Miscalculation’s
bio reads like the opening of a sci-fi film “dark,
asbestos-lined basement[s] . . . and a towering loft overlooking the concrete,
steel and flesh of North London”
or a graphic novel that poses an overarching question such as “When the earth
dies how will life as we know it sustain itself?” Besides the pondering, what
Miscalculations does bring to their songs, is not just a group of talented NFT
members (Gaggers and Ladykillers), is a mixed cocktail of ’77 UK punk and ’79
post-punk drank by deft individuals who might wear turtlenecks, but hide
razorblades in the garment’s neck folds.
Interview by Ed
Stuart
Who’s answering the questions?
Marco, lead
vocalist
Where is the band from?
The band is from
London, but we all have roots all over the place. I was born here, but am
Italian, Mauro is from Chile, Bobby is Swedish and Shaun is English.
Who is in the band and what instrument do
they play?
I sing and play
synth, Shaun plays drums, Mauro plays guitar and Bobby plays bass.
In between Ladykillers, Gaggers, No Front
Teeth Records and the other bands you guys are individually a part of,
Miscalculations gets started. How did the band start?
Shaun and I are
both in the Gaggers so we see a lot of each other and Shaun told me he was
working on something a bit different and played it to me so I wrote some lyrics
and Miscalculations was born. We both listen to a lot of post-punk and electro
like Wire, The Units, Screamers and stuff like that and both love Scandinavian
punk like Masshysteri, Invasionen, Tristess, Hurula, Vanna Inget and the
Vicious so we knew exactly what direction we wanted to go in. We didn’t want to
have too much of a definitive structure with this, we just wanted to see how
these songs would organically develop. It was new territory for both of us.
Do you think music can still be a vital
force in such a disposable age?
Definitely. I
still think music is one of the most powerful things that will never go away.
Every generation will be defined through music. I think the way people listen
to music has changed for sure – it’s much more disposable now – but it’s also
way more accessible and I think more people are listening to music now than
ever before.
Miscalculations seem to dance the fine
line between ’77 UK punk and ’79 post-punk like Wipers and Wire did. What were
some of the ideas and bands that influenced both Miscalculations and the
songwriting for the band?
Well, the most
important thing was that we wanted to do something completely different to all
the (many) other projects we are involved with. As well as the bands I
mentioned earlier, we also love contemporary stuff like the Mind Spiders,
Radioactivity, Bellicose Minds, The Spits, Generacion Suicida, Nicole Saboune,
Shocked Minds and stuff like that so we naturally merged all the stuff we love
without stressing too much on a particular sound or objective. We let it weave
it’s way instinctively both musically and lyrically. The lyrical scope is so
wide with Miscalculations which is something so refreshing for me.
The Miscalculations
LP was released on Dead Beat Records. Was Dead Beat Records chosen because of
the previous relationship The Gaggers have with the label? Did other labels
coming asking to help with the release because of who is in the band?
I have known Tom
for years so we had a relationship a good decade before the Gaggers LP even
came out! I think Tom really has his ear to the ground and can spot stimulating
punk very early on. He has great radar for invigorating music and truly does
release what he loves and what he believes in. He puts his whole heart into the
label and into each release so we knew we were in good hands. Tom approached us
after the first 7” and as a band we thought it was a no-brainer to go with him
and Dead Beat - we were very happy with the Gaggers LP and are very happy with
the Miscalculations LP too. Yes, there were and are other labels interested in
releasing Miscalculations records and we are currently talking to a few for
some upcoming stuff. We are also starting a Miscalculations / NFT sub-label
called Glass Eye Records for Miscalculations records.
50 years ago people used to buy music and get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for free. How do you think this affects music in any way?
50 years ago people used to buy music and get their water for free, now people pay for water and get their music for free. How do you think this affects music in any way?
It means that
music is everywhere. It’s so easy now to instantly get whatever music you want
either for free or at very little cost. That’s a great thing but the downside
is that it does cheapen it too. Music wasn’t just about music when I was
growing up, it was a commitment and, sadly, that’s no longer a necessity – kids can now just delve into
bands and scenes without pledging anything. Today its punk, tomorrow hip-hop
and something else on the weekend. That wasn’t the case before because there
wasn’t all this easy access – you belonged to a scene and a sound and that was
it and that was so important. You searched for magazines and instantly
connected with people who were wearing a shirt or a patch of a band or whatever
because you knew that they had to search for those items – it wasn’t easy.
There was no e-Bay, Discogs, Amazon and all the web stores that make it all so
easy now.
On North
London Bomb Factory’s website it states, “Miscalculations capture the cynicism,
obscurity and perplexity of their surroundings and filter it down to the purest
punk form” and with song titles like “Asbetos
City” and “Preaching
Individuality to the Masses,” how much of the lyrics have both social
and political commentary? Do you feel cynicism can be used to help bring some
change at all?
With
Miscalculations, my approach to writing lyrics is totally different to how I
write for the Gaggers or Botox Rats or Teenage Tricks or whatever. I have very
specific ideas that I want to interpret in a very vague and angular manner. I
put all the clues there but then it’s up to the listener to decipher and build
the narrative. I always liken it to a painting. A painting is one static image
that generates a thousand different reactions and sentiments from a thousand different
people. They all read it differently and that’s what I aim for with
Miscalculations lyrics. They are the most personal lyrics I have ever written.
There is definitely some social commentary, maybe a little political too but
I’m certainly not aiming to change anything or anyone.
To piggyback off the last question, there
is a quote that acts like a bio/history of the band, which is “Miscalculations
were formed in a dark, asbestos-lined basement in Harlow and a towering loft
overlooking the concrete, steel and flesh of North London. Absorbing their
environment, watching, analyzing and calculating. Miscalculating.” For those of
us who don’t live in North London can you give us what that part of London is
like? How did much did North London directly or indirectly affect the band’s
lyrics?
I have lived in North London my whole
life and Shaun has lived in both East and North London as well as Harlow in
Essex. Bobby lives in East London and Mauro in South London. My environment has
definitely shaped my lyrics. I am hugely influenced by the aesthetics and
architecture of my surroundings. I wouldn’t say that you can instantly tell
that I am from North London, or even London in general from my lyrics but the
roots are there for sure and subconsciously manipulate the words.
What are some bands and/or records you
are listening to right now?
Current stuff -
Dino’s Boys – that LP has hardly left my turntable in months. Nightmare Boyzz,
Average Times, Nicole Saboune, Buck Biloxi and the Fucks, Gino and the Goons, Criminal
Code and then always listening to Crime, The Fast, Jo Squillo, Screamers,
Teenage Head and stuff like that.
What’s next for Miscalculations?
A new 7” that is going to press in the next week or
so and then the second full-length in the not too distant future!
