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Interview with The Vendetta
One of the best Oi/streetpunkbands in the last couple of years has to be the Italians in The Bloodline, which became one of my favoritebands after their split with Tabloid Play and the fullenght Razorstrike....now they have changed their name to The Vendetta and the sound has chnaged a bit. Claudine from Brutus Record asked If I could do an interview with them since they are on the way to Sweden to perform in May.So here we go...I give you-The Vendetta
After a great album, Razorstrike and a split with Tabloid Play you changed your name from The Bloodline to The Vendetta. And your sound changed as well as the name, in my book from Oi/streetpunk to hardcore.Why the change? What happened in the band round this time?
We changed name due to a minor line-up change and also cause we were looking for a different kind of sound. Right now,we are writing down the new album,that will be out in late summer and it's going to a mix of the two sounds.Heavy-rocking with a massive dose of hardcore. Melody,lots of backing vocals and loud guitars!
For those that havent heard Vendetta yet, can you descibe your sound and tell them what to expect of the album Terror Nation?
We've tried to develop different ideas in the same album,some early 80's hc mixed up with streetrock'n'roll and heavier stuff. It sounds pretty various,it's kinda a preview for the next full lenght, that will be even more powerful.
I myself was a bit disappointed in Terrornation at first when I got the promo from Brutus Records since I expected a lot more Bloodline and had that sound fresh in my memory,,but after a while I started to really like Terrornation...Have you heard smiliar reactions and are you bored stiff with questions about Bloodline?
Of course,when you change direction you've got to face different point of views.We like critics and comments concerning our new stuff,but we also know that those are two different projects ( The Bloodline and The Vendetta). Our aim is to constantly looking for the best in terms of sound,songwriting and satisfaction,so we found normal to move on something new in order to achieve a sound we like. It's usual to be asked about The Bloodline as we're The Bloodline and we don't see it as something dead,but just as the first step of our path.
Do you include any songs from The Bloodline era in your repotoire today?
Always,we usually we play most of the songs of the Razorstrike album and some others from the Tabloid Play/Bloodline split as well as Vendetta songs.
Who is the average The Vendetta fan?
Anybody,mostly girls and a wide range of kids.We've played for rockers,skinheads,punks,hardcore kids,metal heads,bikers..
Any interest in football in the band?
Right nowwe're more for some smaller and local clubs then A league football.
There are many great Oi/punk/HC bands from Italy, Colonna Infame and Klasse Kriminale to name a few but which is your favorite domestic band? And which band has meant the most to you?
Colonna Infame (Rip) and Banda del Rione are my favourite nowadays,along with Woptime that is an hardcore band with lots of Oi! influences. I guess that Rough,Nabat,Basta and Hope & Glory meant the most for me.
A lof of the Italian HC/Oi/punkbands sing in the native languaged while you do it all in English. Are thereany plans of doing some songs in Italian?
I don't think so,we prefer english for our music.
One more question about Italy...I have always thought that the Italian scene has always been very good and interesting. How do you think it has developed over the years since you got into the whole scene and until today?
Dunno,the italian scene it's particular because of the real network between cities and crews.But there also too much gossips and rumors.
You released Razorstrike as Bloodline on Step 1 and is now on Brutus Records. And my question now is: What makes Brutus so good and what makes a recordlabel good (and bad)?
Well,we're good friends with Tony at Step One Records and absolutely there's no concurrence between the two labels.He's an awesome guy and we like to work with him but we also like to work with Claudine at Brutus records. That why we like to work with both of them,as well as some other labels like Pure Punk Records from Italy,Pogo 77 Records and Too Circle Records both of them from Japan. We like the idea our music is everywhere. What makes Brutus Records so good? I guess the loyalty,friendship and commitment.They're all hardworkers,ready to take care of your release 24 hours a day,ready to listen to you whenever you've got a problem with recordings,studio,artwork ..whatever. That makes them one of the best around in terms of relationship band-label.
You will play in Sweden soon, what do you know about the country and it`s Oi/punk/skinhead scene? Heard any good bands?
We're in touch with some nice people from Sweden and they all seem to us smart and openminded. Yes,we know a lot of bands from Sweden ( Agent Bulldogg,Dims Rebellion,Perkele,Righteous,Sluggers,Radio 69,Battle Scarred,Clockwork Crew,Loiters and many others..) and we're proud to finally touch base in your beautiful country.
What do you prefer, "real" paper fanzines or webzines?
Both of them are good,I've always enjoyed paper fanzines but I also like webzines as they're more updated.
Any closing comments?
Thanks for the interview and the nice questions,we all look forward to meet you and all our swedish friends in May..Italians do it better!
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