The Dismissers is a Greek punk band formed in 2012. Its members have paricipated in other similar projects for a long time. As The Dismissers they remain in the independent underground scene, being active regarding live shows. On December 22nd they perform live at ILION Plus in Athens with ANFO.
You are mostly active regarding live shows. You have released two tracks ‘Razor’ and ‘No Message’, but not something complete until today. Is there a release soon to come, and are there other ways you share your material with the fans?
We have material for a full length LP for some time now. We are planning to record and release our first album in 2018.
Punk rock has been a significant part of extreme music. What kind of evolution would you say it has come under?
For us punk rock has always been a simple but effective formula. Through the years the genre has undergone many changes but we chose to stick to the basics: “Three chords and the truth”.
Are there bands and artists of the genre in the international scene who still utilize punk the way you do?
Yes there are many bands out there that walk a similar path with ours. Our main concern is to create good music, to express whatever we feel inside and create a connection with people that might come across our tunes.
Is playing punk rock and being socially sensitive and actively connected, or does the music itself serve its purpose?
Music can be the spark that lights the fire, it can be the stepping stone for action but until we take matters into our hands, it’s just music… You can sing about the revolution all day long, but what matters is acting upon what you are preaching!
Punk bands in Greece have been bringing up issues about society since a long time, in years when the majority of people had the feeling everything was “fine”. Now for most of them things “suddenly” changed to the worst. Do you see a continuation or did things indeed go unexpectedly to the worst?
We ‘ve been involuntarily trapped into a vicious circle of political corruption for the past 40 years from which a big portion of the Greek population benefited over the years. Redistribution of the global wealth is the only logical solution that could affect us too but a utopic one since the 1% controlling everything will never seize to.
Do you interact with younger people, both musicians and audience? How do they perceive the scene?
Yes we do. Young people are quintessential to the scene. They are the ones that will carry the torch. Our scene is like a small family. We are all branches of the same tree.
What is more fulfilling, playing live or being in a studio?
They are both fun but playing live is always more gratifying and intense. You get to present something you ‘ve been working on for a while and see everybody’s reaction first hand.
On December 22nd you perform at ILION Plus along with ANFO. What can the audience expect from you to listen?
We have 5 brand new songs that we will play for the very first time and many older ones too!
Thank you for your time! Add anything you wish to close this interview.
Thank you for the opportunity to share some thoughts, we hope you can catch our gig with our brothers ANFO on the 22nd for a fun, loud night!
Mary Kalaitzidou