Sweden’s ADHESIVE are definitely one of the most outstanding punk-acts the genre has ever produced and they underline it with every new record they put out. Of course I had an abundance of questions and Geir (bass/2.voice) answered them for me in the name of the band. Enjoy!
Adhesive still have the same line-up they had back in the beginning, except for the fact that Matthias left and you have a new guitar-player, but you’re still friends… As it seems Adhesive is a living proof for ”friendship for life”. How long do you guys already know each other and what inspired you to start the band?
Well, we started playing together as Adhesive back in May ´94, but before that, Micke, Samsa, and me played together in another punkband. Samsa and Mathias were old friends, so when our old second guitarist quit, and we planned to start Adhesive, we thought that Mathias was a good choice as a replacement, even though he was originally an excellent speed-metal drummer…
As for the ”friendship for life” thing, I guess you could say that, even though we don’t hang out as much as we used to do before. That is, of course, a natural process due to the fact that Samsa moved, and we all have jobs and stuff. However, we’ve been through so much together, so I don’t think we would lose contact even if we quit playing with Adhesive. Of course we all have sides that we dislike with each other, but knowing people for such a long time teaches you to live with all the aspects of our personalities. I would lie to you if I said that we’re never pissed off with each other, but due to the respect we’ve earned from each other during the time in Adhesive, that is never a big issue…
What inspired us?
Well, I guess you can say that we were all passionate about playing music, and that we felt that after quitting our old band, we felt that we wanted to play music that we could back up 100%. At the time, the punkscene was pretty big here in Sweden, which meant that, basically, you could start a band and begin playing shows the week after… That helped us a lot, I think. The early influences were, of course, a lot of the bands that were popular by then. Bands like Bad Religion, NOFX, Lagwagon, Green Day were quite often played at our parties, but we also found influences in old heavy metal, such as Iron Maiden, and older punk stuff, naming Black Flag, Clash, Ramones, Discharge as a few. By listening to our early recordings, you could hear the influences from Southern California quite easily, but we also tried to put our own touch to the music. According to most people, we succeeded in doing that…
What was the heaviest crisis of Adhesive? Have you ever been close to giving it all up?
Of course we’ve had ups and downs, as in every relationship, but the most significant crisis was when Micke had a personal tragedy last winter. What happened really shook the foundations of everything, and I can only speak for myself, but I felt that if Micke couldn’t assemble the strength to carry on with the band, I would rather just be Mickes friend and support him as much as I could, than continue playing with the band. My personal opinion has always been that me and Matte could be replaced, but the other guys are way too hard to replace. If Micke had called it quits then and there, the Adhesive history would have ended. I’m really glad that he didn’t, and I admire him and his family for handling the situation with the strength that they did.
There have also been occasions when pure boredom and lack of ideas have made us really tired of the band, but the new direction we took on the latest album made us hungry again. Now we feel that the vitality in our music has returned.
Another situation was when Mathias quit. We had some heavy discussions whether to quit, continue as a trio, (which we had done once before) or take in another guitarist. We felt that we had more to give with the band, so we decided to carry on, and to look for a new guitarist. Since Samsa and Pontus already play together in another band, the search wasn’t that hard…
Your new album ”We got the beat” is a little heavier and rougher than your previous material. Why did you take that step?
We felt that we needed a new input in our music. Of course we could have done Sideburner/From left to right again, but where would that have taken us? As I mentioned earlier, we were quite bored with that kind of sound, so we decided to take some of the ideas that we started working with on From left to right a bit further. This was also a result of us trying to exploit some of our other influences, such as Billy Bragg, older English punk, older American punk, and of course Micke’s beloved Jamaican ska/reggae. I also think that changing the studio had a big part in changing the sound, as well. The Underground studio, which we used on From left to right, is a good studio, and the producer, Pelle Saether, is a really good guy, but as I see it, everything that comes out of there sounds practically the same. He has recorded all the latest NFAA albums, and they sound exactly the same. We didn’t want such a well-produced sound, so we decided to try the Soundlab studio, and the producer Mieszko Talarczyk, who we knew had done some good jobs with other bands. He also plays in a grindcore band, so we thought that he should know something about the ”dirtier” sound we desired. The result was above our expectations, so most likely we’ll use him for our next recording as well.
In what way will your new guitarist Pontus influence the band? Will you go back to the ”from left to right” era or will you even take it a step further to the punk-roots?
I don’t know, really. Obviously, he’s an excellent guitarist, and he’s learned our songs really quick. How much influence he’s going to get really depends on him, and how much he feels that he wants to do. I’m sure, though, that he will be a great asset to the band, and that our shows will be even better with Pontus in the band. He’s a trained musician, so technically, there is no problem… He’s also really experienced with touring, because he used to play in one of Sweden’s most popular punkbands, and they toured A LOT…
Imagine that: Adhesive do a video for ”In your world of no ones” it gets heavy-rotation on mtv, you get signed to Sony and you get as big as Blink182… What are the positive and the negative aspects about this imagination for you?
Ha ha, I don’t think that would ever happen, but hypothetically, that’s a good question…
The positive aspect would of course be that we would be able to play music full time, instead of working full time. I couldn’t do that for a long time, though, but for a limited period of time, that would be really something. I always liked touring, and meeting people at the shows. That’s the most fun part of it, I think, talking music with people who like it, trading CD’s, partying with nice people. We’ve made really good friends with a lot of people during the years.
The negative aspect would be the inevitable slaughtering by the scene-police. As soon as a band starts growing, the sellout screams come from those jealous, ignorant people, who are against the whole idea of punk. The élite, who decide what’s punk, and what’s not. (I’m getting a bit excited here…) They want to keep the music for themselves… Another negative aspect would be being away so much. I have a lot of friends here, and being on tour would prevent me from meeting them as much as I would like to.
You mentioned the “scene-police” and I really agree with your attitude. Do you have no “bad feelings” when you see Blink 182 on MTV – and the kids who think this is the essence of punk rock?!
No, not really. As for Blink182, it’s a fact that they have played together for a while, and they have done their time practicing and playing crappy clubs… They got their chance, and took it. However, you can always have opinions about their music and stuff, and as for me, I think they suck bigtime! Also, if the kids think they’re the essence of punk, then let them do it, and let’s just hope that they dig further into the scene. We all have to start somewhere, don’t we?
I mean, with your outstanding sense for catchy melodies I’m pretty sure you could be on a label like Epitaph or Fat – and that’s no ass-kissing, it’s the truth! What are your main reasons for keeping the band ”underground”?
We have a good communication with our label. We think that we have kept the band on a level that allows us to tour when we want, and to record a CD when we want. Ampersand is happy with that, and we feel that we have good support from them. Our goal was never to be rockstars, and I think that if we were on a label like Fat or Epitaph, we would have felt more pressure. Adhesive is our hobby, which allows us to travel around the world, and meeting nice people. We never craved for more…
I know that at least Micke has got a little son, so I guess it’s not easy to go out on tour when you have a family waiting at home, isn’t is?
That’s right, and that’s one of the reasons we’re happy with Ampersand, because they understand our situation so well. Micke is really attached to his family, so I think he’s quite satisfied with he level we keep the band on, as well. Another thing that keeps us from touring more is that we have jobs, and we can only be away for five weeks a year, which is the holiday you get here in Sweden.
Do you think the fact that you had the chance to see various different countries during your tours changed your view on certain things? I think it helps to overcome prejudices, doesn’t it?
Yes it does. As for me, I’m always interested in learning more about the countries I go to, so I always ask stupid questions about everything. The best thing, though, is meeting so many cool and interesting people. That’s what I really like about touring!
Most of your lyrics deal with serious political issues, are you all of the same opinion if it comes to politics? What I definitely know is that you have very different attitudes if it’s about soccer 
I guess you can say that we have the same platform in politics. Of course we have different opinions on some things, but generally, I would say that we share the same beliefs.
We’re pretty much influenced by the syndicalist ideology, with the idea of organizing all workers, regardless what kind, under the same ”roof”, and using the union as an instrument of struggle against capitalism. Ok?;-)
As for football, that’s a different thing, ha ha! Micke and me support two rival teams, so we always pick on each other. That’s great fun, since my team usually wins!
I think that the main part of the punk scene still consists of “teenagers”. Do you think these people can relate to the massage you convey?
I find the younger crowds to be more passionate about music. It’s kind of a situation where you don’t really have to bother about the everyday problems in life. But if they can relate to our message, and start thinking, maybe they will grow up to be cold-hearted cynicals as us. No, seriously, I get your point there, but hopefully we can influence someone out there…
What I don’t like about the punk scene nowadays is the fact that most kids don’t think for themselves. You know, I see 16 year old kids that worship Marx and Engels without knowing them – just because some bands do it… Others walk the streets and think they can change the world by beating up cops or throwing stones at the women behind the McDonald’s check-out… I guess your song “punk is a bunch of kids with funny haircuts” is still relevant, what do you think?
Reading Marx and Engels is not very relevant these days, but I guess understanding the theories behind many of the socialist ideas is good. As for the cop and McDonalds thing, that is just plain stupid, and damages the cause more than any law would… Direct action is a means for achieving a positive change, not some macho-trip that you brag about in your squats…
I know that there’s all kinds of problems all over the world, but would you agree that Sweden is still one of the better countries to live in? I mean, I’d come over if I had the chance..
Well, as for Sweden, I guess you can say that it’s still a decent place to live in. However, as in the rest of Europe, there are cutdowns almost everywhere. Less money for the ordinary worker, more money for the bosses etc. It’s classical…
We have a new man on the trigger, his name is George W. Bush and there’s no doubt that he’s going to build up a ballistic defense shield. Do you think we’re about to experience a new “cold-war”?
Maybe not a cold war as we remember it, but he will definitely run a political program severely influenced by Ronald Reagan. His first time in power starts with: Cut down funds for pro-choice organizations, Decrease the influence of unions in national politics, (definitely a reaction to the fact that most unions supported the democrats), Head the first federal execution in ages, missile shield in Great Britain, etc etc… The problem isn’t that he is stupid or anything, but as I see it, he’s much too influenced by the people surrounding him. That is dangerous!
It seems like Robert is the art-director of the band, and I think he’s pretty good at what he’s doing – can he make a living out of it?
Yes, actually he does! He works as AD /Graphic designer at a media agency in Gothenburg. So it’s his profession…
You told me that you’re working on a fanzine, please tell me the whole story behind it.
I’m not really sure what’s going to happen with the fanzine. It’s a great idea, but considering the fact that we all work full time, it might be a bit hard to find the time to do something substantial. We have an idea about putting a ”chronicles” section on our site, so that might be one solution. I don’t really know, though, so the future will tell what happens.
As far as I know, you’re going to do the main part of your upcoming tour with 5 Days Off from Belgium, how did you get in touch with them?
I guess you could say they got in touch with us. Björn mailed and asked if they could do a couple of shows with us, and we said yes…
Did you already find the answer to the question what life is all about?
Of course! Its finding the perfect pair of underwear with the Confederate flag on it!