Meet SOVIET SOVIET, one of the headliners at FIDO Music Weekend’s debut festival.
FIDO Music Weekend will be held for the first time in three locations in Split, from April 5 to 7, 2018. The first showcase music festival in Croatia, FIDO will present some of the best young regional performers in Split, as well as some better known foreign bands. The program, besides live music, will be enriched with accompanying educational and entertaining content.
One of the FIDO festival headliners for the inaugural event is a post-punk band hailing from Pesaro, Italy – SOVIET SOVIET. This three-piece band formed back in 2008 consists of Alessandro Constantini (vocals, guitar), Andrea Giometti (bass, vocals) and Alessandro Ferri(drums). To date, SOVIET SOVIET has released two EP’s, No Title and Soviet Soviet, which were self-released in 2009, followed by the EP Summer, Jesus in 2011. The band released their first full-length album Fate in 2013 on the U.S. label Felte, and their second album, Endless, was released at the end of 2016 on Felte and Black Candy Records.
You also might remember the band making headlines back in 2017 after their promotional tour in America was canceled due to stringent US visa laws. After the band was denied entry into the country, who deemed the group ‘illegal immigrants’, the music world was sent into a frenzy – and this unfortunate circumstance even caught the eyes of NPR Nand The New York Times.
Because the people of Split are ready to welcome the band with open arms next weekend, Kristina Mađor spoke with SOVIET SOVIET ahead of their highly anticipated FIDO Music Weekend appearance.
1. You guys are from Pesaro, Italy. Have you ever had the feeling that you should move to a bigger city to pursue your music career?
Ummmm….not really. Maybe it would be a good thing to move to a bigger city but we never thought about it as a real option for us.
2. The band was formed in 2008, and since then you have made some pretty great tunes and albums that are now becoming recognized more and more. How hard was it to come to this point of your career? What was your biggest challenge as a band? Have you ever considered giving up and having regular jobs?
Our story as a band has had very good and bad moments. We spend a lot of time together on tour, and it was our dream to do what we do. Sure, it’s hard. In the beginning, we had jobs, and we quit them. We are lucky because we had this opportunity. Our music is our opportunity to travel around the world, to meet a lot of people and share our songs with them. The biggest challenge? I think that’s making new songs. Every time we start to work on a new album we try to do our best.
3. When you create a new record do you have a general idea of what you want to do or is it more spontaneous?
It’s a spontaneous process, but of course, we have our ideas about what we want to do when we begin.
4. Are you always completely satisfied with your final product? Do you overanalyze your music or you just go with the flow?
We have spent a lot of time in the recording studio, especially for the last album “Endless”. We wanted to cure and analyze every aspect of this work. We record songs only when we are all satisfied..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=_KMsztaESPY
5. What was the inspiration for your last album, Endless? My favorite song is ‘Endless Beauty’, and I find myself listening to it on a repeat. It takes me to some other dimension. Do you have a favorite song that transports you somewhere else?
The creative process of Endless was very long, and we spent many hours working on it. The inspiration comes from our life experiences and our feelings. Everyone has their favorite song, but it’s not the same for all of us.
6. What is your favorite thing about music?
I think it’s sharing the feelings associated with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=AUxOF7eLA_0
7. Do you think it is hard to be recognized today since there are so many bands right now? How do you manage to position yourself on the music map?
Yes, it’s hard, but it’s a good thing to have a lot of bands. The important thing is always to try to do our best.
8. You will perform at FIDO music festival in Split, Croatia for the first time. Are you excited to play in new places? What is your favorite thing about performing live?
Yes, we are excited! Our favorite thing about performing live is to share our music with the fans. Having feedback from them is amazing.
9. If you could listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
We don’t know. We can’t choose, there are a lot of beautiful albums out there.
FIDO Music Weekend Program:
Thursday, April 5
20:00 The Fogsellers @ Amfiteatar MKC
22:15 Freedom @ Split Circus
Friday, April 6 at Klub Kocka
22:30 Sara Renar
23:30 Kundyak Mezhie
01:00 Zoster
Saturday, April 7
Info Zona: Professional lectures
11:00 Sara Renar & Saša Antić – author’s perspective
12:00 Tonči Bakotin – music production
13:00 Music through the media panel with Domagoj Mijić from Radio Split and Ivana Kapetanović from RTL (previously worked at Muzika Hr)
Klub Kocka:
22:30 Igralom
23:30 SOVIET SOVIET
01:00 DEBELI PRECJEDNIK
Tickets
Festival pack until 01.04. – 150kn
Day of the festival:
Thursday – 40kn / Friday – 70kn / Saturday – 70kn
Where to buy?
Split: Caffe bar Basket, Lumer Shop, Split Circus, Adriatic Social Club
