Crim: "We decide which songs we'll play a quarter of an hour before the concert."

TarragonaCrim is a punk-rock band formed in Tarragona 15 years ago. That's how it works out for them, but in the end, they've managed to make a living from music, which is quite an achievement. Especially since they play the music they love, and it's not exactly the kind of music the industry promotes. They've played in various countries, and in this interview, they share their future plans. They're currently touring Spain to present their latest album. Medieval future. They are Adri Bertran, Quim Mas, Marc Anguela and Javi Dorado.

Do you like interviews?

— Adri Bertran: Well… It’s a formality that’s part of the show, but we don’t care, we have to do it. We consider it an obligation.

Have you gotten used to all this show yet?

— Javi Dorado: Not me much… I prefer playing with the bass behind me and flying!

— Marco Anguela: At first it was harder for us… Now we have someone hired to handle communications. Without anyone behind you, there's nothing you can do. If you don't have anyone, it's very difficult to get media coverage.

What do you like more, composing or going on stage?

— AB: I like composing because you can do it at home in a relaxed way.

— Quim Mas: I think it's a bit of both. As a group, we enjoy the process of making the songs as much as going to record them…

Is he a perfectionist when he records?

— [They laugh.]

— MA: Yes, very much so. Quite a lot. We're very meticulous with the composition. We want everything to be perfect. And even so, there are still some things we overlook. A few…

And when does it feel live?

— MA: It's difficult for me, because I'm very demanding.

— JD: For example, concerts for a new album are a bit more scary at first, but then it's fine.

— MA: Wow, so now you know what's happening to me? I'm rehearsing the songs from the new album so much that the others are difficult. The other day when we played Ways of living…Do you remember the part where I played the bass drum [one of the drums in the drum kit]? I couldn't get it right, so I started playing the cymbals and stretching them out… [They laugh.]

Does he decide which songs he plays before going on stage?

— JD: Mmm… we do it a lot at the last minute.

— QM: Yes, a quarter of an hour earlier.

— MA: We had planned about 30 songs, but shortly before we decided and ended up doing about 18 or 20 songs.

And before going on stage, does he decide which ones to play and which ones to discard?

— MA: Yes, we get to the concert, we decide what to do, and we write it down on some pieces of paper. Maybe Adri's voice is a bit hoarse and this song doesn't suit her, or maybe we don't feel confident with that song on the last day… We sort of go with it. But we like having that flexibility.

— AB: We also have the feeling that each concert we do is something different.

— MA: It doesn't cost us anything.

— AB: Sometimes it is a bit difficult… There are days when you don't even have a table to write down the songs on!

— QM: Not even paper. We've even had to use a pizza box once. Full of oil. [They laugh.]

And when you go on tour, for example to the United States, is it very different?

— QM: Americans are pretty crazy. We did two very different kinds of shows there: we had four dates with big shows with other bands, for about 3,000 people, and then small shows, like in a busy Chinese restaurant or a garage.

— MA: In one place we couldn't play because the drum kit... wasn't a drum kit.

Don't you schedule this in advance?

— JD: Yes, but you don't know what you're going to find until you get there.

— QM: We travel around Europe in our van with our gear, but we can't go that far. We had someone who booked the concerts and made sure everything was ready. But some days it was a nightmare.

And the audience?

— JD: The punk venues where we played were completely out of their minds. Ideologically super-active.

— QM: And drug addicts.

— MA: And the treatment is very different. In Europe, they offer you a minimum of food or something. There, nothing. In Europe, there are places where they provide accommodation above the main room, and you can go upstairs, have a coffee, have something to eat, a washing machine...

— JD: In the United States, it's the exact opposite. They handle it the same way they run their country: I take care of the bare minimum.

Will he return?

— JD: Seven or eight years after the civil war.

— QM: There are many places to go first.

— MA: The other day we had a meeting about things we wanted to do in the future and other things came up, like Latin America or Southeast Asia…

This is an exclusive, isn't it?

— QM: Yes, but we don't know if it's going to happen. [They laugh.]

— MA: We could go, but with a financial deficit…

Does it cost you money to go to these places?

— QM: You mostly make money. You pay for your tickets…

Does he make a living from music?

— QM: Yes, but not only crime.

— MA: Crime helps us a lot, but we do other things.

How would you define the type of music you make? Is it hardcore punk?

— AB: I would avoid the label. I don't even know what hardcore is anymore, these days. We could call it punk rock.

— MA: Before forming the band, two of us had hardcore influences and the other two punk influences...

Be that as it may, punk isn't dead, is it?

— QM: Well… he’s almost dead. [They laugh.]

— MA: Rock 'n' roll will survive because it's the only thing that has acoustics, and it will barely survive thanks to the romantics of life, but it's in a really bad way…

— JD: Simply the act of playing an instrument… A child who starts playing now…

What is your musical view of the Catalan scene?

— QM: In Catalan music, as in music everywhere else, aside from the fact that guitar and drums are now very rare, there's a tendency for things to rise very quickly but then disappear just as fast. There are bands that fill a Sant Jordi venue, but only once: the second time they try, they flop spectacularly. It's as if people get tired of it very quickly.

Do you experience this?

— QM: I think our people are from an older generation and are used to being able to like a band your whole life.

[26.53 They talk about their favorite songs]

Are you working on anything new?

— ALL: No.

— MA: We recorded a track that was… how many seconds long?

— QM: 20 seconds.

— MA: Yes, that's it.

Do you write the music or the lyrics first?

— QM: Music always comes first. On all Crim albums, we've added the lyrics after all the music was recorded. We leave the studio with the vocal-less album and spend two months in seclusion searching for the lyrics.

Make music and get involved in politics. Young people are becoming increasingly conservative…

— AB: Yes, and even more idiotic. And the music they listen to is even more idiotic.

— QM: There's a trend now. It's fashionable to be a fascist…

Can you find an explanation?

— MA: The right wing has adapted to the current situation much faster than the left wing. Right now, the right wing has a much greater presence on social media than the left wing.

— AB: Virality is a right-wing thing.

Are there any places they love to play?

— JD: Galicia. Anywhere in Galicia, because the food is amazing and the people are gorgeous. [They laugh.]

— QM: Yes, in the north in general.

— MA: I really like ATV, in Sarrià de Ter [Asociación Apaga la Tele]. It's inconvenient because it's in the middle of nowhere, but the concert itself is incredible.

— AB: I like playing at Sala Zero, because it's like being at home. You've played an amazing show and you can walk home.