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Since I am not one of the founding members of Vindicator – Michi and Tobi are the only remaining lads who have been there from the beginning - I will refer to the official band biography: At the end of 1996, five individuals met at the Madball gig in Hamburg and decided to form a band themselves. The first Vindicator line-up was born and consisted of Paddy (bass), Michi (drums), Bent (guitar), Tobi (guitar), and Steff (vocals). This line-up also produced the first tape "No Remorse" (1998). Steff then had to leave the band for time reasons, leading to minor internal changes, meaning Paddy hung up the bass and took over the microphone, while Tobi switched from 6 to 4 strings. However, they were not entirely satisfied with the result, so they continued to search for a replacement for Steff. They eventually found Pana, who took over the vocals and brought Paddy and Tobi back to their original instruments. Unfortunately, this solution only lasted about 6 months, then Pana left the band and Paddy and Tobi switched back to the microphone and bass, respectively. In this line-up – Paddy (vocals), Tobi (bass), Michi (drums), and Bent (guitar) – the DIY CD "We Won't Give Up" was recorded at the end of 2000.
Shortly thereafter, I (Tom) joined and took over the bass, allowing Tobi to return to guitar. However, this was not the last change, as Bent left the band at the end of 2001. A replacement in the form of Jannix (ex-Warpath) was quickly found! This line-up – Paddy (vocals), Tobi (guitar), Jannix (guitar), Tom (bass), Michi (drums) – lasted relatively long and released the CD "Back With Nothing To Lose" on True Rebel Records in the summer of 2003.
In the summer of 2004, Paddy and Vindicator finally parted ways, but a new shouter was quickly recruited in Uwe (ex-Soulboys, ex-La Cry). Thus, the current line-up consists of Uwe (vocals), Tobi (guitar), Jannix (guitar), Tom (bass), and Michi (drums). With this line-up, the latest release "On And On" was recorded in the autumn of 2006 and released in April 2007 on Street Justice Records.
What is the state of the Hamburg punk/hardcore scene... can we speak of changes when looking back at your early days?
Yes, I think we can definitely say that. Unfortunately, not for the better...
For example, there used to be a multitude of smaller clubs where one could play very well or just meet up. Many of these clubs have closed down or, more precisely, have had to close down. This is, of course, very unfortunate, as it pulls the ground out from under the scene. The "success" is reflected in the fact that rarely more than 20-30 people show up for lesser-known bands during the week because the scene is simply not as present as it was 10 years ago. Of course, there are still clubs where you can see good gigs for little money, but that is limited to Hafenklang, Molotow, and the Flora – and that’s pretty much it. We can really be glad that at least these clubs still exist!
By the way, what always surprises me is the fact that a lot of people still show up for popular (American) bands, while smaller bands don’t seem to interest them at all. To be honest, I have relatively little understanding for going to see Agnostic Front three times a year (nothing against AF per se!) and then not being able to get off your ass for a concert, for example, at Hafenklang with 4 bands for a few euros.
The scene itself is rather manageable for a metropolis like Hamburg; I wouldn’t even want to speak of a cohesive scene. There are rather several cliques that do their own thing than that one could speak of a large Hamburg punk/hardcore scene. At least: you know each other...
Between "Back With Nothing To Lose..." and "On And On" you can definitely feel more aggression. The violence and energy come across very well. The vocals are fat and the drums hit harder with metal... What themes do VINDICATOR address in their lyrics?
Absolutely right, in terms of power, there are worlds between the two albums! On the one hand, I think this is because we have become more versatile and varied. Aggression and energy only become obvious when you know the opposite. And since we also have rather calm songs like "Sad Story" on the new record, the power of the other songs comes across particularly well and clearly. On the other hand, this is also due to the production, which we are very satisfied with. We were back in the Hertzwerk Studio for "On And On" because we had already recorded a track there for a sampler contribution and appreciated the professionalism and atmosphere very much. It was definitely worth it, I think!
And regarding the vocals, Uwe and Paddy can really not be compared at all! It’s less about better or worse, but rather that Uwe uses his voice completely differently and more versatile – and I think that fits very, very well with our music!
And as for the themes of the lyrics (which all come from Uwe): Well, I would put it this way: Uwe writes about the good and especially the bad things in everyday life, screams out his anger, and lets us share in his thoughts about the world and society. We don’t want to change the world with this, and we don’t tell anyone what to do or not to do – people like Campino can do that better…! Everyone should form their own opinion. Each of us has his own opinion, and Uwe does too, and he processes it in his lyrics. If that then provides someone else with food for thought – OK, why not.
On your new record, there is definitely a voice that reminds of MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy in some pieces, like the female part in KILL THE KING, which really has something... Are you trying to escape the old-school style, or do you want to repackage it?
No, Uwe is just like that... seriously, Uwe has always had a pretty awesome voice! Listen to the stuff from his old bands like La Cry or the Soulboys – it sounds really fat too! In MaximumRockNRoll, the vocals were even described as "best street-punk vocals ever!" (or something similar). And sure, the comparison to Lemmy comes up from time to time, but as I said, that’s just how Uwe's voice is; it’s definitely not an attempt to copy Lemmy.
So the question was not whether we want to consciously break new ground, but rather whether Uwe's distinctive vocal style fits our music. And to be honest, we agreed after the first rehearsal that it fits!
I also think that the desperate attempt to repackage something old or escape the old school usually goes wrong. You can just hear whether the sound is authentic or not. And we come from the old school corner, and we don’t want to deny that at all. At the same time, we are not purists and are of course influenced by other styles, whether it’s classic punk, Oi!, or whatever. And if we achieve that we sound like Vindicator and not like band XY with the vocals of Motörhead, then that’s fine with us! But judging that is the task of others.
And regarding the female vocal part on "Kill The King": that came about rather by chance, as Uwe had a side project at the time of the recording and had contact with Uli through that. And since "Kill The King" is anyway a rather atypical Vindicator song, we could try the contrast between Uwe's and Uli's vocals. It was really amazing when we heard the finished version of the song for the first time; we were all really excited – not least because it’s so atypical for us! But there’s no concept or deeper reason behind it.
Have you been able to achieve something with your Myspace presence?
The question is what we want to achieve with it. MySpace is somewhat controversial due to several backgrounds, especially due to its affiliation with the Murdoch empire. A certain critical distance seems quite appropriate. And when you read what can happen to your data and that this data can allegedly be massively abused, it can make you feel sick.
On the other hand, MySpace enjoys great popularity, especially in the punk scene, and the ability to set up a website for free without any technical knowledge and to make your music accessible to others alongside information about the band, concert announcements, blogs, etc., has its merits, right? And we have certainly achieved that people can inform themselves about us as a band, about news, and about our sound. Additionally, contacting us via MySpace is very easy, which is also not bad.
It will certainly be interesting when certain conditions change, i.e., if MySpace ever becomes completely or partially fee-based.
What do you think of hardcore bands like BACKFIRE, who write inhumane lyrics, represent them with dignity, and are still celebrated in the scene?
You are probably referring to the lyrics of "No Turning Back", right? The question is certainly not so easy to answer.
Basically, we are of course against any kind of inhumane stuff in and outside the music scene! However, we have also played with Backfire and had absolutely no negative experiences with the guys there. OK, we certainly do not fit the stereotype of the mentioned lyrics.
But the reason it is so difficult for me to give a clear and short statement here, I would like to try to explain: It’s too cheap for me to just say "everything they do is crap" and that’s it. We as a band have more than once had the bad experience of being put in a corner by some idiots where we have never been, where we are not, and where we do not want to be! This usually happens anonymously over the Internet, which is particularly annoying, as you cannot reach the sender of these slanders to clarify the matter. It is certainly a sad fact that the more often false claims are repeated, the more they seem to settle in people’s minds that there must be some truth to it. To put it bluntly: once you have that crap on your shoe, you won’t get rid of it so quickly...
To avoid being misunderstood: I don’t want to defend Backfire in general; I don’t know them well enough for that. Maybe (quite certainly, in fact) I wouldn’t have written the lyrics to "No Turning Back" like that. But before I have not discussed this topic with Backfire themselves, before I have not talked to them about the background and motivations, etc., I won’t just pull out the club and start hitting because that’s what everyone does anyway.
And the fact that Backfire is celebrated in the scene is certainly not due to the lyrics of "No Turning Back", but to the music and the sound. Whether it is right to view the music separately from the lyrics (can you even do that?) is another topic; we could open the next can of worms here...
Which event is associated with your fondest memories?
There are quite a few! A very cool gig in 2001 with Discipline and the Soulboys at the old Knust, which has been predominantly known for decades as a place of persistent close-dance parties. This little joint was so ridiculously overcrowded that people were even pogoing outside on the sidewalk because there was absolutely no way to get through inside. Our two performances in Vienna in 2002 (Weberknecht) and 2003 (Arena) were also very successful. We had a lot of fun in 2005 on the tour with The Business. That was cool because Micky Fitz is one of the heroes of my youth; "Suburban Rebels" was, for example, the first song I could play (back then on guitar). And then going on tour as support for such people – that’s something! Especially since you can have a lot of fun with Micky Fitz!
Additionally, every gig with bands with which a kind of friendship has developed over time is always a highlight! Notable mentions would be Toxpack, Discipline, Barcode, Spidercrew, and OAC.
How do you see your latest work? Are you satisfied? How does it sound to you and who gets to pat themselves on the back?
Considering that one generally views one’s own work particularly critically, we are really very satisfied with what we have delivered. It has also taken long enough; a considerable amount of time has passed since the release of "Back With Nothing To Lose". I think we have improved with every record so far, and that’s how it should be. By the way, better in two respects: both in terms of the quality of the songs and the professionalism of the recording. In my opinion, we have really improved from one time to the next. Sure, when you put the finished CD in the player for the first time and consciously listen to it again and again – you always find something that could have been a little different. But these are really absolute minor details and not worth mentioning.
Who gets to pat themselves on the back? First of all, all of us, after all, we recorded the CD together. If I personally would pat someone on the back, it would be Uwe and especially Jannix. Uwe, because he has made us more versatile with his vocal style, because he brings a lot of experience, and because he has written some cool songs for the CD. And Jannix, because most of the ideas for the songs come from him, and I can’t pat him on the back enough for that.
But as I said, fundamentally everyone has their share in the creation of the CD, and we take positive as well as negative criticism as a band and not as individuals.
Which bands would you compare yourselves to?
Preferably none! We leave the comparisons to the writing profession. Why should I listen to a band that sounds like another band? I’d rather go straight for the original! The greatest compliment is when we sound like Vindicator!
This is not to say that we are not influenced by other bands. Almost every band is, with very few exceptions. And as for these influences: basically, everything you listen to is fair game. Personally, I would say that the main influence clearly lies in the old school area, which shouldn’t be surprising. Plus a bit of Oi! and a little metal.
What’s coming up for VINDICATOR in the near future?
Definitely a few gigs with the new record in tow. It would be nice to have one or another appearance at one of the numerous festivals in Europe and maybe a small tour this year or early next year. Then, of course, writing new songs and calmly working on the next CD (it shouldn’t take another four years until its release…).
We will definitely invite you to one of our VOLL GAS festivals, which will take place again soon... Here’s your chance to convince the people of Cologne to come see you.
The people of Cologne are known to be clever beings! Therefore, it should be obvious for them to visit your festival and not miss our performance there! And anyone who wants to have a pilsner or a Kölsch with us before or after is of course always welcome – we also like to go full throttle...
But seriously: we haven’t played in the Rhineland very often, so we are really looking forward to the festival! And when we are really looking forward to something, it usually turns out well! In any case, thank you very much for the invitation!
What bands do you listen to when you’re on the roads of Germany?
There’s nothing specific; there are always several CDs in the bus, and then whatever we feel like goes into the player. I can remember from the last time "Showdown" by Barcode, "Our Darkest Days" by Ignite, and "Kiss Of Death" by Motörhead.
Do you have any projects besides VINDICATOR?
Yes, at least some of us do. Michi and I also play in Abschlach!, a punk band with German lyrics and a lot of references to our hometown Hamburg and our HSV. Michi initially played the drums there but has now switched to vocals. I play bass here and there.
At the moment, things are also going quite well with Abschlach!, meaning there have been and are several gigs, and the fun is not lacking there either...
What kind of places do you like to hang out in?
As Hamburgers, we naturally enjoy being out and about in the Kiez, especially around the Hans-Albers-Platz and specifically in the sports pub Tankstelle. Otherwise, you can find us anywhere where good bands are playing!
If day X comes and you have one wish... what would it be?
No idea, I don’t think there’s a unified band wish among us... I can only speak for myself – well, what do I wish for? I’ll skip things like world peace, saved whales, and a stuffed ozone layer; that should have something to do with the band, right? And then I think that with an extensive tour through the States, well-organized, bringing great gigs without financial risk, everyone would be wishlessly happy!
Lastly... thank you for the online interview and see you soon in Cologne!
Thank you! We’ll see you in Cologne and rock the walls down! Cheers!
