Interviews: Complete

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

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

Nazar: Hi. My name is Nazar. I play the guitar and sing in Complete! My previous band was called Fifty/Fifty by the name of the basic grind trick on a skateboard. I`ve been skating for 18 years (since 2003). Back then punk rock and skate were related things, most of the present-day skaters don't think so, I guess. Forming the band at the end of 2017 I had an idea to name it “Complete”. It comes from the skateboard complete but mostly it means to me something finished and solid. I had a few not very successful (in different ways) projects before and I don't want to repeat the same mistakes.

2.Why did you want to play this genre?

Nazar: I`d known the only punk band Offspring when I discovered THPS. For me and it was totally mind-blowing. Especially Mullen's profile with AFI “A boy who destroyed the world” flipped my world upside down. I understood - I wanna be a skater and a punk rocker and I cherished this dream from that time. It simply seemed to be pretty cool and I got that nonconformist stem - I didn't want to be like everybody and there were maybe 2 or 3 skaters in my city at that time. That's how I turned out to be at the origin of the skate and punk movement. A few years later, being a student, I met a few guys from the Odesa hardcore crew (they were also skaters). That gang was one of the leading in a young Ukrainian hardcore scene. They had a rehearsal place in the next building from my dorm so I visited a lot of practices (probably bothering them). It strongly influenced me so I started my first melodic hardcore band in 2007.

Taras: Hallo. I`m Taras the drummer.) When I was a kid the first bands I listened to were Blink 182 and The Offspring. That just stuck in my soul. I've always liked fast motifs in punk music. It's a new experience for me `cos I`d played only metal before.

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

Nazar: I knew Igor (our former bassist) from school time, he was one of the pioneers of skate punk music and he used to play in a planty of bands when I could barely play 3 primitive chords. Taras (drummer) is much younger but being 18 years old he had already played in a band. Both are very talented musicians as opposed to me. When Igor decided to leave Complete! we had Dima and then Sasha on base but i didn`t work. We found out it is very difficult to find another good bassist in our city, that's how we got Andrew on bass. He is our good friend from Lutsk city, which is in 350 km. Now we got bass playback)))).

Taras: We used to hang with dudes on gigs long before we'd started to play together. I met Naz at the show in our hometown where he played with his band Fifty/Fifty. But… I'm not sure. Maybe we just boozed somewhere in a local bar. We became acquainted with Andrew on the metal show where he played in the band Days Like Chapters. Since then we have been friends.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Nazar: Definitely don't have it. Too many great bands to pick one. I like the Fat family (Nofx, Useless ID, Strike Anywhere, Rise Against, Against Me!...), european punk school (Millencolin, Atlas Loosing Grip, FOD, Misconduct…), melodic hardcore (Killing The Dream, Bigwig, Defeater, Comeback Kid, Love Is Red...).

Taras: I don't have the only favorite band. It can be Underoath at the moment but I've loved Ignite recently. Also, I listen to Comeback Kid, PMX, Forus, Counterparts, Stray From The Path, Defeater, Heart in Hand, The Ghost Inside, and a lot of metal bands.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Nazar: Different things but there should be something stressful, I can't do music/lyrics when it is too comfortable. I can`t write a word when I`m happy or satisfied. That's why most of our songs we create in the cold season. It is the end of winter/early spring so we are writing new songs. This time most of the lyrics are narrated by my weird dreams. I always try to remember the most exciting. Think they are very sincere in telling what you are thinking about and who you are behind the mask. The dream is the place where you are standing naked in the classroom. Lockdown confused me. It was a strange time and we didn't write anything. Now it began to wane and we planned to release a new EP this summer, so we recorded a single for the song “Chore”, you are already able to watch the video for it.

6. Where was your last gig?

Nazar: The last gig we had was fucking awesome! It took place in our hometown Ivano-Frankivsk and it was the only and the last show in 2020. Maybe because of the hunger for events there were totally sold out so I haven't seen so many people on the show for probably 10 years. There also were bands of our friends and many guys from the neighboring cities came. It was one of the best shows in my life.

7. Where would you like to act?

Taras: We've been thinking about the EU tour for the last two years and once we tried to book a few shows when our friends CF98 invited us to play a show in Krakow (Poland). But that didn't work out. It is pretty hard to promote yourself as a non-signed DIY band from a post-soviet country. Plus Europe is very expensive for us as we earn 3-4 times less money. We'd like to go as far as we can - the whole world is the goal. I am a traveler in my heart so music is my guide around the planet.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Nazar: With good people I think) I know many bands around Europe thanks to my activity as a promoter between 2006 and 2017. I don't promote anymore but I miss those times and maybe I should start again when lockdown ends. It always opens new possibilities for collaborations.

9. Whom not?

Taras: Due to our political situation (actually the fact that UA is in a state of war with Russia) we don't even consider propositions about having shows in RF. I'm sure there are a lot of good people who don't support the government and war (as here in UA). Also, we are not nationalists. But in this case, we can't have any business with guys from the northeast.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Nazar: I have been on stage since I was 4 years old. Thanks to my mother who was a choreographer I started to dance just as I had started walking. That's why I feel pretty comfortable in public. Sometimes I get jitters before our set but in most cases, it helps me to concentrate. A shot of alcohol helps a little bit but in general, the more shows you have the easier it becomes to stay calm. So it is just a practice. 

Taras: There`s always a bit of jitter before your set but it goes away just as it got started. The advice is - take a shot of cognac

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Nazar: The more I know about music history (not only punk) the more convinced I am that the path I have chosen is right. It is really hard to be an independent musician in a pure country of the 3rd world. That's why I find inspirational stories of the early years of Social Distortion, Bad Religion, or NoFX. “Hepatitis bathtub” inspired me really hard. These bands brought themselves on the top and helped so many bands to rise from local garage gigs to the legends. But it is not about popularity but staying loyal to yourself. Now I got the “Barred for life” book on my nightstand. This collection of interviews and stories shows to me how many similarities I have with so many people around the globe.

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

Nazar: Oh my… we don't have fans. I guess… Two months ago a guy from Norway asked us to sign our CD and sent it by post. He tried to buy it on Bandcamp but he couldn`t (cause Pay Pal does not permit payments to UA). And that is weird for us. Also, a very persistent guy from Voronezh (Russia) tried to convince us to go on a Russian tour a few months ago. We barely explained to him why do we refuse. Earlier we gave an interview to Aussie Blunt magazine and now we are doing the same to you so a weird thing`s happening just right now.

Taras: A long time ago, when we had a small tour with my metal band, one drunken girl asked to sign on her boobs. Actually, it was more unexpected than weird.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Nazar: We are so much appreciated any interest in our music. That helps us continue to spend money and put so much effort to move forward. THANK YOU ALL!!!

14. What do you think of our site?

Nazar: Sources like yours, in general, got an important place in punk/hardcore/any indy movements. Not only stories of legends inspire me but also local bands. How they struggle through and keep existing. I see dozens of stories of the bands I've never heard and probably I won't without your enormously big and ungrateful job. Keep on!

15. Something to add?

Nazar: Thank you for these questions! If you have any additional, feel free to send them. Peace!