Anti-Flag

Fri 22nd Jan, 2010 in Features

An Anti-Flag live show is a politically-fuelled barrage of punk rock, and it’s coming as part of the Soundwave Festival package in 2010. When FasterLouder speaks to singer/guitarist Justin Sane, the band has just finished a European tour with Alexisonfire, Ghost of a Thousand and Four Year Strong.

Anti-Flag are well known for songs that cover happy-go-lucky topics like fascism, political corruption, the economy and racism. As a consequence, they’re also known for a certain amount of – œpreaching’ at their shows.

With that in mind, I was expecting a rather serious tone of conversation with the vocalist; leaving me wishing I’d brushed up on current political affairs. However, when an enthusiastic, “Hey Michelle, how are you?” comes down the phone before I’ve said anything, it seems unlikely we’ll be delving straight into the US occupation of Iraq.

Instead we talk about Alexisonfire and Four Year Strong, who they’ll be touring with again for Soundwave. “It’s going to be good to see them again,” Sane enthuses. “I feel so lucky that I get to go back out with those guys, we’re like brothers. It fully rocks!”

So how do punk-rock shows go down in Europe? “I just talked to a guy in a band who broke some girl’s neck during a set, he was really devastated,” he offers. “It’s crazy when things like that happen, but it does happen. I recently broke my collar-bone.”

Anti-Flag have refused security in venues, opting for using their own staff. I ask him why they do this. “I mean, we grew up doing our own shows, running our own shows, we never had security,” Sane explains. “We’re here to have a great time together and also take care of one another. And if that’s what we’re here to do, then we don’t need the goony security guys getting in our way and roughing us up and pushing us around. We’ll be respectful of each other and we’ll take care of each other.”

If you’re an Anti-Flag fan and you’re going to one of their shows, there’s a fair chance you already know what you’re in. However, as Sane points out, this isn’t the case at big festivals.

“You’ve got the people who are coming from the mainstream. They don’t necessarily know about your punk rock ethic and they don’t care. The goal of an Anti-Flag show is to put forward the idea that every single person there is as important as the next person. We all should have an equal opportunity to have a good time.

“I think that’s just an extraction on the idea that it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white; straight or gay; male or female; American or Australian. It doesn’t matter. The point is that we’re all there together and we’re going to have a great time and we’re going to do it as one. That’s very much the idea for me, of what a perfect Anti-Flag show is about.”

So, after over a decade in Anti-Flag, what are the biggest changes that the band has seen?

“I think that the nicest thing for us is that we can go anywhere and draw crowds – no matter where we go. Usually it’s a group of people that are like-minded and it really kind of affirms to me the true core message of Anti-Flag.

“We may be from different countries or different skin colour or religions, but we have this belief system that allows us to come together and that’s the most important thing. That gives me hope to know that there’s other people who are out there and understand what we’re saying and they get it. That’s something that I feel really fortunate to be a part of and to have seen change.”

Anti-Flag plays Soundwave Festival around the country next month, as well as sideshows alongside Alexisonfire and Comeback Kid.

Saturday Feb 20 – Brisbane Soundwave
Sunday Feb 21- Sydney Soundwave
Monday 22 February – The Forum, Sydney
Wednesday 24 February – Billboard, Melbourne
Friday Feb 26 – Melbourne Soundwave
Saturday Feb 27 – Adelaide Soundwave
Monday March 1- Perth Soundwave