Raw Power and Wretched's Spanish lovechild. Translated "No Flag" interview (early 90s) below...
Could you introduce the new ‘Subterranean Kids’ members?
Well, since we got together again or better said: reformed, the line-up of the band at the beginning of 1990 is: ‘Damned’ [Fernando Poza Díaz] (guitar; also playing with ‘Dr. Calypso’), ‘Boliche’ [Carlos Antonio Buira Monferrer] (drums; also playing in ‘Tropel Nat’), ‘Mimo’ [Sergio Martínez Paredes] (vocals) and ‘Moncho’ [‘Moo-yoo’; Ramón Cubedo Fort]: (bass; also plays [drums] in ‘Corn Flakes’).
Do you consider this ‘Subterranean Kids’ period as a follow-up to previous periods or as something different, as a ‘new beginning’?
I think it’s a bit of both. It’s a follow-up, that is clear, and we haven’t forgotten about the experiences acquired in the first 6 years. A new beginning after a brief hiatus helps us to take things with enthusiasm and although we think to be keeping up with the ‘Subterranean Kids’ style, we believe to be new in certain things, since the new members ‘Damned’ and ‘Moncho’ bring in new aspects in comparison to the old members, and I think we should take advantage of these.
What really stimulated you for the reunion of ‘Subterranean Kids’? How did you convince ‘Mimo’ to sing again? (Red.: This info was provided by Jordi of B-Core during ‘Subterranean Kids’ gig in Sala Argentina, hence the question about ‘Mimo’. Apparently it wasn´t like that.)
Firstly, let’s have a good laugh (hahaha). Nobody convinced ‘Mimo’ to sing in the band again; it was rather him who, after the disastrous tour that we did across Europe the previous year and after splitting up, convinced us to play again with ‘Moncho’. The idea for a reunion was his; ‘Damned’ and myself were both comfortable with our respective bands: ‘L’Odi Social’ and ‘Tropel Nat’. The idea that drove us, was seeing how really dead the scene was plus also trying to find out if we could really do good things with the new line-up.
Are you still in touch with old members ‘Pep’ and Marc? What are they doing nowadays? Are they still playing music?
We meet them from time to time. ‘Pep’ [guitarist Pepe Vidal] is no longer involved in music and Marc [bassist Marc García Sastre] plays in a band called ‘Malas Influencias’ that recently recorded a demo. It’s a pity that ‘Pep’ is no longer interested in making music.
Do you think to keep on playing with ‘Damned’ and ‘Moncho’ or are you looking for more dedicated members to play in ‘Subterranean Kids’? Don’t you think that ‘Corn Flakes’or ‘L’Odi Social’ tours could be a handicap to the band?
First off: ‘L’Odi Social’ no longer exists, it’s a pity but is true. Secondly, it could take up a bit of time from the band if any member of ‘Subterranean Kids’ plays in another band but they have the right to do that and also it’s something that enriches our scene, having creative members that cooperate in different projects. Myself (‘Boliche’), I collaborate in Reptil zine, and ‘Moncho’ and ‘Damned’ have their own bands. Besides that we also have our day jobs. Of course we think about keeping on with this line-up for a long time, until we get bored.
Could you tell us about the new ‘Subterranean Kids’ songs? Will they be similar to the old songs or will you take a new direction? What about the lyrics?
‘Mimo’s lyrics could be a bit different and take a more personal point of view; music-wise I think we play fast songs as well as middle-paced songs that people who listen to ‘Subterranean Kids’ will certainly like. Next week we will also record a 6-track maxi-single for Mondo Stereo [label], a division of Semaphore, and since they do the production of it, we can expect a more powerful sound. We haven’t decided on the title yet.
Mixing my previous questions: Who’s going to write the new songs? Aren’t you afraid of having ‘Corn Flakes’ or ‘L’Odi Social’ influences in these new compositions?
One could perceive some new nuances in the music but as I said before ‘L’Odi Social’ no longer exists and ‘Moncho’ plays drums in ‘Corn Flakes’, so we don’t see it as something disadvantageous.
Will you continue working with the B-Core label? How do you value his work, regardless of you personal friendship?
B-Core [record-label from Barcelona founded by Jordi Llansamà] will probably organise a compilation with bands from Catalonia or from Spain, and it’s almost certain that there will be some music by ‘Subterranean Kids’ on it. He’s also very interested in re-releasing our very first demo Subterranean Hardcore as an LP or as a double-7”. We’ll see about that. We think he does a very good job: no-one in Spain knew about the band ‘Identity’ for example, in spite of them having members of ‘Raped Teenagers’, and thanks to the tours he organised for them and the EP he released through B-Core they got more popular over here and they’ve featured in some fanzines, which is good. We also know the musical tastes of B-Core and we think that none of his next releases is going to disappoint us, we have pretty similar tastes.
Could you tell us about your next concerts? Where do you think you’ll play? Will there be another “fucking problems tour”?
Yesterday we played in a benefit-gig in KGB, a concert-space in Barcelona, and even thought it was on a Thursday, around 300 people showed up and all hell broke loose: everybody was singing, there was non-stop slam-dancing…and of course there was big expectation towards the new songs since we haven’t played in Barcelona since March ‘91. There’s also a demonstration organised by the local neighbours each Thursday to get KGB closed down and there was such a demonstration the same day of our gig, so there were about 30 neighbours protesting with whistles in front of KGB. It was funny considering we were treated as criminals for attending a gig, really funny. We’ve some more gigs planned, like one in November in Sala Argentina in Madrid and another one in Barcelona areound that time. Touring foreign countries again – that hopefully wouldn’t be a “fucking problems tour” – could be a thought for next year, we’re eager for it.
How do you see the new wave of Catalonian bands that are coming out lately? Is it similar to the one that came about years ago or is it different? And what about the rest of Spain? How do you see the scene in general?
A few but good bands have come out; they don’t play live too often but they are there. ‘Budellam’ [HC from Barcelona] have done very well as they have produced their own EP and they have played live several times. ‘Carpe Diem’ [thrash from Barcelona] have recorded a demo, it’s being sold very well and they’ve planned some gigs. With ‘Tropel Nat’ we keep doing what we want, some people like us, some don’t, but we will record an LP in a Swiss studio in December. ‘Ktulu’ [thrash/metal from Barcelona] have also recorded a decent LP and they’ve been playing live lately. The new ‘Anarkotiks’ [HC/punk from Barcelona] repertoire is quite good and they’ll play live soon. ‘Corn Flakes’ will release their second LP soon and they’ve improved a lot, but if you don’t like their old style I doubt you’ll enjoy their new style: much more technical and improved. ‘Subterranean Kids’ will be recording a maxi-single in one or two weeks’ time. ‘Acció Directa’ [HC crossover from Barcelona], I guess will rip soon with their second LP. There’s also other bands recording soon and Tralla recs [record-label from Barcelona] is helping many bands such as ‘Alambique’ [punk from Barcelona], ‘Drogas Guais’ [HC/punk from Zaragoza], ‘Mardita Sea’ [HC/punk from Sant Andreu] I think a very good network is being formed. If you ask me if the bands that came out years ago are similar to the bands that come out nowadays: I don’t think so. The bands that played rock are still playing it and the bands that played punk/HC/metal are improving in search of an own style. In the rest of Spain there’s some new bands as ‘Nocivo’ [punk from Valencia], ‘Trip Inside’ [indie rock from Zaragoza] and many more. We’ld like to listen to new bands that appear in your zine, that come out from your area. Anyway, we think it’s good, in some places better than in other places.
If you want to add something…
Good luck with the zine, it’s really good! Thanks for your support and stay tuned for the new record!
