Start with a ton of dynamic distorted alternative, add the appropriate amount of stoner and finalize with a pinch of psychedelic. There you have it, Deaf Radio, a fresh band coming from Greece “agitates” the alternative rock audience all over the world.
Their debut LP gave Last Day Deaf the opportunity to fire some questions regarding origins and goals.
Provide sufficient information over the band’s name. Please include a few details that bring happiness to our gossip side.
We first thought of it as transmitter without a receiver and vice-versa. Either an entity isolated for the outer world’s evolution, or a crowd unable to comprehend the messages transferred by that radio. Generally we have a thing with contradictions, so we really liked it.
Do you all come from the same city? Which one?
Yep, we all grew up in the noisy, dirty but beautiful, Athens. However, half the band is right now abroad, studying in London. Apart from the troubles it brings, living in different cities has also given us a chance to broaden our views on music and rethink many aspects of Deaf Radio.
Do you consider yourselves more of a studio band or a live oriented act?
Well, we cannot deny that we enjoy with all our souls playing gigs and this is profound in our performance. We‘ll sweat, scream and dare to “smudge” any sort of “image” we may have. On stage you just don’t think about all these things and you re-experience whatever was the incentive to write each song. In any way, it’s all about rock n roll, right? So studio, despite being unquestionably important, cannot substitute live performances. Gigs also provide the opportunity to improvise and reshape songs depending on the mood of the day.
What is so ‘alarming’ about Deaf Radio?
Our inside, most probably. The man that screams without a voice is a guy living inside us and is the reason we started playing music in the first place. That’s also why album cover art looks so successful in our eyes, combining this picture with the word ‘Alarm’, which naturally brings anxiety and fear.
Do you consider your latest LP a wake-up call? If yes, to whom?
To continue from the previous question, ‘Alarm’ is not only a word with a negative somehow “charge”, but also a sound that implies action. An Alarm is not something passive, so in that sense yes, it is a wake-up call. To whom, you may ask. That’s the tricky part of it. Probably to our inside. Or yours, if you are willing to process its messages in your own way, but we don’t suggest that we own some sort of “truth” and we are capable of waking you up. We don’t feel that blessed.
Do you have an everyday job?
Yes, two of us are civil engineers (currently doing their MSc in London, like we said), a doctor and a consultant. This is the other face of Deaf Radio and, honestly, we really like it. It allows us to channel into music only the amount of creativity that we want and avoid stuff we don’t like.
How would you consider an international career that requires from you to give up your current jobs?
We work extremely hard for Deaf Radio and for our daytime jobs as well, until one of them demands complete dedication. Then we are gonna make up our minds. Like we said, we love contradictions.
Is the rock ‘n‘roll motto “Live Fast Die Young“ representative to you?
Not really, we still got plenty of things to do and time is not helping so far.
What has changed since the ‘Down On Her Knees’ years?
We did. Both in terms of artistic approach and sentiment. That primary version of Deaf Radio was a transition from a previous, childish era and we were still looking around for where we wanted to go. Happily and with a great deal of help from our friends, we found our own way to ‘Alarm’ and further on.
Any scheduled gigs?
Sure! First of all, on Saturday 24 June we ‘ll have the honour to share the stage with three awesome bands, we always loved and admired: The Killers, The Kills and Circa Waves in Ejekt Festival 2017, Athens. Before that, we’ll travel to Thessaloniki to play in Anaireseis Festival alongside Naxatras and A Million Hollers on Saturday 3 June. Last but not least, on August 6 we’ll join forces with Planet Of Zeus and Naxatras (again!) during Pre/Post Festival in Preveza. We are also looking into the possibility of a small tour in September…Have been talking with lots of people and hopefully you’ll get more soon!
Some thoughts to share with your fans…
We know we “must” wait until we record a new album but the new tracks are already there. What should we do?
Bonus Question : Have you abandoned the stylish red circular logo? If yes why?
Oh not at all! That little circle that evolved to our trademark is still on its throne. If you mean, why didn’t we include it on the album’s cover, it’s only because we needed something new and different. You can find your beloved circle in all of our merch: t-shirts, tote bags, stickers…
Thomas Gounaropoulos