Fittingly, our interview with Raketkanon came about in quite a strange way.
We attempted to reach the Belgian noise-merchants via their management, but to no avail. However, while cracking on with interviewing some other great bands in the backstage bar of ArcTanGent festival, we bumped into the band by complete chance. Raketkanon enthusiastically agreed to be interviewed, but obviously we had no questions prepared, so what follows is more a free form conversation about music than an interview, but we hope you enjoy it anyway!
How did Raketkanon find ArcTanGent this year?
Pieter-Paul Devos (vocals): They found us! Well, at least the booker did. I honestly had never heard of it before they contacted Raketkanon.
Jef Verbeeck (guitarist): Yeah, we hadn’t heard of it before we were booked to play it, but now we’re here we love this place.
Pieter-Paul: It’s awesome.
Lode Vlaeminck (drums): We sent were here by the big label people who wanted to make us huge in The UK, and it’s worked because obviously we’re huge already. So I’d say mission accomplished for Raketkanon!
Have you managed to catch any bands while you’ve been here?
Pieter-Paul: We haven’t managed to catch a lot of stuff yet. We do really want to see And So I Watch You From Afar though.
How did your last tour of The UK with Heck go?
Pieter-Paul: They’re actually really good friends of ours. We were playing the shows for the release of their album, Instructions, and we played some shows here and there in between with them.
Jef: That’s where our friendship started. Sometimes it goes a bit further than a friendship…
Pieter-Paul: They’ve got our addresses, our phone numbers, and they come and sleep over, and… yeah.
Do you have any plans to tour with them again?
Jef: We all feel we should do it again.
I think it’s really cool that your Facebook lists Raketkanon as Butthole Surfers influenced, because that’s not a band that you see mentioned too often.
Pieter-Paul: It’s sort of a band that comes up when we get compared to other musicians. We really like them, though. Well, at least I do. But when music is your big passion, your life, you listen to all kinds of music. We like The Beatles as much as the Butthole Surfers. But when it comes to the Butthole Surfers, I really like their first album, and the live video that they put out is really cool as well
(NOTE – it’s called A Blind Eye Sees All and I recommend it to anyone who wants to see something really messed up.)
So you mentioned The Beatles and the Butthole Surfers, does that mean Raketkanon has a psychedelic influence to it?
Lode: Well, I think I like everything The Beatles has ever done.
Jef: Yeah, but we also like really weird shit, like spaced out shit, so I’d say, yeah.
Pieter-Paul: I do get a bit turned off if it’s a bit too proggy… but whatever, its personal taste, so it doesn’t matter.
So what’s your favourite Beatles album?
Pieter-Paul: That’s a hard question. Maybe Revolver… no, not Revolver… ah, fuck!
Jef: Favourite Beatles album? Revolver.
Pieter-Paul: Abbey Road!
Jef: For me it’s all about the later stuff.
Lode: I like them all. Like basically 95% of all Beatles songs.
Jef: The later stuff was amazing though. Like, they got so experimental, and it opened up so much…
Pieter-Paul: Wait, I thought we were talking about Raketkanon? No, I’m just kidding!
Well, speaking of Raketkanon, how did you think your set today went?
Pieter-Paul: Brilliant!
Lode: It was a bit like The Beatles out there! They could learn from us (laughs).
Pieter-Paul: No, but seriously, it was great out there. It was a great crowd. We had good luck in that it started raining just as we were about to start playing, so everyone came into the tent. It was cool though, I think they actually liked us and didn’t just stay because it was raining outside.
So have you guys played any of the big festivals in The UK, like Sonisphere or Download?
Pieter-Paul: No, not yet. We’ve done 3 tours over here, and we’ve come over about 10 or 15 times for club shows.
Lode: We did the Showcase Festival in Bristol, but none of the “big” festivals yet.
Where’s your favourite place in The UK?
Lode: Manchester’s pretty good.
Pieter-Paul: I’ve got a soft spot for Manchester too.
Jef: I really like Brighton.
Have you got any plans for the near future?
Pieter-Paul: We’re still working on a new album. We’ll have to see when we’re going to put it out.
Jef: I’m releasing another album with another band of mine, so that’s going to be my priority.
FIND OUT MORE:
RAKETKANON ON FACEBOOK
RAKETKANON ONLINE
