Martin from Trench Dogs took the time to answer
my questions about the group. A group that takes
many things from the rock world and blends
together to their sound. May-2023
Tell us a little about the story of Trench Dogs,
how you met, when and why it became this kind of
music?
- Trench Dogs started in 2013. It started with
Andy moving to Sweden from Australia. When he
got off the train in Stockholm, he met me
(Martini) on the platform, his then girlfriend
and my then girlfriend were friends so we were
at the central station and met them when they
arrived. We went out and party that night and
Andy and I talked a lot. His whole reason for
moving to Sweden was to start a band here so we
naturally started talking about it. He didn't
really have any members ready except for our
first bassist who was also moving over from
Australia a month or so after Andy. So when they
needed a drummer, we decided that we would try
playing together. The bass player then moved
over and by then we had found a guitarist so we
started rehearsing and writing songs right away.
After a few different member changes, we finally
ended up in the current set-up in 2017. When it
comes to why it became this kind of music, it
came naturally. When we founded the band, we
more or less said that we want to play the music
we love and that we felt was missing on stage in
Sweden. When we started, there were a lot of
bands that played very 80's inspired type Mötley
Crue-esque music. We rather wanted to play more
70's glam and punk so it turned out as it was!
To play this music, which is of a slightly older
kind, there was no doubt?
- No, it came quite naturally, as I said. That's
the music that's the best!
Tell us a little about each member, what you do
when you're not playing music, and if there are
other bands before or next to Trench Dogs?
-We'll start with me then. I Martini (Drummer)
currently have no other band on the side of
Trench
Dogs. When I'm not playing music, I like to
travel and try different kinds of beer.
Andy (Lead Vocals) has a side project but is
nothing that has been released yet, he has a
whole album recorded but more than that I can
not say at the moment. Andy is also a Saké
sommelier so he is very familiar with that type
of liquor and sometimes holds courses about it.
Mattias (lead guitarist) has a country project
with some friends in his hometown Norrtälje.
It's mostly for fun but they've written some
songs and played some gigs locally.
Daniel is just like me without any other
project, we put all our efforts into Trench
Dogs. Daniel is very interested in food and
makes, among other things, his own hot sauce.
"Spides" (second guitar) Nor does it have any
other music project outside of Trench Dogs. He
is also a photographer and has taken many of our
pictures and made several of our music videos.
How would you describe the music in three words
to someone who has never heard you?
- Rock n' Roll
I think there are so many different influences
like Hanoi Rocks, Tears, Boys, 77-punk etc. Do
you have very mixed influences?
- Yes, we have very mixed influences. All the
bands you mention pretty much but then they vary
quite a lot from member to member. But we all
have a bunch of bonds that we all share and hold
very high. I think we have an advantage in
having quite a lot of different influences.
That's what creates our sound.
Are there any new bands that you would really
recommend?
-"The Royal Beggars", "The Sweet Things" from
New York, "Panzer Princess" from Stockholm.
When you play outside, what kind of band do you
play with, is it like-minded or what will it be?
What's the weirdest type of band you've played
with?
- Yes, usually it will be bands that are
somewhat similar in style. But we have played a
lot with bands that have a little more modern
feel as well. The weirdest band was when we
played in Spain at a festival and we played with
a band called like "Toys Arrazas" or something
like that, they were a Spanish metal band that
was dressed in Drag, they were nice
and played like hell but they are
probably the weirdest we shared the stage with!
What is your strength live? What is the most fun
thing about playing live?
- Our strength is our energy, we all play with
incredible empathy, we all love to play live so
there is an incredible drive to do well when we
are on stage.
The most fun is to perform the songs in front of
people, to get such a direct reaction to what
you do from the audience and just see how people
sing along, it's an incredible feeling.
Do you ever play any covers when you play live,
if so, who gets that honor?
-We've played some covers live, but it's not
something we do every time. We have played songs
by Slaughter and the Dogs, Quireboys, Faster
Pussycat, The Runaways and Boney M.
Tell us a little about the following songs..
a)Skulldug and Headsick
- It's a song about traveling, the lyrics are
inspired by things that happened to Andy when he
was traveling in different countries. The title
is really just nonsense that is supposed to
describe a state of mind of just being
completely exhausted and gone in the skull.
b) Shapeshifter
- Shapeshifter is about Andy's upbringing in
Australia. Andy has always been quite challenged
in his dress and style and where he grew up in
Australia, it was quite common for him to endure
a lot of harassment because of it. So it's about
the fact that he needed to develop some
different techniques to avoid being caned by
people.
c) Georgian Red?
- Georgian Red describes a day when me and Andy
hung out in Stockholm, it was a winter day that
was very unusually warm and sunny, so me and
Andy were out on the town and go around at some
different bars and just enjoyed the sun out.
You are not so much in favour of involving
politics in your texts as far as I can deduce?
Do you have a political song?
-No, our position is that we want to keep
politics out of our music and our band. We are
all individuals and of course have political
views, but we see Trench Dogs as apolitical
because it can sometimes be nice to have a safe
haven from the political.
Do you have any political bands that you like?
- I can
only answer for myself here and I grew up on
some Progg so I like e.g. The Nationalteatern,
but then there's a lot of punk that sometimes
has some political lyrics. But it is rarely the
political that is the attraction.
While we are on the subject of politics, what do
you think it is like to live in Sweden and I
mean politically?
-As I said, we don't want to confuse the band
with politics, so I won't go into anything
deeper politically here. There are a lot of good
things in Sweden and there are things that we
have problems with, just like all countries. The
members we have who are from other countries
have both things they think are better in Sweden
than in their home countries and things they
lack or think were better there.
How do you do it when you make songs, do you
make them together or does someone come up with
a draft or how do you work out a song?
- We write pretty much all the songs together,
then sometimes it can be someone who comes up
with an idea that is more or less developed, it
can be a melody, a riff or a lyric line. But we
always end up sitting in the rehearsal and
brainstorming ideas that eventually become the
finished song!
You released this record on Wild Kingdom, does
it seem to be a good record label?
- We are very pleased! We released our first
album ourselves and it involves a lot of work.
The cooperation with Wild Kingdom has worked
very well so we are satisfied!
You have made some more records well (how do I
get it?)
- Yes, we have released an album before our
latest. It is currently only available as a CD
as the vinyl sold out a long time ago. The CD is
available for purchase via our webshop:
https://trenchdogsofficial.bigcartel.com/
Answer the following..
-the record that made you want to play music?
- Paranoid - Black Sabbath
-the record that made Trench Dogs sound like you
do?
- Back To Mystery City -Hanoi Rocks
-the record you would like to have played on?
- A Bit Of What You Fancy – The Quireboys
-the record that you think is embarrassing but
you still have in your possession and like?
-Wow... It's a bit difficult, I almost think I
have to choose some type of gender rock album.
Pung Floyd's Venereal World with the band Pung
Floyd. It may not be the one you pull out first
when you show the record collection, but it is
gold, haha!
-the record that must be in the tour bus?
- In The Dynamite Jet Saloon – Dogs d' Amour
-the band that you would like to reunite?
-If I could revive people, it's definitely the
New York Dolls, but if we're going to say those
who are alive, I think it'll be Hanoi Rocks (the
original set)
Will there be a lot of festival gigs this summer
or how is it?
- Well, we don't have that many festivals booked
for this year. But at the end of August we will
play at the HRH Sleaze festival in England
The next gigs to come?
-As it looks now, it will not be until August
when we go to England. But we are looking for
gigs all the time so there will probably be
something more before then.
Stockholmiana is it a tribute to the city or
what do you mean by the name?
- Stockholmiana is the name of a genre of
literature. It is authors such as Per Anders
Fogelström and Hjalmar Söderberg who have
written books about the historical life in
Stockholm that belong to the genres. Since we
are Stockholm-based and a lot of our songs in
one way or another are about our lives in
Stockholm, we thought it would fit as our
contribution to a part of the history of the
city.
Is it important to release the records on
physical releases or would it feel like you
released an album if it didn't come physically
and only on Spotify?
-We think it's really important. I don't really
think it would feel like a record release for
real if there wasn't some kind of physical
release. Then we have a fanbase that is
absolutely interested in having physical copies
of our records so it would be downright stupid
not to release vinyls and CDs.
Do you buy a lot of records yourself?
- Some of us are bigger record collectors than
others I would say but we all have a collection
and buy a lot of vinyls
Good record stores in your hometown?
- Must mention Sound Pollution, which is our
record company's own store! In addition to that,
there is one called the Trash Palace that you
can definitely find bargains at. There is one
called Mickes who has a lot of good ones too.
Future plans for the band?
- Try to play as much live as we can! Then we
always write new material continuously so the
work for the third album has begun and we hope
that it will not take too long before we can
come out with it!
For yourself?
- I'm getting married this autumn so that's
probably the big thing that happens besides the
band!
Words of wisdom?
- "I have certain principles, but if you don't
like them, I also have others" – Groucho Marx
You like beer I suppose, no thought of your own
Trench Dogs beer and what would it be called and
what kind would it be?
- When it comes to what type it would be, our
opinions probably differ within the band! But I
would think it would be some sort of lager or
pilsner. Maybe could call it "One is not enough"
or something!
Anything to add?
- Thanks for a fun interview! We hope that
everyone who reads this checks out our music and
especially our latest album "Stockholmiana" and
if you like it, please feel free to consider
buying it! If you have any venue that books
bands, tell them that you want them to book us.
And buy a sweater! Lots of love!