Anchor: Vegan Straight Edge Against Corporations & Governments

Anchor is an aspiring vegan straight edge band from Sweden and Norway, one of the most promising bands to come up lately.

Hello. Let’s start by introducing yourselves and giving us a brief history of the band.

Hi there, I’m Mattias, I play the drums in Anchor, which is a hardcore punk band from Gothenburg, Sweden. We got together in January 2007, which by now is more or less exactly one year ago. We found each other through a will to keep playing music with a message, I guess you could say.

Tell us about your past and upcoming tours, as well as your releases.

Considering the fact that 2007 was our first year of existence, I think we managed to make it a pretty hectic one. We played our first show at the end of March and went on our first European tour a week after that. Our 7-inch/MCD entitled Captivity Songs was released in April or May and from there on we basically kept touring in support of the EP until now, and we’re still not done. Our split EP with TKTK, who are also from Sweden, saw the light of day on the first of December through Monument Records, which also released Captivity Songs, and that’s pretty much where we are right now.

What other bands have you played in? Did they influence the style of music you play now? Are any of you involved in other bands at the moment?

Marcus was in Damage Control and is currently also in an amazing band called Another Year. Claes and I were in Set My Path and I was also in The Smackdown, which basically was the time of my life. We toured more than most and I learned so much from it. Me and some of the guys from The Smackdown are now in Dead Vows and me and Noa are in a band called The VIII Arms Around You that I’m psyched about. Fredrik is also in a new band called Gerija, check them out. Loads of things going on here!

Being in a band, touring, expressing radical ideas through loud music, and playing in autonomous spaces is surely a countercultural lifestyle, but is this a political act in itself? What’s the meaning of showing anger against mainstream culture, war, violence, animal abuse, and so on when you’re still just musicians on a stage?

I ask myself that question sometimes, believe me. And well, is what we’re doing a political act in itself? I’d say no, but I also feel that it is sometimes, and even if what we’re doing won’t change a thing I still feel that I personally need to do this to feel alright. What all five of us have in common is a great need to express ideas and somehow I think it would be an act of betrayal towards ourselves if we didn’t do what we need to.

What projects are you involved in besides the band? Collectives, grassroots organizations, and so on.

We’re all involved in a number of different projects of various kinds. I think the reason for this is because all of us are people with an alarming need to be creative and constructive in order to feel good about ourselves. Noa, for example, is running a vegan catering project with a friend. Marcus is running a record label and a fanzine called Soulcity. At the moment more or less all of the hardcore shows in our area are promoted by us in one way or another. We try to be where the action is.

How do you see the role of hardcore music as a way of showing alternative ways of living within society and encouraging kids to be independent and fight back for their desires?

First of all I think one will have to be aware that the hardcore punk scene is a very isolated environment. We’re a subculture and our potential is fairly limited I think. Our possibility, I’d say, is to take the energy and inspiration that we get from within the scene through meeting people, seeing bands, reading zines, or whatever, into the outside world and try to spread it there. When I was a kid I thought hardcore would be the driving force behind some sort of revolution and let’s just say I was very disappointed when I found out that wasn’t going to be the case, in any way. On the other hand, all of us in this band are living proof of how hardcore can affect people and encourage them to change their lives for the better.

Do you think that actions such as Food Not Bombs or Really Really Free Market teach mutual aid, solidarity, and peace rather than being dismissed as some useless kind of hippie attitude?

No, I do believe that what Food Not Bombs is doing, for example, can have a positive impact on people’s lives. That it can encourage people to consider new angles on things in our lives. I think what they’re doing is inspiring and if I’d had the time I’d join them. But on a grander scale, I don’t see them changing a lot of things, no. But you know, it all starts locally and I think it’s a cool thing how Food Not Bombs is this big network working locally. Thumbs up!

Do you think people’s movements around the world, independent media projects, and global activist networks, which often work without funds or any institutional or media recognition, can effectively oppose corporate power and neoliberal globalization?

Yes, I believe we have historical proof for that. We can actually make a difference if we work together on a grassroots level. On the other hand, it is easy to be skeptical sometimes. I think the Independent Media Center comes to mind as a good example of what can be done. What they’re doing is fantastic and I hope they’ll keep it up because it’s very much needed in this day and age when the only thing television and newspapers truly want is to sell ads to companies wanting to sell us things we don’t need. On the other hand I don’t think the IMC reaches a lot of people from outside the radical left though, which can be viewed as a problem of course. But you have to start somewhere and what they’re doing is amazing! We’re up against big corporations and governments so it’s easy to feel powerless sometimes. But like I said, history proves we’re not!

What’s your opinion on dropout culture, boycotting corporate goods, freeganism, and similar ideas?

All of the members of Anchor are dedicated to a vegan straight edge lifestyle. This means that we do not drink alcohol, smoke, or do any forms of drugs. We recognize animals’ lives as their own and do therefore not consume any form of animal products whatsoever. Whether it’s paid for or not does not have any relevance at all to us. Freeganism is therefore nothing we believe in or encourage. I find it very sad when people turn their backs on positive elements in their lives, such as straight edge or veganism. But I guess there aren’t a lot of things I can do about it most of the time. Some get into these things for the wrong reasons and it’s sad.

All of us boycott various products or companies because we don’t agree with their policies or business practices, for example. I think the main reason why many people use this method is because it’s simple and efficient. Sometimes you have to be patient though. Few things change overnight.

And what about vegan straight edge kids wearing Nike and drinking Coke?

Well, I don’t appreciate it. Nike and Coca-Cola to me represent global capitalism and I want to see it destroyed more than anything. But I’ve also come to see that hardcore is not where the revolution will take its first steps. To way too many people it’s just music and so many take on the looks instead of the important ideas that are to be found within the scene. I find it very sad. But the only thing I as an individual can do is to be a positive, inspiring example, I guess.

When people think of vegan straight edge from Sweden, they often think of the 1990s Umeå hardcore scene with bands like Final Exit, Step Forward, Doughnuts, and of course Refused. Could you give us an insight into the hardcore scene in Sweden right now, not just in Umeå but more broadly? And what are some other good bands from your hometown, Gothenburg?

Oh yes, those are some of the bands that we all grew up with. Bands that have meant the world to me, that opened up my eyes to a lot of things. Unfortunately I have to say those days are long since gone. It was an amazing time but it died out pretty quickly. I’m however very happy about the state of hardcore and straight edge in Sweden at the moment though. I’d like to think the fact that the scene is fairly small nowadays minimizes the risk that kids get into it for somewhat wrong reasons. Hardcore/punk rock is not a very glamorous, shiny thing at the moment. But it’s doing well, I think. As for bands from Gothenburg, we have a bunch of crust bands, but as far as hc goes the only bands around are the ones we’re in. Dead Vows, Another Year, Fuse, and The VIII Arms Around You basically.

As a politically aware band, why don’t you play d-beat hardcore, raw punk, or crust, which are so common in Sweden? Instead you’re playing a style of hardcore that is more often associated with the apolitical scene.

Probably just because it’s the way you just pictured it, haha! I think one of the reasons why we’re all so psyched about this band is because we get to play the kind of music we grew up with. This is our chance to pay tribute to the kind of hardcore/punk that I and all of us first got into when we were kids and to me that’s fantastic. I’ve wanted to do such a project for a long time. Like you said, the kind of music we play is very apolitical compared to what it has been like. In the mid ’90s, for example, we had bands like Refused, Abhinanda, Chokehold, for example. To me that’s one of my motivations though. To have us be that band that isn’t afraid to talk about radical politics in an environment that isn’t as perceptive to these things as it once was. Someone needs to do this and I’m more than happy to do it. I’m not afraid to make enemies if that’s what it takes.

You’re obviously a band deeply into animal rights. What’s the current situation in Sweden when it comes to the treatment of animals?

Yes, we’re all vegan and feel strongly about it. Our former government was about to ban fur farming, but one year ago they were put out of office and we now have a very conservative government so we’re back to square one again on that front. I’d say the general situation in Sweden is pretty much like it is everywhere else, at least in my experience. We had the most active animal liberation scene in Europe during the ’90s and it paved the way for a lot of positive things. It’s still very active and I’m absolutely certain that it’s thanks to it that we now have such a variety of vegan alternatives in stores and sometimes also at cafés, for example.

What’s the most important aspect of supporting the vegan lifestyle? How would you urge someone to go vegan in just a few sentences?

To me there are so many undeniable reasons to go vegan. I just had a discussion with my brother and the core of our discussion was how insane it is to have death being such a cornerstone in your daily life. To have rape and murder being the premises of you having food on your table when it’s absolutely unnecessary. As I said, I think there are a million reasons to go vegan that just can’t be denied. To those of you who aren’t yet vegan or vegetarian, please do yourselves a favor and educate yourselves! You’ll be shocked and horrified about what’s going on.

What do you think of mainstream animal rights organizations like PETA, and of the growing recognition of vegetarianism and animal rights in popular culture?

Even though I might not agree fully with PETA or the methods they use, I still believe the work they do has to be done and I support it. What I want and what we need is a broad front after all and I’m absolutely sure Pamela Anderson, for example, has done a lot of good for this cause through her efforts with PETA campaigns and so on. She reaches out to people who probably never would care to listen to anybody covered with tattoos or anybody playing in a band like Earth Crisis, because it’s all just noise to them, you know. We need her media time as much as we need people playing punk rock music or people burning laboratories down in a sense.

Are there direct actions for animal liberation or acts of economic sabotage happening often in Sweden? Are there ALF prisoners in Swedish jails?

Yes, for many years Sweden had the highest number of animal liberation-related crimes in Europe. I don’t have any figures about that at the moment, but ALF Sweden and the DBF are very much alive and active, using the same sort of tactics as ALF groups everywhere. Even the Swedish secret police says so in their annual reports. I don’t know about the number of people doing time in prison for animal liberation-related crimes at the moment, but there are a few. Please find out about it through the VPSG and take your time to write a letter. Give them your support!

How is the squat scene in your hometown? Do you think autonomous places are among the most important things for us as a community if we want to strive for autonomy and create our own truth on our own terms?

Sweden is a bit different from the rest of Europe in this aspect. There are no squats. It’s due to law policies that basically make it impossible to squat houses here. This means we don’t really have independent spaces where we can be active, put on shows, and build a scene. To have squats, places that are autonomous and independent of established society, is of course a great foundation for counterculture and it’s sad that we don’t have that here. On the other hand that forces us to be creative in what we do, which is a bit more positive an angle on it!

Some positive hardcore message for the readers…

This is your life, don’t let yourself become a victim! Capitalism is a very violent culture, you have the right to defend yourself so let’s do so! Thanks for checking us out! Support your local scene! Hope to see you all some day!