Back in the early 80's a region located in North Italy and named Piemonte gave birth to some punk-hardcore outfits themselves pioneers in a scene (mainly USA based) that was gaining interest among the punkrock boundaries. The likes of Negazione, Indigesti, Nerorgasmo and Peggio Punx (hailing from Alessandria) got out of their basements and community centers to let the 80's Italian, European and further out US punks hear their personal take on punk-hardcore (fire-branded by the lyrics sung in Italian among the things).
Things weren't definitely easy back then but these youths were driven by the flame and ethics of DIY and made it to cut for them an important niche in the history of the genre.
In a way things are definitely easier today (I bet you prove me wrong) but it seems only apparently.
In a way things are definitely easier today (I bet you prove me wrong) but it seems only apparently.
Italy, Alessandria based LAST DAY BEFORE HOLIDAY released their debut full-legnth last year on Indelirium and penned down a bunch of driving pop-punk tunes based on a lyrical concept that deals with their feelings on their hometown, the pop-punk scene and physical and mental-wise boundaries they have to break to express who they are through the music they love.
Last November the guys completed their second tour in Russia/Ukraine and we've emailed them some questions to know how the tour did go, talk about "The Way Out" and other few things you may find it interesting on this up and coming foursome.
Pier (drums) was so kind to take some time out and reply our questions. As you'll see he didn't spare himself spilling some, in my view helpful, critics to his Italian pears playing in bands these days and to those who don't do much to support the music they state to like.
gan: Okay, here we are! How's all in life guys? How the new year started for you and what are some of your expectations on it, and what about your new year's resolutions?
Yes, here we are. Everything is fine, the new year for me (Pier) has started on tour around Europe with my HC side–project. I think 2013 will be a very busy year for LDBH, we started writing our new record two month ago and we want to release the album before this summer and tour a lot everywhere we can, especially where we’ve never been.
gan: I wanna now let you introduce your band to the readers of gotanerve-zine. Please spill details like band members name/age/position, where you from and when you did get LAST DAY BEFORE HOLIDAYS started?
Hi Everybody, we are Last Day Before Holiday, an Italian Pop-Punk band from a useless town in the north of Italy called Alessandria. We're formed by: Pier (24years old) who plays drums, Biax (26 years old) who sings and plays guitar, Danil (26years old) who plays guitar, and Mike (28 years old) who plays bass.
gan: You guys recently toured Russia/Ukraine with Dance! No Thanks -we posted the tour video so some of the readers have already had the chance to check out some your tour moments. So, how did that go? Any cool stories you could not catch on the movie?
It was our third time in Russia and Ukraine and it was amazing! The video shows some of the best moments, but of course there were so many others! Every show was deserving a part in that video, because playing surrounded by enthusiastic fans really get the best out of us. Finally, the funny stories that are not in the video, were left out of it because they were definitely too crazy and embarrassing to be shared!
gan: How's been the crowd reception? And what are some of the differences you noticed between playing in Italy and those countries?
It was incredible, every time that we go there the crowd is amazing, it seems to be in another world. There's a lot of differences between playing in Italy and playing in other countries; the people outside Italy go to the concert and they know what they're going to see and there's a very pop-punk scene that supports the band and makes you feel like a rock-star for one night. It's incredible I’ve always said that the only thing that let us continue to write music and play together is going outside our country and see how many people appreciate what we're doing. And I think that for a band is the most important goal to see people that know your songs and scream on your face the lyrics that two months before you wrote in your room.
gan: You have toured on the new album "The Way Out" that you released last year on Indelirium records. How do you feel about this album?
We feel great, this is for sure the album that means more for us and that better describes ourselves. It's a concept album, all the lyrics talk about ourselves and how we feel inside this scene and inside this town. So I think that right now there’s nothing better to describe ourselves. Sometimes people like to put a label in every Pop-Punk CD that comes out, just because is Pop-Punk and it has to be stupid, funny and meaningless, ok I can say that sometime is the young band’s blame, that releases a CD just because is cool and because they have nothing better to do. But personally I hate this things, I listen to Pop-Punk since I was 11 years old and when I listen to a CD I want to understand what there's behind the record and why this band wrote this album.
gan: Let's talk about the cover artwork of TWO. You get pictured that guy seating on a bench into a bleak bubble that kind of expresses negativity and depression while the outer world is so bright colourful and expressing more positive feel to it. Who did come up with the idea behind this artwork and who's the author of it? Can you explain its meaning in your words?
The Artwork is a very important thing 'bout “The Way Out” and it was drawn by our friend Filippo Balza; it talks about our home town and how much it’s foggy and hopeless for a young band like us, we grew up inside it and year by year we toured and we went to another city to record our album and when we came home we just realized how much is difficult and frustrating to grow up inside a town that never gives you a chance to make what you want in your life. No place to play, no people that make a scene and no people that are interested in what you do. Every time that we came home from a tour it was a shock and when we started writing “The Way Out” I wanted that all the people knew that we are so sick and tired of this situation and I decided to write an album about that and I want that the people buying our album can understand our feelings starting from the moment that they take our album in their hands.
gan: How do you feel about the new breed of pop punk bands? What are you highlights and low lights of hardcore right now?
This is a really good question. Personally I think that right now in Italy there’s not a real Pop-Punk scene, there’s a couple of bands that I appreciate, but we live a very sad moment in the history of pop-punk. Unfortunately all the bands in Italy think that releasing a CD with a label and making a video can make you a rockstar and all the bands start to feel like this. It is not just the band’s fault, but the labels as well, and the booking agencies too, that promise bullshit to the bands, dreams that most of the time are not able to be realized. Another bad thing about Italy is that there’s no friendship among the bands, their no supporting each other, all the bands think about themselves. That’s why there’s not a real scene, cause everybody is jealous, if someone makes something more then another one. This is not happening in the Hardcore and in another European countries; I toured Europe this month with my Hardcore band JUNGLE FEVER and I was very surprise when I understood how much it is different outside our country and how many things a young band can do just going outside Italy. Hardcore lives a very great period right now there’s a lot of positive power around this scene, a lot of people go to the shows and appreciate, support the scene especially in Germany. So I hope that Italy can be like this in the future.
gan: Your region gave birth to some of the Italian punk hardcore bands like Negazione, Indigesti, Il Declino Nerorgasmo and Peggio Punx (that hails from your city) that during the 80's helped Italian punk-HC to get the deserved recognition all around world. What about your local scene today, if there's any?
Unfortunately there's no a good scene anymore inside our town, there's so many people that play music but unfortunately there's not a real scene. For me that I'm young the last good band that i can remember from my town is BIGOZ QUARTET a 90's emo band, and they influences LDBH a lot.
gan: Why a kid should check your band out?
I can't say that we play something that no one ever played before but I can say that we know what we do, we know what we play and we know where we come from. I think that this is a good reason.
gan: 2012 is just over, what have been some of the releases from last year that you loved the most?
Personally the releases that i love the most from 2012 are: Hit The Lights - Invicta, Handguns - Angst, Expire - Peundulum Swings and Fire and Ice - Not of this earth.
gan: Any new young band you'd suggest us checking out?
I really love the band Tundra Kids from Moscow in Russia and another band that i suggest is again from Russia and is called Scarlet Pills.
gan: Any final comments?
Thank you so much for the space that you give to us. LDBH are coming in 2013 with a NEW ALBUM and a lot of new gigs!
Last November the guys completed their second tour in Russia/Ukraine and we've emailed them some questions to know how the tour did go, talk about "The Way Out" and other few things you may find it interesting on this up and coming foursome.
Pier (drums) was so kind to take some time out and reply our questions. As you'll see he didn't spare himself spilling some, in my view helpful, critics to his Italian pears playing in bands these days and to those who don't do much to support the music they state to like.
gan: Okay, here we are! How's all in life guys? How the new year started for you and what are some of your expectations on it, and what about your new year's resolutions?
Yes, here we are. Everything is fine, the new year for me (Pier) has started on tour around Europe with my HC side–project. I think 2013 will be a very busy year for LDBH, we started writing our new record two month ago and we want to release the album before this summer and tour a lot everywhere we can, especially where we’ve never been.
gan: I wanna now let you introduce your band to the readers of gotanerve-zine. Please spill details like band members name/age/position, where you from and when you did get LAST DAY BEFORE HOLIDAYS started?
Hi Everybody, we are Last Day Before Holiday, an Italian Pop-Punk band from a useless town in the north of Italy called Alessandria. We're formed by: Pier (24years old) who plays drums, Biax (26 years old) who sings and plays guitar, Danil (26years old) who plays guitar, and Mike (28 years old) who plays bass.
gan: You guys recently toured Russia/Ukraine with Dance! No Thanks -we posted the tour video so some of the readers have already had the chance to check out some your tour moments. So, how did that go? Any cool stories you could not catch on the movie?
It was our third time in Russia and Ukraine and it was amazing! The video shows some of the best moments, but of course there were so many others! Every show was deserving a part in that video, because playing surrounded by enthusiastic fans really get the best out of us. Finally, the funny stories that are not in the video, were left out of it because they were definitely too crazy and embarrassing to be shared!
gan: How's been the crowd reception? And what are some of the differences you noticed between playing in Italy and those countries?
It was incredible, every time that we go there the crowd is amazing, it seems to be in another world. There's a lot of differences between playing in Italy and playing in other countries; the people outside Italy go to the concert and they know what they're going to see and there's a very pop-punk scene that supports the band and makes you feel like a rock-star for one night. It's incredible I’ve always said that the only thing that let us continue to write music and play together is going outside our country and see how many people appreciate what we're doing. And I think that for a band is the most important goal to see people that know your songs and scream on your face the lyrics that two months before you wrote in your room.
gan: You have toured on the new album "The Way Out" that you released last year on Indelirium records. How do you feel about this album?
We feel great, this is for sure the album that means more for us and that better describes ourselves. It's a concept album, all the lyrics talk about ourselves and how we feel inside this scene and inside this town. So I think that right now there’s nothing better to describe ourselves. Sometimes people like to put a label in every Pop-Punk CD that comes out, just because is Pop-Punk and it has to be stupid, funny and meaningless, ok I can say that sometime is the young band’s blame, that releases a CD just because is cool and because they have nothing better to do. But personally I hate this things, I listen to Pop-Punk since I was 11 years old and when I listen to a CD I want to understand what there's behind the record and why this band wrote this album.
gan: Let's talk about the cover artwork of TWO. You get pictured that guy seating on a bench into a bleak bubble that kind of expresses negativity and depression while the outer world is so bright colourful and expressing more positive feel to it. Who did come up with the idea behind this artwork and who's the author of it? Can you explain its meaning in your words?
The Artwork is a very important thing 'bout “The Way Out” and it was drawn by our friend Filippo Balza; it talks about our home town and how much it’s foggy and hopeless for a young band like us, we grew up inside it and year by year we toured and we went to another city to record our album and when we came home we just realized how much is difficult and frustrating to grow up inside a town that never gives you a chance to make what you want in your life. No place to play, no people that make a scene and no people that are interested in what you do. Every time that we came home from a tour it was a shock and when we started writing “The Way Out” I wanted that all the people knew that we are so sick and tired of this situation and I decided to write an album about that and I want that the people buying our album can understand our feelings starting from the moment that they take our album in their hands.
gan: How do you feel about the new breed of pop punk bands? What are you highlights and low lights of hardcore right now?
This is a really good question. Personally I think that right now in Italy there’s not a real Pop-Punk scene, there’s a couple of bands that I appreciate, but we live a very sad moment in the history of pop-punk. Unfortunately all the bands in Italy think that releasing a CD with a label and making a video can make you a rockstar and all the bands start to feel like this. It is not just the band’s fault, but the labels as well, and the booking agencies too, that promise bullshit to the bands, dreams that most of the time are not able to be realized. Another bad thing about Italy is that there’s no friendship among the bands, their no supporting each other, all the bands think about themselves. That’s why there’s not a real scene, cause everybody is jealous, if someone makes something more then another one. This is not happening in the Hardcore and in another European countries; I toured Europe this month with my Hardcore band JUNGLE FEVER and I was very surprise when I understood how much it is different outside our country and how many things a young band can do just going outside Italy. Hardcore lives a very great period right now there’s a lot of positive power around this scene, a lot of people go to the shows and appreciate, support the scene especially in Germany. So I hope that Italy can be like this in the future.
gan: Your region gave birth to some of the Italian punk hardcore bands like Negazione, Indigesti, Il Declino Nerorgasmo and Peggio Punx (that hails from your city) that during the 80's helped Italian punk-HC to get the deserved recognition all around world. What about your local scene today, if there's any?
Unfortunately there's no a good scene anymore inside our town, there's so many people that play music but unfortunately there's not a real scene. For me that I'm young the last good band that i can remember from my town is BIGOZ QUARTET a 90's emo band, and they influences LDBH a lot.
gan: Why a kid should check your band out?
I can't say that we play something that no one ever played before but I can say that we know what we do, we know what we play and we know where we come from. I think that this is a good reason.
gan: 2012 is just over, what have been some of the releases from last year that you loved the most?
Personally the releases that i love the most from 2012 are: Hit The Lights - Invicta, Handguns - Angst, Expire - Peundulum Swings and Fire and Ice - Not of this earth.
gan: Any new young band you'd suggest us checking out?
I really love the band Tundra Kids from Moscow in Russia and another band that i suggest is again from Russia and is called Scarlet Pills.
gan: Any final comments?
Thank you so much for the space that you give to us. LDBH are coming in 2013 with a NEW ALBUM and a lot of new gigs!
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