As German post-hardcore band Annisokay head out on tour this month with British goth-rockers Fearless Vampire Killers, we caught up with bassist Norbert Rose and vocalist and guitarist Christoph Wieczorek before their London show to chat about their latest album Enigmatic Smile and how they’re finding their very first UK tour.
MOSH: So, you guys are playing London tonight – how do you feel about that?
C: Amazing!
N: We started this band in 2007 in a really small town in Germany and we would never think, ever, that we would play London. I mean, it’s a really big thing for us.
C: Yeah, the tour has been amazing so far and this is one of the highlights of the tour for us. It’s an exciting thing for us. We’re kind of under pressure to do a good show today!
MOSH: Are you feeling nervous?
C: Yeah, a little more than usual! Because, actually, we’ve played about 40 shows his year already…
N: We did two big tours in Europe and there have been 1,000 people every night.
C: … Yeah, so we’re kind of used to playing shows, but today is different.
N: We’re still nervous, even though it’s not 1,000 people!
MOSH: This is your first ever UK tour, so how are British crowds treating you so far?
N: Really, really nice. I mean, as we knew that we were going to tour the UK, we talked to a lot of people who have been here and they told us some cool stories about bar fights…
C: I knew as a band you don’t get catering at all, and we don’t get catering – but we get drinks and that’s fine! Drinks is enough! But the crowds are really, really good. They give us great feedback, they come to us after the show and do photos with us, they’re going crazy! Also, being really close to the stage when we play the show, that’s not a usual thing in Germany, because if the venue’s not full then people are standing all over the place and it’s not really a cool feeling to be on stage, but it’s different here. We’re having a lot of fun playing these shows.
MOSH: What’s it like to tour with Fearless Vampire Killers?
C: They are the best guys ever! They’re really nice to us, we’re having a lot of fun with these guys.
N: They do a different thing than we do. I mean, we are a heavy band; when we play in Germany there’s moshing, walls of death, circle pits… Fearless Vampire Killers’ fans are younger than we get in Germany and their music is more pop. But it fits very well; it gives the whole night a full package, a range of music. We really like that.
MOSH: So you’ve toured alongside bands like Falling in Reverse and Blessthefall in the past – is there anyone else you’d really love to share the stage with but haven’t the chance?
C: There’s one from the UK actually, they’re called Architects, we love them. They have inspired us a lot over the last year.
N: I mean, I would LOVE to tour with Slipknot, because the production is so massive and the stage is so impressive. Slipknot are one of the greatest live bands of all time, so that would be amazing.
MOSH: Your latest album, Enigmatic Smile, charted in the German Album Charts – how did that moment feel for you guys?
C: It was awesome!
N: Unrealistic! I mean, we never thought we, with this kind of heavy music, would get into the German charts because it’s more pop and hip-hop and bad German music…
C: Schlager!
N: I mean, there’s some really good indie music with German lyrics, but the traditional music in Germany… I would say it’s terrible!
C: The schlager. You know schlager, don’t you?
MOSH: No, I can’t say I’m familiar with it…
C: It’s folk music, like traditional German music.
N: Country music in Germany is really terrible. It’s tasteless.
C: So being between these acts, and also American pop acts, having your name written there, it’s a great feeling. It also gave us the feeling that we’ve done something right – many people are into our music and want to have the album, so it’s a really great feeling. And it motivates you to keep doing what you’re doing.
MOSH: So, what sort of bands or musicians would you say influenced you on the album?
N: There are some producers who inspire us, not only bands. We worked with two American producers, favourites of ours, Joey Sturgis and Will Putney, and they are a big influence for us, a big inspiration.
C: They bring in their own ideas, and of course they influence the whole album. But if we had to mention some bands, we’d actually say some names like Bring Me The Horizon or Northlane, or bands that are kinda refreshing in the metalcore scene. That’s just the music we like to hear. The most important thing for us – always – is doing what we want to do. We listen to ourselves, and what we think sounds cool and what Annisokay should be about.
N: And what’s fun. That’s the most important thing, to have fun.
MOSH: For any UK fans who haven’t heard your album yet, what can they expect from it?
C: In three words, I’d say: good-looking guys! … That’s just a joke!
N: Heavy, melodic…
C: Heavy, melodic and…
N: We’d say badass, but that’s us, not the album… Emotional, maybe?
C: Yeah – heavy, melodic and emotional.
Catch Annisokay as they continue their UK tour with Fearless Vampire Killers this month before heading out to tour Europe later this year, and check out the new album Engimatic Smile!
