A little chat with The klubs.

November 23, 2020

A little chat with The klubs.

Rough year? Here's some punk.

What a crazy year it's been. From the dawn of a life-changing pandemic, to decentralized protests for justice, and hell, even ecological natural disasters that set the world on fire (literally), 2020 undoubtedly has been a historical year to live through. Some, if not all, of us have felt the weight of the world bear down on us without relent, and at this point just getting through the year with our sanity in check is an accomplishment in-of itself. But misery loves company after all, and one of the most prolific forms of companionship we've all had throughout these times is in the form of art. Cinema, literature, culinary arts, performing arts, the list goes on, but in my humble opinion, its Music that has been the cornerstone of sanity.

The musical arts has struggled this year though, artists that rely on their music as a source of income have gone through hell and back. Not being able to play at live performances means a major cut-back in income, if not completely, because unless you're well established online or have the online presence of a celebrity, making cash through streaming is a no-go. This is why artists that have survived the year and still created new material are the true unsung heroes, the damn martyrs of their craft.

With that in mind, one such band is The klubs. A post-punk outfit that have had no restraint in coming to grips with one-of-many pressing issues that plague today's society. These dudes have steadily been mastering their craft now for nigh on two years, starting out in 2019 and dropping what would be the beginnings of a three-part album consecution, culminating in the release of Cult Party earlier this month.

Photograph by Lourens Smit, design by Joshua Rogers.

Thematically, the 3-piece tackles socio-political issues by conversely not pointing fingers at society itself, but by promoting what they hope to be an "interior-revolution", an introspective analysis of your very own human condition, and a re-evaluation of the unconscious biases that human condition brings.

Photograph by Misha van der walt

The klubs are: Warren Frost (Bass), Dylan Christie (Vocals, Guitar) and Wesley Reinecke (Drums)

But that's enough of the pleasantries, you're here for the interview, no?

The chat.

So The klubs. I gotta know, how’d you get to that name? Any relation to the British 60’s Psych group by the same name?

We actually had no idea that band existed. I suppose we should have done our homework a bit better but we liked the name so much we didn’t really want something like that to stop us from using it. We’ve listened to them since finding out they exist and we like their music so we’ll back down if they hit us with a lawsuit.

Cult Party is the third and final installment in what has been a two-year endeavor and according to press kits, it’s a soundtrack of an “Interior Revolution that’s long overdue”. Care to touch on the meaning and significance behind the afore-mentioned introspection?

I’m not sure if everyone else who lives here on earth feels it too but things are a little tense. Interior struggle is a real issue that we’re luckily starting to address. We just wanted to turn that tension into sound and cult party is what it sounds like to us.

The previous two releases dealt with two pretty interesting problems that society faces on an ongoing basis. Firstly, toxic masculinity and secondly, conformity and unoriginality. No doubt Punk is inherently about speaking out against the current norm and provoking a reaction, whether that action be self-reflection, taking action against an injustice or perhaps even both. But that begs the question, why these specific topics? Perhaps people just need a wake-up call?

We agree. A classic wake up call can do no harm. These topics were just the most relevant to us. You have to start somewhere. Why not at home.

We have to talk about the album covers over the three releases. A disheveled man, rocking the vest, boxer shorts, socks, running face paint, slumped on a sofa. It’s all very raw and abrasive, but what’s up with all the cats? There’s gotta be some story there given how its appeared on three albums now.

We wanted to capture the image of a clown coming home from a long day at work. We imagine that’s how it looks. Not so keen on the family thing. Happier or more comfortable with his 11 cats.

Onto a more technical note, I’ve once heard the phrase “Inspiration before Implementation” be used to backtrack and pinpoint a band’s sound down to its influences. On that topic, what’s been your influences from the beginning and what’s the development towards your own unique sound been like? Perhaps you’ve tried to emulate a style to a degree with some personal flair, for added originality?

We’re into the new hardcore post punk movement. It opened the door to being a lot more raw and honest. I guess we’ve been waiting for that to be recognised as being empowering. There are a few bands that all 3 of us like. Show Me the Body, Protomartyr and Viagra Boys. Tons of people hear IDLES in our music. We listen to them too.

This one has kinda become a staple in our chats with bands. Could you give us a rig rundown of what you use to define your sound? Instruments, pedals, amps, cabs, heads, etc.

Warren uses an old Fender Jazz bass that he bought from a junkie in the UK.

He runs that through:

-Bass Big Muff

-Boss Octave

-Sans Amp DI/EQ

-An old shitty yellow pedal I found. Don’t know what it is but it’s always on.

Wesley uses:

-Big Meinl Crash

-Paste Ride

-Two crashes as his high hat

-Fat Bob snare

I, Dylan use:

-Fender Mustang deluxe or Duo Sonic

-Earth Quaker Dirt Transmitter (formerly a Big Muff)

-Some Rats

-Dan Electro Flanger or Phaser (haven’t checked)

-Line 6 DL4 Delay

-Boss Digital Delay (modulation only)

-Joyo Reverb

So… Is Punk dead? (Obviously not, but a penny for your thoughts on its current state in SA?)

Nope. Punk to us is more of a mind set really. Those can’t die. Things are grim in SA so I think that mind set is starting to live in all of us whether you know it or not. Recognising a problem and getting angry about it is punk. It’s also a lot more complex than what I’ve just stated but I don’t want to bore anyone with the details.

On the topic of Punk in SA, what’s the experience in SA’s punk scene been like? Because I’ve seen quite a resurgence of punk and its deriatives across Gauteng, not necessarily in the form of frequent gigs every weekend, but when there were gigs (pre-lockdown), they seemed to be jam-packed with some familiar faces and numerous new ones.

It’s going great. It’s very exciting to see young people coming to the little DIY punk shows. Just as exciting to see the die hards there. The room is always filled with people who care about it and want to feel a part of something. They’re the friendliest bunch and we’re very fortunate that they come watch us play.

Whenever we go to Cape Town or play with Cape Town/Durban/Wherever bands, they say that Gauteng has the edge and grit and we’ll wear that badge with pride.

To address the elephant in the room. CoVID-19. How’s the lockdown been treating you guys with regards to recording, inspiration, practice and such? It’s been hard on bands that rely on their music as a source of not only income, but staying sane. Perhaps this time away from gig-life has given you guys time to get some tracks laid down?

Pretty much impossible to consider being in a band a source of income these days and still staying sane is the part that worries us. Being away will on the other hand inspire new thoughts and perhaps the unwelcome break is the reset we all needed.

We write together so we haven’t written much.

No doubt this will not be the last thing we hear from The klubs. What can fans expect from you guys in the foreseeable future? Hopefully some gigs lined up during level 1 lockdown?

Next year we will pick up where we left off. We’re also looking forward to developing this band into what it needs to be. Not playing shows makes it pretty hard to progress but if things get better then we’ll try and play as many cool shows and go on as many cool tours as possible.

Any fellow artists you’d like to recommend for our readers to check out? Both local and international are welcome.

Runaway Nuns, Julia Robert, Yndian Mynah, Weed Dealer, Ruff Majik, Double Sun, Smokey Mercle, and tons more. Listen to TV Priest. Very cool.

And finally, any closing words you’d like to leave for the beautiful people reading this?

Thanks for everything. You have good taste in reading material.

And that concludes our little chat with The klubs. Hope you readers all enjoyed it as much as we did. A shoutout to The klubs for giving us the opportunity to throw a few questions their way!

Photograph by Breniann Labuschagne

We know you all love music as much as we do, so do yourselves a favour and check out their new album "Cult Party" that released on the 13th of November. Throw a few bucks their way too. God knows the artists need it after lockdown. Support your local scene and they'll make sure you have gigs to go to on the weekends!

Relevant links:

The klubs - Cult party
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