The Austrian band Burning Flags have changed their name from Chris Magerl and the Burning Flags to just Burning Flags. Their new record Pathways is fucking awesome. Here have Chris answered a lot of questions in the middle of may 2025.  Pictures:Michael Fasching

Please tell me a little about the band, how and when and why you started?

-I was playing solo shows for many years. Every now and then I would ask some of my friends to join me if I played in a larger venue. After a show at a festival I sat down with the band and we decided to make it a real thing. We then came up with the name The Burning Flags. That was in the fall of 2019.

I saw that you have done a record 2021 but then you were called Chris Magerl and the Burning Flags, why did you take away youre own name from the band name?

-The main reason is that we evolved as a band. When we first started I was still playing lots of solo shows under my name. Then the band became a permanent thing but I would still write all of our songs. So we called it Chris Magerl and The Burning Flags. Now we do everything together. You could say for the first time we’re a real band in the true sense of the word. So changing the name was an obvious thing to do. Of course the new name is so much easier to remember as well.

Please tell me a little about every member , age, family ,bands on the side, interests and something really intersting about every one of you?

-We all live in Graz and have jobs and families here, some of us have children. We know each other from different projects we had together in the past. And yet, we have very different musical backgrounds: Sep, our drummer is a metalhead while Bernhard, our bassist really is into stoner rock. He likes to ride his motorbike with friends and is also a great guitarist. Alex, our second guitar player does all kinds of sports and also plays in a rap group. The second Alex in our group has studied classical piano. Both Alexes have cats. And then there’s me. I used to sing in various punk bands and I also like to draw and paint a lot.

I think about your voice, it´s so fucking great , does it take much on you when you have done a concert, I mean it sounds so strained sometimes(But in a really good way)?

-Thank you for the compliment. To be quite honest, yes. It’s not exactly a healthy way of singing and I already did lose my voice a couple of times. But to me singing is a way to express myself and I want to keep it real. I know this might sound stupid to some people but it’s just what I do.

I really want that album too(Sand Timer)….how can I get it?

-It’s still available directly through us or Sbäm.

Then you were on SBÄM records and now on Noise Appeal, why did you change label?

-SBÄM really seemed to be the perfect label for our first two releases. I’ve known the people in Noise Appeal for a long time as well. One of my old bands released an album there. So a couple of months ago we had a talk and decided to work together again. It’s as easy as that.

You sing in english, was it any talks about singing oin your own language or was it never that you talked about that?

-For me singing in German was never really an option. It would seem like a natural thing to do at first since we’re based in Austria. However, we live in a globalized world and a lot of music is brought to people via streaming platforms such as Spotify. When you think about it this way, it doesn’t really matter where you come from. In fact, it never really mattered to me anyway.  I feel comfortable singing in English even if it’s not my first language.

It´s really hard to descriube your music and I think that you have sounds from emo, punk, Husker Du, Psychedelic Furs and distorted indie….how would you describe it in three words for someone who never have heard you?

-Alternative meets Punk

What is the most peculiar band that someone have desribe you sound like?

-Most of the time we are compared to Frank Turner. Honestly I don’t think our music sounds a lot like his. But we do have a similar background. We both used to play in hardcore bands, then had our solo years and now play with a full band again. So maybe we share the same attitude. I’ve been to lots of Frank Turner shows and they were great every single time. So I take the comparison as a compliment.

Do you care about reviews, which are the best to reador the bad or the good ones, or can they have meaning both of them?

-Of course, I care about what people think of our music. It feels great to hear or read that someone likes it since we put a lot of work and thought into it. And obviously the things I sing about are very important to me. It’s always great to find out that someone cares. And yes, I do care about bad reviews as well. But I try to keep in mind that it’s just impossible to write music for everybody.

Please tell me from where you come from, which town and if there is any toher good bands there and do you have any good recoird stores there?

-We are from Graz, Austria. I think there’s a pretty good scene here with lots of great bands of all different genres. Especially now there are quite a few cool new bands. Some of our friends´ bands are Deadends, Feder or Velvet Wasted just to name a few. I usually buy my records at a store called In&Out Records but there are a couple of nice record stores in town. 

Is it important to put out a physical record or could you feel like you have released a record if it´s only physical?

-I’m pretty old school. I like vinyls, CDs and tapes. I use streaming services too because it’s comfortable having access to an endless pool of songs no matter where you are. But if I really like an album I always try to get the vinyl. I like the facts that records usually come with the lyrics, photos and that you can really check out the artwork. I think it feels much more like a piece of art that way. But of course making records is expensive. When I was releasing stuff as a solo artist and didn’t have money I’d sometimes go for the online only option as well.

How much do you sell approxiametaly of your records?

-We’re a small band so I guess it’s a small number. But if you take the total amount of sold units and streams combined I can’t complain.

Do you buy much records yourself?

-I’d say yes. I don’t buy records every month but as I mentioned before if I really like an album I need to have it on vinyl. And there are lots of really good records out there.

Which was the first record you ever bought and the lastest one?

-I’m not sure I remember but I think it was a record by “Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung”. That was a successful Austrian pop band back in the day. I think I was about eleven when I bought it. But back then vinyls weren’t that retro nostalgia thing yet. It was normal to release albums as CDs, tapes and on vinyl. I still have this record at home somewhere. I recently bought records directly from some of the bands we played with a couple of weeks ago. Before that it was probably the latest Hozier record.

Please rank your ten favorite record if possible?

-That’s not an easy task! I really don’t think I can rank my favorite records but I can try and tell you what these records are. I came up with eleven albums, I hope that’s not a problem. Some of these records I listen to quite a lot these days. Others have had a huge impact on me when they were released. I don’t necessarily listen to them a lot anymore but I still consider them important records for me.

REFUSED- The shape of punk to come

THE WEAKERTHANS- Left and leaving

NIRVANA- Nevermind

BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB- Soundtrack

WILL VARLEY- The spirit of Minnie

ANI DIFRANCO- Little plastic castle

PROPAGANDHI- Less talk more rock

METALLICA- Ride the lightning

HOZIER- Wasteland, baby!

SUNLINER- Self titled

FRIGHTENED RABBIT- Midnight organ fight

What is your strength when you play live? What is the most difference between playing nowadays and if you compare when you started to play?

-For me music is a form of art. And art to me is expressing something whether it’s a thought or an emotion. Playing live is the purest form of presenting your music to an audience. It’s real and genuine. To me it’s very important to be as authentic as possible. When I scream I scream even if it hurts my voice. I want people to feel our music. That approach never changed. But when I started live shows were a place where people would meet. It was where you could hear new bands and new music. Live show were an experience. I think that’s changed. There’s way more music available on the internet now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it seems like less people bother coming to shows. The excitement isn’t there anymore like it was back then.

Which type of people comes to your concerts? Which type of people do you miss?

-I don’t think there’s one type of people that you usually find at our shows. We’re not really part of a scene. We’re a little punk, a little rock, a little indie, a little whatever……so there are all kinds of people at our concerts. But we’re not really a young band and that’s something that’s mirrored in our audience but I’m confident that our latest album will reach a younger people as well. 

Is it you who writes the lyrics? What inspires you to do a really good lyric?

-Yes, since I’m the singer in the band I also write the lyrics. To me words are as important as the music itself. In fact I think good lyrics have to work even without the music.

Politics and music, does it belong together?

-For me it does. In my lyrics, I like to tell stories. Sometimes our songs appear to be very personal. But politics do affect our personal lives too. Take a song like “Back To Life” for example. It’s inspired by my job in a social housing project. It’s about people losing their jobs and homes. It’s about people working two jobs and still not being able to pay rent. It’s about how society deals with people that need help and support. So even if I don’t really sing about politics there, they play an important role.

Which is the best political band?

-I don’t think there is this one band, the best one. I think there are many great bands out there that manage to reach out to people. For me it was Propagandhi and later Refused that really made a difference. A couple of years after that I discovered acts like The Weakerthans or Will Varley. Their way of writing is very different to the stuff I used to listen to when I was younger. But they had and still have the same impact on me.

How is it to live in Austria nowadays, (politics, racists, etc etc?

- I think, like in many other countries, life has become much harder for a lot of people during the last couple of years. We are facing a recession. Prices have gone up and many people are struggling. I spoke to lots of people who told me that they feel insecure. They have the impression that crime rates have increased and they’re afraid that a big war could break out in Europe. As a result, you see more and more people voting for right wings parties in Austria. I think the more power these parties gain the worse the situation becomes. Because these people only do, what they think is best for them. Their understanding of politics of course isn’t really helping anyone. And for people on the other side of the political spectrum life becomes much harder. Independent media and the cultural scene in Austria are really having a hard time.

If you had the chance to be the one to rule your country for a week, what would be the first thing you have been changed?

-Our health- and education systems are facing a huge crisis. Many schools need more teachers, universities need more funding and it can take months to get a doctor’s appointment. I think in general Austria is in the middle of a financial crisis and there are enormous challenges ahead of us. But I think an educated and healthy population is key so I’d start there.

What do you know about Sweden?

-I haven’t been there yet but I’ve heard that it is a very beautiful country. I know that there’s a very vibrant music scene in many Swedish cities. Many of the bands I played with when I was still in my hardcore band came from there.

Any good Swedish bands you like?

-I think I already mentioned Refused a couple of times. I also always really enjoyed Abhinanda and Breach and many of the old hardcore groups.

Is it boring with interviews? Is it much interviews? What do you prefer Telephoneinterviews, face to face or as this one via e-mail?

-To me interviews are very important to be honest and I’m always grateful if I get the chance to have one. The reason is that I truly believe that art should be some form of communication. Interviews offer a chance to talk about our or my music, my lyrics and my background. It doesn’t really matter whether I do an interview face to face, on the phone or via e-mail. I’m fine with whatever works best for the interviewer.  

Futureplans for the band?

-We’ve just released an album. I’m really looking forward to playing all these songs live now. So I think that’s what we’re gonna do: play live shows wherever we can.

Futureplans for yourself?

-I’ve been working on a book about the local punkrock scene together with a friend of mine. It should be released later this year and I think we’ll also do a short tour when it comes out. So there will be shows with the band and shows I’ll do solo. Who knows what comes after that J

Something more to add?

-I’d like to say thank you to everyone who supported me or the band in any way. I couldn’t do what I’m doing, we couldn’t do we what we are doing without you and I truly appreciate it.