Interview: Haneke Twins

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Q: What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

A: We can answer the first leg of your question with a single word, and this is PASSION! Ok, let us elaborate a bit further: UNRELENTING PASSION! The second leg of the question is also quite intriguing: And this is because ?— contrary to many others ?— we didn't have to quit something else to do music; actually, we do both. And what we do is science at CERN, the world's largest physics laboratory located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Q: What do you like to do when you're not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

A: We work on experimental physics and trust us, this can only influence our creativity in a very positive way, what a pure source of inspiration!

Q: How long has your band been around?

A: The band was founded in 2018 and has been active since with two releases so far (and a third one in the pipeline).

Q: Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

A: The band is based in Geneva, Switzerland, considered to be the post-punk Mecca of Switzerland, somehow like what happens nowadays at Bristol, UK.

Q: How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

A: The name of the band is a homage to the great Austrian filmmaker. One day we hope to compose a ”post-soundtrack” for his masterpiece White Ribbon, a film with unbelievable suspense without a single note of music!

Q: Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.

A: The best show by far was when we opened the concert of the goth giants Burning Gates at the legendary Death Disco (Athens, Greece). The worst one was when we hit the stage at 02:00 with a four-hour delay due to horrible technical problems of the venue (that is very unfair to mention here).

Q: Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you haven’t already?

A: Our favorite venue is, actually, a record-shop in Geneva namely Urgence Disk where we will be playing again in November; that place offers an unparalleled intimacy with the audience! Of course, there are many places we would love to play (besides, most of our shows have been canceled due to the pandemic). If we really must name one, that would be “Hope & Anchor”, the tiny venue where Joy Division played the first show in London.

Q: If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

A: Nice one! In our dream line-up, the billboard says “Bauhaus, Interpol and Haneke Twins”.

Q: What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band?

A: Making music is fun but take it seriously!

Q: If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

A: Start writing your own music earlier!

Q: Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

A: The song “Location Unassigned'' from our latest release. It expresses our concerns about others deciding about our present and future.

Q: Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

A: “Climb” (from our debut EP) and “River” (from the mini-LP Astronaut) are everybody’s favorites!

Q: What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

There isn't a standard recipe or method we follow in the songwriting process, nor discrete roles. Quite often find ourselves in inverted roles; Stefanos ?— the guitarist ?— writing lyrics whilePaschalis ?— the vocalist ?— writing music. We are mainly inspired by social, political and psychological subjects.

Q: What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

A: We would like to raise awareness for the above-mentioned subjects.

Q: Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

A: Try giving brushes to two painters and ask them to make a painting together and see what happens! In a common artistic project, disagreements are expected and an integral part of the creative process. How do we get past them? By leaving our ego at the door.

Q: What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that’s coming up?

A: After self-releasing our eponymous debut EP and ?— just a few weeks ago ?— our mini-LPAstronaut via The Animal Farm (UK), we are now working on our first full-length album, hoping to record it sometime in 2022. Our plan is to reach a broader audience and play some major venues and festivals by 2023. Check our website https://haneketwins.com for news, concerts social media, and more! Many thanks for this interview!