Introduce yourself…
Oi oi, we’re The Agitators, a streetpunk band from Antwerp, Belgium. Started in 2000, bringing singalong, fists in the air, pub anthems.
How did the band start?
Markus and I (Bart) frequented the same pub, we were both looking for a new band so we decided to start our own.
How did you come up with the name?
Markus opened a dictionary and The Agitators was one of the first good sounding names he found, simple as that ;-)
Who would you say are your influences?
Cock Sparrer, Stiff Little Fingers, The Pogues, Naked Raygun, Cockney Rejects, Perkele,... We listen to lots of different bands in lots of different genres and I guess we’re influenced by all of them. Marc (voc) and I listen to Oi, ska, punk, alternative, Irish, britpunk, rock. Dave (bass) is a metalhead and Wannes (drums) is obsessed with Deutsche Schlagers :-))
What is the punk scene like in Belgium?
The punk scene in Belgium is pretty small these days. We’ve got lots of good bands like Customized, Silver & Gold, The Widowmakers, The Kids, The Pride, The Jesters,... And there still seem to be some youngsters starting new bands, which is fantastic!. But it’s hard to do decent shows in Belgium, not enough people show up.
What is the song writing process?
Marc and I work together on new material, I bring him guitar riffs, he puts lyrics on them. Marc really knows how to write great singalong choruses!
Dave, the only educated musician in the band, delivers complete songs. He sends us full band demo versions.
You first released a split with the Heartaches, tell us about the split…
The Heartaches are friends of us, they started out around the same time as we did and we did a few shows together. I really love their early work, top quality streetpunk! Rock’n’RollRadio wanted to do a split 7”, we didn’t hesitate. Later on they got more into glam, mascara, lipstick, etc. Not exact my cup of tea. Some of them are in a new band called The City, you should check them out if you’re into bands like Guns ‘n’ Roses.
Your first album was ‘Meet the Lads’, tell us about the album…
In the beginning we handed out as much demos as we could, we never sold them. We gave them to the crowd and the bands we played with like Sixer, The Forgotten, Planet Smashers,... The demo got widespread around the world. All of a sudden we got a mail from Street Anthem Records, telling us they wanted to release our debut album. We were all very excited and still very thankful for the opportunity they gave us. Street Anthem really got the ball rolling for us!
What was it like to work with an American record label?
A bit of mixed feelings. It was great to have an American label release our debut album, the US is a little bit bigger than Belgium ;-) And Meeting The Lads, in my opinion, sounds more American than European. Most of the songs on that album were written by Marc and me and I was influenced a lot by bands like US Bombs, Sixer and One Man Army those days.
But on the downside, we could only guess what was happening with our album in the states. We didn't get any support from Street Anthem when we came to the states, they didn’t even want to press more cd’s. I tried to contact them a few years back but no response, don’t know if they’re still active?
In 2005, you did a U.S. tour with Funeral Dress, tell us about the tour…
We did 2 U.S. tours with Funeral Dress, in 2005 and 2006. Both tours were amazing! Funeral Dress are top lads! They’re pretty big in Belgium but I couldn’t believe how big they are in the states. The first show we did was in the Allen Theatre in South Gate, show was sold out and a few hundred punks outside trying to get hold of a ticket. It was crazy, we immediately knew it was going to be a fun tour! Resilience were on that tour as well, we did some serious drinking sessions with them :-)
In 2006 we played the British Punk Invasion festival in San Bernardino which was a bizarre experience. I really enjoyed our set, great response from the four to five thousands punks and skins attending the festivities. But later on the cops had the brilliant idea to teargas the venue, it was horrible. There were family’s with youngsters there enjoying the bands and all of a sudden panic breaks out. Quickly panic turned into violence and riots. Next day on the news “When the cops arrived, the crowd was already agitated” LOL
Those tours brought us to legendary venues as CBGB’s (twice) and The Troubadour, an experience to never forget! Would really love to go back there someday...
That same year you released your second album ‘Salute to All’, how do you feel it differed from the first album?
We grew as a band and Dave (bass) got involved in the writing process, so there’s more variation in the songs. The production’s a bit better as well. I recorded and mixed all our releases, Meeting The Lads was one of the first recordings I ever did and you can hear that :-) In fact you can hear my progress as a recording engineer in our releases. With previous bands I ended up in a few different studio’s and I always had a problem with engineers doing their own thing, not listening to the bands opinion. An engineer/producer is hired to go for the band’s goal not the other way around. So I decided to try it on my own and never looked back. In fact I became a full-time recording engineer, running my own studio “High Lake Hill Studio” (www.highlakehill.be)
In 2009, you released your last album ‘Among Friends’, tell us about the album…
In my opinion, our best album so far. A release I’m very proud of. The songs are very catchy with good singalong parts and the production is much better than our previous releases. But I guess that’s how every band’s feeling about their latest release. You’re not going to say that you’ve just released your worst album :-)
Tell us about the lineup…
We started out in 2000 with Markus on drums, Alain on bass, Marc shouting and me (Bart) on guitar. Just 4 mates having a laugh and a few beers. When things got a bit more serious, although there’s still enough laughs and beers, Alain had to pull out ‘cause he couldn’t combine his job with the band and didn’t want to slow us down. That’s where Dave showed up. His musical skills and playing style gave the band a new drive.
In 2009 Markus had to throw in the towel as he was suffering from severe back and neck pain. Surgery didn’t solve the problem, there was no way for him to continue drumming. The song “Markus Agitator” on our last album is dedicated to him. Without him there wouldn’t have been any Agitators.
Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
We’ve had the pleasure to play with lots of my favorite bands! Cock Sparrer, Argy Bargy, Beerzone, Evil Conduct, Perkele, Deadline, Discipline, Sixer, Booze & Glory, Middle Finger Salute,... the list is endless. And we get to play Rebellion festival every year, the line-up over there is more than impressive!
Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
In fact I love both. The atmosphere in small clubs is usually more intense and it’s great to have fans shouting along in my microphone, feels like a night at the boozer with my friends! We never hang around in the backstage area, so in small venues it’s only a few steps from the bar to the stage. And after the show it only takes us a few steps back to where we came from.
But I also love to play bigger venues with top of the line pa systems, gives the songs an extra boost of power and energy! But I guess we’ve got to find a crowd first to fill those venues :-))
Where have you toured?
We did the two U.S. tours, besides those we mainly do weekenders. We did shows in Greece, Italy, UK, France, Spain, Netherlands, Austria and hopefully a lot more to come in the future. Those shows really keep me motivated, going to new places making new friends.
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Cock Sparrer! We already did some shows with them and it’s always a blast! They’re still one of my all time favorites!
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Our tour-manager Klaas used to have a club in the center of Antwerp (Bar Mondial), sadly he had to close it due to one complaining neighbor. Playing their was a home match for us, damn I miss that place!
Rebellion festivals are second home as well, the atmosphere over there is truly amazing! We’ve been playing at the Rebellion festivals since 2003 and I always look forward to the next edition. First Rebellion editions I went to, I believe, were in 2000 (Holidays In The Sun in those days) in Berlin and Basque Country because Cock Sparrer was playing. Still remember me telling my mates that my dream was to play on those festivals with The Agitators one day...
What do you see is the future of the Agitators?
We want to start working on a new album but we’re on the lazy side so I guess we need a kick in the butt.
I would really love to do more abroad shows, so If you’re a promotor please get in touch. We don’t ask much, we’re not in it for the money.
How can people contact the band?
Mail us at info@agitatorsstreetpunk.com
www.agitatorsstreetpunk.com
We’re also on facebook and myspace. If you can’t find us the there, you can probably find us at the bar!
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