Quit Your Day Job

Interview by Nathan Westley,
Brighton, March 05

Quit Your Dayjob are one of those little known bands who more people should get to hear, they've just released a self titled mini-album in the UK on Bad Taste records, though it has been available though out Europe since last summer. I managed to catch up with them for a quick chat after they had finished their gig at The Freebutt in Brighton, their only gig outside of London on this whistle stop tour.

 

Quit Your Dayjob are:

Jonass - Vocals / Guitar,
Marcass - Syntherzisers,
Andreass - Drums,


For any 'new' band the question of "what are there main influences?" always crops up, I'm not one to break with tradition no matter what else you might hear else where … so just what are Quit Your Dayjobs influences? Well as Jonass explains "there's a Swedish electronica guy called Franzlich Herrlich who was active in the 70's, strange, strange guy"; it may also be not surprising that they also count Kraftwerk and other electronic pioneers as well as early and relatively unknown Swedish punk bands as major influences.

Unlike most bands QYDJ don't have a conventional bass player and instead purely use the Synth to play bass lines, there's only one other band I can think of who also does this and that is The Dandy Warhol's.
Marcass points out that "That's our special treat for the audience … we didn't have any money to buy a bass and Jonass got this synthesiser from a bum in the street, for a few quid than I started to play." Jonass continues "We like electronic elements in rock, we are a rock band, a punk band whatever. Mix it up and see what happens."

Sweden, though a small country, has always had a great tradition of making good pop bands, this goes back from Abba to The Wannadies, The Cardigans to current bands like The Hives, The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Sahara Hotnights.
Jonass points out that the reason behind this might be because "Parents with good economies, middle class families can afford to buy their children musical instruments",

I remember reading a review of the band Mondo Generator, in which someone, I can't remember who nor where it appeared exactly, said they made "stupid music made by clever people for clever people". This quote could also be fitting for QYDJ, unsurprisingly there not offended by this as Jonass explains "We have no problem with people calling it stupid music, stupid in a good way, to just let go". It's refreshing to both meet, hear and see a band who have this viewpoint, a band who don't take themselves too seriously, who stand out from every identikit band being churned out by most record labels. A band who wants to have fun and who brings a smile to people's faces, they want the audience to have a good time and enjoy themselves.


It's their first time playing in England and the London crowds especially have a reputation for not exactly being the most embracing in the world. However Marcass says "it's been great, we've been playing at the Windmill for drunks, Artrocker for arty people, the Dirty Water for the psycho sex latex club, the Buffalo just a pub night"
Before Jonass goes on to say "we've seen a lot of the sights of London, just a good rock crowd basically… we're leaving Saturday for the European tour"

The European tour is with Danko Jones, after that it's another tour with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, than another UK tour as well as numerous festival appearances thoughout Europe. There's also the release of their debut album later in the year, recording for this is due to take place in April with a release date pencilled in for August.


So they're going to be busy for the next few months, a lot of touring and places for them to visit, talking to them you easily get the impression they wouldn't have it any other way.

By Nathan Westley