pay to play. But even the shows in social projects with hat donations usually bring in more than in commercial clubs. And they treat us with respect.
Carsten: It’s important that people really want to go to the concert and see the bands. If that’s the case, you can basically play in any rotten corner pub.
What was the worst thing you ever experienced?
Carsten: There were shows where we were supposed to sleep on three mattresses with several bands, a total of 20 people. We decided to rather drive home after the gig.
You call your style of music “Female Fronted Hardcore Punk”. Is Verena your unique selling point?
Holger: Without her we would simply be a band full of old farts, with her we are a band full of old farts and a not-so-old singer. She is our flagship. That’s the difference. We have been criticized that “female-fronted” is a sexist statement and that this term is not a genre. So we announced on 1st April 2019, that we are no longer “female fronted”, but “male backed”. That was accepted.
What are your demands on yourself as a band?
Carsten: As far as music is concerned, we rehearse once a week if we can find the time.
Jan: We have a technical mindset. For example, I would like to put new songs on stage as soon as possible. But it is an unwritten rule of the band that we only play new songs live when we are really sure that we can play them.
Holger: We are sometimes poles apart. We noticed that when we wanted to record our new record last year. For some, the recording quality of an old ITT cassette recorder is enough, some just want to have it recorded accurately and the third group always wants to recreate The Dark Side of the Moon. Ultimately, this resulted in breaking off recording and having to try it again soon.
Carsten: Concerning shows, I make sure that I don’t drink too much beforehand. Some in the band can have a few beers and then play properly. I can’t do that and that’s why I hold back. I don’t want to be the reason why we sound bad on stage.
How do you finance your recordings?
Holger: For the first record, the three economically best positioned in the band filled up the band budget. The money is still in there and we pay T-shirts, fuel and everything else from it. In addition, of course, there is always money coming in from shows and sales.
How many records did you press from the first album?
Nico: That was a first edition of 500 LPs.
Are they sold out now?
Nico: No, we sold about half of them
Carsten: We would have to play every other week, then we would probably have sold out by now. But we don’t work enough on our internet presence for that. For example, we would have to make a really good video. That would help. When you see how professional the DIY scene has become, we are lagging behind. Our big factor is time. We all work and the band is and remains a hobby.
You orientate yourself more to the old hardcore and not to new bands.
Carsten: The whole thing is somewhere between old school hardcore, punk and post punk, so nowhere. But that’s our music and the focus, at least for me, is to meet cool people, have a good time, do something together and advance a little bit what we stand for. We mostly play in alternative venues, so the organizer often supports a good cause with his profit. We want to pass on the right attitude.
Holger: It doesn’t bother us if we have to pay 50 euros at such an event. We do not show our politics by simply ranting, we rather express ourselves by our dos and don’ts.
Carsten: One thing, for example, that we basically reject or I would almost say “hate”, is clapping. That puts me immediately in a bad mood.
Nico: And we never ask the audience: “Are you guys having a good time?”
Carsten: I think it’s important that a band has a presence and a certain dynamic on stage. If you manage that, you don’t need animation.
THE GENERATORS
Wie viele Shows pro Jahr spielt ihr normalerweise?
Ich schätze, wir spielen normalerweise ungefähr 50 Shows pro Jahr. Einige Jahre waren wir sehr ausgelastet, und wir spielen ständig irgendwo anders oder sind auf Tour. Wir haben neben dem Touren auch viel Zeit damit verbracht, Platten aufzunehmen und im Studio zu sein. Es gab viele Bandmitglieder, die gegangen sind, weil wir immer am Machen waren, und ich denke, sie waren einfach ausgebrannt. In einer Tourband zu spielen, kann für viele Leute schwierig sein. Ich verbringe den größten Teil meines Lebens auf Tour, und so habe ich mich an diese Art von Leben gewöhnt.
Wann hast du angefangen mit The Generators international zu touren?
The Generators tourten 1998 das erste Mal international, etwa sechs Monate nach Gründung der Band. Wir hatten bereits unser erstes Album Welcome to the End aufgenommen, als wir von einem deutschen Veranstalter gebeten wurden, für zwei Wochen nach Europa zu kommen. Wir fanden die Idee gut und der Rest ist Geschichte. Die Band tourt seit 21 Jahren jedes Jahr in Europa.
Könnt ihr mit Touren Geld verdienen?
Wir verdienen eigentlich nicht viel Geld mit Tourneen, wie manche Leute vielleicht denken. Es kostet viel Geld, fünf Leute nach Europa oder nach Asien zu fliegen, um Shows zu spielen, also fangen wir mit Schulden an. Ich kann nicht sagen, dass die Dinge für uns viel besser sind als am Anfang. In den ersten Jahren unserer Tour haben wir bei Leuten auf den Fußböden geschlafen oder in besetzten Häusern übernachtet. Wir haben uns nach oben gearbeitet und haben heutzutage viel bessere Unterkünfte. Das ist hilfreich, wenn du 51 Jahre alt bist und Nacht