Io non ricordo molti gruppi danesi nella storia dell' Oi! e dello Streetpunk, infatti quando ho avuto la possibilità di intervistare gli Urban Elite non me la sono lasciata scappare.
RTC) Short story of the band and what does the name Urban Elite means to you
UE) Urban Elite started in the spring of 2020 with Smiley on guitar and vocals, Kim on drums and Alf on bass and vocals. We're 3 friends who've known each other from the Copenhagen punk and skin scene for up to 38 years.
Smiley and Kim had just broken up their previous band Stokes CPH and wanted to start a new band. Trouble? was winding down and Alf was very interested in joining forces with them. So we decided we'd be a good fit for a band. The name was sort of a compromise and nothing we really spent much time on. Most band names are a bit stupid but will become better in time as you associate them with great music. We believe this will be the case with our band too.
RTC) Are band members involved or have been involved in other music projects?
UE) Kim and Smiley played together in Stokes CPH for many years. Alf played in Trouble? while they were active. And Kim and Alf are also a part of Trench.
RTC) We don't know much of danish scene, we remember the Outfit in early 2000, how are things now?
UE) Partly in the 80's and then during the 90's to the 10's there was a decent scene in Copenhagen with punx and skins hanging out together. We never had many Oi bands but there has always been a healthy amount of punk bands coming out of Copenhagen. There is still a large punk scene but the Oi/streetpunk scene has pretty much died out in Copenhagen, which is why we mainly aim to play outside Denmark.
RTC) What's your attitude towards politics in and outside the scene?
UE) Individuals will always be political, so it's naive to state that the scene should be non-political. But we feel the scene shouldn't be about policing peoples political opinions. Extreme politics shouldn't be a part of the subculture but people should be able to respect different political views and discuss. This is how you grow as an individual.
RTC) Which are your musical influences?
UE) We all like old school punk and Oi. And as we've been around for a while we've listened to a lot of other music. But British punk and Oi from around '79 to '86 is probably the main musical influence.
RTC) How many works have you released? Is there something new ahead?
UE) So far, we've only put out our debut selftitled LP. It came out in the beginning of 2024 and it's available on vinyl and streaming. We're working on new songs though which will hopefully come out during 2025.
RTC) Which bands from Italy do You know?
UE) We know Nabat, Klasse Kriminale, Hope & Glory, Billy Boy e la sua Banda, Erode, Lumpen, Dalton, Negazione and Raw Power.
RTC) With which band from abroad have you played until now?
UE) We've shared stages with Slapshot, The Exploited, Demented Are Go, Crown Court, The Warriors, Knock Off, The Chisel, The Reapers, The Young Ones, Stomper 98, Gatans Lag, Attack Total, Cuero, Lumpen, Lavett, Suckerpunch, Angry Itch. We probably forgot some.
RTC) Do You go to football? If so, which team do You support?
UE) Smiley attends all FC Copenhagen home games. In the past he used to go to away games too.
RTC) Ok the interview Is over, something left to Say?
UE) Thanx for asking for the interview, we hope to drink a beer with you sometime in Italy. And if any bookers read this please get in touch. We love travelling and we're cheap, hahaha. Cheers!
Di seguito trovato un video live degli Urban Elite relativo al loro concerto con gli Slapshot, ma se cercate bene sul canale "rosso" trovate anche alcuni loro pezzi relativi alle loro uscite in LP e singolo.
Ringraziamo il fantastico trio danese e... see you next time...
Cheers & Beers
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