A heavy punch of rage and roll hailing from the British capital. Born from the ashes of former outfit 'Fuckshovel', London based Angerland deliver a heavy punch of rage-n-roll, reminiscent of the likes of Killing Joke, Ruts DC and New Model Army. Having emerged in 2018, the members of Angerland are no strangers to the live music scene, having toured with the likes of Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols, The Germs, and Slim Jim Phantom both in the UK and as far as SXSW prior to their current reincarnation. Angerland's debut 2020 EP 'The Clown King' featured 3 tracks 'This Blood Machine', 'A Comedy Of Hate' and 'The Clown King' with music video to accompany, a tribute to the Clown King himself; Donald Trump.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Angerland, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Kermit (bass): I am the original Son of a Preacher man, was raised in a gospel church before discovering all the same notes were in the devil’s music too…
Jon (vocals): My mam and dad bought me a drumkit when I was a kid which I managed to break. I then went on to piano lessons. And then the guitar. Which is how I became a singer.
Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
K: I love making noise but hate waiting around. There’s a lot of waiting around before you get to make noise.
J: Writing, rehearsing, recording, gigging – I love it all. We just don’t get to do enough of it.
Your latest song is '2020 Visions'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
K: I suggested the title to Jon who, quite rightly, changed it to a plural due to the fact that a load of other people had seized on the same idea. I had this descending bassline around the same time and Ian added the counterpoint (get me!) guitar. Middle eight / intro was a complete accident – I was looking for a different note. Still haven’t found it…
J: 2020 was the year of literally fighting for your breath – Covid, wildfires, George Floyd. The original concept was maybe going to be a bit more esoteric but once lockdown started the lyrics changed to reflect what we were all going through. We started tracking it in early 2020 but due to various issues it didn’t get finished for a good while. And then we started on the video…!
How do you differ from most other artists?
K: I have a better beard.
J: He has a better beard. And our drummer is from Transylvania.
Where are you from and do you have a stable home or do you prefer travelling?
K: I’m originally from the North East of England, lived on a boat until recently but never in a stable. I always prefer travelling, unless I’m holding a drink.
J: Originally from a town called Newbridge in South Wales, now a resident of SE London. Love going to gigs in Europe when I get the chance.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
K: “Ooooo aroogah chung chung bang crash”.
J: Which is why I write the lyrics! It has elements of our collective influences – punk, post-punk, rock, metal, funk, all sorts. Our drummer Cristian joined us last summer and has brought a whole new vibe to the songs. Lyrically we’re political – with both a capital P and a small p. To misquote my countryman Dylan Thomas we rage against the lying of the right. But while some of the songs are overtly political others are more to do with personal issues. Anger and empathy in equal measure!
How do you nurture your own creativity?
K: Beer and rum… in fact I think I’m nurturing the rest of the band’s creativity in that regard; or maybe they’re nurturing mine…
J: Constantly jotting down ideas, lyrics etc. while trying to ignore all this talk of beer and rum! We’re lucky that we have our own rehearsal space so once Ian or Kerm come up with new ideas we pile into the room and knock them into some sort of song structure and go from there.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
K: Killing Joke
J: Definitely Killing Joke. Ruts DC would be another one.
Who's your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?
K: There are too many. Youth would be an obvious choice ‘cos he’s a genius and would get what we try to achieve in the studio. But there are tons of others. If Jon and I had our way, we’d be collaborating with Mongolian throat singers, Bulgarian Folk choirs, Arabic oud players…
J: And the Treorchy Male Voice Choir! Anyone that would challenge us. Youth would certainly do that.
What are your plans for the future?
K: Survival is our victory and, as our motto says, Anger is Our Industry. Keep on raging and rolling.
J: With a side order of beer and rum…