Rev Rev Rev - Interview

by John Clarkson

published: 23 / 12 / 2017

Italian shoegaze band Rev Rev Rev talk to John Clarkson before a two-week European tour about Rimbaud's influence on their last recording and how the Modena scene cleared a path for their unique sound.

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Rev Rev Rev are a loud, feedback-focused band from Modena in North Italy whose music combines that of the early shoegaze era with psychedelia. Singer Laura Iacuzio meanwhile has something of Nico in her stark, mournful vocals. The group, which also consists of Sebastian Lugli (guitar), Andrea Dall'Omo (bass) and Greta Benatti (drums) have now released two albums, their 2013 eponymous debut and 2016's ‘Des Fleurs Magiques Bourdonnaient’. They are currently on a European tour upon which they are playing dates in the UK, France and Switzerland. Pennyblackmusic spoke to Laura Iacuzio and Sebastian Lugli on the eve of the tour about both albums, their main influences and the shoegazing scene in their native Italy. Q: Rev Rev Rev has a very intense sound. You can hear the influences of My Bloody Valentine, the early Velvet Underground and psychedelic rock in your sound, yet you also carry much of your own in your music. Do you think that is an accurate description of your music? A: Yes, it's a good way of describing our sound! Of course, it is not the only one. We listen to loads of music and somehow everything ends up influencing you. Q: Your last album from 2016 ‘Des Fleurs Magiques Bourdonnaient’ is inspired by a quote from Arthur Rimbaud's 'Illuminations’, the title of which translates as "Magic flowers droned". What was the appeal to you of that quote, so much so that you wanted to name your album after it? A: We felt Rimbaud's 'Illuminations' somehow resonated with what we were doing. Its dream-like, hallucinatory poetry is a fuzzy voice from the subconscious. That is very much a shoegaze thing, isn't it? Also, in our modest way we plunged into the language of myth and in terms of song structure we looked for essentiality. Finally, 'Illuminations' are made up of self-contained idylls, like our album, where each song is quite apart from the others. Q: Do you see ‘Des Fleurs Magiques Bourdonnaient’ as a development from the early material of your 2013 first album? Have you been working on new material since ‘Des Fleurs Magiques Bourdonnaient’ came out last February? In what ways do you see this new music as a progression on what has gone before? A: In a way, ‘Des Fleurs Magiques Bourdonnaient’ sounds like we wanted our first work to sound – but for some reasons it didn't - so, as you say, it's the fulfillment of what we'd been before to a certain extent. On the other hand, it's a first step in a new direction, that maybe will be noticeable later on. Yes, we are currently working on new material, which sounds quite different from ‘Des Fleurs Magiques Bourdonnaient’. The sound is going to be darker and more in the vein of psych rock; our new songs are more textured - maybe our kraut side will emerge a bit more, in terms of layers and drones. Basically, now that we're somehow acknowledged as a shoegaze band, we're going to blow it...In any case, we're keen on experimenting with new sounds every time. Q: Is there a big shoegaze scene in Italy? What about Modena where you come from? A: In terms of bands, Italy has an awesome shoegaze scene. Many of you already know Stella Diana and Clustersun, both great bands, but there are plenty of other good acts and most of us are in touch with each other, exchanging ideas and projects...it's exactly what a scene is supposed to be, aside from the fact that we are all sprawled along the country and rarely have the chance of meeting personally (though we manage sometimes). On the other hand, in our town Modena there is no shoegaze scene at all. Most venues here are all about either mainstream or shitty "Italian indie" (nothing to deal with actual indie rock, just catchy ironic lyrics over sub-par music). This has been worth a fortune for us, because it forced us to get out of the comfort zone of playing your hometown over and over like many bands do. It was not exactly our choice, but as a result we have broadened our horizons. Q: You run a thriving PR firm Kool Things. How easy is it managing things with alongside what you are doing with Rev Rev Rev? A. We have been very busy with this new adventure in the last few months and sometimes it can be hard to find the time for everything. But we really love our PR work. We have been lucky enough to work with some of the best shoegaze/dream pop bands around and it's very rewarding when we get a good feature for one of our artists. Q. You are about to start a two-week tour of the UK, France and Switzerland. What can audiences expect from these shows? A: They will be by definition unique, since our bass player Andrea won't be able to come with us this time, so on the bass we'll have our friend Giuseppe from Human Colonies. He is a shoegaze guitarist too, so the songs will sound even more "gazey." Moreover, these shows will feature more fuzz overload and more noise than usual. Yes, there will be feedback like there's no tomorrow. After all, it's going to be the last time we play the UK for a while, because then we're going to focus on the new album.