Niclas Frisk, singer of Atomic Swing is back and talk about critical to
the the record companies, The Concretes, and the culture of the youth.
But he has only good things to say about Japan. NSD meets him after Trästocksfestivalen.
Atomic Swing was the band that made a great start in their career. They became big from the very beginning. The band were successful and released "Stone Me Into The Groove", "Smile" from "A Car Crash In The Blue". They were touring Japan and Australia. They were very aware of how to sound, look and act. "Bossanova Swap Meet" came in 1994 and "fluff" in 1997. All the members had strong wills and the band members had problems
to get along.
During a visit in Japan in 1997 they split up and left in four cabs. They
didn't get in contact before the last winter.
"We recorded the cd and two months later we were touring the world. We weren't prepared to do all that a big record company demanded from us. We didn't get any "childhood", everything went so fast."
Atomic Swing got many fans in Japan and went there on tour.
"Everything worked really well in Japan. Some people think that Japanese
people buys anything - no matter what it is. I thought it was like taking
one step into the future. Everyone who is into music tries to create a
fantasy world in Japan they understood."
Japanese people got interested and liked the Swedish artists. They often
discover it earlier than in Sweden.
Niclas says that Japanese people have a strange kind of humor. "Have you seen Fear Factory?" he asks.
"Japanese youngster have another need of independence than us in Sweden - more like it was in the 50's."
"To be young today is difficult. There are no rebel influences in
the music anymore. The big record companies have stolen the accessories
from the kids and are then selling them back to them."
"The Flasher" is about that and the need to be seen.
Niclas says "There is always someone making money on young peoples
appearance on TV. And it is not enough been seen on TV, you must make love
in the show too. We are from a time when you got famous because of that
we were skilled."
Atomic Swing has been "accused" for being commercialism and mainstream. Atomic Swing wants to reach everyone out there - The big masses as well
as the alternative pablic.
"We do light and important pop that we can meke ourselves happy. I
want to break melancholy with little hope. I see Atomic Swing will be a
lubricant in existence. We are doing nice and easy music, music that makes
us happy. Music stimulate ones thinking."
Niclas says that he wants to change and to stop the new attitudes in today's
society where you have to look good, wear the right clothes and the admiration
of famous people. Niclas doesn't want to be a part of the tabloids writing about celebs.
I think you can divide humanity in to two groups. Administrators and inventors.
The inventors are the people who don't earn any money and the administrators
make profit out of new ideas.
-Are you reading articles and reviews about Atomic Swing?
"No, I don't read anything. I don't want to sit in front of the mirror
and be proud of myself. The only thing that matters is what the audience thinks and feels. Niclas mentions a quote from the movie "Scarface" and says.
"Don't get high on your own shit" - "The actor shouldn't cry up on the stage - the audience should."
Atomic Swing wants to reach everybody - without mercy. Niclas says he likes
a Swedish singer songwriter Håkan Hellström because of the way
he treats the fans - everybody is welcome. The Concretes, good looking
brats that only wants the "right" audience from Stockholm City.
They are wearing designed clothes and knows how to act. They are snobs.
Niclas doesn't like them. They exclude big parts of the audience.
-But don't you think that they are good-looking?
"Well, a lot of people thought that Hitlers troups were good-looking too."
-There was a time when Atomic Swing was marked as a hippie band.
Niclas says, "Right now, we dress on the theme "Gay-fascist-cowboy" " - and puts his Mc boots back in his suitcase. He leaves and goes
to watch entombed perform.
アトミック・スウィングは、そのキャリアにおいて素晴らしいスタートを切ったバンドだった。彼らはデビューして間もなくビッグになった。デビューアルバム『A Car Crash In The Blue』からリリースされたシングル"Stone Me Into The Groove"と"Smile"によってその成功を収め、日本とオーストラリアでもツアーを行った。彼らはサウンド、ルックスのどちらの面でも精通していた。1994年『Bossanova Swap Meet』、1997年『fluff』をリリースしたが、メンバーはそれぞれに強い意志を持ち始め、続けていくことに問題が生じ始めた。
Atomic Swing Fan site - From Venus To ATOMIC - Since 19990426
This site owned by Mieko from Japan.
For the greatest band on the cosmic, with huge love, forever.