www.facebook.com/redtaperebellion
From: Cape Town, South Africa
Sounds like: Metal
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound? Who thought of the name “Red Tape Rebellion” and is there any meaning behind it?
We have all played in bands prior to Red Tape Rebellion and each of us has a distinct musical background and upbringing. When we first started jamming together we knew almost instantly that we were doing something unique, with each member bringing his own style and vibe to the band.
Choosing the right name for your band can sometimes be challenging so we sort of got a bunch to choose from together and then eventually went with the name each member could relate to the most. “Red tape” is excessive bureaucracy or adherence to official rules and formalities, which we as a band and individuals can sometimes question in our lives. This theme resonates in a lot of our music which makes for powerful lyrics and some heavy tunes.
2. What do you want listeners to take away from the "Red Tape Rebellion" EP?
To make a lasting impression on the listener in their way of thinking and viewing the modern world and some of the things happening nowadays that seems to become normality. Also to inspire a good idea of the mixed influence music we try to make. We try to be able to play one song to ten people and to be able to make each one relate to it in a different way.
3. What can people expect from your live show?
Pandemonium! We as a band love to play live and we strive to make each show bigger, better and louder than the previous. We want people to walk away and feel they experienced our music instead of just listening to it.
4. What's your favorite track to play live?
Lately we’ve been throwing in some of our new songs in the mix and one of our upcoming singles “We All Fall Down” has become a big crowd favorite, but on the band’s side “God With No Face” is definitely a favorite.
5. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
System Of A Down, Lamb Of God, and Machine Head.
6. Any crazy show stories?
Late last year we were playing a gig for charity in the 23:00pm slot. As time ticked on we saw that we would go on later than expected and thought a lot of the people might have gone home by the time we were on. So we started knocking back a few cold ones not expecting much from the gig….then when we went on at 01:00am in the morning (a bit wasted), the place was packed and all hell broke loose! People were singing along, stage diving and moshing so hard that monitors and mic-stands were pushed over. Needless to say it was an amazing gig!
7. What’s your take on the current state of metal?
Currently metal is going through some changes. You have a divide between bands making metal in the tried and tested ways of the metal genre, and the new wave of metal bands trying to make heavy music in different ways. With this new breed of “metal” you have some great bands that push the metal scene into new and unexplored sounds such as Gojira and System of a down, but unfortunately it also breeds some bands who make glorified pop music using overdriven guitars and double bass beats.
8. What’s the current music scene like there in Africa both locally and country wide?
The music scene is booming! There are tons of bands around both in the underground and mainstream who are all working together to create a local metal, punk and rock scene that can make a mark on the international market. Although there is a brotherhood in the scene it is vastly diverse country wide. It ranges through Black metal, Death metal, Old school Punk, Hardcore, the list really goes on and on…
9. What’s your take on legal/illegal music downloading?
It is a very complex question and the answer is dependent on the way you look at it. I do believe that the artists should get money for their music and in a perfect world we as artists would like everyone to pay for our songs. Yet people who listen to your music legally or illegally are the people who are going to pay money to come and see you live. Those people are also going to pay for your band shirts, which they are going to wear and through doing so advertise your band at no cost. They will also tell their friends about you who in turn might come to your show… So all in all I don’t think it’s the end of the world if someone downloads music illegally the support you get outweighs the money you lose.
10. What’s next for Red Tape Rebellion?
We took December to get two new singles done, and we are going to release them later this year. We are also going to release a video and get the rest of our second EP done. We also have our first gig of the year coming up this Friday at ROAR in Cape Town with some awesome local bands.
11. Any shoutouts?
A shoutout to the metal community in South Africa and also every single country around the globe and also to Brenton “Beez” Cresswell with From the Hive who has been supporting us as a band since their first day on the scene.
