1. So at first can you introduce your band and yourself (age, work, hobbies...)?

I´m Savis (guitar) and the other members are Niko (drums), Jake (vocals) and Mikko (bass). Me, Niko and Jake are well over 30 years old and Mikko is about 25 years old, don´t know really haha…We all are working class based and I guess music is the most important hobby for all of us.

 

2. When and why came decision to start The Jacklads and why did you chose this name?

Niko and I met each other on football terraces supporting our local team some ten years ago. When we noticed we have quite similar taste of music (oi!/street punk), we thought why not to form a band. The idea came true in 2007, when we finally got a rehearsal room. After playing some time by just two of us, Jake came along and a bit later our first bass player, who is now replaced by Mikko. It is hard to remember why we chose our name. I guess the song "Jack the Lad" by 4Skins got something to do with it. I like to think that the term lad stands for certain way of life; drinking beer and so on.

 

3. You are quite older guys, do you have any experience with playing in other band? -

For Niko and me this is the first band worth to mention. Jake and Mikko have had some bands before the Jacklads.

 

4. Your debut album was released on Business City Music Promotion...can you tell us more about that label and cooperation with them?

BCMP is run by our local mate. He releases music he likes, punk and metal stuff, mostly by local bands from Lahti. We knew him beforehand, which made co-operation with “Match day fever” quite easy.

 

5. Your sound is very rough (something between Glory Boys and 4Skins for me) can you describe it and tell us which bands are your main influence?

 Hard to mention any particular bands, but specifically at the beginning of the Jacklads, classic era bands such as 4Skins, Combat 84 and so on was a strong influence for us. I really like a rough guitar sound and I´m pleased you can hear it on our album.

 

6. Do you prefer new breed or older bands?

 I like both. Maybe our music is more inspired by older bands, but we certainly follow what´s going on with today’s scene.

 

7. Your album was released on CD, do you prefer CD or vinyl and why?

 I personally prefer vinyl, but I also buy CD's. When it comes to our album, vinyl was no option to publisher. So we thought it is better to have a CD release than to have no release at all. If someone wants to put our album out as a vinyl, feel free to contact us. The most of the 250 prints has been sold already anyway.

 

8. You came from Lahti which is quite unknown for me, so can you describe it from the skinhead point of view (pubs, bars, bands...)and tourist point of view?

Lahti is best known for its annually held World Cup winter games. No more comments about that. From the skinhead point of view, there is not much to see or to do. We have played some gigs in Bar Torvi, which has punk rock nights every now and then. There is couple of decent pubs here as well, but there's certainly room for more.

 

9. Your album is called Match Day Fever, are you interested in casual culture?

I'd say we´re interested in football culture in general but yes, we have some interest in casual culture also. I think, in our band, Niko has most designer label clothes in his wardrobe, whilst I like more traditional skinhead style.

 

10. It is problem to play a gig in Finland if you have a skinhead band?

Well, I think all gigs we have played were organized either by other skinheads here in Finland, or by people who knew us personally beforehand. There have never been any problems at our gigs, but maybe some people don´t want us to play at their events, because of our hairstyle and outfits.

 

11. How many shows do you play and how do you like playing live?

We have done around 20 shows so far. Our experiences of playing live have been allright. Beer keeps flowing, there's decent people around and we've mostly had fun time.

 

12. How is the scene in Finland? I know many good bands such as Dead On´s, The Wrongdoers, Hoist...etc...

Those all are good bands in my opinion too and I´d like to add Tammerfist and Prideful to your list, both coming from Tampere. And as far as I know, there still is couple of other oi! bands waiting for their very first release. Helsinki and Tampere are cities for most events of the scene as they have the largest number of skins.

 

13. Do you know anything about Czech republic and the scene here

I have to admit that my knowledge on Czech scene is really poor, maybe you can recommend me some good bands? I know Czech Republic, and specifically Prague, is very popular amongst Finnish tourists and you have tons of great beer in your country. And your football is much better than ours.

 

14. When can we buy your stuff (CD´s , t-shirts...)?

If you are interested in buying our CD just contact us via Facebook or e-mail vaaribchc@hotmail.com. The price is 10 Euros and that includes shipping. At the moment we have nothing else to sell, but I guess t-shirts are coming sooner or later.

 

15. Plans for the future...

 Right now we are rehearsing our new material and hopefully we can release 7 inch vinyl in 2014.

 

16. Last words....

Thank you very much for interviewing us and keep up the good work with your website! Cheers!