From Nicolas Cage to blast beats, from political outrage to sarcastic jabs – TRAVØLTA have spent the last decade shaping their sound and message.
As they prepare for new releases and a European tour, they talk about their origins, their place in the Belgian underground, and why punk, hardcore, and grindcore need to stay revolutionary.
Hey guys! First of all, thanks a lot for taking the time to answer these questions. So, here’s the first one: Why TRAVØLTA and not NICHØLSON or CAGE?
We have a picture of Cage on our bandcamp page. Or is it Travolta in Face Off? Who knows? Only we do…
Before we even wrote a song we were thinking about names of celebrities. TRAVØLTA or Van Damme were our top choices but we went for our man John because our bass player had good ideas for artworks. This was even decided before we had a singer. When Nico started in TRAVØLTA, probably a month after our first song was written, he didn’t really like the name. But we stuck with it and are still happy with our choice. Jackson would have been another good name, the baddest of badasses in Pulp Fiction.
You’ve been around for 10 years now, with only two full-length albums but a ton of splits, and soon you’ll be releasing another one with the German band WE SLEEP. Do you see a difference between your early material and the latest songs you’ve written? Which bands or albums have shaped TRAVØLTA the most?
In the beginning there were more technical limitations. Our drummer was pretty new to the game and the guitar player was actually more of a bass player. We always said Extortion, Drop Dead and Disgust were the “main” influences. We wanted some typical crusty parts/D-beats mixed with blastbeats. Lyrically, Nico wanted to spread a leftist message of peace and understanding. The older we get, the more sarcasm is added to our lyrics.
Nico tries to get his point across in a direct way but also tries to avoid stereotypical punk lyrics.
Nowadays our songs have less that crusty vibe and more the old school Power Violence sound with an occasional twist.
Is there any unreleased material from the past that you’d like to revisit or officially release?
Don’t think we have unreleased material from years ago. We do have some reworked versions of old songs and we think the newer versions sound better (faster and tighter).
You blend D-beat, Power Violence, Grindcore, and Crust, yet you still manage to maintain a distinct TRAVØLTA sound. Does that just come naturally, or do you put a lot of thought into shaping each song?
Our way of working changed during Covid. Having a new guitar player and the fact we couldn’t do rehearsals forced us to do things quite differently. We made some songs without seeing each other. The drummer created drum tracks and mailed them to our bass player. He then added guitar and bass. When it was possible to do rehearsals again, those songs were revamped and completed. Other songs were made on the spot while practising.
Nowadays most of our new songs start with an idea of our guitar player or the drummer. When a blueprint is made, bass and lyrics are added. It’s still possible that the song changes completely during this process by the input of the bass player or singer…
So, how long does it take to make a song? Well, sometimes a few rehearsals, sometimes 30 minutes… If the vibe is right, the vibe is right and the song doesn’t need adjustments.
Your new song, “It’s Shoveling Time,” features an intro borrowed from Sick Of It All, and even the title could be seen as a playful nod to “It’s Clobbering Time.” What’s the story behind that choice? Why SOIA?
Our guitar player had a riff in his mind which was inspired by Charles Bronson. Together with our drummer they made the main song without the intro. On the next rehearsal vocals were added. Nico came up with the lyrics and the title “It’s Shovelin’ Time”. After playing the main song live we were joking around at the rehearsal space and made the connection with “Clobberin’ Time”. Our drummer persisted in using it and we put the two together. We think it’s a good build-up for the chaos that follows in “It’s Shovelin’ Time”.
We aren’t the biggest SOIA fans but we have to admit that the first 7” has some good tunes on it. When we play it live, not that many people recognise the SOIA part because it’s probably not that well known as later songs and albums.
Who is responsible for the lyrics, considering they range from political to humorous? How much do the lyrics reflect personal experiences of the band members?
Nico is the one that comes up with ideas and the sometimes sarcastic hooks. Sometimes a lyric will be written during a rehearsal, sometimes it takes longer… ideas starts everywhere, so sometimes it might start from a crazy story on our way to a gig, or personal experiences. Who knows… Nico doesn’t like writing stuff he doesn’t feel anything about so… there must be anger, frustration and sometimes even “happiness” involved.
How do you see the difference between the Belgian underground scene and the scenes in neighbouring countries like France and the Netherlands? Do you think there’s a distinct “Belgian” sound? Are there any Belgian bands you enjoy sharing the stage with that we might not have heard of? And do you see yourselves as a big or small contribution to the Belgian scene?
The D.I.Y. scene is not that different here than in our neighboring countries I think. In Holland there were always more of Punky edges to the fast bands. They probably got inspired by the huge squat movement from back in the days and of course fast bands like Lärm and Seein’ Red. In the 2000 era when everyone was playing though Metalcore over here, in Holland they had a Youth Crew HC revival that was fun and damn refreshing. Vitamin X started off there. Now you can see it in bands as Tense Reaction, My Minds mine, Pressure Pact, I Scream protest, … Lately in North France there’s something moving with fast and shredding bands: Jodie Faster, Gummo, LMDA, Teigne, Martø, False, Cheswick,… A typical Belgian sound I think people might think of is the H8000 Metalcore sound, that changed the scene a lot worldwide. But if you think about it, Mince-core that was formed by the Belgian Cult Grinders of Agathocles and they also have a big footprint in the scene worldwide. No bands like Archagathus, Haggus, Malignant Tumour etc. without Agathocles And what about the Liege Crust Punk scene with bands as Hiatus and Unhinged who also did their part in getting their filthy Crust sounds out. Belgium is small, but the underground sounds goes worldwide… and we didn’t even talked about the New Beat and Cold Wave genres. 😀 😛
About our contribution:
Nico was doing his distro since the early 90’s so… he was and still is a part of the underground and D.I.Y. scene over here. Since Travølta did their first split 10”, Rik and Nico had the idea to help out other bands with releasing records and so Loner Cult records was born. Some band they’ve released: Hetze, Raw Peace, Dögmën, Plague Thirteen, Parasite Circus, Verpest, Head Of The Baptist, Serial Pissers, …
As a band known for taking a clear political stance, how do you react to the constant societal shifts that seem like steps backward for so-called progressive values? Do you express your frustration in other ways besides your music?
We live in strange times if you ask us. You see the rise of right wing parties all over the globe, also how they’re getting organised and they’re becoming a part of the mainstream with idiots like Trump, Musk, Orban, … on a world scheme and local mongers Bart De Wever, Tom Van Grieken, Theo Francken, Guy D’haeseleer, Dries Van Langehove, etc. in the Belgian politics. Scarry shit! Also the worldwide pushing of countries to get in the weaponisation of their armies, making the rich even richer. You’ll see budget cuts on the most vulnerable in our society, destroying nature in the name of the almighty dollar and so on and on. We’ve got a lot of lyrical inspiration from this, so definitely no Travølta lyrics about how many beers we can drink in the next couple of years. We’re even scared it’s getting worse and worse. Sometimes singing a song isn’t enough so you’ve to come out and be part of actions, demonstrations, activist groups, … be the thorn in the side of this system. Let your voice be heard, we are with many… we just need to get organised!
Have you ever had issues with an audience because of your political views? If so, how do you handle those situations?
That sometimes happens but that’s up to them. If you come to a Travølta gig you also get some “inspiring” quotes from our singer. If you don’t like it, it’s not our problem.
Several band members also run the label Loner Cult Records. How has that work influenced TRAVØLTA? Do you see releasing music from other bands as an inspiration for your own? How do you choose the bands you release?
Nico (singer) already had his own label called Day One Records. He had a little distro which he carried around. Rik used to do a distro (No More Records) and was interested in doing something new. Together with our old guitar player we got the idea to start Loner Cult Records, the logo was designed by Kevin, our bass player. By starting this label we could release our own music and so we did! The Travolta/Days Of Desolation 10” was our first release, it was a co-release with a shitload of other labels.
Now, many years later, we try to give our support to many bands in the scene, be it Crust, Power Violence, HC/Punk or Grindcore. We believe in the power of “our scene”, the power of our political views, the power of integrity and the power of D.I.Y. These are also things we look for in other bands. Professional rock stars (yeah they also exist in our scene) are not something we wish to release. Sometimes we ask bands, sometimes we get asked.
When seeing our own record collection, it’s quite clear that we’re vinyl addicts. We still believe in the power of physical copies and don’t really like Spotify. Holding a record in your hands, reading a lyric sheet while drinking coffee is something therapeutic. This way of listening to music is often overlooked and forgotten. I sometimes ask myself how many people really take the time to read (or search) lyrics of songs/albums on Spotify. This way the whole revolutionary aspect gets lost and I always get bummed out by that idea. Punk, HC, Grind or Crust need to have “revolutionary” ideas, it has to hold the power of change (for the better good), it’s more than just music, it’s a lifestyle and a way to cope with a world that’s full of bad intentions. For me (Rik) this is why I hold bands like His Hero Is Gone, Minor Threat, Propagandhi or even Agathocles very dear. They speak more to the heart than something like Cannibal Corpse.
If you had to choose just one artist or band for a split release, who would it be and why?
Goh… In our scene everything is kind of possible and we had and have some nice splits coming up (We Sleep, Slutbomb, Facepalm Nation,…). But if we’ve to say an active band I would say Drop Dead. And if we can reanimate a band I would say Crossed Out or Ripcord.
How do technology and social media affect your music and the messages you want to convey? Do you think these platforms have helped or taken something away from the DIY ethic?
Since the rise of the internet and social media everything has changed a lot. Everything went much faster, but it all became more of a “product” you can easily consume and neglect later on. But for upcoming bands it’s a good way to get your voice to be heard on YouTube, Bandcamp, Spotify, … But remember, nothing beats supporting a band with buying their merch and records!
But it certainly also has some good effects… You can’t imagine how hard it was to get a gig or a tour booked before the internet. Now you can fix a decent line-up in a couple of hours, in the 90’s you had to write several letters and returning all the soaped stamps was a pain in the ass. 😉
In July this year, you’re set to embark on a European tour with METH LEPPARD. How did this collaboration come about, and besides those dates, where else can we catch you? Is a US tour in the plans, and if not – why the hell not? 🙂
A couple of years ago we had a gig in Antwerp together with the rageous Grinders of Meth Leppard. We both had fun and this year we got a message to do a European tour together with them. We have a bunch of great gigs coming up, like Grind the Nazi Scum fest, Brews and Blast Fest, a weekender to Czech and Italy. You can find all of our upcoming gigs on our Facebook page. A U$A tour, why not! Ask us and maybe we’ll make it happen, who knows!?
What does the future of TRAVØLTA look like? Do you have long-term goals, or do you just take things one project at a time? Can you share something you’re looking forward to in 2025 – maybe something unexpected besides new material and tours?
We’re not the kind of band who takes one project at a time, we’re constantly writing new songs and are on the lookout for nice cooperations. The first thing we’ll drop this year will be the split LP with the German old school Power Violence / Fast-core lovers of We Sleep, then a live split LP with the HC/Punks from Slutbomb of Cincinnati, Ohio and we just started the recording process for of a new split with the German Fastcore maniacs from Facepalm Nation. Something unexpected… mmmmhhhh… I think we’ll transform Travølta into a Punkrock, Skapunk band by the end of 2025… definitely not!!!!! 😀 😀 😀
TOP 3 Belgian beers?
1// Omer is a strong Blond beer that’s even better than the well-known Duvel beer.
2// Orval, a semi dark and strong Trappist beer in the direction of the English Ale’s but way better.
3// I can’t choose between the old Geuze style sour Brussels area beers and the ultra-dark and trouble Stout beers.
The final lines are reserved for a message to your fans, friends, and family… appropriate or not…
First of we wanna thank you for all the time and effort you put into this D.I.Y. zine. People like you make this scene an ever better and nicer place to be in. To all others, we hope to see you at one of our upcoming gigs!
Follow TRAVØLTA:
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/travoltapowerviolence
