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Sabotage interview V2.0

On the 14th of May 2015, around the time we first started out as SSS, we posted an interview with Swedish band Sabotage ( Link here - https://skinsstandingstrong.tumblr.com/post/118961336678/sabotage-interview). After 3 and a half years, we decided to catch up with vocalist Robban and see what’s been happening!

Hiya Robban, to start, could you give us a bit of an insight into what’s been happening with Sabotage since we last interviewed you?

 Hi Jake! Depending on what you would expect from a band, both a lot and not very much has happened considering it was about four years or so since the last interview. We are a slow band because of our family situation and (nowadays) travel distance for the bass player, but let’s catch up a bit.

 When we last spoke we had just played our first gig at PSK and released our second record; a 12” mini LP. Since then we have played six more gigs in Stockholm, one in rural Fagersta and three abroad – in Badalona, Catalunya, in Helsinki, Finland and Lleida, Catalunya.

 We have also recorded and released a few more records; the 7”EP ”A Furore Normannorum Libera Nos, Domine” on PST Records, and the ”Den Nya Värdegrunden” 10”EP (BDS, CUR, RPO). We did record six songs earlier this year that are to be released on two split 12”, one with canadian No Heart (it’s actually a split LP) and one cover EP with Lleida band Codi De Silenci.

 The line-up has changed aswell. Slebbe quit due to too little time/too many bands, and we decided we were good with only one guitar so we politely offered Silvio the bass slot, which he wasn’t up for. This turned out to be really good news, as we then could recruit eager and multi talented Johan, who really added up well and have contributed to Sabotage with some great ideas for tunes and irresistable bass lines.

 We know you’ve had some shit from the reds over the past couple of years. Can you tell us why that started, and are they still trying to make things hard for you or have they finally given up?

 The Stockholm internet based reds is only a problem when we play in Stockholm and they can threaten the organiser/venue owner with financial boycott. We have been pulled from a couple of gigs because of this – I think two, both organised by the same organiser, in my personal opinion a spineless twat – but have managed to organise a couple of gigs on our own. We try to not announce ourselves, but let our ”fans” read between the lines that we are going to play in order to keep the landlords out of the firing line.

 Why do you think they do it?

The internerd reds? Sabotage is a band with skinheads in it that aren’t part of the German festival pc oi! thing, and we are patriotic and speak our mind. That’s enough for them to label us full on nazis. Those people belong mainly to the hardcore scene and would rarely attend an oi gig anyway, so I can’t really see why they should be bothered or worried about losing their safe spaces in the first place...

 Actually it’s unfair to reds as in communists to call these people ”reds”. I mean, proper reds wants an armed revolution… this is more a case of liberals, you know wealthy globalist social justice warrior gender bender refugees welcome safe space junkie hipsters.

 Oh, we were also pulled from the Streetpunk Winter Riot Fest in Bratislava, Slovakia, because some guy from the antifa band Rozpor had spotted me in a Kill Baby, Kill-t-shirt somewhere online... That’s the level of things…

You’ve got a split with Canadian No Heart coming out soon, we’re really excited for that one. Has Sabotages sound changed at all for this record or will it be the same as we know and love?

I think the sound is pretty much the same, not too much distortion; lengthy songs with quality lyrics. The split with the canadians is in production, but the cover split with Codi de Silenci is stuck in the layout process but hopefully will be taken care of as I write this.

 Can we expect to see you invading English shores anytime soon?

Actually I’m not sure of our gigging status in the near future as Johan has moved to Småland. We have one gig coming up, in Slovakia, but we’ll see after that. You know me, I’ll take every opportunity to go to England, so if there’s the slightest interest, we’d definitely work on it!

 It's a shame to hear that Sabotage may not be able to gig anymore. Although with the shrinking scene and people being seperated by distance, it's something that seems to be happening more and more, don't you think?

I’m not sure it’s that drastic, it’s just that I don’t know how things will turn out in the nearest future. I’m sure we will continue to exist in one form or another in the future.

The scene is shrinking and growing from time to time. Shrinking is not necesarily bad, you get rid of the subcultural tourists and keep the die-hards. But even die-hards are aging with all that comes with it… work, families etc, so it’s just natural. Plus the music based subcultures are pretty much dead among the youth since a couple of decades, nothing to do about it really.

The scene in Stockholm is as polarised as the swedish society as a whole… the cucks have their own party scene going. I’m fine with that.

Cheers for the interview Robban, again. And best of luck with Sabotage in the future! Any final words for the readers?

Thanks a lot Jake, I’m happy SSS is back. Also cheers to all our supporters world wide, and every one keeping the skinhead- and oi scene alive for those of us that still enjoy it!

3 and a half years on, thanks again Robban for taking the time for an interview. All the best for you and for Sabotage in the future!

As he said in the interview, Sabotages split with Canadian “No heart” is currently in production, while the split with “Codi De Silenci” is in the layout process. Be sure to keep a eye out for these releases (As they’re 3 great bands, sure to be killer!) And support Sabotage!