Silent Scream

These four girls are 14-15 years old and have been playng since they were around 11. In addition, Allan is the man who writes some of their lyrics and works like manager for them. Also be sure to read the live review in # 22.

By JT

LC: What on earth makes 4 teenage girls get together and play rock'n'roll? You dont't see that very often - not in DK, anyway. I thought it was only Britney, Westlife and Nik & Jay (Danish pop rappers) who ruled the teenage world today?

Iben: It's easier to express your feelings with this kind of music.
Stine: It depends on what mood you're in...
Iben: Sometimes it's hard to talk about your feelings. It's easier to play and sing about it.
Natasja: You get it all out that way. We do that in a lot of our songs.
Mette: Our music is also for the body. You can dance, jump...just let yourself go!
Natasja: There's got to be a reason with the music. Pop music is mostly just for fun. When Nik & Jay sings about "Shake your ass.." it has no real meaning...
Iben: In our case we'd rather sing "Shake your head.."
Natasja: "Shake your thoughts".
Stine: We're not into all that love shit…
Iben: We want to tell about the world.
Stine: About what we experience in life...
Natasja: We would like people to open their eyes…
Iben: …and see what's happening around the world. For example the war in Iraq and other places. It's horrible.
Mette: We hope to participate in the effort to change the world.
Natasja: Maybe not the whole world but then people...
Iben: …who listens to our music.
Natasja: We want the people to think and come to an understanding…
Mette: ..so there will be no more nazism and racism…
Stine: So we all can live here in peace.
Natasja: That's our goal.

LC: I've only seen you live once and you were graet and really into it. How do you prepare for a gig - any rituals?

Iben: Not really. We just sit backstage, waiting…looking forward to play.
Natasja: We're always looking forward to the show.
Mette: And we're also a bit nervous prior to the gig…but you have to be nervous because then you actually play better.
Natasja: We want to show the audience what we can. Tell them something. Who we are. How the world is and what's going on...
Iben: And every show is equel important…
Stine: Even if there's only 3 people at a show it's as important if there's 3.000. You have to give yourself a 100% anyhow…
Mette: And sometimes there is a person in the audience who may think: "Wow, these girls are great". So we often get offered new gigs at a concert.

LC: You are all from Nakskov on Lolland (Islands south of Denmark, not far from Germany - ed.)
How is you daily life? I could imagine there is a bit of a buzz around you since it is not that common with your kind of music and style in a small town?

Stine: Yeah well, Nakskov is very small, so...
Iben: We have a lot of hardship..
Stine: No matter what, there will always be someone who hate us and someone who loves us. That's just the way it is.
Mette: Most people have heard about Silent Scream. And there's a lot of people who don't like our music. And we're a bit sorry about that, so it's better to get out of town to play.
Iben: We had a real bad gig experience in Nakskov…
Stine: We played at this benefit concert for the Asian tsunami victims...
Natasja: And someone in the audience boo'd at us and we couldn't really get the spirit going either...I mean, you think of all those dead people so you couldn't just shout: "Come on let's paaaarty, let's dance" or anything. It was kind of awkward.
Mette: And we just got out of synch and froze. I'm very sorry about the whole thing 'cause this was something we really wanted to do.
Mette: Anyway, we grabbed the opportunity to play the gig.
Stine: We didn't stand a chance - so we took it!

LC: What do you do beside having a band? School? Jobs?

All: We attend school, do homework, have dance and song classes. We hang out together and with our friends. And we rehearse a lot.
Iben: I'm in boarding school…
Stine: Sometimes it's a hard life - home from school, rehearse, dance class, then home to eat then do all the home work. You do get a littled tired!

LC: (additional question from Allan): Are you never afraid to wake up as adults and discover that a big part of your childhood and youth was spent on rehearsing, performing etc.?

All: Nooooooooo!!!!!
Mette: We do this 'cause we love it! And it's what we want.
Natasja: It's what we live for!

Stine: Sometimes it's a bit difficult to find time to spend with your friends, but on the other hand, we're also good friends in the band, so....

LC: You're music is hard-hitting and a bit punkish. How come you decided to play this kind of music? And what are your inspirations?

Natasja: It was a bit poppier 3 years ago, but then we changed our style because we liked that better.
Iben:We have always listen to a lot of music. My parents listened to a lot of rock music. And we have made theater and plays in Falken (youth club - ed.) where we sang rock songs. When we were 9-10 years old we sang The Doors covers.
Natasja: And there was another band at our youth club - Muggshots. They played punk rock and we really liked them. We called them our "big brothers" ha ha ha…
Iben: They helped us a lot…
Natasja: And we looked up to them…
Stine: Now they look up to us, ha ha ha.
Mette: But again - we're still young and we learn all the time.
Natasja: We often go down to Huset (local venue - ed.) to see other bands.
Stine: ...to get inspired and "borrow" ideas from them.

LC: What does your families say about your playing activities? Do you get permission to stay up late when you're out playing he he he...no, jokes aside. Do they support you?

Iben: They support us a lot. Especially our bigger brothers are very happy for us
Natasja: Our families think it's cool and they are very proud of us.
Mette: They want us to become something in life.
Iben: And of course we get to stay up late!
Stine: We're not THAT small anymore! (Stine and Mette has just turned 15 and Natasja has just turned 14). It's not like: "Do you know what time it is, young lady? You're grounded! "
Natasja: We're allowed to stay up late. They trust us and know that we have a good time.
Stine: They know that Allan and Jesper takes good care of us. So they have no fear. It's cool.

LC: Are you a democratic band? Or is there someone who writes the lyrics, someone who makes the music etc.?

Iben: We all try to decide equal. But of course Allan and Jesper helps us a lot with the lyrics and the music.
Mette: We give them some ideas or talk about our experiences…
Iben: For example the time we were in Bosnia and Serbia…
Iben and Natasja: We met some boys there who we fell very much in love with. And when we left we got really sad…
Stine and Iben: They didn't have any money and just gave us everything. They were really nice to us.
Stine: So we decided to make a song and when we came home, we sat down and Allan came up with some song lines...
Natasja: It was our first song - it was very long 'cause we had so much to tell. Nowadays we don't play it anymore.
Stine: Actually we learned a lot in Bosnia/Serbia...
Natasja: We had many experiences… But back to your question. Of course Allan and Jesper does a lot of work but it's not like they say "Now you got to jump","take this shirt on" or "wear your make-up like this"
Natasja: Some times they say "it could be cool if you did this or that", but we don't get whipped or anything if we refuse, ha ha ha...
Stine: I just want to be myself.
Natasja: NO-ONE shall decide what we are wearing or if we should get a haircut or anything.
Mette: We are what we are - and we like it.

LC: Do you have a lot of groupies at your shows?

Iben: Well, we don't really know….yes maybe some.
Stine: Okay. We are not THAT famous yet! But when we meet some boys prior to a gig, when we have not dressed up yet, they go like "Hey, cool!". But then when we're dressed up and ready to rock, they get a little bit scared of us, ha ha ha....
Natasja: I think the boys are there 'cause they think we are cool and not just because we are...
Iben:…lovely and gorgeous!
Stine: Many of those who attend our concerts are much older than us - 18-25 (Goddamn! If that is old I must be an ancient artifact by now! - JT.)
Natasja (the youngest member): Yes, they are probably a bit too old...
Iben: For you, yes!
Mette: I think the older boys just likes our music…
Iben:…and maybe they also think we are lovely!
Mette: But they treat us really nice.
Natasja: They show us respect.

LC: What other Danish bands/artists do you like?

Stine: Actually we don't know that many yet. We are still discovering the music…And we're still young so…
All: Swan Lee, Juncker and Song For Siren. We like a lot of music but it has to have a point or meaning. Especially Juncker we like a lot. He is cool.
Natasja: He is a nice person….
Mette: And he's good-looking…
Natasja: He likes our music.
Iben: He's got some of the same attitudes and meanings as we have.
Mette: We were at a concert with Alrune Rod (old DK hippie/beat band - ed.)
All: It was great! Damn, the music was fantastic…
Natasja: The mood was so good…

LC: Do you have any fun/crazy/weird stories from your concerts you want to share with our readers? I understand that you played in front of 3.000 people in Serbia?

Stine: Serbia and Bosnia is without doubt our biggest experience so far. We played at the town square in Sjenica (muslim enclave in Serbia - ed.) where 3-4.000 people showed up.
Iben: They were not used to live rock shows… there was a great feeling...
Natasja: They jumped up and down and danced and stagedived and everything...
Stine: And all around the square there was a lot of "Blue Angels" - the Serbian police force - in battle uniforms ready to intervene if things got out of hand...
Natasja: How we dare? Well, it's not really us who perform - it's our music and opinions...
Stine: …you just grab your instrument and go: OKAY!
Natasja: And the you overcome everything...
Iben: A year ago we played at a punk show. At first the punks looked at us and thought: "oh no - it's an Avril Lavigne band!"
Natasja: But in the end they simply kneeled for us in front of the stage!
Iben: It was pretty wild…I got a microphone holder in my back...the punks raved around our stage...we actually got a little scared. Afterwards they approached us…
Stine: Saying stuff like: "Wow, that was awesome! When are you playing again? Come and play Jagtvejen 69 (where Undomshuset - old squatters place in Copenhagen is situated - ed.)
Iben: Out in the ladies room, the girls wanted our autographs…one girl wanted an autograph on one of her breasts - "but be careful, I've just been pierced!"
Stine: We were a bit shaken, but soon found out that we had a lot in common with those punks.

LC: Do you have plans and dreams for the future? Recordings? More gigs?

Natasja: Well, we really want the world to be a better place to live in...
Stine: And we are dreaming of touring outside Denmark and have ourselves a mini van…
Natasja: Yes we have some dreams…
Iben: But I think we have achieved a lot. In the beginning we just stood completely still on stage and tried to "hide" ourselves...
Natasja: Today we are more ourselves...we know more of what we want
Iben: We would like to make a real good CD so more people can hear us…
Stine: So they can say: "hey, listen to these girls, they're cool."
Natasja: When we sent our first demo to Crunchy Frog Records we wrote to them: "Make us a contract NOW - 'cause we're gonna get BIG!
Stine: They have to come to us!

LC (additional question from Allan): Would that mean that if someone came up with a contract but had some conditions for example regarding style, looks etc...? Or…?

Natasja: It could be great to get a contract but we're defenitely not gonna change!
Stine: If someone came and demanded that we'd had to change I have two words: Piss off!
Natasja: Yeah, it's ours…
Mette: …and not their music. We want to express ourselves the way WE want to!
Natasja: Life has made us the way we are…
Stine: And we have been fighting for it. Like we sing in our song "My Fucking Town".
Mette: People may think that we are embarrased by living in a poor city like Nakskov but we're not!
Stine: Somehow we're actually proud of it.
Mette: But of course, there is not a lot of money in it - band wise...
Stine: We try to make money ourselves by playing.
Mette & Natasja: Our parents just don't have the money for it, to help us.
Natasja: But in the end it does not really depend on money - It's the good relationship in our band that are the most important thing for us!

Silent Scream will play together with Swedish girl rockers Satirnine at the Girls In Concert show on the 30th of April in Vordingborg, DK.

Check out these sites for more info on Silent Scream (in Danish).

http://www.soundvenue.com/band.asp?id=1204
http://www.silentscream-fansite.webbyen.dk