Antillectual

And that too, you can interpret in two ways. Because first we would like to thank everybody that showed their support after we had to cancel a part of our upcoming tour in june. Thanks for all warm words in emails, myspace messages and comments. It seems everybody understands our decision and has no hard feelings and that’s good to know. We’ll make it up soon. Promise.

And second of all (you can all stop feeling sorry for us here) we heard we will do the support for Propagandhi, Anti-Flag and Death by Stereo in the upcoming months. If that doesn’t compensate any hurt …

This month we have played with great bands like Strike Anywhere, A Wilhelm Scream and Story of the Year who are big influences on us. But the one band that is our biggest influence ever (plagiarism, anyone?) was still on our “to do list” though, and now finally we will play a show with the almighty Propagandhi. Right now we’re looking for a new number 1 on our to do list. Maybe it is not being sued by those guys after they heard us play? On top of that the show with Anti-Flag will be in the Melkweg, a venue where we visited a shit load of shows ourselves. It’s really great to play there with our own band now.

Anyhow:
With Anti-Flag: June 26; Melkweg in Amsterdam
With Death by Stereo: July 20; Dynamo in Zurich (Switzerland)
With Propagandhi: August 5; JOC De Nartist in Temse (Belgium)

Furthermore, we have done some interviews while we were at the Give It A Name Fest in Milano, Italy and you can find some of that footage here (there’s a report for the Give It A Name Fest too) and here. All in Italian I’m afraid. We also did an interview with La Nariz Roja, a Spanish zine. They will release a sampler with one of our songs on it together with the newest issue. So in case you’re from Spain and interested …

As Riekus already mentioned before we have some new, Testimony-inspired, T-shirts. Check the merchandise section for the design and how to order one. To be complete: you can get our newest album for 5 extra euros if you order a shirt.

And last we found a new review of our Waves 7” in an American zine. Check it out here.

By the way, feel also free to leave a comment on this very website!

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Welcome to our new website! This site is online since a couple of days now and we're very happy with all the positive reactions we've had so far. It is still not completely finished, but you can check more than you could ever do on our myspace: Tour reports, shows, reviews, photo’s, subscribe to our RSS-feed, order T-shirts, hoodies, girlies, albums, etc. And on the new website you can comment on news items, reports, reviews, interviews, everything without having to register or anything. Please, feel free to leave a comment, we’d appreciate it! A lot of thanks to Suzette (www.hi-fibre.com) and our own Riekus for creating this website.

Yesterday we also sent out a brand new news letter. If you want to sign up for it please send us an email. Below you can find some high lights from it:

If you want to order our album, we have some “Special Offers” for you: old & new album = 15 euro, album & T-shirt/girlie = 15 euro. From now on you can also go to www.interpunk.com to order our new album on both vinyl and CD.

Speaking of reviews, we’re getting back more and more of them and they keep amazing us. Even people in Germany seem to be able to enjoy our music, how’s that? Some quotes:

8.5/10 Antillectual has every right in the world to be mentioned among bands like THE LOVED ONES, A WILHELM SCREAM or AGAINST ME! When listening to "Testimony" you realize how much heart those guys put into writing and composing. You get the feeling of holding a record in your hands that European punkrock can pin its hope on. (Slam Magazine (ger))

The Nijmegen and Arnhem based Antillectual is possibly Holland’s hardest working punkrock band. The frequent playing caused Antillectual’s growth into a determined, politically aware punkrock machine. (Oor (nl))

With the current lack of serious substance in mind, Testimony is a release that definitely should be cherished. (Fret Magazine (nl))

97/100 Punk has seldom sounded so inspired. An album for the year lists! I doubt the new Anti-Flag album will be a match for this album. (Up Magazine (nl))

88/100 A band that spreads its message with this much passion and integrity and, on top of that, is a treat for the ear, what else could one wish for? How beautiful punkrock can be sometimes. (Punx.nl (nl))

Where most bands try it, Antillectual does it and makes it look really easy. A true parade of different punk rock styles. (Asice.net (nl))

8/10 Testimony is more than just a very good album. It’s a labour of love, with songs that are not merely entertainment, but which also carry a message. (Disagreement.net (lux))

Antillectual convinces me totally. This is one of the best punk/hardcore releases in recent months. (Dedication.it (ita))

Testimony is undoubtedly an incredibly coherent and meticulously thought out piece of music. (Lamette.it (ita))

This is a band that does the walk instead of doing the talk. And we don't have too much of this today. (Misfitzine (por))

If you have a zine or know a zine that should feature a review, get in touch with us and we might be able to arrange something. You can check the complete reviews we received here.

Because of the release of our album “Testimony” we did several (online) interviews. You can find some of those here:
KD Cobain (Italy, in English and Italian)
Bobby In A Volvo (Belgium, English)
Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll (Italy, Italian)
All interviews we’ve ever done will also be available on our website.

We just got back from our tour through Scandinavia a couple of days ago and on our myspace you could read some reports from that trip. You can find the complete written report here and check some pictures here. And long awaited: here is a diary of how we recorded “Testimony” in August of last year. All other tour videos are still to be found there too, you can subscribe yourself to our account too.

And if just coming back from a tour isn’t enough, we’re preparing two new ones at that. This time we’re going back to places we’ve been before: Germany, Austria, Italy and France. There’s still some dates left open and we would really appreciate your help since the dates are coming closer and closer:

Fr June 13 Germany, Regensburg, Jahninselfest. W/ The Gaslight Anthem
Sa June 14 Germany, Zwiesel, Jugendcafe
Su June 15 Slovenia/Austria – Available!
Mo June 16 Slovenia/Austria – Available!
Tu June 17 Italy/Austria – Available!
We June 18 Italy – Available!
Th June 19 Italy – Available!
Fr June 20 France – Available!
Sa June 21 Lux/Fr/Ger – Available!
Su June 22 Holland, Steenwijk, Trashfest

We Jul 16 Germany: Available!
Th Jul 17 Austria: Available!
Fr Jul 18 Austria: Vienna, Arena. w/ Supernichts
Sa Jul 19 Italy: Carpenedolo. Extreme Sounds Festival
Su Jul 20 Italy/France: Available!
Mo Jul 21 France: Available!

We also get the luck to play some of the coolest shows the upcoming months including very nice festivals. Yesterday we already played with Strike Anywhere, Agnostic Front, Madball and many more (great) bands on the Jera on Air festival in Ysseltsteyn, the Netherlands. May 17 we will be playing the Give It a Name festival in Milano, Italy. The festival features (great) bands like Strike Anywhere, Story of the Year, Silverstein, Vanilla Sky and again many more. We’ll also be playing on the Jahninselfest in Regensburg together with The Gaslight Anthem and the Trashfest in Steenwijk in June, the Mystage fest in Drachten, the Funtime fest in October and the Offshore Skatefest in August, both in Belgium. On top of that we have some more awesome shows with Strike Anywhere, Story of the Year, Brat Pack and The Real Danger. If you want to help us out with a show, you’re very welcome. We’re always looking for shows!

That's it for now, enjoy the weather!

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Again it's been a while since we interrupted you. And yet so much has happened in the mean time. The new release is going like crazy, we went on tour which was a mixed succes and we played a release show that was beyond our wildest dreams.

The tour report for the tour in March, the pictures we took and the video material we shot will be up soon. As soon as the new website is up, we'll post it there. What I can tell you already is that this tour was not our best ever, we had 2 last minute shows, and 3 days off, the most we've ever had on tour, and I must say it's the worst thing that can happen to a bad and its motivation. On the other hand, the shows that we aplyed were really awesome, with quite some people coming out, and being in Portugal for the first time was really amazing. A lot of thanks go out to Joao from Infected Records who did an amazing job arranging everything for us in Portugal. Again, more soon to come.

4 days later after we got back from Portugal we had the "Testimony release show. We expected it to be a great party. But what happened was beyond our craziest imagination. The show got sold out during Gewapend Beton playing third, and unfortunately a lot of people got sent back home when they tried to get in after. Even some idiots felt the need to fight their way in. Thanks to all the bands (New Pokerface, Smash the Statues, Gewapend Beton and The Real Danger) for showing up and playing their asses off. Also a lot of thanks to Hans and Niels and everyone else at The Stage, and most of all, thanks to all people showing up, singing along, going crazy during the show and buying the new album. If you don't believe any of the above, we got pictures to proof: check. See?

in response to the new album we got a shitload of new reviews. too much to mention them all. again, as soon as the new website is finished we'll post them there. here is the review of asice.net, one of holland's most important punk/hardcore portals:

Antillectual – Testimony (Shield)
Antillectual is the only Dutch DIY band, besides No Turning Back, that is willing to take that next step in music. Touring constantly across the globe to spread their music and message, these three guys from Nijmegen and Arnhem wholeheartedly dedicate their lives to this band. Where most bands try it, Antillectual does it and makes it look really easy.

“This is or testimony of the things we see happening around us and we do not agree upon”

This line is taken from the explanation of the opening track “Testimony” (a Boysetsfire-esque intro song) and pretty much sums up the lyrical content of this record. Some isssues they adress, like war, feminism and broken promises, are more important than others (“scene” issues or corporate advertising) but all lyrics are spot on and written with sincerety. And sincerity is the basis of all great things. Every song is explained to make sure that you know what they are singing and screaming about.
In comparing “Testimony” with “Silencing Civilization”, one is struck by the musical progress since that time. Dynamic changes, intelligent songwriting, richly colored melodies. A true parade of different punk rock styles. Being a conservative prick when it comes to punk rock music, I’m losing my head over songs like “Sponsorship for life” and “Benefit of the doubt”. Unbelievable! But all the pieces work extremely well together even though the ending can be a bit of challenge due to the length of both the song “I hope you got my letter” and the Shawshank Redemption sample.
A Sturm und Drang approach to political punk rock is certainly not unique but proves to be the most memorable. It should be no suprise that fans of Propagandhi and Strike Anywhere will do themselves a huge favor by checking out this uncanny record.
Rating: 4,5 out of 5

Source

if you want to order the album, or some other stuff get in touch through email.

some interesting offers:
– our old and new album together for 15 euro
– a shirt and an album together for 15 euro 

furthermore we have a lot of new shows added, especially in may with some very cool bands. check them yourself. hope to confirm some more soon as well. in april we will be hitting the (serious) road again, together with our good friends from smash the statues. really looking forward to that one. unfortunately we're still looking for some shows, if you can help us out it would be highly appreciated.  also if you have a show for us anywhere else, we're always looking for places to play, even more now we have a new album to promote. so please, let us know!

As said, we're working on a new website, we're actually filling it in with content and doing tests, so it's finally getting somewhere. no promises on when it will be online though, those have been broken more than enough. hope to see or hear from you soon!

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Dear all

We're about to leave on tour again, but before we leave we have another update. From today on "Testimony", the new album, is officially available through shops all over Europe, and of course through us. If you're interested email us info@antillectual.com. There's also new shirt/girlies/hoodies/zippers available that we'll bring on tour. Get in touch if you want to order one of those too.

If you're still in doubt, let these reviews help you make the right decision. A lot of Italian reviews, since No Reason Records is doing a great job over there. From Up Magazine we received this amazing review. This month's issue also features an interview with us.

The craftsmanship and melody that form the quality of the Antillectual live shows now finally have been recorded on the album "Testimony". With this album the band is in now way inferior to likeminded bands like Rise Against, Strike Anywhere and Hot Water Music. The political punk with a raw edge is catchy and contagious. It makes you want to mosh and sing along to songs like "Sponsorship for life", "Waste = food" and the title song. But also emo and indie rock fan can relate to this album. The three Dutchmen have a clear message, which they spread intelligibly in the beautiful booklet. Punk has seldom sounded so inspired. By far the best release on Shield Recordings up to date and an album for the year lists! I doubt the new Anti-Flag album will be a match for this album.

97/100

Arold Roestenburg

From Portugal we received a review from Misfit zine myspace.com/misfitzine:

This highly anticipated second album from this band, which hails from Holland since 2000, is a piece of good Punk-Rock, with hardcore riffs and catchy chorus, which will knock you down!

With the lyrics focused on both political and personal issues, the themes talk about war/anti-war, trends and commercialism! Musically speaking, the production is very good, the guitar is really cool and melodic, and the drums are powerful!

This is a band that does the walk instead of doing the talk, I can see! And we don't have too much of this today! Be sure to listen to this folks and grab a copy!

My favorite tracks are "Friendly Fire" and "Sponsorship For Life", which shows the two sides of the album. Great!

We received even a review of our old record "Silencing Civilization" on punknews.org. look at it here More reviews will follow soon.

Speaking of our old releases, we're almost sold out of both "Silencing Civilization", the "Waves" 7" and our demo "Facts Opinions & in Between". "Silencing Civilization" will be repressed through Shield Recordings on CD. There are plans to release the album later this year on vinyl/12"/LP as well. In case you're interested to help out releasing/distributing this thing let us know.

Speaking of vinyl; Shield recordings releases "Testimony" on vinyl, and actually has some Waves 7"es left. If you order the LP through Shield Recordings, you get a Waves 7" for free. As long as they're available.

And, since we're embarking on a tour as we speak, it's about time to announce a new one. Together with our good friends from Smash the Statues we will be going to Scandinavia. Thank god it's in April and temperatures will be acceptable by then. If you can help us out with some dates over there, please get in touch: info@antillectual.com.

Our friends from No Reason Records made a "Testimony Wall paper" to cheer up your view when you're at the office, or at home, or … 1024×768 and 1280×1024.

And last but not least, you can still stream the album on the 3voor12 "Luisterpaal".
How are you doing?

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The new album is only out for pre-order and already we're receiving reactions, responses and reviews. Which are actually quite nice, to say the least. Below you can read two reviews from Italian zines.

Lamette Punk Webzine source

January 27, 2008: Antillectual – Testimony cd (No Reason Records, 2008)

The record actually doesn't come out in our country till March, and therefore I'm reviewing this album in advance: Antillectual – the latest addition to No Reason Records' catalog – coming from Nijmegen, the Netherlands, play a mixture of punk-hardcore in the style of the labels' previous releases (Rentokill, Enemy Alliance / Indecision Alarm). Melody and political commitment, in the spirit of Propagandhi, is the basis for this complex and valuable release. Valuable on several levels: the excellent looking digipack and especially the booklet – graphically sublime, including texts and additional notes for every single lyric – are no longer just an extra, but are an essential factor for the complete understanding of the message.

The 10 tracks are strongly structured  (from the musical professionalism it shows Antillectual clearly prefers unusual arrangements) and finalized very well with lyrical content: an anarchist point of view is present during the entire album, while the band gives its opinions on American imperialist policy ("Testimony"), on multinationals and their impact on the culture and the resistance against it ("Sponsorship for life"), on prison policy ("I hope you got my letter"), feminism ("Waves") and the punk circuit itself ("I hate myself when I shave myself"). In other moments, however, the discussion focuses on the personal state of mind and on individual positions. This happens without discussing concrete situations, but rather browsing the philosophical field ("Benefit of the doubt" probably one of the best songs of the album).

Testimony is certainly not a simple album, but in its kind it is undoubtedly an incredibly coherent and meticulously thought out piece of music. All this in the spirit of the highlights of the DIY movement of the eighties. It's highly recommended listening to it on repeat, especially if you want to expand your views and musical ideas. I suggest you to immediately order your copy.
[Simone]

Dedication Music Magazine source

Antillectual – "Testimony" (No Reason Records)

File under: Melodic hardcore/punk
Like: Propagandhi, With Honor, Crime In Stereo, No Trigger, Much The Same.
It seemed like I'm listening to the new album by the great Propagandhi, but it is "only" the debut record from the Lodi based No Reason Records from Dutch band Antillectual. Our old friends ("Silencing Civilization" – review).

"Testimony" will come out next March 3 and win over all lovers of this kind of music with their refined melodic hardcore/punk enriched with political and social lyrics. But, frankly, the lyrics stay a little in the background because of the quality of the music. This is a plus point though.There are several resemblances with the Canadian, and sometimes it appears almost plagiarism (they simply love Propagandhi too much), but in the end Antillectual convinces me totally and doesn't leave any unpleasant feeling behind. It all works out for the best.High technically compositions enriched by diverse rhythms and melodies, this is one of the better punk/hardcore releases in recent months. With sincere regards to the increasingly stubborn and conscious No Reason Records, which seems very determined to focus on this style in Italy
4 out of 5
(Aob – 4/2/08)

If you are curious what this album is all about, you can now pre-order the vinyl/12"/LP version from Shield Recordings. Pre-orders will get colored wax, a release poster and extra Shield Recordings stuff. The first 40 pre-orders will get the Antillectual "Waves" 7" as a bonus (also on colored wax! and sold out, since we don't have any copies left ourselves …). Email Shield Recordings, or check their website for pre-orders.When you're interested in the digipack version of the album go to one of the releasing labels. Note that No Reason Records from Italy offers the record in combination with the Enemy Alliance/The Indecision Alarm-split for 15 euro, shipping included in Europe. Check!

Labels:
http://www.fondoflife.net
http://www.myspace.com/infectedrecordsdiy
http://www.noreasonrecords.com
http://www.riseorrustrecords.com
http://www.theshieldhardcore.com
http://www.youthwayrecords.com

Furthermore, we have some terrible news to announce. A lot of you might have met Etjen (our friend and driver from "Just Like Your Mom" tour support) when we came over on one of the tours we did the last years. Either in his camouflage printed van, or his insanely equipped luxury van. Since he helped us out in the best possible way and since a lot of you might know him (through us) we felt necessary to report this. Last week his van got crashed and crushed by a truck in the UK, total loss. Since it was parked there weren't any people involved and there wasn't any equipment broken. But since driving us and other bands around is not only his life but also his living, we hope he can get back on the road as soon as possible with a new van. We wish him all the luck we can!

Last, we still have some dates to fill on our upcoming tour in southern France, Spain and/or Portugal. If you feel like helping us out, please do so! The dates are these:

March 7: available
March 8: available
March 9: available
March 10: available
March 11: available

If you think you can fill our voids, let us know. If you can help us out with a show anywhere else, even in Holland, let us know. We have a new release. We want to play.

That's it! Take care.

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