Introduction
Our next guests are completely disrupting the traditional, hyper-serious punk rock scene. Coming straight out of Arnhem, this Dutch outfit blends psychedelic vibes with raw garage rock to create a highly addictive, high-energy sound.
They are all about breaking down the wall between the stage and the crowd, turning every venue into a massive party. Following the massive success of their 2024 debut record, CONSEQUENCES, please welcome Wasted Youth Club!
Interview
Your spotify bio aggressively tells people to “forget the forbidden to smile punk attitude” – Is that a middle finger to the self-serious bands that have been around in the scene?
No, but it comes from a self conscious view that there is enough negativity in life, and that it is good to sometimes divert from that spiral and approach it from a more satirical or positive attitude while embracing the love for rock n roll and punk music.
If your recording studio was to file a complaint about you guys, what would it be complaining about?
That there was too much fuzz and amplifiers blew up.
Your latest release “Shared Whining” has a GREAT title. What makes it the perfect title for this group of songs?
We think it fits in the framework from our answer to question 1. We feel that a lot of times humans, including us, seek out people that share the same views in life. Which includes the same views towards (negative) subjects to complain about. It feels good and creates a bond between people.
Í think the songs on the EP all encapsulate those feelings or touch subjects that we as a band find worth complaining about, but we reflect it with self-deprecation/mockery and hope that the listener will do the same.
Which band member is most likely to get lost on the way from the tour transport to the venue?
Sven our frontman has the worst sense of direction. It’s a miracle he knows how to find his own front door, haha
Your songs have a real “Experience me in a sweaty packed basement” vibe. Do you actively reject a song if It does not make you want to MOVE? What is your general song writing process?
Not necessarily. When writing an album we start by picking demo’s or songs that feel right for the record and the vibe that we want to give the record, obviously most of the songs have strong energy but it is nice to give it contrast with a more laid back track once in a while.
For live-sets that is much more different. We like to make a set based on the audience. For us it is important to play shows that will give us and the audience the most connection during the evening. if that means that we need to play head first power set, that is what will do. If it means easing into the set we could start a bit more jammy and end up in chaos. But at some point our shows are always high on energy and aim to make the crowd move.
If you could highlight a local band to us, who are you picking and what song should we start with?
Bongloard. They are good friends of ours and we find a lot of shared interest with them not only musically. In our opinion they are the greatest garage band of the Netherlands right now.
Start with the songs “Do You Think You are Ready” or “Famous Lost Words”
What is the strangest thing you have ever witnessed in the crowd while you have been on stage?
We were playing a set during an after party. The people in the crowd were really really drunk but had a good time. At one point one guy just pulled up a chair, rolled a cigarette, sat down, fell asleep, woke up a few minutes later and just launched himself back into the mosh pit. Half way into the next song he got out of the mosh pit, found his chair, sat down and fell asleep again.
If you guys pooled your money together and opened a pub tomorrow. What are you naming it , and what makes your pub a place I would want to visit?
The name would be Wasted Youth Pub.
In our pub, you play mini games like: Pay your bill while crowd surfing, you get 20% off. Win a guitar battle or drum off against one of us and you get to pick the music for the visit. Including an epic entry. Plus we host live music night. Bands that visit us can make up a cocktail and this will create our menu each year.
Your gigs are apparently CHAOS… Have you ever left a venue and wondered how everyone in the room made it out ok?o
On those nights mostly they didn’t. it’s not the aim of the game but as long as it is voluntary, i guess everybody could still be ok, just not in one piece.
If your (Quite frankly it is fantastic) track “Bad Blood” was a drink what ingredients would it be made out of?
just a stray up shot of tequila with tabasco and caffeine powder.
What is a non-musical hill that you would die on?
This is a hard question because there are a lot of things we stand by. But without getting too political, I think the biggest one is that you should do things because you want to, not because society tells you it’s the normal thing to do. Don’t buy a house if it doesn’t make you happy.
Don’t start a family if it doesn’t fit your life. Life is way too short and way too complicated to spend it trying to please other people or following some unwritten rules. Do what feels right for you, but remember to be kind to your surroundings. Don’t be a dick, life is too short for that too haha.
Which band member is most likely to come up with the most ridiculous idea? Have any of these ideas ever actually happening?
Sven always comes up with the craziest ideas, usually way bigger than our budget or the time we have. One of them was to lock ourselves up in a house for a week with cameras livestreaming everything. People could decide what we’d write by spinning a wheel with things like genre, tempo, or vibe, and we’d have to finish an EP while everyone watched. It sounded fun, but it was just way too much to organize.
What did come out of it was the Family Weekend EP. Instead of a livestream, we spent 6 weekends with 6 different bands to write 6 songs. Every weekend we locked ourselves up with another band, wrote and recorded a song, and by the end we had an EP. It was so much fun to see what happens when you throw different bands together for a weekend. We learned a lot from each other, and to finish it all off, we organized a festival to celebrate the release.
What is the WORST song you can think of to play over the PA right before you guys walk out on stage?
For the international tours:
Bruno Mars – Lazy Song
For a Dutch tour for sure: Snollebollekes – Links Rechts
Finally what is the one thing you hope people seeing you live feel rather than just listening to our songs on record?
A connection with us. We want people to be seen and heard and share the same love for music with us. To not worry about all the shit happening in life for the duration of our set.
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