The quintet steamrolled into Whelan’s intent on proving there is more to Sweden than stereotypical good looks, edgy haircuts and Calvin Klein. Deranged dancing, sharp darting gestures, sweat soaked in obligatory matching clothes, smiles beaming and saccharine sweet melodies suggest a group set for global domination. Infectious songs and unbridled energy, coupled with tighter-than-this execution has afforded The (International) Noise Conspiracy (T(I)NC) much success, including, international touring and recording their latest album, Armed Love, with legendary producer Rick Rubin.
Bouncing like Gummi Bears, the quintet thrash wildly on stage. Guitar and bass orbit perilously close to one another, but almost telepathically never compete for the limelight. Relentless, the onslaught continues. Ravenous on/off syncopation and echoey vocals coupled with staccato organ add to the singalong quality of the night. And there are spiralling guitars and grumbling bass to boot.
“We are gonna sweat and we are gonna give it our all. But it’s up to you guys to make this night great,” says T(I)NC frontman Lyxzén. Spitting some of the most barbed, thought provoking lyrics since Rage Against the Machine, this part man, part elf, part Vulcan but all round ringleader demands attention. Snaking his gangly body, dancing, clapping, and even performing mock fellatio, the Swede couldn’t be accused of not giving the crowd his all. The initial reticence displayed by the audience later gave way to widespread support, pogoing and crowd surfing.
Support band The Sound Explosion deserve an honourable mention. Oozing Geordie chutzpah and cheeky charisma, they mesh Morrisonesque vocals with monstrous drumming. And if that wasn’t enough, this lively act manage some wild offstage acrobatics too. A promising young group. But back to the main act.
Critics might claim T(I)NC are selling discontent and the image of rebellion, preferring simply to plundering the archives of rock and pop history to make catchy naive pop songs about revolution. Sterile? Harmless? Maybe. Onstage I witnessed a white-hot garage-rock band, but backstage, the band are a gang of disciplined politicos, and as real as one hopes.
“We all joined this band for love of punk rock,” Lyxzén confided. Until the age of 16 he felt “alienated, alone and like a freak”. Then he discovered the Dead Kennedys, the Ramones and Stiff Little Fingers which served to influence his future lyric writing. ‘Lets Make History’, ‘The Dream is Over’ and ‘Capitalism Stole My Virginity’ capture the band’s politicised inklings. Left-wing lyrics like “we all share our dreams under a communist moon” would be responsible for a steadily increasing fanbase.
But isn’t there a conflict of interest here? After all, how can you justify the high price of albums with apparent punk-rock philosophy? “We are all part of the biggest, most fucked up capitalist regime. It’s all around us. If people download our music, great. I wouldn’t pay €20 for an album that only has two good songs on it. Obviously all our songs are great!” says Lyxzén, tongue-in-cheek. So do T(I)NC defend downloading?
“If people choose to download our music then maybe they’ll burn a copy for their friends too and maybe then they’ll come to our gigs too. And then at the gigs maybe they’ll buy our posters or badges or CDs and we’ll be able to come back and play again.”
True to their ideology, the band played China in May of 1999, their first foray outside of Sweden. The symbolism of the Tiananmen Square massacre lingered as the band performed their songs in still illegal, hidden rock clubs while the Chinese police waited outside the door with guns and nightsticks.
There simply aren’t enough bands like this, willing to fly in the face of what is deemed cool and acceptable. Humble, opinionated and gifted, they are the stuff of rock legend. Their tragic, idealistic, romantic notion of the world and their political expounding only made one feel a greater affinity with the group.
Molotov cocktails aside, The (International) Noise Conspiracy remind us we’ve got nothing but our chains to lose, and a world to win. Sure it’s romantic and idealistic tosh that the critics will hate and the fans will love, but that’s the point, I guess. This is Armed Love, after all.