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How can you describe your band?
The Coolness – future sex songs, sex songs of the future with electronic sound. The lyrics are simple, because we think people in the future will speak fewer words, so we decided to put “our Bob Dylan” in a sentence or two. Our music is very performance based. We want to look like Kiss or AC/DC, but sound futuristic; and that doesn’t mean we only press a lot of buttons on the stage. It’s important not to take everything seriously, everyone loves Fun.
When did you start playing?
Since 2007 and we developed over the years so now it’s like a full band and dancers. Vinny (plays for 3 years) and David (for 1 year) were the last to join. Ed and I (Chaz) were for the whole time.
So there were different members or you played in karaoke fashion?
Yeah, I mean, songs let themselves to be more disco orientated and it’s not as good to perform it in a DJ fashion. When I initially started, it was more electronic and I didn’t rely on the members – they came later.
by Billa Baldwin
By Billa Baldwin
Is there a philosophy?
(Chaz) I guess it’s just music I like and maybe it’s just me as a person who makes them a bit sexual, but not all the songs are about sex. Music is actually about freedom in self and losing your inhibitions that is transformed to be played at parties. Some songs have a melancholic twist, but it’s just whatever works around four guys rocking on a stage…
Music lost its rock edge. We find that every band is dressing in black and playing shoegaze or “Joy Division”. In a word: they trying to be cool and we are the opposite, we are almost anti-cool – we just missed the boat, we are The Boatmissers, that was the original band name.
What influenced you?
A lot of music we listen to is psychedelic, and rock, and classics. I guess it’s a cross between disco and rock, but it could be more direct.
by Billa Baldwin
Indoors or outdoors?
We are playing mostly in parties organized by ourselves or by club promoters in London and I think the outdoor festival thing we are only developing. Like I said, we started from DJ’ing and now we are a rock show. In London we put on warehouse parties and raves in East London, but a lot of warehouses are shutting down and that is another reason we move to Europe – to look for alternative scenes, like this one (Patarei Kultuuritolm). It is a roundabout in London right now: you see, when law enforcers suffocate proper clubs – underground scene is growing and when they are suffocating rave venues it’s the other way round. Right now the underground venues are suffocated because of the Olympics and we are branching out to Europe, because we can’t do our thing in London. And we can’t play London forever.
Are you huge in London?
I think in London, in terms of an underground band and not having labels and doing our own DIY thing, we are easily one of the biggest bands. We do one party a month and from 500 to a 1000 people come.
By Nick Scott
What can you say about your live performances?
We are trying to break the barriers: we’re doing a lot of stage invasions, everybody stands on our wires, and everybody can sing in our microphones; we want to bring that spontaneous element to life. We are here to mess, but most of the time we are good (laughs). We believe in the spirit of music and taking risks, so sometimes we make mistakes, but at the same time we make gigs where the whole crowd goes bananas, everyone gets naked and dances on the stage.
So is it how the music of the future looks like according to your point of view? More spontaneous, more connected to the dialogue with the audience?
There always will be commercial music and there will be like us in an underground bubble.
And do you sell your music?
Well, we have the option, but since downloading era begun, we sell the feeling and the connections people get when coming to The Coolness gigs. Most of the feeling is made by people who come to our concerts.
Future plans?
We’re looking on video quite a lot, because now it’s not enough to write only the song – there must be a visual projection with it and a documentary, we’re trying to communicate in a way people will understand us in the future. We have unconfirmed European dates as well – we want to take our show on the road. Book us, we’re available for weddings and bar gigs and we never swear on stage, never :)
http://www.facebook.com/tenderlovingcoolness
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=237413812986856
Vladimir "wovka" Ljadov is an amateur film photographer and occasionally a freelance journalist. Lives in Tallinn, is fascinated by technology and vintage graphic design, spends a lot of time in latest generation social media and does PR for a living. Believes in diversity, discordianism and is against insularity.
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ACDC anti-cool Billa Baldwin Bob Dylan dance disco DIY East London Joy Division Kiss Kodu Loftas Vilnius London Nälg Tartu Nick Scott Patarei Kultuuritolm festival psychedelic rave culture raves The Boatmissers Vabandust Tallinn warehouse parties
