Interviews: Elukas


On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Punk Rock band Elukas from Estonia. Check out this band and follow them on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or come out just like that?

Raido: I was at a motorcycle club event, but I don’t belong to any and I am a lone wolf in that sense. However someone asked me if I did start my motorcycle club, what would I name it? And I said Elukas* and then thought, hey this would make a good band name as well and since we didn’t have a name at this point I suggested this name to the other guys.

Karl: When Raido said this name, then this felt exactly the right name for the band because most of our lyrics talk about animals and humans are also an animal. And in today’s society, humans are emotionally and biologically just like any other animal.

Hans: To me, this name sounds good because it contains “Elu” - which means life - therefore hinting that this band is a living and growing organism.

Sten: I like this name because to me it sounds celebratory of life. * can be translated as “a Beast” or “a Living Being” which describes the band more accurately and is the preferred translation.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Karl: We just weren’t able to play anything else.

Alan: That’s what we do!

Hans: Just because.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Raido: Sten and I have known each other for a long time. We shared a rehearsing space years back with Hans and his former band and this is how we know him. Karl joined half a year later with the previous band we had with Sten. 

Hans: Me and Alan go way back. We first met on the first school day in 10th grade in the first lesson. 10 minutes later we had formed our first band. Also, Sten invited me a while back to play drums in his side project occasionally and Sten called me when this band needed a drummer. I brought in Alan, and because of the history we share I knew he would be just the right fit in this band. Alan also knew Indrek (our sound engineer) who is our sound guy now.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Hans: My all-time favourite is Metallica. My recent favourite is Mutoid Man whose most recent album “Mutants” I pretty much have listened to on repeat since my friend told me “Hey, you probably will like this band”.

Sten: The first one that comes to mind is Paradise Lost.

Indrek: Metallica

Alan: I have many favourite bands that I listen to. In recent years the band that I have listened to the most and has influenced me the most is Foo Fighters.

Raido: Only one favourite band? I have so many and this depends on my personal timeline in life. As a young guy, I liked Sex Pistols, Expoited, then at some point there was Metallica, and now in more recent years Foo Fighters.

Karl: My number one is Nightwish. And then come Metallica and Black Sabbath sharing second and third place.

Raido: Wait, wait, I have more: Led Zeppelin

Hans: Ah, of course, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath too

Raido: Yes, Black Sabbath as well

Hans: Well, actually there’s so many to count. Moving on to the next question.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Karl: The deep need to say something. Doesn’t matter what it is, but there always is something and through the band, it is possible for me to say those things.

Hans: Observing life and sometimes just random thoughts that pop into my head.

6. Where was your last gig?

Hans: Our last gig was at Paavli Kultuurivabrik in Tallinn where Heavy Music Estonia organised a Heavy Music Showcase event. We kicked it off with a bang.

7. Where would you like to act?

Hans: Hmm... big festivals of course.

Sten: Festivals. Hell Fest for example. And Wacken.

Alan: If we talk about clubs then my dream is to play On The Rocks in Helsinki which is a legendary rock club.

Raido: Wembley Stadium

Hans: Yes! Dream big!

Alan: You name it, we’ll come and play there!

Hans: Yes! I think this is the best answer: “You name it, we’ll come and play there” *We may have mistranslated this question to “Where would you like to perform live?”

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Indrek: If we are talking about big stages then I would put you together with Warning. They are a great live band. As is Elukas. In Finland.... hmm... who to open for in Finland..?

Hans: Many artists visit Finland. And Estonia. I’d like to open for all of them. 

Indrek: In Estonia Elukas would be a good fit for Terminaator and Herald.

9. Whom not?

Hans: I wouldn’t rule out anyone.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Hans: I can say that I have suffered very badly from stage fright. To the point that I couldn’t remember any songs on stage anymore and wasn’t able to play them even. One thing that helped me to overcome this was a technique called “jumping into the future” where before going on the stage you close your eyes and think how you would feel if the gig was over and it was a success. And then just focus on that feeling. This lowered my anxiety to the point where it wasn’t becoming an issue anymore and I was able to perform. I still get a buzz before going on the stage, but now it’s a good feeling, something that helps me be in the now and focus on what’s going on on the stage and my performance.

Sten: I also get anxiety before going on the stage and then I can’t stand still, I need to be in constant movement. This somehow calms me down.

Raido: I also suffered from stage fright when I was young and I thought that alcohol helps, but all those gigs were quite horrible. So I can say that alcohol doesn’t help with that much.

Alan: The thing is that you just need to face your fear. Go on stage and perform anyway. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. The adrenaline rush never goes away but you’ll learn to use this to your advantage. Just perform, perform, perform. Getting the experience helps a lot. Even when I joined Elukas and had to perform on my first gigs, I was very nervous, not too stressed, but I could feel the adrenaline. At some point, it got easier, it’s still there, but now the feeling is more “alright, let’s do this”.

Karl: What helps me is the fact that even when you fu*k up then nobody knows the songs that well, nobody knows you that well, so who cares if I mess up a bit? Keep your expectations low as well. Just go do what you do and if someone doesn’t like it then, that’s fine too. This person may think that you’re sh*t, but maybe three other people think that you are very cool. So don’t overthink it. Just do.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Alan: Scandinavian hair metal bands and Steel Panther, Heat and this type of bands. Also Swedish and Finnish heavy rock bands.

Karl: Pretty much all of our favourite bands have.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Raido: There was one gig when afterwards a fan came to me and asked “Do you play your own written songs too?” which was weird because we only played the songs we had written.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Karl: We love them. And we truly mean it.

Hans: We absolutely do.

Sten: Yes, absolutely.

14. What do you think of our site?

Hans: Super excited to be featured on your website. Looks very cool.

15. Something to add?

Karl: Just wait a little bit, and you’ll see what we have to add.

Hans: Yes, just wait a bit. Meanwhile, you can find the latest information about us on https://linktr.ee/elukas which contains all the links to our social media, and website, streaming services where you can listen to our songs, our e-shop, live gigs and links to videos as well.

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