Wrong Band is a group of members who met on
Tinder and they've just released their debut
single on Grönpeppar Records and it's really
good! August 2021
Some history about the group? You got the group
together in a slightly odd way?
Hannah: Jesse and I played in a band together,
but decided to start a new music project. That
same week, I met Andy on Tinder(!!!). I asked
him if he wanted to be in the band after the
first date. He then brought John in on drums-
and that's the way it is!
Tell me a little about every member, age, job,
family, band before and band on the side?
Hannah: At the risk of getting shit in DMs that
I don't want, I choose to remain anonymous and
leave the focus on the band.
Andy: The Gestapo controls what I write so no
comments.
Jesse: I'm single.
I can hear a lot of very old punk? Was it better
back in time?
Hannah: I loved punk in the '80s and '90s. Above
all, the skate punk runs through my blood. But
nothing was better before, everything is better
now and I'm fighting for it to get even better
tomorrow.
Andy: Quotes the text from Niklas Strömstedt's
version of Magnus Ugglas's ”Jag mår illa” (”Jag
kan gilla”)("I feel sick" ("I can like"); "Then
be then, and now is now and if it wasn't better
before, it will be".
Jesse: For nostalgic reasons; yes. However, punk
the upper hand of the time by being in the very
awakening of not only the music genre but also
the lifestyle. Politics, attire, rebel. the
novelty is over and so I don't think punk can
get back to what it once was. But it can be
re-created and still shock, so we shouldn't
grieve too much.
Wrong Band, are you happy with the name? What
were you thinking by that name? If the best band
name hadn't been busy, what name would you
choose? I mean, what's the best band name?
Andy: The best band name is ABBA, short and damn
easy to remember!
Jesse: The name is demanding, we don't have to
have any expectations of us. In other words, no
organizer or the like can complain if they are
not satisfied. After all, they were the ones who
chose to book the wrong band. Jokes on the side,
I still think we hit a jackpot with our band
name, so I don't feel the need to be anything
other than "the right person in the Wrong Band".
What's the best thing about playing live? Have
you started playing live after COVID yet? What
kind of band do you have gigs with?
Andy: The best thing about playing live is to
see the response from the audience and how they
hopefully start like the music and singing along.
Jesse: "Adrenaline kicks in while runnin' and
now we're full agility" (a line from our song "Roadtrip")
reflects the feeling I get from being on stage.
There's no better "high" than that feeling. We
have so far played on the live stage on two
occasions, at the 4everrock Festival in Sthlm
and a private event where we were invited to
play together with the rock band Liz Sipper.
Where's the best to play, where's the worst?
Hannah: All gigs are great gigs.
Andy: I don't recommend playing in a
wood-burning sauna.
What is it like to play this kind of punk in
Sweden today?
Hannah: It's awesome to be able to play in a
band of music that I really like and believe in
myself.
Jesse: I really think punk with subgenres will
make a boost, especially when the restrictions
start to drop and the live scenes dust off.
Whether it's happy "partying iron" punk or more
serious political punk, I think there's a need
for people to scream and drop out of their
pent-up frustrations and then punk is just the
right genre for that.
How would you describe your music in three words?
Andy: A fat bang.
What does punk mean to you, is it just a word or
is it a lifestyle?
Hannah: Punk is both a word, a style of music
and a way of life. But I'm tired of the punk
cops deciding what's punk or not. Saying "that's
not punk" is the most un-punky thing I know.
Andy: That's what you make it. The bottom line
of punk is still to go your own way and do what
you believe in, and I think we do that in this
band.
Jesse: For me, it's a lifestyle, but it's
fucking hard to live up to. Punk is basically
DIY and I have always been a flea market/junk
finder who finds new uses for everything instead
of throwing away. But it absolutely happens that
I end up in the clutches of the commercial,
especially during the pandemic when much of the
trade has taken place digitally. It's not
important for me to hold a label, as in this
case punks, people will still call you whatever
they want.
How do you see on downloading, mp3 and the like?
Does it benefit smaller bands?
Andy: I don't think downloading is a problem
anymore. But unfortunately, the new serious
streaming services don't benefit the bands
either, unless you're a band or an artist with
millions of streams of course.
Jesse: I think a lot of people who listen to our
genre prefer vinyl and live gigs and that
benefits the bands.
What do you think it's like to live in Sweden
today, politically? SD-KD-M?
Jesse: I have long worried about the brown winds
blowing in over Sweden. What is particularly
unpleasant now is that SD has gained so much
influence, not only by growing as they draw
followers from other parties on the right flank,
but that other parties start to do the same
thing behind to attract their followers back. In
the long run, it normalizes racism, something
that most parties have previously (anyway
pronounced) kicked back at. It feels
uncomfortably similar to what it looked like in
the interwar period when NSDAP emerged.
Are there any good bands in Sweden today? In
your hometown?
Hannah: I'm from Stockholm, so lots! Världen
Brinner, Baboon show, Besserbitch. There you
have three Stockholm-based punk bands that
everyone should listen to.
Andy: As a native sollentunabo, I can say
Europe, even if they are from the neighbouring
municipality of Uppland's Väsby. Otherwise, I'll
probably have to give Gothenburg cred to spit
out good bands.
Do you play anything outside Sweden?
Hannah: We'll go to Germany and possibly Poland
next year, when we'll see, depends a bit on
Corona of course. But the answer is yes, we're
going to leave as soon as we can. Andy: If we
come to Borås, I'm happy.
Other good bands from abroad?
Hannah: NOFX, Bad Religion, Interrupters.
Andy: Bad Religion, Extreme, The Offspring
Jesse: System of a Down, Gogol Bordello, Nick
Cave and the Bad Seeds
Your lyrics, what are you influenced by? Will
you never sing in Swedish?
Jesse: I don't really know if I have any
influence when it comes to my lyrics. I love
writing in metaphors and using double meanings
and the like, which you can probably notice if
you listen in. Whether there will be anything in
Swedish will probably be revealed in the future.
A large part of our followers are from other
countries, so it would be no more than a single
song in that case.
Grönpeppar Records released your record.. Will
there be more there? What do you like about the
other thing they've released?
Andy: What I've heard I like and I'm incredibly
grateful that they believed in us the way they
did
Is there anything you'll never write about? Or
is there nothing sacred?
Jesse: I'm not a person who would write about
love in the first place (apart from friendship).
But if I feel right, I will now take it as a
challenge, and if a song about love appears in
our repertoire, you have this interview to blame.
Emergency rhyme à la "heart-pain" has nothing to
do with my textbook. Otherwise, I think I could
write about most things, as long as it does not
go against my values.
Politics and music, is it always connected? Or
shouldn't you mix these?
Hannah: Politics and music can of course belong
together, but we don't want to be a politically
bound band. On the other hand, we stand up for a
little general public conscience like racism is
shit, feminism is good and consumption can be
problematic.
Jesse: I'd say we're non-partisan, but we're
political in that we don't hymn about our values
conveyed in some of our songs. One of our newest
songs "Sell anything" for example, as you
probably hear on the name, is about the consumer
society.
Best political band/artist?
Hannah: The Baboon Show.
Andy: Bad Religion
Hannah: Damn it, I should have said, Bad
Religion...
Andy: Too slow
Jesse: System of a Down
Do you think music can change someone's life, I
mean lyrics etc? Do you have an example of that?
Jesse: Clearly. If I look small-scale and start
from myself, music has saved me many times. I
have also been able to get help to solve and
delving into my own problems and shortcomings by
writing lyrics of it. For example, I wrote and
dedicated a song to a friend who passed away.
Because every time we played it live, I felt
like I had to deal with the grief.
Your cover is really nice on your record, who
did it. Is it important to have a cover that you
understand what kind of music you are playing?
What's your favorite cover all the time?...
Jesse: Thank you! I'm just a happy amateur and
this is the first time I've done anything like
this, but I'm really happy with the end result.
I don't think album covers need hint at the
genre. You eat with your eyes as it's called,
although someone who has already eaten the dish
before and likes it will probably continue to
buy regardless. But for those without previous
experience, the most important thing is that it
attracts in some way; either purely
aesthetically pleasing or that it catches one's
attention. Should someone then turn out to be
allergic to the content, they have to blame
themselves for not reading the table of contents
first.
Hannah: I'm so incredibly impressed that Jesse
got our cover together. It's my favorite cover.
Otherwise, I love Bad Religion the Empire
strikes back. Think red and white and black
combined is so crazy nice.
Andy: Jesse did a great job! Green Day's "Dookie"
is a favorite.
Is it important to get physical records out?
Vinyl or CD or both? Is there a good record
store around you left?
Jesse: In the genre we play, there's a lot of
demand for vinyl. CDs, I don't think we've been
asked for. There is something special about
vinyl as well; the sound, the feeling and
possessing a little piece of art you can put out.
That's how I work anyway. In Stockholm,
unfortunately, I am not very familiar with
record stores, but I usually look around the
vinyl corner when I am in second-hand shops and
at flea markets.
Andy: Nostalgia Palace, Mad Records and Record
Hunter are great places in Stockholm.
Please tell us something really funny that has
happened during your career on stage or
backstage etc? In this band or any other band if
you haven't had time to play out so much yet...
Hannah: Most recently at 4everrock we found out
that we were going to bow with our backs to the
audience as well, which was a bit unexpectedly
funny because I had a very short skirt. Extra
fun that my panty liner is documented everywhere
too... shame pillow on it, haha.
Jesse: At a gig with a previous band, I did a
fancy air kick in a song and my shoe went off
and hit a man right between the eyes.
How does your audience look like? What kind of
people do you draw? Are you missing any types of
people? You had your first concert just a while
back, didn't you?
Jesse: It's probably too early to say so far
because we've only had two live gigs. But the
audience we've had so far has been fun people
and things like that we like.
Andy: If you're going to look after your
followers on social media, it's high and low,
old and young.
Please rank five favorite records, five favorite
concerts? The most embarrassing record in the
collection?
Hannah:
Records
●
Bad Religion - Stranger than fiction
●
Rancid - ...And out come the wolves
●
Interrupters - Fight the Good Fight
●
NOFX - The war on errorism
●
Green Day - Dookie
Concerts
●
Bad religion - Gröna lund 2013
●
NOFX - Fryshuset Klubben 2014
●
Offspring - Gröna lund 2018
●
Interrupters - London 2018
●
Weezer - Gröna lund 2018
Andy:
Records
●
Bad Religion - Stranger than fiction
●
Mr Big - Lean into it
●
Extreme - Pornografitti
●
Weezer - Pinkerton
●
Green Day - Insomniac
Concerts
●
Bad religion - Gröna lund 2013
●
Mr Big - Cirkus 2017
●
Green Day - Globen 2017
●
Twenty One Pilots - Hovet 2016
●
Weezer - Gröna Lund 2018
Embarrassing record
Black Ingvars - Sjung och var glad
Jesse:
Records
●
System of a Down - Steal this album
●
System of a Down - Toxicity
●
Pink Floyd - The Dark side of the moon
●
David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
●
Thin Lizzy - China Town
Concerts
●
Roger Waters The Wall - Globen 2011 + 2018
●
Peter Gabriel - Globen 2014
●
Gogol Bordello - Debaser Medis 2007
●
Alice Cooper - Fryshuset 2005
●
Nazareth - Träffen 2004
Embarrassing record
I find it a little difficult to put the stamp embarrassing as I feel that everything in my collection has a "function". I have records that may not reflect my own style of music at all but they can still have an uplifting effect, play as "a fun thing" or fit a certain mood.
Interviews? Necessary pain or fun to do?
Andy: Fun!
Jesse: I like it, then whether I'm doing well or
not is another thing.
How have the reviews been on the record? What
bands are you compared to? Annoying or fun to be
compared to other bands?
Jesse: I'm completely floored over the response
we've received, I don't think I've ever received
such good reviews before and so little criticism.
It's almost like it's a little uncomfortable
because I'm sure I'll take on even more once the
criticism comes. We've been compared primarily
to bands like The Offspring and a trashier
version of No Doubt. Apparently, my voice
reminds me a lot of Gwen Stefanis, but it's not
something I've noticed myself. I think they are
good and talented bands, so I have absolutely
nothing against the comparison. Then most people
have added that our sound is still very own, so
it's nice to know that we still stand out a
little bit.
If you could choose five bands from the history,
dead and alive to have a concert with your band,
what are the dream bands?
Hannah:
A
dream
for
me
is
to
play
the band
together
withr
the
Baboon
show
at
some
point,
partly
they
are
sickly
talented
musicians
and
partly
Sweden's
best
live
band,
but
above
all
they
seem
so
damn
kind,
funny
and
humble
the
whole
bunch.
Andy:
Then
I
want
us
to
go
on
tour
with
Hardcore
Superstar,
because
IT
is
Sweden's
best
live
band.
Is music a great way to get frustration out and
become a kinder person? Are you angrier today
than you were younger?
Jesse:
Yes!
When
I
haven't
been music
for
a
long
time,
you
can
tell,
it´s been
shown.
Music
is my
therapy
and
has
probably
spared
many
from
meeting
my
evil
twin.
I
think
I'm
just
as
angry,
if
not
more
today.
Now
I'm
more
familiar
with
what's
going
on
about
and
around
me
than
I
was
then
and
there's
so
much
shit
in
the
world
to
feel
anger
about.
The
difference
is
that
I
don't
act
as
impulsively
and
guided
as
much
by
my
emotions
now
as I
was
then.
What's the weirdest question you've been asked
in an interview? (Except for this one then)
Jesse: I can't remember being asked a weird
question, it's usually more about weird answers.
What's the question you'll never get, ask it and
answer it?
Jesse: How much do you lift in bench press?
However, have never tested, so may return with
the answer.
Andy: Can you burp? No, no, no, I have a
syndrome.
Hannah: What Andy says is actually true, it's a
real thing that he has.
Andy: And Hannah can't jump... ask her.
Hannah: No, I'm hopeless.
Future plans for the band?
Hannah: Do a full-length and go abroad on some
kind of tour. Would have been cool to play at a
big festival too, regardless of the size of the
stage. Can play in a corner of the festival for
five people as well, maybe it's an idea
actually...
Jesse: Take over the world! And do a full-length
one.
Andy: BORÅS!
To yourself?
Hannah: I want to get better at playing my
instrument. I'm just starting to take bass
lessons and I'm going to aim to learn 100
Beatles songs.
Jesse: More gigs, more tattoos, more meetings
with fun people! More and more of everything!
Andy: Buy another guitar maybe...
Words of wisdom?
Hannah: Always be nice. Being kind is the most
underrated trait in the world. Andy: Always look
on the bright side of life
Jesse: "Wrong, false and ugly, but never fart
song". A quote from a singing teacher I had in
high school and it's something that can be
implemented on anything, just to replace the
word "song". I'll tell the band before we go
live to lower any performance anxiety and
kick-start the "give it your all" feeling. Works
for me anyway.
Anything to add?
Jesse: I'm single.