Known for their uncompromising sound and DIY ethos, FUCK THE FACTS has carved a unique path in the grindcore scene for the last two decades.
I asked Topon a few questions about this long journey they’re on and what the band is up to these days.
FUCK THE FACTS has been around for over two decades now. There is no need to say that band evolved since its formation, both musically and in terms of lineup. Where is FUCK THE FACTS now?
From 2001 to 2015 FTF was the main priority and focus for myself and many members who have been in the band through those years.
We used to jam 4 times a week and played as many shows as possible. Now things are a lot more chill. We get together about once a week and play only a small handful of shows a year.
We all have different priorities in life now, like families, businesses, full-time jobs, etc… But we still like to play music, be creative, and just hangout together.
Topon, as the founder of the band, how do you maintain your passion and drive for creating music after all these years? Did you ever think “This is enough, I’m done”? What has been the most challenging aspect of having a band for such a long period?
I definitely burnt out at a point. In 2015, we put out an album called “Desire Will Rot” and that title really represented how we felt at that time. We booked full Canadian, US and European tours, knowing those would most likely be the last tours we would ever do.
The Euro tour ended in the spring of 2016, and after we all went our separate ways. I didn’t even pick up my guitar for a year after that. Sometime in 2017 I started to talk to our drummer, Vil, and that when we started creating our 2020 album “Pleine Noirceur”.
You were on Relapse and now you run your own label, maintaining a strong DIY. How important is this part of “industry” to you all? Were you not satisfied with Relapse or you just wanted to do shit by yourselves?
I’m not overly concerned with the business part. It’s actually one of the reasons I burnt out and stopped wanting to play. When I started FTF, I just wanted to make music and be a part of the underground music community. At some point, the business side of things started to creep in, and I got concerned with numbers and what others thought of my band.
For me, it started to distract my focus from the art and why I started doing this in the first place. As for Relapse, our contract ended, and they decided not to resign us. I have nothing bad to say about them.
It was a dream come true to be on that label, and I’m sure a lot of people know us because of it.
How important to you is it a strong personal connection with amongst band mates? Does it increase chemistry in the band? What has been the most challenging aspect of having band for such a long period?
It’s always been important to us. Even in the early days, we were mostly concerned about getting people in the band that we knew we would get along with on a personal level. That was even more important than their musical ability, in some cases.
We were touring all the time, and we needed to know that everyone was on the same page. Now it’s getting close to 20 years that the core of our band has been together.
Our vocalist, Mel, has been there since 2002, and Vil has been in the band since 2005. We have a deep friendship that’s even more important than what we do with the band.
I know that Mel is the one behind almost all lyrics. On the latest album, lyrics were mostly in French. How did the fans react to them? Any feedback from them?
Mel has always handled most of the lyrics ever since she joined the band, and on our latest album “Pleine Noirceur” wrote all of them. Even though it’s a French title, the lyrics are split about 50/50 French & English. We did an EP in the past called “Amer”, and that was all in French.
The area we live in is very bilingual, and it’s not uncommon for us to switch between French and English, even when talking together.
Speaking of fans, has your relationship with them evolved over the quarter of century, especially with the rise of social media? Where do you see yourself on social media? Do you find it helpful in any way what so ever?
It’s not something that I grew up with, so it doesn’t really come naturally to me. But I do think it’s become a crucial part of getting your music out there and communicating with others. When I started, it was all about tape trading and spending flyers in the mail.
That’s how we communicated and stayed in touch back in the day.
It used to take months for a split tape or a compilation to come together, and it also used to cost me a fortune in postage.
So in a way, it’s fun how fast and cheap the same thing has become. There are definitely disadvantages to the internet, and especially social media, but it’s not going anywhere, so we might as well learn to use it to our advantage and find healthy ways to adapt it into our lives.
The artwork and visual representation of FUCK THE FACTS are always as intense as your music. Who is in charge for the visual aspect of the band, in general?
Mel has been responsible for the artwork in the band since she joined in 2002.
At first, she did everything, including all our t-shirt designs, but as we got busier with touring, she focused more on the artwork for our releases. I find it important to have a unique visual to go with our music.
It completes the package and makes every FTF release 100% ours.
Being a veteran in a Canadian grindcore scene, are you familiar with any new bands? Can you maybe recommend some names that we haven’t heard about yet?
Yeah, check out these bands:
Holy Grinder – https://holygrinder.bandcamp.com
Gland – https://glandofficial.bandcamp.com
HPV – https://hpv-grind.bandcamp.com
Truth Of All Death – https://truthofalldeath.bandcamp.com
You’re hitting UK this September for Chimpyfest. Is there a chance for a full EU tour next year?
We’re excited and honoured that the folks at Chimpyfest invited us to play this year.
We haven’t been to the UK since 2016, and it was one of the funnest tours we did. We were offered a tour around Chimpyfest, but it’s not possible for us at this time.
Future plans? Any split or even a full-length coming our way?
We have a full length in the works. If all goes well, we’ll hopefully release it in 2025.
TOP 3 Canadian beers?
Our drummer, Vil, opened a pub a couple of years back, and started a brewery. It’s the best beer in Canada. Check it out here: https://lacievilandre.com
My other go to beers come from Great Lakes Brewery (Hazy Mama) & Nickle Brook Brewing (Headstock).
“This is the end”, said THE DOORS once. Any message to the reader, fans, old and new ones?
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Follow FUCK THE FACTS:
Official website: https://www.fuckthefacts.com/
Bandcamp: http://fuckthefacts.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FuckTheFacts
Instagram: https://instagram.com/fckthefacts/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/29fBae9lZFj6dXWykkpSsX?si=-UD4Y5kASmS-v6PFDzUdvA
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/0908
