TRASHCAN DARLINGS

Here is an interview with the awesome TRASHCAN DARLINGS. I already liked their recordings but their show in Freiburg (Germany) made me love them. If you look for the best of glam punk, check them out!
(Pics By Olivier Bresson.)

So, who are Trashcan Darlings?
The Trashcan Darlings are Norway's ultimate Glamour-Punk band.
The band was formed by Strange? Gentle and myself in 1995. Mostly out of boredom of what was going on in "rock" at that time. In Oslo, Norway, grunge was still big in '95 and that was not what we were about at all. We like good melodies combined with a kick-ass beat and we found none of that in grunge. So basically we set out to form a group that we would like to see and listen to, the ultimate rock´n´roll machine...the group of our dreams!

What have you released so far?
We have released 2 7" singles, I Just Wanna Die (on a chemical high) BW I was right You were wrong and Johnny Is A Drag-Queen BW Barbed Wire Boogie.1 6-track 10" (which has also been released as a 5-track mini CD) entiteled  Gore Gore Boys & Splatter Pussies. And one 4-track EP entiteled the Holiday In My Head EP. All the little stories from the recording sessions and pictures of the covers and so on are well documentet on our web-site  www.trashcandarlings.com

When we think about Norway, the name of TURBONEGRO immediately comes to mind, has their success opened some doors for smaller bands?
Yeah, I think the success of band like Turbonegro and Gluecifer has more doors than the Norwegian Black metal scene, at least. It's not like there  are big record companies standing in line to sign anything from Norway or managers with big vallets who just can't wait to get hold of a Norwegian rock act, but I think the success of these bands have proven to the industry and the fans, both in Norway and internationally, that there are a lot of great bands and a lot of stuff going on here.

Usually, what are your lyrics about?
Our lyrics are about our lives, really. Both me and Strange? write songs about stuff we're concerned about. I write most of my lyrics out of frustration, anger and/or depression. So we are not like the 80's LA glam bands lyrically either. Personally I've always prefered dark lyrics to the happy-go-lucky shite. For me it's much more interesting to hear Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys sing: "Ain't it fun when you know that you're gonna die young." Than to hear somebody singing about how happy he or she is.The clue to making good Glamour-Punk (or glam rock with a punk attitude) is always in the lyrics. If you've got something to say, say it! Give it to people straight, you know. I think anyone who has listened to our records  will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Have you already played outside Northern Europe?
Not yet, I'm afraid, but we are dying to! We get a lot of fan mails from all over the world and we can't wait to come and play for everybody, but we need to be invited first. So just invite us and we'll come and play!

Do you think that rock'n'roll will be back on the top of the bill? Today, it is underground again but the good side of it is that the bands are wildest than a few years ago, do you think that if it becomes big again it will look/sound more mainstream?
I was watching MTV the other day and I saw this pop video (can't remember the name of the artist or the song) were they had a synth sound that emulated a distorted guitar. The track sounded almost like something Gary Moore could have written in his "rock" period in the 80's, but it was a plain pop tune. I sat there watching it and I remember saying to my friend "this is substitute rock, man."And that's really what it was...so, yeah. I think rock is on it's way back on top of the bill! I think the kids are starved for rock and that´s what the big record companies are exploiting now and making substitutes. I think some of the rock bands that are around now have what it takes to bring it back. I think rock kinda killed itself (with a little help from the industry, off-course) and the bands who have been around since are just not good enough. I mean, there is a lot of energy there, but many rock bands today never learned how to write a decent song and in the long run that's what it's all about. If you don't have GREAT songs you can be the best guitarist in the world with the most energic show there is, but all you'll ever be is a fun live act. You´ll never be top-bill! When rock comes back I think it'll become more mainstream, eventually. It always does. Once the big business people get hold of it, it's bound to turn more mainstream. I don´t think the bands who are around now, and have been for a long while, will turn more mainstream. But there´ll always be copycats, who are just in it to make a quick buck. It doesn´t worry me though, ´cause I think the real fans will always be able to tell the difference.

Does your image help you to find shows or to get more contacts?
No it doesn't. If we'd dressed up in denim, taken most of the make-up off and did the whole "rawk" style, things would have been much easier for us. But the Trashcan Darlings are for real, we're not gonna start compromizing now. If we were into that, we would probably have started a grunge band in '95.

What would be your playlist for the last days or weeks?
That's a hard one....hmmmm....I can't really give you a full playlist, but I listen to a lot of Sigue Sigue Sputnik stuff + the Rolling Stones at the moment. Strange? listens to a lot of really weird stuff at the moment.

What are your projects in a near future?
In December/January we'll be releasing a "tribute to Hanoi Rocks" split-single with another great Norwegian band called SILVER. We also hope to start work on the first full-lenght album early next year.

Do you want to conclude? Thanks for your time.
Nothing I got everything down in the interview! Check out our web-site at www.trashcandarlings.com and we´ll see you all on tour!

interviews