Shout Wellington Air Force Interview:

Stream their entire album “Carry Yourself” on our front page NOW. I guarantee you will have to after you read this interview, which is the best that I have yet been a part of, mainly because of these four fine Danish boys. I have nothing else to say but to read the interview, listen to the album, and tell all your friends about Shout Wellington Air Force. - BEAR

Where does your band name come from?

Alfred John Shout was born near Wellington on the 7^th of August, 1881. As a child he was known in the area for acting strange. At the age of eleven he almost died from a bad fever (people died all the time back then) and deliriously he spoke to his mother of “a creature in the air. Not an angel, but a child-like animal granting him the gift of life all over again.” His mother was pleased with the animals efforts, convinced that it was giving her son a sense of relief in his dying hours. The truth, however, was that the young A. J. Shout was petrified of the animal, fully convinced that he now belonged in the arms of the wicked creature. In a strange way he was now no longer a part of this world and this gave him the ability to fight without any fear in the second Boer war. He considered himself “a soldier, already dead, resting on the chest of a monster”. Many young soldiers have told about how the brave captain Shout had given them a sense of hope through his calm nature, carrying them in spirit and fighting with an absolute contempt for death. However, on the 10^th of August 1915 he had most of his right side completely blown off and the young writer Michael Robinson describes in his memories of these events that he “found Captain Shout drinking tea with his left hand just before they carried him away”. Michael Robinson further recalls the memory of A. J. Shouts last words: “He told me in a steady voice that he wished for any young man or woman to die young in the arms of their parents. I didn’t understand it. I was fighting to stay alive.”

How many people do you think have heard your new ep “Carry Yourself”?
The band+you=5. Seriously, not that many. Denmark is a small country and we haven’t played in any other countries or anything. The ep was pressed in 500 copies. Not nearly all copies are sold yet, you do the math. It’s okay, we didn’t expect anything great anyway. Right now we’re in it for the fun. But we’ll all be prepared when that changes!

In our little review of your fantastic ep we said “And so here it is, in a shit-hole of a world there is something great and it’s SWAF.”
Do you think this world is a shit-hole?

The world is great. We project shit into it. Thanks, though.

How has life changed since discovering that you could play a musical instrument?

It wasn’t something we discovered, it was something we learned. But basically we stopped doing sports and quickly assumed that our romantic lives were going to blossom. They didn’t. Then we released the ep and assumed that THIS was to be the summer of love. I guess we’re all counting on that full-length now. It’d better be sweet.

If you could tell the other band members what you really thought of them do you think they would love you or want to break up the band?

If we knew what we thought of each other we would all fall in love all over again. We would never get around to do any music because we would be so wrapped up in dry-humping each other. Luckily, we never express what we feel. No, seriously though, when people talk about being in a band as being part of a family it’s true. We are.

What bands have influenced your music or changed your life?

Bands like Sunset Rubdown, Mountain Goats and Menomena have all influenced us a lot and made us feel all sorts of new feelings. Listening to stuff like Xiu Xiu has been life-changing for at least some of us. We’re all going to a Xiu Xiu-concert this Saturday and we have our hearts set for “explosion”.

Is there a theme behind the new ep?

No, not really. The songs are from very different periods in time. But the lyrics for “Forgive Us, Please!”, “Curtains Fall” and “Men of War” are written in the same period and they all revolve around the same stuff. But consistency wasn’t really an ideal on the ep. It will be on the album however. Very much so.

Can you tell us where you recorded the album?

We recorded it in one of our friends’ rehearsal room. It was all right, though. They had some cool equipment. But the room itself was a very, very dark place where nothing of real beauty could grow.

What is your favorite part of being in the studio? I was always a fan of mixing.

You like mixing? Wanna mix our album? We all really like overdubbing and doing things we never thought we would do to the basic tracks when they are recorded. There is a certain point where you make an absolute decision on which way it’s all gonna go. We all like being in that place where the colours are added to the painting or where everything is erased.

What do you hope that fans get from your music?

We all have records that have changed our lives and made us look at everything in a whole new way. Our extreme goal is to change someone’s life at some point. Maybe in ten years we will. But if that wasn’t our ultimate goal then we don’t think it would be worth spending so much time on.

Who are some great bands in your area that need to be heard?

Larsen & Furious Jane. They are the band with the before-mentioned rehearsal room and two of the guys produced “Carry Yourself”. Now they have a new rehearsal space painted in a bright orange colour. This has caused the explosion we were all waiting for. Their new album “Zen Sucker” (out May 19^th) is, as the title implies, a beautiful album that has the purpose of draining all your soul-power and finally making you resign on your bathroom floor. It is without any doubt the greatest album ever released in Denmark. It has taken over our lives and we are proud and scared to know such great artists.

Are you going to come to America on tour anytime soon?

There is nothing in the world we rather would do, but unfortunately we don’t see it coming anytime soon. First of all it is very expensive. Secondly, it is extremely difficult for a European band to come to America and play. There is so much legislation and so many rules concerning going into the country and it is practically impossible if you don’t have a label in the states. So, right now we’re just hoping for a huge bag of gold to accidentally drop into our laps, otherwise it might take a while. None of us have any money, so we’re all hoping that we’ll be good enough to go on an international tour someday. Then you’ll play for people but you’ll also get the chance to go places.

What is the story behind the lyrics of “Woodbin”?

Dying, then death. The real story is way to intimate and it’s not even funny.

Is there a full length album coming out soon to complement your ep?
No release date so far, but most of it has already been written and we’re working on it day and night, in our sleep as well. It’s going to be very different.

What is life like in Denmark? Is it like how your music sounds?

In Denmark it rains candy and bricks.

Typical Danish scenario: Go out, drink beer, talk to girl, fail, drink booze, go home, wake up, drink coffee, feel alone, on the phone with your mom.

If you cut yourself in Denmark the doctor will help you without asking for money.

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