Radical Swedish musos like defying authorities

(International) Noise Conspiracy

Don't expect the (International) Noise Conspiracy to ram their political beliefs down your throat.

When the Swedish band play in Auckland on Thursday they'd rather see you grooving.

"We want people to leave the show thinking, 'Man, those socialists are a sexy bunch and they can dance, too'," says frontman Dennis Lyxzen.

But, he says, they are also a "socialist, revolutionary, anti-capitalist" rock band.

"That's a fairly broken-down description of what we are. We are an amalgamation of all the different radical political ideas that we like. I would say we are all radical leftists. That's our common ground."

He sniggers and emphasises the revolutionary element: "That whole reform thing doesn't really appeal to us that much."

Like he says, though, he's just as happy for you to dance your bum cheeks off to the band's music without giving a hoot about what he's yelping about.

"I feel very privileged to be able to have a political voice. I grew up with the Clash and the Dead Kennedys and it was like if you've got something to say then [expletive] say it. But I didn't get into politics because I thought politics was the most amazing thing in the world. I got into politics because of the way their songs made me feel.

"So with us it's one of those deals where people tend to forget that we actually do play music.

"We are a band and we're in love with music. One of the cool things about Noise Conspiracy was that we wanted to take a lot of the feel the early black power/funk movement had, where politics was something that seemed very sexy and exciting and powerful.

"We don't really have any illusions though. We're not going to change the world but we really want to be the soundtrack to the revolution."

Formed from the roots of five different bands in 1998, the (International) Noise Conspiracy have released a string of EPs, and three albums, the latest of which, Armed Love, produced by Rick Rubin, is their most accessible yet.

"Based on the lyrics I think it's not as highbrow academic," says Lyxzen.

The band started making a name for themselves in 1999 during a tour to China where they played 16 illegal gigs in the communist nation. And no, there wasn't a political motivation behind the visit.

"In the same way we wouldn't support the capitalist dictatorship of America, we don't really support a communist dictatorship of China. We just thought it'd be a good idea to go to China for our first tour," he laughs.

They travelled as tourists ("We had our Chinese friends, carried our equipment. It was kind of sketchy"), played in small underground punk clubs and found there was a big underground culture starting to thrive in China. No one knew who they were but the Chinese were curious.

"It's like anywhere where people are a bit isolated. You see if you go to certain places in Sweden, and America, where people are a bit isolated, it's a bit off, and anyone who's interested in anything alternative will go to that club or that show. And [in China] that's pretty much who the crowd were. A very strange selection of people.

"Looking back at it now, it was 1999, it was super sketchy and I'm like, 'Holy shit, what were we thinking?' We did this super sketchy, underground, illegal tour of China."

Things haven't changed too much in China. When the band went back last year one of their shows was cancelled by Government authorities because "they didn't think our lyrics were great - I'll tell you that".

And recently the Chinese edition of Rolling Stone magazine was stopped from publishing by the country's strict media watchdogs because of the content.

Lyxzen laughs. He's not surprised and recalls the story of a Chinese friend's punk band who were asked to do a story for a local newspaper and when the story came out it said, "If your children look like this, alert the authorities."

"They got set up," he laughs. "That's what it was like, they got into fights every night because they had a mohawk."

During last year's Chinese tour there were fans at the band's gigs who went to their shows the first time round. "People were telling us they started a punk band after seeing us," he says, sounding chuffed.

"It meant so much to them because we were the first Western rock band to go there and play punk shows. It's pretty spectacular because we don't really think about how much impact this little band has had on some people."

And now the revolution is coming to New Zealand.

LOWDOWN

WHO: The (International) Noise Conspiracy
WHAT: Swedish socialist revolutionaries who like to dance
ALBUMS: Surivival Sickness (2000); A New Morning, Changing Weather (2001); Armed Love (2005)

WHERE & WHEN: April 13, Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland.