Interview: Satanic Surfers (SWE) Debut NZ Show w/ Cootie Cuties, Spit

Swedish skate-punk veterans Satanic Surfers — Rodrigo Alfaro, Magnus Blixtberg, Andy Dahlström and Max Huddén — are playing their first show ever in Aotearoa New Zealand next month, following more than three decades of dedicated duty to the cause. Dasha Koryagina volleyed a rapid-fire selection of questions to the group before they headline Tāmaki Makaurau's Whammy Bar on 23rd March, with special guests Cootie Cuties and Spit, all brought to you by Sticky Fingaz Tour Management...

Satanic Surfers (SWE)
with Cootie Cuties, Spit
Monday 23rd March — Whammy Bar, Auckland (doors 7.30pm, R18)
Tickets on sale HERE via UTR

Dasha Koryagina: Satanic Surfers are known for their skate-punk energy — what’s one element, in your music, lyrics, or vibe, that really captures what the band is all about?

Andy Dahlström: I would say the lyrics, even if they are personal or political they never feel generic. I admire Rodrigo's way of writing. Also the music is fucking fast and crazy, I guess that has some significance too.

Rodrigo Alfaro drums and sings at the same time, which is notoriously hard — how does he pull it off, and how do fans respond when they see it live?

Andy: Yeah, how the hell does he do that? To this day I still haven't figured it out haha. Our fans obviously appreciate the fact that he's giving everything to the show and the intensity of the music.

Your guitarist Max Huddén played Auckland with No Fun At All last year — now that it’s Satanic Surfers’ first time in New Zealand, what has he told you about the country, and what are you looking forward to?

Max Huddén: I would really like to stay longer in New Zealand and see more sometime, but I've told the guys that the audience were absolutely amazing and very good vibes all in all. Let's hope the fire alarm doesn't go off mid show this time, haha.

What’s it like playing up close to the crowd in small venues, and how does that energy feed back into your performance?

Andy: It can be super fun, since the crowd's energy is like half of the experience. Big stages can also be magical, but in another way. I don't mind if people film our shows. But if they start doomscrolling mid-set, then go somewhere else. Live shows are so important, that's where we meet in real life, no AI or apps could ever replace that. So I think we need to appreciate it more.

If one of your songs had to be the theme song for your lives as a band, which would it be and why?

Andy: I guess 'Hero of Our Time' or 'Head Under Water' or 'Armless Skater', those are the stones we keep rolling like Sisyphus. Ha.