One of the best things about doing interviews for the last 15 years has been meeting and talking to some truly wonderful people. Whilst most bands know how to handle an interview, and some regulars you always look forward to, every now and then you get to chat to someone that feels like you are talking to an old friend. So as well as The Cruel Intentions being one of my favourite bands of the moment I always have such a laugh talking with Mats. The best news of all for Australian Audiences is that they are here for Next month’s Glam Fest Australia. The Cruel Intentions is a band definitely worth getting in early for. We caught up with Mats to catch up on the latest developments in The Cruel Intentions camp and also to pick his Top 5 Glam Albums of all time!
Mark: Mats the day is close you’re finally making it over to Australia!
Mats: Yeah two and a half weeks – we leave on the 14th of February.
Mark: Oh so you’ll be early?
Mats: Well it’s a 24 hour flight so we get in on the 15th at night and play the next day!
Mark: So a couple of hours to rest and sightsee!
Mats: (laughs) well we do play pretty early on the Friday so that’s about right!
Mark: So by the time I get to see you on Saturday you’ll be fine!
Mats: Yeah probably! (Laughs)
Mark: So The Rockpit and The Cruel Intentions hit the big time last year when we made it onto Primetime T.V. In Sweden?
Mats: (Laughs) That was fun! Did you understand the whole concept of it?
Mark: Yeah I had a couple of Swedish friends explain it to me, but I sort of got it. We have to try and get on again – I thought when we catch you I could ask you the same question in Swedish – that might work!
Mats: (Laughs)
Mark: I was just surprised that someone in the production team in Sweden was reading The Rockpit! But it’s always cool when things like that happen.
Mats: Absolutely there were a lot of people watching that episode too! It’s one of the biggest shows in Sweden.
Mark: Did it have an impact? Did you sell more records?
Mats: The impact was more that my old friends who I hadn’t seen in like 15 years or something – they were like “What the fuck!”
Mark: (Laughs)
Mats: That was the biggest impact for me – friends who I hadn’t heard of in years were writing to me because I didn’t realise it would be on TV that night. I had seen it before but then the phone started ringing off the hook and people were saying “Dd you see it?” and I was like “Yeah”
Mark: That’s so cool.
Mats: I figure we will have time for some beers as it’s two openers and then us then Sisters Doll and then the old school rockers!
Mark: Sounds like a plan. So have you heard of any of those old school guys on the bill?
Mats: Oh yes, all of them and we’ve played with Slaughter before in Stockholm we played a Festival with them. We met them once and now we’re playing with them in Australia and then we’re going to play with them in America in August at Monsters of the Mountain.
Mark: What a fantastic Festival that is, I’ve looked at that for the past couple of years and thought I have to go and see that. I always used to make an annual pilgrimage to The States but that stopped with covid.
Mats: Same here.
Mark: There are so many great Festivals globally at the moment and now we have ours Downunder in Glam Fest. The biggest question I have to ask and it’s the one I was bombarded with questions about when I told people we were catching up is after that wonderful second album we had in 2022 how much of the third album have you written so far?
Mats: (Laughs) I think I have 40 ideas. And a couple of songs finished already. We’ve been working hard. There is so much music, I’m basically writing all the time for the last six months. I got stuck for a year after the first one, I couldn’t write anything, there was so much pressure and I didn’t feel like it: I just wanted to play. The Festivals we had last year were wonderful – we had one Festival a month, through the whole year all around Europe. I Didn’t give a shit about writing new music even though you’re meant to do an album a year basically, but if you can’t feel it you can’t feel it.
Mark: I absolutely know what you mean.
Mats: So that’s where I was but by the middle of 2023 I started to do demos. I was getting a lot of ideas for finished songs and Robin our drummer started writing music as well playing guitar and so he’s been writing to. So now it’s basically about lyrics and getting Lizzy involved. And the we’ll see how many of these 40 ideas get turned into songs.
Mark: OK so we’re going for a triple album then are we?!
Mats: (Laughs) No we’re not!
Mark: (Laughs)
Mats: Fuck that shit! I’d be fucking grey-haired if we were gonna do that! It is actually exhausting.
Mark: I expect it is to get quality like we’ve heard so far. No I think 9, 10 songs these days is about right – you have to be able to fit them on vinyl again.
Mats: Yeah, I think we’ll have 10- 11 maybe twelve if they’re really good? You can do 15 songs but they’re not all going to be the best ones. We’ve always done ten maybe eleven for bonus tracks and the others I throw then away if they didn’t fit or they weren’t good enough. I aim for ten singles.
Mark: So you do actually physically throw them away? I know some who do and other musicians who have lots of what they used to call ‘drawer junk’.
Mats: I might keep a small part or a riff if I’ve been working on it. I’ve some where I’ve been working on them for three albums, but I still have to figure out the whole song. I have one riff that I’ve been working on since 2018 that might make the next one!
Mark: (Laughs)
Mats: It’s a really, really good riff Mark, but I just can’t figure out the whole song. So it’s a really good riff but nothing else!
Mark: You’ll have to play it for me! So I’m hoping and guessing then we’re looking at a new album early next year?
Mats: Most likely the end of the year we start with singles. And a release for 2025.
Mark: A few people who texted in asked what impact ‘Peacemaker’ had for the band, with you having your music on that show? I know it probably didn’t have the impact of the Swedish show we talked of before…
Mats: Actually it was way better! (Laughs) It was way, way better!
Mark: (Laughing)
Mats: For us ‘Peacemaker’ was great we had 4,000,000 streams that year, from 800,000 up to 4,000,000 and then we went back to 2,000,000 last year. So it went straight up when James Gunn released his Spotify playlists with all the bands. He released two songs per episode and it just kept filling up as the show continued.
Mark: I actually loved the whole soundtrack with lots of great older bands but also the courage to back new bands who have that sound and carry on that tradition. It’s always great and pretty rare that someone with that much clout on TV backs the sort of music that we love.
Mats: Yeah, it was really weird bands like us and Sister – no one watching the show had heard of us, so for us it was like a new audience. So it went through the roof in America, and then South America and then in the UK because the show aired in different months. So you could see the pattern and the surge as it aired in different regions.
Mark: So let’s hold that thought – you were on the Peacemaker Soundtrack and you’re heading over for Glam Fest – let’s talk about 5 albums of that type that mean a lot to you? What are 5 what we could loosely term ‘Glam’ albums that you think are absolutely essential?
Mats: Oh, yeah. Not necessarily my favourites but icons of Glam or 80’s Hard Rock?
Mark: I’ll leave that up to you whenever I hear ‘Glam’ I think either Marc Bolan and the Sweet or Bowie and New York Dolls.
Mats: Exactly! What is Glam? What s Sleaze? What is anything! (Laughs) If we’re talking the more 80’s Rock version I would definitely say ‘Flesh and Blood’ by Poison. One of the albums I listed to as a kid and one that made a big impact on me. I always liked to listen to that to feel good, it has such good vibes. I loved that and also ‘Native Tongue’ which probably had more musicianship so that’s one.
Mark: Nice choice, maybe my favourite of their albums.
Mats: I would also have to say the first Faster Pussycat album. It’s called Faster Pussycat right?
Mark: It was, the grey cover, I love every single song on that record. Such an underrated band, those first three albums are great but that is definitely my favourite. And of course a band who played the first Glam Fest Australia last year.
Mats: (Mats Shows me his Faster Pussycat arm tattoo) I showed that one to Taime Downe on the Monsters of Rock Cruise and gave him a copy of the record so I hope he listens to it at least once.
Mark: I shall ask next time we speak.
Mats: You have to ask because he was really nice, such a nice guy – I had my cabin next to him on the Cruise and one morning I just went out to look at the view and there he was, oh sit! Right next to me it was – Taime Downe!
Mark: The Cruise is so cool. I shall have to return. So we have two absolute classic albums and whilst you’re thinking of another one I have another question for you. And I love this song so I’d like to hear your answer: Will ‘White Pony,’ one of the singles you put out before that first record, ever get a physical release?
Mats: Hopefully. We would like to have it out. We were discussing the first six singles and doing a limited vinyl with them on there and also ‘White Line Denied’ on there too.
Mark: Nice, the Japanese bonus track.
Mats: Then maybe an acoustic or a live track to even it up because we need to have everything on there. So we’ve been talking about it and our label is very positive about it but they want us to release the third album first and then do this.
Mark: That gives you a bit of breathing space too if you put out something like that between albums.
Mats: Exactly and it will be very limited and something for the hardcore fans that have been there since the beginning. There’s hundreds of people asking about that all the time so I know it would sell really quickly.
Mark: I remember hearing it just before the first album came out and thinking wow and the n the first record came out which was incredible and then just to make me even more jealous you bettered it. God knows what you’re going to be fiving us next year!
Mats: (laughing) Thank you very much.
Mark: Australia is in for a real treat. If you don’t get to Glam Fest early to see you guys you’re going to miss out.
Mats: I hope they turn out to see us, especially if you never heard us because if the first time you see is going to be live we’re going to blow you away!
Mark: I have no doubt. Do you know how long you get?
Mats: I’m guessing 40 minutes. So travel 24 hours, do three 40 minute shows and the travel 25 hours home (Laughs)
Mark: (Laughing) It doesn’t sound so great when you say it that way does it?
Mats: (Laughs) Oh it is! But I’m fucking horrified for the journey , I hate flying, it’s the fucking worst thing ever. Everyone hates flying basically but I really hate it.
Mark: I just find it so boring trying to get comfortable.
Mats: That’s it for me the trying to get comfortable – twitching and turning – super bored and tried at the same time! It’s the worst thing ever!
Mark: At least I can play The Cruel Intentions when I fly! (Laughs)
Mats: (Laughs) That’s good. I can’t do that.
Mark: And album number three after that interlude?
Mats: Album number three I’m going to give you ‘Prisoners In Paradise’ by Europe.
Mark: Oh nice! Some vintage Europe!
Mats: One of the albums I listed to back-to-back repeat when I was younger as well, all the time.
Mark: Very underrated band Europe, I love them now and loved them back in the day. The only thing that ruined it for me was ‘The Final Countdown’.
Mats: Yeah! A shit song! (Laughs)
Mark: Crying al the way to the bank I’ll bet.
Mats: (Laughs) I understand why it’s so big but I’ve never found myself saying “OK now I’m going to listen to ‘The Final Countdown’! For me t’s more like let’s put on ‘Talk to Me’ one of my favourite songs on ‘Prisoners’ or ‘Seven Doors Hotel’. I haven’t really listened to their later stuff. There was an album I heard around 2004 or something…
Mark: Probably ‘Start From the Dark’ I think, the comeback?
Mats: That was pretty good too, but I’ve not heard the brand new stuff. It’s always been ‘Prisoners’ for me.
Mark: You should try it, I actually love the newer stuff it’s a bit more Bluesy, a bit more Deep Purple, but very good. And a great band live too.
Mats: Great musicians.
Mark: I did their photography for their meet and greet a few years ago and they kindly signed me all their albums. Almost as many as Alice Cooper signed for me when we interviewed him many years ago. I never take a fee just bring as many albums as I can! (Laughs) We did help his band out with golf clubs last time too.
Mats: (Laughs) He plays golf very well I think.
Mark: He’s incredibly good. Very impressive.
Mats: I’m really shitty at golf, I tried it but I can’t imagine liking it!
Mark: (Laughs) Number Four what do we have?
Mats: Let’s see… I mean I have to put Motley Crue in there, I think. ‘Dr. Feelgood’ that’s my favourite. It’s 80’s but it’s not Glam that’s Hard Rock.
Mark: We’ll let it in. Do you have a final one for us? Maybe something that’s really, really Glam?
Mats: (Laughs) Something that’s really, really Glam?
Mark: Something so Glam that people wouldn’t be expecting you to be listening to!
Mats: (Laughs) Oh my God! The thing is I didn’t listen to that much Glam!
Mark: (Laughs)
Mats: I was more into Shotgun Messiah.
Mark: Great band, some may even call them Glam I guess. I bought the ‘Kingpin’ album when it came out before they changed their name. That first album is still my favourite though, absolutely sensational.
Mats: Yeah, that’s a really, really good one. I always say Shotgun Messiah when asked but I think I’m gonna change that to Ratt. Yeah the last one has to be ‘Detonator’ by Ratt.
Mark: An interesting choice of album. I love that first EP but ‘Detonator’ right at the end of their first period was great too. Now there’s a band I’m not sure we’ll be seeing grace our stages again.
Mats: Or maybe a band that you will see but in different constellations! Bobby Blotzer’s Ratt, Stephen Pearcy’s Ratt and somebody else’s Ratt! All fighting each other!
Mark: Again! (Laughs) They were great when they were together but some bands weren’t made to last. I think that one day we’ll get a bad with five different members leading 5 different bands claiming to be the best. Ratt might have gotten closest to that so far, so many versions over the years.
Mats: It’s crazy!
Mark: It is, and I love what happens online when things like that happen! Let the fights commence! If that ever happens to The Cruel Intentions, I’ll remind you of this!
Mats: (Laughs)
Mark: One song you have to play from the new album of course is ‘Sunrise Over Sunset’ which I’m pretty sure is both your and my favourite song.
Mats: It is.
Mark: Tell us the backstory to that video.
Mats: It’s about Los Angeles obviously and The Rainbow and all that, like a throwback and an homage to the good old days. So we were in Oslo and doing the music video so we had to make it look like The Sunset Strip at night. Luckily for us it was summer so we could be out at night – it wasn’t 21 degrees below zero like it is today! (Laughs) But this was in August so we just went out down town and started filming really close shots with neon lights in the background. We were really trying to make it look like we were in Los Angeles. (Laughs) Some people picked that up and some people did think it was shot in L.A. because we had a friend in L.A. with his phone filming outside the Rainbow and the classic Sunset Strip street: so we just cut everything together.
Mark: That’s a cool story. I shall rewatch that now!
Mats: You’ve been there you’ll pick it up.
Mark: So we are close to the second instalment of Glam Fest Australia taking place on 16-18 February. You might find things a bit different when you get here though: when you said that it was minus 21 there today all I can say is don’t bring your coat
Mats: I’m looking forward to that, I’m not bringing anything but underwear! That’s crazy that’s 50 degrees difference! Rarely here in Oslo in the Summer it might get to 28 – 30 for a few days and I can’t function in that – I can’t work, I can’t write, I can’t do shit, just drink beer and play in the river and that’s it!
Mark: I guess that’s the good thing about going on early, there’s time for a bit of that after catching some of the bands.
Mats: Absolutely, always after we play shows we head out to the merch desk and we meet people and take photos and whatever. We’re bringing plenty of merch in the suitcases! We’ll have CD’s, vinyl, the ‘Borderline Crazy’ baseball caps, and brand-new T-Shirt designs that will only be sold this year.
Mark: And I have a strange feeling that all of that may be sold out by the end of the Melbourne show. I must admit this year I don’t think there’s anyone I’m more looking forward to seeing than you guys and the Tyketto guys, mainly because I’ve seen everyone else before at east a few times. But what a line up! I must admit I knew I’d catch you live down here one day but I didn’t think it would be so soon.
Mats: No me neither.
Mark: But all credit to Silverback backing new bands and championing the best from your part of the world.
Mats: It seems like it went so fast – I talked to Danny for the first time two years ago and then one year ago we were back in touch and then he called again last November and sked if we were ready!? I said “Fuck yeah, let’s go!”
Mark: Thank you so much for your time Mats, I really appreciate you taking time to chat, it’s always a great laugh!
Mats: No thank you Mark
Mark: I think I owe you a drink, what do you drink?
Mats: Basically any Lager really… But I always drink the Fosters one (Laughs) And every Australian tells me (Put’s on great Australian accent) “Nah, don’t drink that garbage!” (Laughs)
Mark: The problem is with Fosters that in the rest of the world they make it differently and it sort of tastes OK, but here it doesn’t taste so great! (Laughs)
Mats: I shall meet up with you and my boys Jackson and Roxxi from Catalano in Brisbane! I haven’t seen them in two years now he always tells me I have to drink the XXXX (pronounced 4 X).
Mark: (Laughs) He’s definitely from Brisbane! Anyone that tells you that has to be a Queenslander!
Mats: He says I have to (Australian accent again) “Knock back a few gold tins!” (Laughs)
Mark: See you soon my friend!
Mats: Thanks Mark.
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