Interview: Truckfighters bring raw craziness
After a pretty-much sold-out 2015 Australian tour, Swedish fuzz-rockers ‘Truckfighters’ are returning. We talk to Mr Dango, AKA Niklas Källgren, about it:
Hej! and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Something You Said.
Hej hopp gummisnopp.
I last saw you here in Australia about 12 months ago at the Rollerden. A small venue in Sydney and you hung out the huge Truck Fighters banner and put on a hell of a show. Do you alter your set if you are playing a small little venue or a super-sized festival stadium?
Very little, sometimes we choose slightly more energetic songs if we suspect it will be hard to get the detail and the dynamic of the vocal to sound well (at all) in a small PA system but I’d say that’s about it. Our set is always slightly different. Between shows we try to rehearse a few more songs than we need so we can alternate at least a little bit. If we wouldn’t have changed drummer so often we would have been able to alternate much more, ha ha! It is important for us to not only play on routine, to make each gig a once in a lifetime experience for the audience. It shall always be a good thing to see us play even if someone’s seen us many times in the past.
With relatively non-stop touring, what have been some of your event highlights over the past year?
We played some very cool festivals this summer, for example the legendary Waken Open Air in Germany for the first time. Hellfest in France was also an amazing experience.
Your live shows are always incredibly energetic and you bounce around on stage with so much passion. What acts did you enjoy watching when you first starting out that made you think, yes this is how a band should play live?
Good question, ha ha. I saw Nirvana and Pearl Jam rock out on TV. When I was young I didn’t really go see live gigs. It comes from somewhere within, in our blood. Born to rock, ha ha.
What has been one of your most memorable gigs and why?
Hmm, We played a huge stage in Quebec, Canada last summer. It was extremely memorable because Soundgarden played two slots after and also simply because it was the biggest stage we have ever seen. The audience was big enough to fit 80,000 people and yeah it was a bit surrealistic. Another gig I remember very well was the first gig we did on our first support tour for Fu Manchu. We drove 26 hours to get there, stepped in and there they were and everything seemed just like we were meant to do the touring thing. Kind of crazy.
Having played with so many amazing bands over the years, were there any words of wisdom spoken to you by fellow artists that really resonated with you and changed the way you approach your craft?
No. But I remember that Scott in Fu Manchu had his 40th birthday whilst on the tour just mentioned. That made an impression on me being 27 at that time it felt good to see someone that ”old” still doing his thing! It’s funny now when we are kind of approaching that age and we don’t feel so old, so I would guess Scott didn’t feel old either and he’s still going strong now. It’s very inspiring to see that age doesn’t have to be a negative factor if you play heavy rock.
How inspiring is your native Sweden to your sound? Because you are often described as desert rock but you couldn’t be further from a land of sand dunes. Does the Swedish wilderness provide a sense of grandeur that contributes to some of your epic and progressive tracks?
Hard to say, so let’s say extremely inspiring. We take a lot of inspiration from life in its whole. Its complexity, the emotions. We are not the kind of band who listens to another record and feel inspired to do something similar. We just do what the world makes us do. I guess there are similarities to Swedish nature and the desert if you look at it from a deeper perspective. There is a lot of nature, not a lot of people. The kind of surrounding that makes a human being able to find his deepest emotions and true self.
What does music give you that nothing else does?
It is hard to describe. The moments when the band really connects musically can’t really be compared to anything else. Music is emotion and when you find the perfect mood in a band, especially whilst jamming/improvisation it is simply a great moment.
You will be playing with some diverse support acts when you tour Australia, do you like to perform with artists who are not strictly set in one type of genre?
Yes, I think the crowd appreciates a bit of variety in the genres, not too much though. We wouldn’t fit with a pop band but any kind of rock/heavy rock is cool.
For those who haven’t seen a Truck Fighters live show before, what can they expect?
Energy explosion. Raw craziness in a somewhat semi-controlled fuzz environment. A hell of a gig.
You will be back in Australia in early 2016, what does the rest of the year have in store for you?
First we gonna record a new album, then until its release in fall hopefully we will only do special events, festivals and such. When the album comes out there will again be a loooooot of touring!
Tack tack, it has been great chatting with you.
fett.
Truckfighters will be bringing their manic, sweaty all encompassing live show to the following venues. Make sure to get your tickets early as these shows will sell out:
Thursday 7th January SYDNEY Factory Floor
Saturday 9th January MELBOURNE Prince Bandroom
Sunday 10th January ADELAIDE Enigma Bar
Wednesday 6th January BRISBANE Crowbar
Friday 8th January CANBERRA The Basement
Keep up to date with Truckfighters at Facebook.
Interview by Courtney Dabb.
