Interview: Young Enough

[gallery type="slideshow" link="none" size="full" ids="151963,151964"]

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

Julien : I was listening to commercial music, like Madonna or Backstreet Boys. And then one day I downloaded "it's my job to keep punk rock eliteé" by NOFX. I chose that one because it was the shortest i found and back in those days I had a pretty shitty connection (33.6K, old school) 1.20 min that changes my life.

Jon : I think that video games and teen movies got me into music. When i was like 10 years old I listened to all the soundtracks of Tony Hawk Pro Skater, American pie, Ssx and Gta and i loved all those punk rock song so much. Then I discovered Blink 182 and the rest is history.

Pieter: Yeah me it was the crunchy sound the guitars made, and I just listened to anything that had those crunchy guitars. Started with Queen, went into Blink, went into Slipknot. But the heel kick punk beats of Travis in Blink really hit on a whole other level.

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

julien : I like to grow food. it brings me peace of mind and energy to play music

Pieter: I’m a teacher and tour guide, so anything to do with history, and teaching people that sh*t. Yeah it gets boring and monotonous but so is life. Gotta go find or make that sh*t interesting!

How long has your band been around?

Pieter: Young Enough formed back in 2019. But due to a minor hiccup aka global pandemic there wasn’t much else to do except write songs and record them. So we did. Now we’re ready to bring those tunes to the stage.

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

Pieter: I grew up all over the place, so I draw on what everybody has in common. Loving and being loved, and scared/anxious of whatever might disturb that. Which ironically can lead us to hate quite easily. I don’t want to speak for the other guys but they’re from around the old industrial heartland of Belgium and Europe. The old rusted factories show what used to be, and where we’re all headed if we keep burning our way to the top.

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

We’re a bunch of 30+-year-olds (and a recently turned 40-year-old) playing pop-punk. Often the first thing we hear when we show the music we play is “aren’t you a bit too old to be playing this kind of music?” to which our response is “nope. We’re young enough”.

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

Send us this question again in about 2 months when we’ve done our inaugural run of shows! 13, 15, 19 and 20th of November! Check our page!

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

Julien : my favourite venue is "le petit bitu" in Namur, Belgium. It's a student bar where I played a lot and where we’re also going to be playing soon!

Pieter: I love this place called Canal 10 close to Tournai in Belgium. It’s in the middle of nowhere but the sound packs and punch, and the guy who runs it is an absolute legend! My current dream is to play at the AB in Brussels. Legendary venue, with an incredible sound in the room.

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

Pieter: Jack White, Lamb of God, Blink 182, Knife Party and Jack Johnson to close it off when the sun comes up.

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

Julien : Listen to each other !

Jon : Discuss the direction of the band, desires and fears. Find compromises and put your ego aside. Don't be afraid to invest money and time and most importantly have a good laugh.

Pieter: Come to terms with the fact that 90% of your job is hauling heavy things in and out of vehicles.

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

Julien : do not play trumpet you fool, you're about to lose 7 years not playing drums.

Jon : First of all I would slap me hard and tell me to enjoy life, take risks and enjoy the moment because life goes very fast.

Pieter: Make a decision. Don’t let it be made for you.

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

Jon : Probably “I Want My K7s Back” coming in October, because I wrote this song when I was quite depressed and anxious and put all my guts into it. Pieter (vocal) adds the lyrics perfectly to it.

Pieter: Of the songs we’re gonna be releasing in the near future “Humanvirus” is one I enjoy. The music kicks you straight in the teeth and a majority of the lyrics came out and stuck in the first take. They just came out that way.

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

Pieter: I’m in a two piece folk/blues band and this one time we improvised a song. The chorus was super catchy and by the second time we played it the whole bar was singing along like they knew it by heart. Remains one of my craziest experiences of all time.

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

Jon : Most of the time I start with some riffs that I record in my home studio and then we play it together at the rehearsal and make a full song out of it. The alchemy between us is amazing. I'm so proud of them. My inspiration depends on the emotions I feel at the moment, but most of the time is nostalgia, friendship, anxiety, the shitty world we live in.

Pieter: Yeah most of the time they send me an almost done song, they give me a few words that they feel with the song and I build around that. And it’s always fluid for me. I’ll never sing a song the same way twice.

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

Pieter: brutal honesty? That we’re all doomed. The end of this society is near and there’s absolutely nothing we can do to stop it. But since worrying about it isn’t gonna do anything I try to remain positive in my fatalism. Might as well make the best of it while we still can.

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

Jon : For the moment we always had the maturity to talk if something’s wrong, be kind and focused on our main goal.

Pieter: collectively we have close to 70 years of experience across a whole swath of musical projects. We know what to do and how to do it. Part of that is realizing that easy is a myth. Nothing worth doing is easy. And you don’t always have to like the thing that you love.

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

Pieter: Shows. Tours. Music videos. New tunes. Maybe a revolution.

We’d love to send everyone towards our music video for HumanVirus on Youtube! Almost 11k views in a month!