SHARPTONGUE! Video + Interview

“Imagine a world without your favourite bands. They were once part of someone’s local scene. Don’t miss out and support your own.” – Lonely Vagabond

No matter how big or famous a band is, at one point they played their first show, released their first song and sold their first merch. When Jonas showed me the first two tracks of his new project I was blown away from the start, I liked their sounds, I liked their concept and I liked their branding - everything was fitting together. Sharptongue are a four-piece band with every member having years of experience in playing and writing music. They're hungry, energetic, they know what they want, and they are going to take it. Check out their official video for their debut song "Snakes" and read about who they are, what inspired them and their plans for the future in our interview:

Who are you and where did you come from – in the means of how did you team up as Sharptongue?

We’ve all known each other for a pretty long time now. I (Oli) have known Linus since I was a little kid. The four of us as a “band” then met in school at the age of about 14. We just really felt like doing music back then, which is why we started jamming in the basement of my family home. And that is how our previous band ‘Elude The End’ evolved.

Which were the reasons to put an end to Elude The End and start something new?

As already said, when starting Elude The End, we were all pretty damn young. We had no idea where we wanted to go with the band. This all started out with us being boys who love to do metalcore in the basement together. As time passed on, we got more experienced and changed our style. The metal band from the beginning more and more evolved into a hardcore band. Even though the sound and the whole band completely changed, in most people’s heads we remained as the ‘small metal heads from back then’. So eventually we got to a point where there was no further way for Elude The End. We wanted to get away from what we have been doing before and prove to people that this new sound was the one thing we really cared about right now.

If you had to name the things that inspire you in your work with Sharptongue, in the means of musician as well as every other aspect of life, what would that be? Are there any differences to your private interests and preferences?

Musically, Sharptongue really is something like a compromise of the things all four of us listen to when it comes to hardcore. So basically, we do have different taste in music. One likes to listen to a lot of hip-hop while the other one is more into Pop-Punk etc. But I guess that’s a good thing for the band. In private, every one of us definitely has a variety of interests that inspire them as a person. This can be our academic studies, a hobby, diverse circles of friends or a relationship. As for me, I sure am being influenced by my architects studies in the work with the band too, even if this sounds absurd now.

What does the very first song ‚Snakes‘, which is released today mean? What do you want to tell us with it?

Snakes means a lot to us as a band. It is not only the first song we release but also the first one we have written for this project. It just worked for us right away, laying a very important foundation for Sharptongue and the development of our future style. As a band, we just want to say “Hey, this is us! Keep your eyes and ears peeled, since you will definitely hear from us again”. The song itself communicates a typical hardcore message and says: nothing comes from nothing, giving up means you’ve already lost and whoever thinks he’s made it and now ‘owns the world’ is going to fall down even farther.

If you could choose 3 bands for a dream tour, which ones would it be and why?

So this question seriously opened up a huge discussion, and we wanted to make sure to name bands we all listen to and we’re all influenced by. To make it quick: Stray From The Path, Trapped Under Ice, Comeback Kid.

Do you see Sharptongue as a chance to avoid mistakes you probably made with Elude The End? Are there maybe even memories where you just sit and think “wow, that really was some trash we did right there”?

Of course we see Sharptongue as a chance to avoid huge mistakes and do the right things from the very beginning. Everything we’re facing with the band right now, we can do more aware and more knowingly. That is concerning songwriting, the people we work with or even only the new logo. Of course we sometimes look back and just wonder “why?” haha, but I think every mistake is very important. They mold you, and only if you do them is when you really know that it was wrong and you can do better.

Your first gig will be at ‚Das Fest‘. What are your expectations, concerning yourselves as the band, the audience and the debut itself?

Of course the expectations for a show at a huge event like ‘Das Fest’ are very high. Still we try to stay realistic and hope to deliver a great show, inspire some new people, maybe meet old fans too and just a great time with the audience. We’d love to be well-received, raise interest in this project and make sure to not only be the millionth hardcore band this earth sees.

What’s coming up next, can you tell us something about future plans and secret dreams?

That’s kind of easy: the plan is to just play as many shows as possible. The feeling on stage and the energy being generated by both band and audience are definitely important reasons to play in a band after all. Of course we are planning to record a bigger release after our “2-song-debut”, so we pretty much can’t wait to get back into the studio. A dream all four of us share is definitely to do a bigger tour, which would be absolutely amazing. A secret fantasy would possibly be a tour overseas. Whether that is America, Australia or anywhere else. Just being on stage and seeing the world.