Vendetta’s reunion is definitely one of the coolest things to happen in the Bulgarian hardcore scene for quite some time now. And as I find out from my conversation with Dido and Shuta right before a rehearsal of the band, this reunion is going to last for quite a while.
- I was left with the impression that you are getting together for just one show at Hate City Fest 2009, but now I see you have more shows planned – Istanbul, Sthens and Skopje. Does that mean you are coming back for good?
Dido: I don’t know really. We are doing this mini tour and we’re working on new stuff.
Shuta: We’re basically waiting to see how these four dates go.
Dido: We’re all too busy with other things so we will not be pushing ourselves too much. But we really want to put out another album before retiring.
- Are there new songs ready for these four shows?
Dido: Yes. We’re playing at least two of them – “Ghost Rider” and “Vendetta” (I hear them later and they are just as crushingly brutal as you’d expect – the author).
- As far as I understood you have prepared a whole new release for the show this Saturday. All your songs so far – the ones from the two split releases and from the album itself – all in one CD.
Dido: Yes. A lot of time has passed and some of the things have gotten lost or we’ve ran out of copies. That’s why we’re doing such a release for these shows.
Shuta: The whole thing will have a new cover and will be a limited edition – only for these shows. If there is high demand and we sell all of them we might make some more copies. It is a good idea because everyone will have the opportunity to have all our stuff. Three in one!
Dido: Yeah, we’re going to apply for sponsorship from Nescafe 3 in 1 with that. (He’s joking, of course – the author.)
- Regarding the show this Saturday – a lot of people are really excited and are like “Vendetta, oooh, ahhh”. I personally cannot recall ever witnessing such excitement about a band from this scene before. Why do you think this is happening?
Dido: Apparently we have left some kind of a mark in Bulgaria. And we are doing this because a lot of people wanted it to happen. We will do some more shows as well. If there is excitement then it is all good. Everyone would want it that way.
Shuta: We’re doing this because of the people who want it.
- Well, there were similar reunion shows by BFH and Face Up for example…
Dido: Yeah, they have been done. But right now all of us in Vendetta арe here in Bulgaria and it is way easier for us to work on the new songs and everything. We were scattered all over different places. Now we are reuniting for fun. We feel the need to do this. We want to let go of some negative energy and this is the best way to do it. And people obviously like it.
Vendetta’s new wave influences have always been a characteristic standout side of their sound.
- You’re making new songs, you talk of future releases… What’s happening with A.D.I.M. in that case? Or we’re counting this as the same band?
Dido: It is pretty much the same thing. It was a side project but we have no time for it no more. Even the songs we did for A.D.I.M. will go to Vendetta’s repertoire. Hre, Shutta also had five or six projects, but Vendetta turns out to be the main thing. For all of us this turned out to be the biggest thing we have done so far. And all of our new songs, part of whom were started with A.D.I.M. but now there are some that are purely by Vendetta, are exactly in our style – there’s metal, but there’s also hardcore. This is what we listen to. We have influences from hip-hop, from punk, from new wave.
- I can’t help asking you generic crap, so – what do you think about the hardcore scene nowadays?
Dido: I don’t think.
Shuta: I also don’t think about that.
Dido: everyone should do whatever they feel like doing. If there is an audience for it – super!
Shuta: If you want to come to shows, then come. If not – don’t. The whole unity thing here died in 98. There’s no point in this now. Who likes doing concerts will do them with people, without people, if they buy his stuff, or if they don’t.We do our thing anyway.
Dido: It is important that people do something interesting and something they feel comes from within. If it goes well – it does. It always shows when it is not sincere.
Shuta: Who likes it – he does. We’re just playing and we have no quarrel with anyone. We’re at a somewhat different age now.
Dido: We have done a lot of the things in that scene that define it today here. And if someone comes and says if we’re hardcore or if we’re not… there are more important things in life. We have families, friends, jobs, life that we struggle with. The hardcore scene is simply…
Shuta: Not that we’re distanced or show some kind of neglect toward it.
Dido: It is too overplayed now and the whole issue had been discussed to death. What are we supposed to say? We have been doing this since circa 93-94. What not has passed through our heads, we have seen a lot, people have been saying everything.
- I kind of meant for you to say something positive, like – this or that band is cool…
Dido: We have nothing to say. Shuta helps half of the bands, he releases them. We have helped everyone we could and anyone we had to. There are youngsters now, there is a new scene – they are building it already. What we have done so far, we have done it. Now others must take care of the scene. This is the new scene. I personally have no time to go to shows Shuta is closer. But – a thumbs up for everyone who are involved. I hope they do it for a longer time. And I wish them all the best. It is important to do good stuff. For me the most important thing ever was to create things that represent my scene in its best light. I mean – when people outside of Bulgaria hear it, they should think: ”See, these Bulgarian dudes really get what it is all about and know their shit”. It is harder than just ripping odd a few Hatebreed riffs, copying a few lyrics and a whole visual appearance and then go on the stage where it is easy because of the whole unity thing. People must support you and you’re cool. It is important to do something that makes you stand out. Because every scene that has left a mark in hardcore history somehow managed to do that. That is why everyone knows the Poland scene, the Belgian one, the New York scene, the one in Boston. All these people have done something worthwhile and have represented their city and their scene.
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