Started out as Venereal Disease back in 1991, when four guys from school decided to form a band to have something to do in the small westcoastal town of Falkenberg, Sweden. The Venerea music project now has arrived at their latest “Leon Back In Anger”. A little chat with them reveals about their punk-hc attitude and swedish music scene.

Are you satisfied of “Leon Back in Anger” or listening to it now would you change something?
I’m not really writing music for Venerea, I just play drums but personally I think there’s some really good song that I like and other that I don’t like. I would change the layout, I don’t like the cover very much…I prefer the old album where we had more punk songs. 

How you decided to put be Venerea back together again?  
I didn’t decide anything, I joined the band about four years ago and during that time we did a few shows and then we took a break for a while. Some of us did another band called Enemy Alliance and then I guess the other guys just want to go back to doing in Venerea. Venerea is for these guys a their creation since they have been the musicians in the beginning of their career. They have a special relation to the band, like for me with the Satanic Surfers that is something that I did and created and has a special place in my heart even if I can hate it sometime.

Has the Satanic Surfers been the most important experience in your career?  And what’s the best memory that you have about?
Satanic Surfers was a big part in my life for many-many years, I think between fifteen and seventeen years .. sixteen years I think. I can’t compare to anything else .. I mean I can do still good music today that I think is better or I can do music that is for me more challenging and makes me evolve as a musician or as a person whatever..more than Satanic Surfers have done. I think that I created something that the people like and that make me strong and gave something back to me as  person. I hope to have again a few years to play music!

Refused, Millencolin, Satanic Surfers…do you think that Sweden is still today one of the best place to play punk-hardcore?
I don’t know the best place to play…With Satanic Sufers was really good for a few years in Sweden, I mean there’s a lot of bands playing that style of music and that I still listen now but we stop playing in Sweden, we just tour Europe and others parts of the world like Canada, Japan…all those places for us are better than Sweden. There’s just some just some good place to play in Sweden but I like more travelling to Europe. 

How come has started a good scene in Sweden? What makes your country better?
Such a good scene…I think there’s just a lot of people playing in bands I think there are actually more bands and more people playing in bands then there is audience coming to the shows most. Is strange, everybody in Sweden plays in a band! I guess is just easier to find practice spaces, it’s easier to find the time to do music then the others countries. In Sweden we have the privilege getting money when we study so it’s easier then study and work togheter like happen in most other coutries; so we grow up having more time so it’s easier to make your hobbies or passions.  

You share the stage with many great bands. Which one impressed you more?
…It’s difficult because I played with many amazing bands. But I remember a Canadian tour from coast to coast with Satanic Surfers and we were playing with one of my favourite bands from when I was younger called SNFU. We did all the tour together,  it was fantastic for me sing and play every night with them.

What do you do when you are not on tour?
I just started working actually for the first time in my life, I started three months ago and it’s my first real job. It’s some catering stuff. It’s a youth centre and they have a service like catering service but it’s only a work for one person. I work alone, it’s very nice. I can listen to my music in the morning when I get there. I found this work from my friend who during that work decided to take a break for the rest of the year and I said: “If you are not going to do it  I’ll do it!” . It was perfect because in that period I needed a little bit extra money. Meanwhile I work on a record label, it’s a death metal label called Blood Harvest and I play in different bands and I sing in a punk band called Atlas Losing Grip. That’s what I do!

by Giulia Dal Pozzolo 

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