Tagged by International music mag The Obelisk as being “at the head of the pack of European heavy Rock and Roll“, Greece’s 1000mods bring their psychedelic onslaught to Australia this April, touring nationally on the back of a Mojo Burning festival appearance. We chatted to vocalist/bassist Dani G. to find out more on the band ahead of the shows and how politics has played a part in the live music scene in Greece.
Andrew: Hows things with you at the moment:
Dani: I’m fine, I’m home!
Andrew: Getting ready to come to Australia for the first time I believe? Are you excited? How are you feeling about it?
Dani: Yeah we are so stoked to be there for our first time ever, we are really looking forward to playing music there and meet all you crazy people.
Andrew: [laughs] Usually when bands come here for the first time they usually play 2 or 3 shows or something but you guys have really gone out and really sort of spread out to a large part of the country. Was that your idea or the promoters idea to do that?
Dani: I think it was both sides idea, both the promoters and ours because while we are being there why not play the whole thing so it’s going to be good.
Andrew: I noticed there was a couple of days off where you don’t have a show so I guess you will be looking to do a bit of sightseeing and tourist stuff I guess?
Dani: Yeah but I think on those days we are going to play in Tasmania also so it’s going to be one day off. I don’t know if we will have the time but probably.
Andrew: OK what’s your perspective on Australia? Is there anything you have heard about that you would like to do or see?
Dani: I have heard that it’s been the warmest days you have ever had and you have like an extended summer now. So I’m looking forward to visiting Sydney and Melbourne and Adelaide and Scarborough so I’m excited. Basically from a young kid if somebody said one day I will go to Australia and play music, I would never believe them so the whole journey of this whole thing is going to be amazing. I’m really looking forward to being there.
Andrew: I have to be perfectly honest, I only just discovered you guys pretty recently through a friend of mine who suggested to check you out and when we heard you were coming to Australia some people I know were pretty excited about it. So for some of us that maybe don’t know the back story behind the band, how long have you been a band and where did it all start for you guys?
Dani: We started in the summer of 2006 so 12 years now and we’ve known each other since we were little kids and we shared a common love for Black Sabbath and all that kind of music back in the 70’s. So we decided to start a band and the band started to record with that lineup in 2006 so it’s been 12 years and 3 albums and 3 EP’s.
Andrew: What has been some of the highlights or some of the biggest achievements in that time so far?
Dani: Definitely the first European tour we ever had in 2011, definitely the three records that we have made and the recording process for the three of them. Definitely the first time we went to USA last year and I think now that we’re going to be in Australia it will be one of those times that we will never forget. So it’s going to be a highlight I think.
Andrew: Yeah definitely! So listening to some of your music when I went through your back catalogue, obviously Black Sabbath was a big influence but I’m hearing a lot of Red Fang and Orange Goblin and Corrosion Of Conformity and all those type of bands. Who are your contemporaries or your modern day influences and bands you align yourself with that would best describe the bands sound?
Dani: Yeah I mean it goes back to Black Sabbath like you say and the revival of the 70’s back in the 90’s when Kyuss and Monster Magnet and Soundgarden and Nirvana and Alice In Chains, that whole mix of 70’s and 90’s music.
Andrew: And from what I understand you have recently been part of a documentary called “Greek Rock Revolution”. Tell me a little on what that’s about.
Dani: It’s a guy from Spain who spent a whole year following Greek bands all around Europe and Greece. He wanted to let people know how people in Greece started making music because of the economic crisis and all that stuff in the last 10 years. So it’s going to be social / music documentary about the Greek scene and the Greek music.
Andrew: I’m interested as I listen to a lot of different bands from all parts of the world and love stuff outside of Australia and the US and all that. I don’t know a lot about what the rock music scene is like in Greece so what’s it like there at the moment?
Dani: It’s very big at the moment. It started 10 years ago and now the venues are big and bands are playing here at different gigs and they are touring all over Europe and USA and now Australia! But it all started with a couple of bands back in the 80’s, I don’t know if you are familiar with Rotting Christ which are a metal band that opened a new wave of bands like us to visit the world. Now it’s a healthy growing scene, from alternative indie rock to stoner heavy and metal bands.
Andrew: So the whole political side that is mentioned in the documentary, is that still a big part of influencing the music scene and is it still a big problem?
Dani: It’s not so good as they want us to see now, it’s pretty bad. There’s no middle class now, you are either poor or there are wealthy people so no middle class nowadays. So people are starting to stay away, not to survive but to live properly I would say. With our music we try to help people if there’s a gig for a good cause or social cause and our lyrics are sometimes socially based, it’s hard not to be part of that. It’s a small country with only 10 million.
Andrew: Is it difficult for bands to come into the country to play and do tours and stuff?
Dani: No it’s more easy. There’s a lot of bands coming to Greece to play music because we have good venues and good promoters, it’s like a normal European scene now.
Andrew: That’s good to hear! So for the Australian tour and because it is your first time, what can fans expect? Are you putting together a special setlist or what are you planning for the Aussie fans?
Dani: Because it’s our first time over there, we’re going to play everything we know I think! So we’re going to play from our first EP to our last record so it’s going to be one hour and a half to a two hour set.
Andrew: Are you the kind of band that likes to change the setlist from show to show or do you like to keep the same set every night?
Dani: I don’t know, it depends. Because it’s not a long tour, it’s a two week tour so we might start a different setlist every night but I don’t know, we will see.
Andrew: So according to some info that I have here and please correct me if I’m wrong, the last album was about 3 years ago right?
Dani: Yeah September 2016.
Andrew: So are there any plans to record and put out a new release sometime in the near future?
Dani: Yeah definitely. We are going to be in the studio I think in October or November or something like that.
Andrew: How is that process of coming up with ideas? Do you write on the road or do you have to take some time away to come up with ideas? How does that work for you?
Dani: For us it works both ways. Sometimes we have written some tracks on the road but most of the songs after we finish touring we jump in the studio and put some ideas together and see what happens. The last record was 4 months in the studio, we went into the studio with only one song and then we ended up with nine songs in 4 months. So I don’t know, it depends.
Andrew: Well we look forward to hearing new material in the future and we look forward to seeing you in Australia as well. Do you have any messages for the Australian fans at all?
Dani: It’s going to be fucking loud for sure! It’s going to be pretty loud and awesome I think.
TOUR DATES
Wednesday, April 3: The Basement, Canberra
with Witchskull + Lucifungus 7.30pm
Thursday April 4: Factory Floor, Sydney
with Neptune Power Federation, Comacozer + Astrodeath 7.30pm
Friday April 5: Stay Gold, Melbourne
with Child, The Ugly Kings + Unlucky 7.30pm
Saturday April 6: Mojo Burning Festival – Brisbane
Feat. Tumbleweed, The Vasco Era, Lachy Doley, King of the North, Hobo Magic and more 2.00pm
Sunday April 7: The Workers Club, Geelong
with Child, Devil Electric, Whoopie Cat, Smoke Witch, Jack Harlon & The Dead Crows, Pseudo Mind Hive + Nuada 4.00pm
Tuesday, April 9: Hobart Brewing Co, Hobart
with Mountains of Madness 7.00pm
Wednesday April 10: The Tote, Melbourne
Thursday April 11: Crown and Anchor, Adelaide
with Filthy Lucre + Kitchen Witch 7.30pm
Friday April 12: Lucy’s Love Shack, Perth
with King Zog, Legs Electric + Fuzz Toads 8.00pm
Saturday April 13: Indian Ocean Hotel, Scarborough
with The Floors, The Ivory Lies + Giant Dwarf 7.30pm
*All show details and on-sale tickets at
www.beatscartel.com/tickets
