Ilosaarirock Joensuu 3 days 14th-16th July 2017

Millencolin won’t slow down

Skate punk band Millencolin answered a few questions after their Friday show. Ilosaarirock met the band's expectations.

Millencolin enjoyed their time at Ilosaarirock. Photo: Inka Nevalainen

We talked to the Swedish skate punk band Millencolin after their Friday gig. The band has visited Finland many times ever since the 90s, but this was their first time at Ilosaarirock.

After the show, the cheerful guitarists Mathias and Erik tell that they knew about Ilosaarirock’s reputation as a nice festival already. That’s why they had high expectations, which Ilosaarirock met fully: the festival turned out to be everything they had hoped for.

The band members have some experience in organizing their own music festival, so they know the pressure that’s involved very well. In 2012, to honour their 20-year career, the band organized a festival where they also played themselves.

According to Mathias and Erik, the band has played as many as 1500 shows during their career, so there are many memorable gigs among them. The guitarists say one of the most memorable ones is a show they played in São Paulo, where people were chasing each other with knives and Mathias’ guitar broke in two, among other things.

After many years of silence, Millencolin released a new album, ”True Brew”, in 2015. Their album covers have often been animal-themed, and the latest album also has a bear on the cover. The guys explain that the bear is based on a joke about how Swedes keep mixing the pronunciation of the English words bear and beer. Besides, polar bears have been a part of the band’s visual image for some time now. One of their most famous songs is called Penguins and Polar Bears, after all.

So, the guys have been in this band for way over two decades. What’s the driving force that keeps them still going? Mathias and Erik think that the most important thing is to make great music and have fun. They have been in the band longer than without it, so it’s become their way of life. Plus, playing great shows, like this Friday, is rewarding year after year. And since we’re talking about a skate punk band, of course skateboarding is still an important part of the band’s life, too, and they’re not quitting their hobby any time soon.

Text: Ida Käkelä
Photo: Inka Nevalainen


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