comes across that way but we try. Music is such an important tool for people who are interested in changing society because it has the power to maintain your convictions despite the odds, to arouse your spirit, to embolden you.
C-I think punk is a positive force in terms of what it is capable of, and what it does, it brings together people who can party and have fun and see bands and make music be creative have benefit gigs, eat delicious vegie food, outside of the mainstream corporate rock culture machine. I think punk is a negative force in that a lot of crust bands have very nihilistic and negative lyrics about how we are all doomed and everything is all fucked up. I need a bit more inspiration to strengthen me and keep me going than just the simple way out/ give up now approach.
F- It has its moments, but generally I think its a positive, active scene. It has its moments I reckon because of allways being on the underside and takes a lot of hard work.
K- It's gotta be positive cos nothing makes me happier. Yeah the worlds fucked and its debatable whether screaming that over and over again is going to improve things at all but its the only thing that really gets me going.

18.: Are you guys total outsiders? Some aspects of "mainstream life" you are interested in or actually take part in? I´m thinking sports, politics, art, stuff like that.
J- Haha probably depends who you ask. I think I'm a pretty regular guy, but every now and then I am reminded how my politics, taste in music, lifestyle, life experiences, etc. some people find pretty unusual. I work in a really blokey workshop where every one is a 'traditional tough Aussie man' so it can be funny sometimes.
C- yeah we are total fucking outsiders, in Sydney we live in cave on the beach that used to house fugitive convicts and bushrangers on the run from the police hahahahaha.
F- I love to paint, skateboard and I love horticulture.
K- Well, I'm the dad of an extremely cool and exciting 4 year old so that brings me into contact with the mainstream a lot. I also love sport - playing (with friends not organised teams) and watching. Like Fran - into my Horticulture too.

19.: Climate change is the latest "hot" topic in the mass media and Australia seems to be severly hit by the waning ozonosphere. Do you think there´s still hope for the environment and, maybe more important, are politicians really interested in this newly discovered subject?
J- The environment is in no way doomed. But there can be no doubt for any rational mind that if we continue on our present course the chemistry of our atmosphere will have been altered enough to cause severe problems for all of us. Many of the major politicians in Australia are openly global warming sceptics. The best hope for the environment is a worldwide social revolution which would remove the ability of the international ruling class to profit at the expense of us and our planet, and allow us to develop and establish a way to truly minimise harmful environmental practices.
C-Of course there's still hope for the environment, there's no point in giving in to nihilism and fatalistic ways of thinking. It's never too late. People are changing their ways of thinking. A lot of people are doing amazing inspiring things on all sorts of levels. I would rather gather inspiration from these people and their actions than be bogged down by despair and negativity. The more awareness that s being raised the more hope there is. Yes I think politicians are interested in this subject, regardless as to whether their motives are honourable or not they are interested.
K- Hey, the worlds fucked. Can't see much improvement on the horizon either. Is it too late? - fuck knows but giving up is stupid. There is too much to fight for. My daughter gave me new inspiration for this too. Politicians and the 'great green scare' is just kind of embarrassing and unfortunately leads to the fucking annoying concept that not giving a fuck and being apathetic about the environment is in some way rebellious.

20.: Let´s take a short step back to the music. Anyone in VAE VICTIS involved in other projects like bands, labels, distros, zines? I tried to avoid the standard band-introduction-question so far, but maybe you actually want to talk about yourselves a bit. Feel free to do so if you wish...
C- My main passion in life is Vae Victis and my photography. I started off doing a lot of documentary photography of protests and forest blockades etc, and now I also am interested in playing with different representations of gender, sexuality, the 'erotica' and definitions of 'beauty' If you wanna check out my photos you can look at www.shotwithdesire.com
K- Right now Vae Victis is my main outlet. Me and Fran keep talking about starting another band but time constraints kind of fuck that one before it gets started every time. My life involves - My daughter and my family, the Band (both playing and all the shit that needs to get done between shows as well), studying horticulture, work (more horticulture), writing and traveling when I can. Keep resisting the urge to do a distro cos I really don't have the time but since we self-released this last EP I might just have to.

21.: Okay, enough for this time. Thanks alot for your time and your answers, i hope it wasn´t too boring. Take care and keep on crustin´, mates!! Last words are yours...
K- Thanks heaps for the interview. Fucking happy that you enjoyed the shows you went to when we were there. We had a blast and are looking forward to next time. WE WILL BE BACK!

http://www.myspace.com/sufferingtotheconquered