Moralpanik! consists
of a lot of old punks that have made one of the
best records of the year. Of course, the group
will be interviewed and here it comes... October
2024.
MP – Moralpanik!
DA – David Andersson: vocals and sound effects
RS – Roger "Ragge" Sjögren: bass and background
vocals
MR – Mikko Rantala: drums
MV – Mika "Tanta" Vähäkangas: guitar
Tell us how the
group started?
MP: We old finspångare formed the band but
lacked a singer. Then we decided that David
would sing with us and he found out about it as
a shocking surprise in a messenger group.
Tell us a little
about each member of the group, who participates
and in what ways do you contribute?
MR – I keep the beat and am the band's engine
and metronome.
MV – Squeaks, feedback, guitars and amplifiers.
RS – Plays bass violin and flute and roars a
little in the background.
DA – Megaphone and mouthpiece, songbird and
generally disturbing elements and aesthetics.
You do a style which
is really unique in PunkSweden, where do you get
your influences so that you sound like this?
MP – A blissful mix of early US hardcore,
Swedish 77-punk and English anarcho-punk
sprinkled with a little disco and reggae.
Was it obvious that
you would sing in Swedish?
MP – Yes, it was decided very early on because
you can express yourself more concretely and
honestly. It's more real straight in the face.
Östgötska sounds best in Swedish!
Tell us a little
about the following songs:
Konsekvenstänk noll: Ragge came up with a nice
bass line that we worked on. What David roared
spontaneously to the bass line was
"Konsekvenstänk noll" and it fit perfectly.
Militärt överintresse: David saw a program about
Swedish hard rock with Sabaton and there was a
lot of talk on Twitter. Real war has become a
Friday coziness and hides a general fascination
for war. It feels very boyish and macho with
distorted storytelling.
Inte helt hundra: David wanted to make a song
that was musically different and not so punky.
More krautrock with a lyric that is about
walking in manic shoes and you want to do so
much. You can't keep up with the pace of your
brain. A manic episode. But we're not completely
one hundred at this.
Who does the lyrics?
Do you help each other or how does it work? Are
the lyrics more important than music or is it
just as important?
MP: David writes all the lyrics. In this band,
the lyrics are absolutely as important as the
music. If the texts are in Swedish, you have to
put more work into them.
DA: The lyrics are mostly about walking around
and being annoyed by a lot of things. Right now
there is a hell of a lot that you can be annoyed
about. But I try to mix so that it is not only
political texts and some are private. A lot of
it is about tragic male figures who think they
are relevant but who live in old ideals and
perceptions. This also applies to many young
people and it is something tragicomic and for me
it is important that they have to be comical.
Satire is important!
You have been in the
punkscene for a long time I understand, how do
you think punk has changed? For the better or
for the worse?
DA: The big thing for me is that there are a lot
more girls who are in bands now. There are many
more concerts arranged these days, and in that
way it is much better these days. We don't think
so much about the fact that we play punk and
there is too much good music to limit ourselves
to punk and we feel comfortable mixing in a lot
of different styles.
You David made a
book about hardcore, I can imagine that it was a
solid job. How long did it take to compile it?
DA: It took about five years. Not in effective
time, but it was compiled over a five-year
period that involved many trips and home visits
with the scanner in the luggage. That meant a
lot of "kill your darlings" to slim it down to
the book it eventually became.
Now you have
released your debut LP on Just4Fun and
Sockiplast... Feeling?
MP: It's great to have released an album on
vinyl!
Was it important to
release a physical record?
MP: Yes, it felt very important! It was
important to start with an album to manifest how
we sound and not start with a single.
Do you buy a lot of
records yourself?
MV – No, but it happens at gigs. I sell more
than I buy.
MR – Unfortunately, it is mostly support
purchases at gigs.
RS – No, unfortunately not so often but usually
by people I know who play in bands. I'm lazy and
comfortable these days and mostly stream.
DA – Yes, I suffer from severe discophilia! I
buy an alarming amount of records. I was going
to stop buying records in 2016 but it's only
gotten worse.
Which was the first
punkrecord you bought? The last record you
bought? The most expensive record you have in
your collection?
MV – First was Clash's first. The latest was the
DSM-5 from Skärblacka. The most expensive record
I can't answer! David says Tampere SS ep.
MR – First was the first Bad Brains. The latest
was an Iron Maiden album. The most expensive
record is Bathory's first with "The yellow
goat".
RS – The first one I'm not sure about but I
think it was a single with Ebba Grön. The latest
was Nervernas LP. The most expensive record is
maybe Deep Wound's debut-7" but David will look
through when the opportunity and tell you how it
really is.
DA – The first was probably Never mind the
Bollocks with the Sex Pistols. The latest was
that I bought about fifty records on Saturday.
The most expensive record is perhaps
Skitslickers GBG-82
Is there many new
groups in Sweden that you really like?
MP – Some really good ones are Nerverna, DSM-5,
Vetifan, Isotope Soup and others.
I saw some live
video with you and you seem to be a fun band to
watch? What do you think is your strength live?
MP – It's important to stand out and be a little
different. We would like you to be surprised
when you see us. We from Finspång have played
together for a very long time and are very tight
and spiked with David's crazy song and
performance on stage we will probably be pretty
good live.
If you had to
describe yourself in three words ?
MP – Unpredictable, dedicated and (on the verge
of) breakdowns
You write on your FB
page Moralpanik with !. Why?
MP – Because we are panicking! The word panic
should be followed by an exclamation mark in
SAOL.
How do you see the
political situation in Sweden right now with
Tidö parties and on the world situation with the
American elections and wars that are going on?
MP: "Don't panic, all at once, together we are
heading towards our doom! We vouce for those who
hate us the most, we hate those who deserve it
the least. We take our place among the living
dead. We bet on ourselves while the world
bleeds. (Read our lyrics to the song ("Ingen
panik alla på en gång")
I saw the commercial
with Rauta Inge in a bathtub... What the hell
was that?
MP – It was a completely serious advertising
jingle for our new album!
Tattooed
entrepreneurs, tell us more about the album
name?
DA – The cover is a paraphrase of Jan Emanuel
and co in Stockholm's innermost inner circle.
I saw a video on
YouTube where you seem to be playing the opening
act for Mad Sin. Feels a little different to
play the opening act for them. How did it go?
MP – It went well and it was a really nice band
and we got to borrow their stuff. Jönzonligan
also played and they were damn nice and good. We
think it's fun to play different types of bands
so it becomes more mixed. Mad Sin was also damn
good live.
What is the most
strange thing that has happened when you have
had a gig with this band or previous bands. Is
there a really nice story to tell?
DA – The most strange thing was probably when a
hardcore police officer came up to us at our
last gig and thought I was breaking the rules of
how a hardcore singer should be on stage. It was
very exciting and fun!
You come up with two
different labels, it's very nice that these two
labels exist and how can you do so that they
sell even more of their records? Because they
are important.
MP – You have to realize that it's a different
time now and it's only the most die-hard who buy
records. At the same time, it doesn't feel like
you've released an album if you don't release it
physically. It's not that we have any opinion
that many people don't want to buy records and
prefer to stream. But for us, it was important
to release the album on vinyl. It becomes a
greater experience when you get a poster that is
included in the record. The most important thing
is ultimately that it is good music that comes
out.
RS – I personally picked up the records at the
press house in Mjölby and it was a really nice
feeling to pick up the 300 physical copies that
we have printed.
What are the five
most important records that have come out?
Today we answer:
MR – Suicidal Tendencies first LP
DA – Sex Pistols “Never mind the Bollocks”
MV – Dead Kennedys “Fresh Fruit for Rotting
Vegetables”
RS – Bad Brains – “Rock for Light”
MP – Missbrukarna – “Live” in the radio program
Ny Våg
The cover is a
little different, how did the discussions go
when you decided on this?
MP – Our fifth member Per Addenbroke was given a
free hand and he created this fantastic cover.
David produced what he considered to be the
picture of the century that he told Per to play
with and Per then built on this.
Is it important to
have a cover that describes what music you play,
especially when you are a little unknown band or
what do you think?
MP: "No, we don't think so. However, it is
important to stand out and to have an
eye-catching cover.
The futureplans for
the band?
MP – Create more music and madness. We are in
the process of following up the album with a 7"
EP. Do more gigs and get to play a little
continuously.
For yourself?
DA – Buy more records.
MV – Get a knee prosthesis.
MR – Gee, what do I say? More gigs and out
spinning. Get done with the basement.
RS – Next assignment.
Words of Wisdom MP
– Don't give a damn what others think!
Something to add ?
MP – We have to thank you for a solid interview
from Sweden's longest active fanzine! It's an
honor to be part of Skrutt!