Peel interview 01/09/24
MM: Can you tell us about your Band and whos your biggest influences
Pim: We are a band from a smalltown just outside of Oslo in Norway. We have released
two albums, a couple of EP’s and a bunch of singles. We’ve been around for a while
and the band consists of Seb (guitars and programming), Holten (bass, programming
and vocals) and Pim (vocals, keys, programming and guitars). We use various
drummers live and in the studio.
Holten: Our musical influences are so diverse… not really sure anyone has favourite
bands anymore. The way we listen to music and how we relate to bands and artists has
changed so much in the last decade and a half that I think most of us have favourite
songs now and are perhaps not so interested in the artists the same way as before. As
musicians we are constantly seeking to expand our musical horizon so we do seek out
different artists and genres all the time but we kind of end up finding a lot of new songs
without perhaps checking out the artists catalogue to any extent. Sad, but I think that’s
the case for most people nowadays where everything happens so fast with social media
and so on. If we had to pick a few favs… a-ha, The Cure, Pearl Jam, The Weekend,
Crowded House, Slipknot, Wovenhand, Iron Maiden, The Beatles, ELO, The Foo
Fighters, Abba, Depeche Mode... Seriously, that list could go on forever.
MM: Where do you draw your inspirations and ideas from
Pim: From movies, books, music, poems, paintings, relationships, from a totally fucked
up but very beautiful world….Observere , catch the ideas and “create with the heart;
build with the mind” as Criss Jami, the poet, essayist and philosopher says.
MM: What would you say is your Bands favourite song ?
Seb: It would be “Second Man on the Moon” from the “Die in June EP” for me
Pim: It’s constantly changing, but right now I think it must be our next single “One you
Know” , But I agree with Seb that “Second Man on the Moon” is a favourite for me
among the released songs, at the moment…If you ask me next week I’ll probably give
you a totally different answer.
MM: Plans tour and festival wise for 2024
Pim: We have played one festival this summer. In general we have done few live shows
this year, because we have placed our energy and priorities in working in the studio
recording new material.
MM: What can we expect from (Band Name) live
Pim: A killer set list delivered with a hearts on the sleeve performance with high energy
combined with musical sensitivity.
MM: What do you like best and worst about touring
Pim: To connect with people, to get the chance to express ourselves from stage doing
what we love the most - play and share our music! Tedious travels, hotel rooms, all the
waiting is probably the downside of it all, BUT it’s nowhere near outweighing the nice
sides of touring.
MM: Which three Bands would be your ultimate touring buddies
Seb: Pearl Jam, Faith No More, The Cure and Peel would be cool.
Pim: To start it off I would have a Russian Male Choir with the Berlin Philharmonic
performing Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, followed by Depeche Mode and then Black
Sabbath (the Dio era) and Peel.
MM: What's the most memorable concert you've been to (other than your own) and whyPim:
I’ve been to many memorable concerts; Suede at Sentrum Scene in Oslo, Norway, 2016,
was mind blowing, The Cure at Øya Festival, 2019,Norway, was magic, Ghost in Oslo
Spektrum, 2022 was really great.
MM: Which are your Two favourite Albums of all time
Seb: It is difficult, yeah almost impossible to name just two albums, but I’ll go with
Queen’s “Jazz”album (or any other album by Queen) and The Incident by Porcupine
Tree.
Pim: “Spirit of Eden” by Talk Talk and “Never Loved Elvis” by The Wonderstuff. Ask me
tomorrow and the answer would most likely be a different one…
MM: Can you remember the first time you ever played live and how it felt to have people
watching you?
Pim: Yeah, my first live performance was when I was ten years old. I played a song I
made myself called “Driving On” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Knocking on Heavens
Door”. I guess I was the weirdo in the class with my head in the clouds, home cut hair
and second hand clothes, so I can clearly remember feeling like “a somebody” instead
of “a nobody” when I was on stage. At the same time I was tremendously nervous. I still
feel the same when I play live.
MM: Growing up which Bands posters did you have on your bedroom wall.
Seb: When I first got into music it was all about classic rock bands like Queen and Van
Halen. I was a major fan of those two bands in particular. Then I discovered progressive
music and I became a massive Porcupine Tree fan.
MM - Who do you think influenced the world of Metal / Rock more than any other person
Holten: The pope….
MM - Whats the most important thing to the band right now?
Pim: To promote our new single “Love Phobia”!! And go on and make new music,
record and release, and expand the peeluniverse. And then play live as much as we can.
MM:If you could do a cover of any song which one would it be and why?
Seb: It would be fun to do a cover of “Turn it on Again” by Genesis. Simply because it’s
a song that I have listened to quite a lot lately…
Pim:
MM: Tell us why we should buy and listen to your Band
Pim: If you have an open mind in that sense that you can appreciate music from a broad
spectrum or genres - of course limited by the 60 + years of rock culture - then I will be
so bold as to state that Peel is a band you most likely will enjoy. At least good parts of
our catalogue. Both musically and lyric wise. We travel through rock history with ease
and lay no boundaries upon ourselves in the creative process, in other words we do
what comes to us naturally. I think Peel is a band that is generally valid; I think we
communicate across generational borders, no matter how or what or why people define
themselves as, I think we stretch wide of genre borders and the crowd we draw is
polarised from emos, punks, freaks, headbangers, goths - to straight popheads, those
who like classic rock, electronica fans, synthlovers, that seems to get unified in our
music.
MM: Four words to describe Peel:
Peel: Eclectic. Fluctuating. Hopeful. Misanthropic.
MM:Final Words for your fans and our readers
Peel: Check out our new single “Love Phobia” on Spotify and all the other streaming
services. If you’re not familiar with the band, dive into our catalogue and listen to
songs like “Natalie Somewhere”, “Like Sand”, “Breathe”, “Boy With the Oxygen Mask”,
“(We are) The Wheel”, “Loaded” and “Crack” to name a few. Then you’ll get a grip on
why we selected the four words to describe Peel.
We are grateful for lending us your time both by reading this and listening to our music.
We hope to see you on the road. Take care and peace out!
