Features

Adhesive
submitted by
Thomas
 on
Friday, March 16, 2018 - 16:21

- by xFlipx

Swedish punk outfit Adhesive had a go at it throughout the nineties and released three solid albums before calling it a day in 2002. Since then they have received various offers for a reunion, but turned them all down. Until they started playing shows again last year. In the original line-up. With just one big difference. This time around they were playing shows in order to raise money for charity organisations involved in aiding refugees and victims of conflicts. And well, if they had a good time along the way that wouldn't hurt things either. This Summer they will be playing their last ever shows, so we figured it was now or never so we sat down with vocalist/bassist Geir Pedersen!

 

PRT: It’s been 17 years since Adhesive’s last release and 15 years since the last Adhesive show. What has changed in the Punkrock/Hardcore scene in those years? What is the biggest difference between the Swedish scene today and the scene back then?

Geir: A lot, I guess. Back when we played, there were punk bands in every bush here in Sweden, but today, the scene has changed a lot. There arent many skatepunk bands around. Still a lot of DIY, but different type of bands playing.

 

PRT: Why do you think people still care about a band that quit playing 15 years ago?

Geir: Good question! We always had a quite steadfast underground following. Maybe even more so after we quit. A lot of old fans wanted to see us again, and quite many new ones wanted the chance to see us for the first time. Maybe the music did survive over time?

 

PRT: Is there a reason why you chose Doctors Without Borders as a charity?

Geir: We decided that it should be a transparent organisation, focused on hands on business. MSF are usually one of the first in when disaster strikes. They are a NGO, mostly depending on private donations. We also considered UNCHR and Red Cross/Crescent, but decided on MSF.

 

PRT: From what I’ve heard it’s a reunion (shows only) not or a reformation (new music)? But the question begs to be asked: have you been tempted to write new music? Why (not)?

Geir: No. Its a reunion with a time limit to it. If we were to do new stuff, we would have to put in even more time into it – time we dont have. We have very supportive families, giving us the opportunity to play shows, which is also very time consuming. We all have kids and full time jobs, so this is definitely a one off thing.

 

PRT: What places have you played for the first time during the past year? Why didn’t it happen sooner?

Geir: Japan, Norway and Finland saw us for the first time. Japan for the obvious distance reason, but I really dont have a good answer as for our neighbouring countries. Really fantastic trips, all of them! We will return to both Finland and Norway in May.

 

PRT: In 1996 you played in Tongeren, Belgium, De Sjofaasj. About that show the band have said: “a day and night to remember”. Please, do share with the rest of the class.

Geir: If I recall correctly, we had a day off before the show, and the promotors let us come to their house to stay. Without saying too much, a combination of proximity to the Dutch border, and Belgiums well reputed beer culture, did have some interesting end results. There also was a furry, very friendly dog, hanging out with us. The show was really good, and there probably was some epic after party going on. I think Kim from Steele Justice has the show taped on VHS.

 

PRT: From Left to Right has been one of my favourite punkrock albums of all time. What album do you consider to be the definitive Adhesive album? And why is that?


Geir: I think the general opinion in the band is the same as yours. Its edgy and soft at the same time, and also the album with the most songs we all like even now. Sideburner was very naïve, in a way – very enthusiastic and such, and WGTB was a little bit over the edge. I think we were tired of skatepunk and people telling us how to sould, so we went rougher. FLTR is more of our essence. Melodies, edge, message.

 

PRT: Adhesive have always been a band that shared strong and very outspoken political views. How did you experience the Sverigedemokraterna (Swedish Democrats aka far right nationalists) winning representation in the Swedish Parliament in 2010? And how do you feel about their continued rise during the 2014 elections?

Its very hard to accept. The usual scapegoat searching populist bastards. What is really scary, though, is that they attracted a lot of voters from the traditional Social Democrat voters. When Social Democrats become liberals, the voters feel betrayed and confused, I guess, and go for the populist vote. Sadly enough, the Sweden Democrats are conservative far right in almost all labour issues.

 

PRT: I used to live in Sweden around the time the SD got voted into parliament and I kind of predicted that they would. Because I saw the same mechanis  ms (populism and blind belief over facts) at work, that facilitated the rise of the far right in Belgium, France and Holland during the early and late 90’s. Do you think there is a solution to what going on in Europe (or the Western world for that matter) with regards to far right populism? Or do we just have to accept that 20-30% of the electorate will always vote that way? No matter what.

I really dont have a good answer for that. Its like history always repeats itself, and that we never learn from our mistakes. In bad times, you search for someone to blame. Instead of blaming ourselves, the origin of colonisation, exploitation of third world countries etcetera, we blame others. Its sickening, actually. How can we blame people for wanting to improve their lives?

 

PRT: In a post, on your Facebook page, about political violence in Spain someone wrote “Political problems (are) not solved by politicians”`; Which I thought was a great quote. But, there’s also the psychological theory of Cognitive Dissonance, which claims that: people dig in their heels and hold on to their beliefs even when faced with overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And indeed, when peoples self-confidence is rattled (when facts intrude?), they may become even more hell-bent on sticking to their beliefs. We currently live on the edge of a post-fact or post-truth society. So, if politicians aren’t the answer and facts don’t matter … how do we bring about change?

There is no cure for stupidity – education can ease the symptoms. Have a curious and open heart. Burst your bubble and look outside your facebook feed. Live. Hell, I dont know. I get misanthropic sometimes, but  I must believe in goodness.
 

PRT: A few quick fire questions: ABBA Gold or EBBA Gold?

EBBA Gold

 

PRT: Generator or Against The Grain?

Against the grain

 

PRT: Hero Of Our Time (Satanic Surfers) or The Rest is Silence (Randy)?

Hero of our time

 

PRT: Fucking Åmål or Låt Den Rätte Komma In

Both are good, but LDRKI

 

Abhinanda or Refused?PRT:

Abhinanda (José – you have my bank info, right?)

 

Epitaph or Fat Wreck Chords?PRT:

Epitaph for their history and legacy.

Tom Dumarey
Tom Dumarey

Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.

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