Pisschrist: From Milan To Minsk

Pisschrist have blasted their brand of raw and barbaric noise to all parts of the world. But touring Japan still makes them nervous, writes TIM SCOTT.

[Historical image is withheld pending rights review.] As one of Australia’s most experienced and internationally renowned crust punk bands, Pisschrist have seen the inside of more squats and rundown tour buses then they probably care to remember. What started as a project at Melbourne’s once famous all-ages venue The Pink Palace six years ago has developed into a black clad touring/recording machine. The band have since blasted their brand of raw and barbaric noise from Minsk to Kuala Lumpur.

After a brief hiatus while drummer Tim was living in Copenhagen, Pisschrist are back with new songs, new shows, a split release with Japanese legends Framtid and an upcoming tour of Japan.

“We’ve been doing it really hard for six years – travelling all over the place – and so maybe it was time to take a break and take it easy for a while,” says Yeap, the band’s energetic and enigmatic frontman. “But don’t get me wrong. We love touring and can’t wait to get out on the road again. I think so far we have played in something like 24 countries. Hopefully we can play more.”

While touring can be grueling, overseas support has inspired them to keep playing in far-flung places. “Locally we always have loyal people coming to our shows – even people who aren’t necessarily into crust. Overseas the style is just more popular. People seem to live the music as a way of life or lifestyle.”

Of Chinese-Malaysian decent, Yeap played in Malaysian hardcore bands such as Mass Separation and Kamikaze 45 before migrating to Australia. He says new technology has made the world a lot smaller, but even more so for punk-rock scenes that are still developing.

“Though it’s difficult to get mainstream press for this kind of music, nowadays with the internet and stuff, you’d be surprised with how many people own our records digitally. I think in this day and age it’s becoming more important for bands to tour then in the past. Whatever you want is just a click away, so it’s important for bands to go and meet the people in Belarus.”

Despite their longevity, Pisschrist seem to have no problem attracting new fans.

“It’s not hard being the oldest band in this scene,” jokes Yeap. “Bands come and go. We don’t feel any sense of seniority but we are always pushing for new bands to get out there and do their own thing.”

The difference between Pisschrist and the legion of other bands doing crust is the simple fact that they do it better. Beyond the frantic drums, ultra blown-out guitars and Yeap's screams there are melodies too, and the obligatory songs about “The System” (‘System Stagnate’). So what is “The System”?

“I guess when I say ‘The System’, I’m saying it on a very general level. It can mean nine to five working for a wage, but it also can mean the system of the punk scene too. About people blindly following.”

Pisschrist’s upcoming split with Japanese stalwarts Framtid will be released on the reputed Tokyo label HG Fact. It will coincide with their Japanese tour in October.

“We met [HG Fact’s] Mr Sato in Tokyo and he wasn’t a man of many words,” recalls Yeap. “He just gave us a bunch of stuff he had just released. It was like, ‘Welcome to Japan. Take these CDs.’”

Pisschrist are highly respected in Japan and Sweden, two countries that stand out from the rest in the international crust punk scene – both for their inimitable styles and for the amount of feverish collector activity that happens there. Admittedly, the band owe a lot of their sound to both countries.

“The times we’ve been there [Sweden and Japan], we’ve been lucky. We’ve played really good shows and got to meet some of the heroes of the genre, people like Mob 47, the Shitlickers and Gauze. It was just so good to talk to them and play with them. It’s refreshing to know that they aren’t rock stars, just guys who want to party and talk. We like to think that we hold ourselves in the same way.”

Meeting Gauze in particular, says Yeap, has been one of the band’s career highlights. The legendary Tokyo band’s 1986 record Equalizing Distort is considered a crust-punk classic, and their infrequent shows have people lining up for blocks. People even fly in from overseas just to catch them live.

“I’ve been listening to Gauze since I was 16,” he explains. “I was always seeing their patches around, then I picked up a 7” from a local distro in Malaysia … They have been a mainstay on my Walkman ever since.”

Touring Japan, however, can be daunting – even for a band with Pisschrist’s pedigree.

“We did a mini-tour to Japan – Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo – and that was the best time of our lives as we got to play with all our favourite bands. We were nervous. All Japanese bands are always ready to step up to the next level and destroy it. The energy level is amazing.”

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PISSCHRIST IN MELBOURNE

Saturday, April 18
The Arthouse, Melbourne, VIC
w/Cut Sick + The Kill + Useless Children