CC is a very good hardcoreband from Croatia. This interview was done in june-2018. Sorry for saying Poland instead of Croatia in some question.

Please tell me a little bit history of the group?

-CC started as a side project, 2 my friends and I met in a rehearsal in a room where we were practicing with other bands. It started as a trio and I (Lea) was playing bass and singing. We had only one rehearsal and then we forgot about CC. After 2 years when some of my old bands split up, I asked those 2 friends if they wanted to play again and they were both in. I asked my boyfriend Tuna to play the bass and we had a first rehearsal. It sounded sick because we had some pre-made riffs, so we decided to continue with that band. After a few months Tuna & I went to work to the USA and when we came back our 1st drummer has gone prison, because of the shitty Croatian laws, so we had to find a new drummer. We found him, recorded our 1st material and finally started to play more often.

 

Please tell me a little about every member in the group right now, age, family, work, interests and something bad about everyone? Earlier bands? Other bands on the side

-I'm Lea, vocal, im 24 and I'm going to a college for Croatian language teacher. My boyfriend Tuna is the bassist, he is 27 and he works as an electrician plus he goes to Computer maintenance college. Gabud is drummer, he is 29, three weeks ago he went to Iceland to work with his girlfriend for a few months. Me and Tuna are also going to work to the UK for summer to earn some money. Matija is guitarist, he is 24, currently he just plays guitar and doesn't have a job but he will sell passes on a highway during the summer. He is a frontman in a very very good thrash metal band called Prkos, Gabud is a guitarist in a hc punk band called Sv.Jebem and he was a guitarist for Damage Is Done, a band that had a lot of influences in Finnish and Scandinavian hardcore punk scene from the 80's. Tuna played bass in a ska punk band called Kvar, and I'm playing in a hc punk band called Accident. I've played bass in Peronoisepora (crust punk band) and had a lot of bands with my friends.

 

I can hear much different influences but mostly hardcore etc? Favorites from the past?

-I've made only a few riffs so I can't say about riff influences. Puljko, our 1st guitarist made the most of the riffs and he wanted that to sound very angry. He had some ideas of CC to be thrash punk band and I think it really is, at least the instrumental part, my vocals just give it a punk attitude.  My favorites are bands as Disorder, Ripcord, Extreme Noise Terror, anything loud, good and angry!

 

CC are you satisfied with the name? How did it came up? A very short name? Doeasit mean something?You weren’t afraid that some other band would be named like this?, Which is the best bandname you know?

-CC means Class Collapse. The final breakdown of a social class system. The 1% of the richest people of the world holds the whole planet in their greedy hands, and their wealth has the same value as when you take your, mine, our band mates, and the rest of 99% people in the world. That's not just unfair, that's sick. I'm afraid that ordinary person can't do anything about that, at least we can scream about injustice through our songs. Why are politicans so greedy? What do they need so much money for? A lot of money didn't bring true happiness and peace of mind to anybody, neither did poverty and negativity, but at least we have something to fight for in our lives. The best band names I know are Dirty Rotten Imbeciles and Sv.Jebem. Sv.Jebem in Croatian language means something ''like fuck you all'', and it's a good word-game because this ''Sv.'' means ''Saint''.

 

What´s the best thing with playing live?  

-Everything! Adrenaline, that feeling when you're excited as hell and in the same time nervous and a little bit techy! That happens mostly when we're playing in hometown. And during the gig the best thing is screaming, playing, shouting, jumping, acting like a maniac and throwing out the biggest amount of energy you can, and connecting with people who feel it. After the gig I have a peace of mind, at least for the rest of that evening!

 

And where is best to play? And the worst place?

-We played in a lot of very cool places with very good equipment which produced excellent sound. I have to admit it's a much big pleasure to play in places like that because your hard work shows even more, plus there is that very good benefit where you an actually hear your band! We played in a lot of DIY punk places and we appreciate them a lot because thay have that very special sweaty chaotic hc punk atmosphere!

 

How is to play this sort of music in Croatia right now? Which types of bands do you have concerts together with?

-Croatia is a small country but it has a very good punk scene with lot of awesome bands! A lot of them in our town mix their sound with a garage noise, and it sounds really good! We mostly play with other punk bands, whose sounds vary from punk rock to grindcore. 

 

How would you describe your music in three words?

-Fast, powerful, angry

 

What does punk mean to you, is it only a word or is it a lifestyle?

-Punk is a way of life. Either you are, either you're not, you can't fake that!

 

How do you see on downloading, mp3 and that stuff?

-Nothing bad with that at all. I downloaded my first punk albums from the Internet! I'm that generation of kids, now downloading is becoming more difficult. If you have money, buying merch from bands is very nice, and helpful!

 

How is it to live in Poland(Croatia I meant) right now? Politically? Fascists?

I don't know what it's like to live in Poland because I've lived in Croatia for the last 24 years. I don't know a lot about fascist in Poland and I don't want to know. I'm sick enough of all kind of fascists here in Croatia.

 

What do you know about Sweden?

-Anti Cimex, Driller Killer, Disfear, Mob 47 and all kinds of other sick shit!!!

 

Have you heard any good bands from Sweden?

-See the answer on the question above! Swedish punk is a common knowledge!

 

Your lyrics, who does them and what influences you? Is it easier to do lyrics now or was its easier to do it when you was younger? You sing both in Croatian and English? Why?

-I write the lyrics for the band. What infulence me the most are the situations that I deal with every day. As I'm getting older, I'm writing the better lyrics. We sing mostly in English. It's probably because a lot of the bands I'm listening to are singing in English. I think that more people will actually listen to your music if you write in English, and some phrases sounds better when you say them in English. But some of our riffs sound like they shoud have Croatian words, that's when I write in Croatian.

 

Is there any subject that you never will write anything about??

-I'll never sing about Christianity and other religions, about cooking, romantic love, marriage, medieval carnivals, and about a man who wakes up one morning and finds himself transformed into a huge insect. All other topics are considerable.

 

Politic and music, does it goes hand in hand? Which is your most political song?  

-If you consider anarchism a part of politics than definitly yes! Apolitical punk bands are stories for the kids. Punk was from it's begginings a way to rebel against everything and everybody, starting from your own environment and society. Isn't that politics? As I'm going older each day I'm more frustrated about shit happening in my own country. If I wasn't working abroad last year I would't have money for living and to finish my college. Once when I finish it, I'll probably need to go abroad again because I don't have connections to work in my proffesion in Croatia. It's probably the same in the whole world, but the sad thing is Croatia works ONLY on the principles of corruption. Government protect rich people who got rich from stealing from their own country and now they say they want to get the country out of crisis... how? To steal more from a small working class man. My whole family went to Germany to work, I didn't see my dog for almost one year (he went with my brother, they are BFF's), now I'm going away, my band mates are already gone somewhere else to work. My own disgusting country is affecting my life and my band. That's really sad but we won't give up!

 

Best political band/artist?

-I would say Crass. They have good lyrics every young punk should read when they start to listen to punk.

 

Do you think that music(lyrics and so on) can change anyones life, I mean people who listens to music?

-Of course! Music can help you when you're feeling angry or sad, when you're happy you can become happier just because of music! The other benefit is that good lyrics can educate you somehow!

 

Your cover on your CD looks really nice, is it important to have a record cover which shows people which type of music you play? Your favorite record cover? Who does your covers? And do you have any good record stores in your hometown?

-Thanx! Our cover was made by our friend and her boyfriend. Unfortunately, there aren't any good record stores in my hometown, but you can always find something interesting on gigs even though I don't always have money to buy it. I buy tapes, they're cheaper! It really IS important to have a record cover which shows which type of music you're playing. Having a good visual impression get half a job done when you want to attract somebody to listen to your music.

 

Is it important to get out physical records of your stuff? Why or why not? Vinyl, CD, cassette, what do you prefer if you could choose whatever ?

-Well, I've always made tapes for my bands. I will probably make them again when we release the album. Of course it's important to have a physical record, especially if you want to go play outside of your hometown. If you sound good, people will always be interested to buy some merch and listen to your band at home. We needed a fast and cheap solution for our 1st EP so we made some promo CD's. They went really good, we re-issued the pack of 50 CD's 3 times in just a few months.

 

Please tell me a funny thing which have happened during your career and under some gig?

-Our first guitarist got into a fight during the concert in our hometown. A guy from the audience we usually hang out with was a bit drunk and he was teasing our 1st gitarist with a flashlight during the show, so he threw the guy's cellphone on the floor, then the guy physically attacked our gitarist and we stopped playing. I told them to stop fighting immediately, if they want to be jerks they can do it after the show, but after the show the guys hugged each other and we were all laughing! And yep, all the tours are always very funny and relaxing when you're travelling with right people!

 

How does your audience look like? Which people do you miss on your concerts? Which is the biggest band you ever have played together with?

-The biggest band CC  played with is probably Contorture for now. When I was in other bands, we played with Swordwielder, Warwound, Disorder, 999... Our audience is mostly punk guys and girls, no age limits hahaha.Young fellas are always dancing pogo which adds up to the atmosphere and hits us with another syringe of adrenaline and energy. 

 

Please rank your five favoriterecords, five favorite concerts and five most important things in life?

-Five favorite records: Axegrinder – The Rise of The Seprent Man, Anti Cimex – Scandinavian Jawbreaker, Disorder – Sliced Punk on Meathooks, Eluj - Eva, Accident – Accident (2016),

5 favorite concerts – Exploited in Zagreb 2015, DRI in New York 2017, Disorder in Bristol 2015, Peter And The Test Tube Babies in Zagreb 2013 and our gig in Banska Bistrica, Slovakia in April 2018.

Five most important things in life to be happy, healthy, to play punk music, to live free, to be loved.

 

First, last and most expensive record ever bought?

-First was the 1st LP from Generacion Suicida, the last 2 were Amebix – ''Arise'' and Axegrinder – ''Rise Of The Serpent Man ''. I traded with a vocal from my 2nd band. I gave him my 1st guitar and got 3 LP's for it. I don't really remember which was the most expensive LP I bought.

 

Is it boring with interviews? Is it much interviews??

-We had just a few interviews till now as we have been playing for 1 year and a few months. This is our 4th interview and It's never boring, but this is the longest one!

 

If you could choose five bands from the past and the history and nowadays and both dead and living bands to have a concert together with your band. Which five have you been chosen?

-Anti Cimex

Driller Killer

Exploited

Discharge

DRI

 

Is music a good way to get out frustration and become a nicer person outside the music??

-Yep, it always is!

 

Which is the most odd question you ever have got in an interview?

-''Which is the most odd question you ever have got in an interview? ''

 

Which is the question you want to have but you never get. Please ask it and answer it?

-Do you want to tour Asia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand Usa and Latin America? HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!

 

Futureplans for the band?

-Record our LP in winter this year, contact our friends from a band called Ed Warner because they told us they can help us with releasing LP and then make a really sick EuroTour!

 

For yourself?

-Go to the seaside and calm down a bit from everyday chaos, then I'm going to UK to work for 3 months and then come back and rock the hell out with CC!

 

Wisdomword?

-Fake musicians fuck off! Music is something you should do with all of your heart, not because you want to look cool to your friends!

 

Something to add

-Big thanks to our friend Teuta who helps us with grammar mistakes every time! Thank you Peter for the interview! Follow your dreams! Ci(A)o!