PUNK GLOBE:
Thanks for the interview Arthur. Tell us some background on your band Avga?
Arthur:
Avga (which means "resign") started in November 2013 as a five piece band. Tobbe (also from Psykbryt) quit the band after just one month, and now there's four of us. I (Arthur) came up with the idea for the band when I was playing base with Projekt 9, because I wanted to sing in a band since there were a few years since I last did that. So I gathered some friends I'd never played with before (except for Martin with whom I had a project with, that ended after a few practices) and we just started to practice - starting out with a song Tobbe wrote that didn't fit for Psykbryt.
PUNK GLOBE:
Where in Sweden is the bands home base?
Arthur:
We are located in south of Stockholm, although Nikko is the only one born and raised in the capital.
PUNK GLOBE:
Who is in Avga and what do they play?
Arthur:
Arthur - Vocals/Guitar
Martin - Guitar
Nikko - Drums/Backup vocals
Reine - Base/Backup vocals (some lead vocals)
PUNK GLOBE:
Tell us how you came up with your name?
Arthur:
Band names are always hard to come up with for me. We had a couple of suggestions but nothing really serious. Then Reine came up with Avga and it sounds good. It's short, and there's some attitude in the word. It's not directed to anyone in particular but when we picked it, the election for the Swedish government was about to take place, so it felt relevant then, and it's still relevant because there's always a lot of idiots in positions they can't handle.
PUNK GLOBE:
Who are some of the bands influences?
Arthur:
I guess most of the stuff we listen to can be traced in some way or the other, and so far it's me and Reine who's been writing songs for the band (except the first one as mentioned above). Here's a few bands I think inspires me when I write: Cock SParrer, 999, Guitar Gangsters, Oxymoron, The Restarts, Radio Stars, Antipati, Abrasive Wheels, External Menace and Agent Bulldogg.
PUNK GLOBE:
You mentioned knowing Psykbryt. Tell us about that?
Arthur:
Well, there's not much to tell. I consider them friends and they consider me a god. Tobbe who was with us in the beginning is in Psykbryt, and so is Nikko, our drummer. The base player, Zack, is in a band (Constitutional Breakdown) with the old guitarist from Projekt 9, and the singer, Linus, is a work mate (and formerly flat mate) with Martin in Avga!. Tobbe is also living close to me and Reine so we're hanging out a lot.
"I consider them friends and they consider me a god."
PUNK GLOBE:
Do you play alot of shows with Psykbryt?
Arthur:
We haven't played together yet, but we will in February, in Karlskrona (south Sweden) and I played with them a couple of times with Projekt 9.
PUNK GLOBE:
Do you sing any songs in English?
Arthur:
Our own songs are in Swedish, but we've done some covers in English.
PUNK GLOBE:
How would you describe the punk scene in Sweden at the moment?
Arthur:
Sweden has got lots of bands - hundreds - that supposedly play some kind of punk, everything from Oi!/Street punk to crust and hardcore. There's also a lot of gigs and I would say that there's at least one gig every weekend in Stockholm. Not everything is good of course.
PUNK GLOBE:
Favorite venues to play?
Arthur:
The venues we play are mostly pubs, and there's never really good sound or anything, but always great fun. There's one club in Stockholm, Klubb Antisocial, which I really like. When I'm not playing there myself I'm helping them with the sound. It's usually a somewhat mixed crowd (punks, skins, hardcore people, etc.) and varied music.
PUNK GLOBE:
Do you have any releases out?
Arthur:
Not yet. Except from our demo, we've recorded five songs so far. Three of them will end up on out debut 7" (hopefully early next year). Two of them will be released as part of a split 7" with another Swedish band. And we're gonna contribute with one song to a compilation LP called "Chaos In Sweden #2", first release of a new record label, Snail Trail Records.
PUNK GLOBE:
Has Avga toured?
Arthur:
No we haven't. We would really love to, but then we've all got jobs or studies that ties us to Stockholm during the weekdays. And even if we've all could get time of there's the money issue. A lot of venues or organizers are willing to pay for the gas money and give us a bit of food and some beer, but having time of work would mean loosing a lot of money.
PUNK GLOBE:
What is in store for Avga in the 2015?
Arthur:
As mentioned above there will be some releases. Apart from that we will practice some new songs and maybe try to write material for a full length album. We also want to play a lot live, and the first gig will be that one in Karlskrona.
PUNK GLOBE:
Describe yourself in three words?
Arthur:
Somebody smart or funny should answer this... Maybe: "Angry, Honest, Thirsty".
PUNK GLOBE:
Any last words for the readers of Punk Globe?
Arthur:
Check us out at Avgasthlm.blogspot.com, keep a look out for our upcoming records and you know... Buy them. And thanks, Punk Globe, for the interview.