GUMMO is here, and there’s no trace of a tropical island – instead, they’re coming at us from the cold north of France, where beer, energy, and Cuba Libre reign supreme.
Formed in 2018, they’ve been doing what they do best ever since – playing fast and unapologetically dark, but with a touch of humor (and kraken!). These guys don’t compromise, and they’re not planning to stop. In this interview, they told me about what their rituals look like after wild performances, why they don’t need a bass guitar, and how their perfume would smell (if you’ve got a strong stomach). Meet the band that combines sweat, energy, and friendship into one chaotic whole.
Hey guys, thanks for your time. I hope you’re on some tropical island, drinking cold beer and cocktails, and answering these questions. 🙂
Antoine: Hi there, thanks for having us ! Unfortunately we’re still from the great North of France so it’s pretty freezing cold here but beer and cuba libre rules as always.
How did the band form, and how has your sound evolved from the very beginning to today? Does it have anything to do with the film, and did you want to bring that strange atmosphere into your music?
Antoine: The band started in 2018 with Mathieu (drums) and myself at first. We released a first album in which all the tracks featured activists from the French scene.
Among these activists was Théo (vocals) who then joined the band officially. We already knew each other and we already played together in other bands before.
Concerning the sound, I don’t think there has been much change, the base always remains the same but we always try to sound better over time through small adjustments. The only notable change live is perhaps that I have been taking more backing vocals for a year.
The name of the band does not directly reference the film but one of our tracks written by Nwoon, a friend of ours, talks about it.
For those who haven’t heard GUMMO before, describe the band in three words.
Antoine: 3 piece Grindcore/PxV band from Lille – North/France. Play Fast / Strike Hard since 2018.
Mathieu : Power, speed and friendship
Théo : Sweat, kraken and bisous
The French scene has produced some excellent grindcore/pv bands in the last 10–15 years. You’re a relatively young band, so did any of those bands inspire you to create GUMMO? And what are the key musical and non-musical influences that shaped the band’s sound?
Mathieu: Yes indeed, many bands and not only in France. Our band is quite young but the 3 of us had bands before playing together. I’m not going to name all the bands that may have influenced us, but personally I remember that the first real blastbeat that I heard live was from the Toulouse band Nolentia in 2008. They also become good friends. About our sound, Antoine will be better able to answer because he takes care of the mixing of our releases but generally to give you 3 influences which have marked us we usually humbly quote MAGRUDERGRIND, NAILS and WORMROT.
Who’s responsible for the lyrics, and where do you find inspiration? And who handles the music? How does the songwriting process flow – spontaneously or with a regular ritual? Also, how important is (cover) art in the whole GUMMO story?
Mathieu : For our first album, we didn’t yet have a singer. So we asked friends from the scene to choose a song, write a text and perform it… It was a great exercise and that’s how Theo joined the band on vocals. We still play a few tracks from this album, otherwise for the following releases I wrote most of the Lyrics. I put a little bit of everything I could feel at those specific moments… Anger, sadness, depression, disgust and everything that goes with it. The world is so vile and unfair. It’s not very difficult to find something to vent your anger about… It remains extremely cathartic for me.
Théo : We also try to put some fun and private jokes in our songs. For example the tracks Jayjay or Cats are alien spies.
About the artwork, we always ask our friends. We’ve worked with Maxicat for the two first releases then with Lucie Babayan for the two others.
Besides vocals, you only have one guitar and drums. I watched your performance at this year’s OEF, and it was pretty intense. Do you not consider a bass guitar or at least another guitar necessary, or is there something else behind that choice?
Antoine: It’s a choice to stay in this type of configuration. For us a power trio is practical in dynamics and decision-making.
In a more musical dimension, we have never felt the need for a bass. I run a guitar and a bass amp at the same time. Our music is composed with this in mind.
Mathieu : Pretty intense yes ! Haha
Your energy on stage is wild. After such intense performances, what’s the first thing you do when you get offstage?
Mathieu: Try to dry out, smoke a cigarette and drink a beer.
Antoine: Hug my two fellas, have a beer and chill with people at the merch area.
Théo : Same here! Hugs, drying out and beers!
If you had to create a GUMMO perfume, what ingredients would be included, and what would it be called?
Mathieu: Farts, sweat and socks.
You occasionally release cover singles. I have to admit I was surprised by your cover of NASUM’s The Final Sleep because, believe it or not, it’s my favorite song of theirs. How do you choose songs to cover? And why NIRVANA? 🙂
Mathieu : We also like it a lot and we wanted a rather slow cover for our first album, the choice quickly fell on The Final Sleep. It’s also our tribute to Miezko… And about the NIRVANA cover, it’s part of a compilation released by Sudden Strike rec. We chose Heart Shaped Box because it’s a great song. We are quite happy with the result
The grindcore scene is very unique, of course. How do you view the current grindcore scene, and where does GUMMO fit within it? Can you recommend some bands we might not know? What’s playing in your headphones right now?
Mathieu: To me, the grindcore scene is very close to the punk and HxC scene. The DIY spirit is very present there and it’s something that we really like. We traveled a lot and we were able to meet some great people and create strong bonds. There are also disillusionment and unpleasant surprises but that’s part of the game…
You must check FALSE, LMDA, INSANE ORDER, TEIGNE, JODIE FASTER, TAEL, CHIENS, NOLENTIA, AVGRUNDSLJUD, MARTØ, CHESWICK, BAS ROTTEN, FACEPALM NATION, FAILURE, and so many more…
Théo : NOFX, always.
Antoine: The current grindcore scene is very prolific imo. KNOCKED LOOSE, GUILT TRIP, KOYO, SUPERHEAVEN, FLESHWATER, LOATHE, GULTCH, SPEED, SIERRA & DEFTONES are playing at the same time in my headphones.
How do different audiences react to your music, from country to country, considering you’ve been touring a lot recently? Do you feel a difference in energy between your home crowd and audiences in other countries?
Théo : Most of the time we meet the best audiences in alternative places like squats. People are there for a reason and they often have something to say, some story to tell and some rage to express in the pit.
In our city, we have the opportunity to see several good concerts every week. So people aren’t as cheered as other places where they don’t have this chance.
Mathieu : We always have the same rage and the same energy on stage whether it’s in the depths of a cave or on the GTNS stage… There are determined people everywhere, whether in the promoters or in the audience and It’s nice!
As a grindcore band, a genre outside the mainstream, do you face any challenges, and how do you deal with them and overcome them?
Mathieu : Being largely responsible for booking the band I would say that it is this aspect which is the most challenging and time-consuming. We are lucky to have friends who tour a lot who help us and guide us when we seek to move to new lands.
How much has the internet helped in your work? Do you rely on any music or social media platforms?
Antoine: The Internet remains an irreplaceable means of communication. We try to keep our Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and other streaming platforms up to date.
What are your plans for the future? Are you working on new full-length material, or is there news of an upcoming split?
Mathieu: Yes, there is a 4 way split that will be released soon with friends! Can’t wait ! And we’re slowly starting to work on our third album.
When you look back, what moment do you consider the most special or important for GUMMO?
Antoine: To name just one: the last tour including the passage to Obscene Extreme 2024.
Théo : To me the more memorable concerts were the first one and of course this summer OEF. We had the opportunity to play in Canada 3 years ago and that was awesome. I never thought I’d be able to cross oceans with my band, that meant a lot.
Mathieu : The OEF obviously, for me it was an unattainable dream. I always have in mind our gigs in Montpellier and Toulouse with the completely crazy Mosher team. There are so many, it’s impossible to list them all in more than 170 gigs in 16 countries…
Besides Gummo, which other film would you recommend to someone who loves dark and bizarre stories?
Théo : You can check Taxidermia (György Pálfi – 2006). It’s disturbing and weird as fuck.
Top 3 French beers?
Théo : 1. Smoking chihuahua (brasserie du singe Savant), 2. Cervoise (brasserie Lancelot), 3. All the beers from la brasserie du chajoux!
Antoine: 8°6 (to be served lukewarm)
Mathieu : 1. Jenlain ambrée, 2. Pietra ambrée 3. Piment du Chajoux
Finally, a message to everyone who loves or hates you!
Théo : Bisous💜
Mathieu : Thanks for this interview, Bisous et monde de merde
Antoine: Des Bisous / Niquez Vous
Follow GUMMO:
Bandcamp: https://gummogrind.bandcamp.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gummo_grind/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gummo.grind
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv7qOtfah0i7Jmfh_6iYoeA
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/artist/3csNpAN3UYuPE3T6QNlJZc?si=3YdeqbuoQxaaubmTWfNjkA
Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/gummogrind