I first heard about Suspense Heroes Syndicate on the facebook page 'Nottingham Punk, Ska and Reggae Collective' where they promoted their new Christmas single-Merry Christmas. The guys then agreed to an interview;
Many thanks for this interview guys, can you tell us about your musical background, how you all got together to form the band, the band members and how would you describe your style?
The idea to put together a band was back in 2006, but a substantive conversation took place in 2007 and the selection of participants began. The next year of 2007 the creative process began, the first songs appeared and the ideas developed at the rehearsals. From the first line-up, there are now two people in the group: vocalist Alex Archie and guitarist Dima Espanol. The crew has changed many times over the years, but the current core was formed around 2012. Vova the drummer and Stepa the saxophone are just from that time in the line-up and in 2017 we were joined by Sasha on the bass. The brass section we have counts 3 guys or more from time to time. There are quite a few people in the theme and they share the scene whenever possible. Since 2019 we have added keyboardist Kamil with the sound we just need – Hammond aggro-style. We originally planned to play music based on ska and punk. Only we did not limit ourselves to the framework of these styles alone. We love experimentation. From reggae to surf, we mix up a lot. And during record process we try to attract musicians with more exotic instruments, such as the banjo for example. At the beginning of our journey, we identified our style as SKOi, a mix of ska, oi! and streetpunk. But now we probably play ska-punk of the 4th wave if we can say so.
Who are your main influences?
The guiding lights in music are quite similar to all of us. They are The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, The Interrupters, Rancid, The Aggrolites, The Hotknives to name a few and not to fall into triviality. One way or another, but we try to pay close attention to their works, we try to keep abreast of events in the world of ska and punk and sometimes, nothing to hide, we use and adapt good ideas for ourselves. It’s an open world of music and without it, it is difficult to imagine the development of the group.
If we talk about music in general, we like diverse music from Depeche Mode to Johnny Cash. By the way, sometimes we especially cover our favourite songs and at gigs we show our versions. In our repertoire we have covers of different artists such as Outkast, Jessie J or The Cure.
Has lockdown impacted you creatively at all, and how have you found the past few months?
Lockdown certainly influenced greatly and adjusted the plans of the entire music industry. We are no exception. We have cancelled festivals and postponed some gigs for an indefinite period. However, here in Russia that lockdown is not as total as in Europe. For example, we were not banned from performing in small venues and pubs, what we actively use this period. In addition, lockdown is still a new opportunity. Some are actively engaged in streams or radio shows. We think the lockdown is good for the benefit of creating new releases. What else can musicians do but sit in the studio while there are no concerts. Well, probably a little more time remains for working on band’s profiles in the social media.
Can you tell us about your latest releases and the idea behind it? What other releases have you brought out?
Our latest release saw the light just recently, less than a month ago. This is a Christmas split with our friends – ska-legend from France - Skarface. The idea itself appeared at the MOSCOW SKA CITY FESTIVAL in 2019, which we organized and they were participants there. Since we have been friends for a long time and play together quite regularly, the idea of a joint release did not surprise anyone. We immediately decided that it would be a Christmas-themed thing. As a basis, we took the classics of Christmas songs, added to them a little seasoning from Ramones and Russian animated cartoons. And
the guys from Skarface took for themselves exactly the cheeky cult Christmas songs. So it turned out a wonderful split, imbued with the spirit of Christmas and fun.
Last year we released an EP, Mary. On the title track featured our friend Bosky from The Hotknives. And very soon we believe there will be a release by The Specialized project on 4 discs. It happens every year and this year the idea was to do a ska tribute to glam rock hits. Bands from all over the world are Involved and we also had the honor to participate there with a cover of David Bowie’s classic Life on Mars. We highly recommend that you pay attention to it, it turned out to be very surprising even for us, there are both Dixieland patterns and also some elements of New Orleans jazz. In short, we are very anxious to see this release issued.
Where can folks get to listen to your music?
We are represented on all major streaming sites, i.e. iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Deezer, Amazon, Shazam, you name it, except TikTok, hahaha. Our music is also available on the official pages of the band on YouTube, Facebook and the Russian social network Vkontakte. On physical media in the format of CD or vinyl, our music can be obtained from our record label in Germany Laketown Records or in other thematic distros all around the world. (https://www.laketown-records.de/epages/80422181.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/80422181/Categories/Bands/SUSPENSE_HEROES_SYNDICATE)
What's next for you?
Regarding medium-term plans. It is the release of a couple of new covers. Perhaps we will prepare another split. Also make the official website of the band - convenient, with all the information, videos and music, not to forget the online store. Well, the long-term plan is to start recording a new full-length album. Most of the material for it is already there and even is being regularly played live. It's going to be a huge release and the best thing we've ever done so far. We will definitely invite some well-known musicians and our friends to participate in it with us. And of course, we are waiting for the lockdown to be canceled and the borders to be opened. We are anxious to take a ride in Europe. We haven't done this in 5 long years. It would also be great to get to the US, Mexico and Latin America. These are our modest plans.
Anything else you'd like to add about the project, or a message for the readers?
Firstly we would like to express our appreciation for such a great interview. Thank you so much for your interest in our band in particular and ska music in general. To your readers – please don't be too stiff to discover new music styles and bands. We also would like to thank everyone who attends to our shows in different places all over the world and supports the local subculture and ska scene. We wish you all a good mood and send you our positive vibes.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Listen to ska music! Love ska music!
Always your, Suspense Heroes Syndicate.
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