Posted on Tuesday 11th April 2023 at 16:35
Taking post punk and psyche rock to its most weird and wonderful frontiers; Rotterdam based Iguana Death Cult are renowned for their frenetic performances and surrealist humour. Records The First Stirrings of Hideous Insect Life and Nude Casino reveal a band unafraid to experiment, armed with an unlimited amount of rapid fire guitar riffs.
The quintet includes members Jeroen Reek on lead vocals, Tobias Opschoor taking on guitar and backing vocal duties, drummer Arjen van Opstal, Jimmy de Kok playing keys and Justin Boer on bass.
Poised to drop eagerly awaited new album Echo Palace; Iguana Death Cult have announced a special show at essential Brighton venue The Hope and Ruin. Taking place on Sunday 30th of April, tickets are on sale with Gigantic right now – CLICK HERE to get yours!
First things first; where did the band name come from?
We were thinking of a good name for the band, and we were looking for something that would have no hits on google. I was coming down from mushrooms one morning and I went outside for a cup of coffee, when I saw an old couple walking by with two pet iguanas on their shoulders. I just saw a documentary on Jonestown the day before so it just kind of popped into my head. And guess what? No hits on google. haha.
And what’s the Rotterdam scene like? Are there many psyche garage rockers found on the Netherlands coastline or are you a totally out there on your own?
The Rotterdam scene has really blossomed into something beautiful the last couple of years. So many good bands keep popping up, great promoters such as Nospray keeping the scene alive. But the best thing I think is that everyone seems very supportive of each other and that’s something you don’t see everywhere. I’m truly proud to be a part of it.
You’re famed for your explosive performances. How do you maintain the high energy on the road?
Coffee, bananas, and peanut butter sandwiches
And you’re frenzied sets have seen you blow away audiences all over the world. What are your fans like? Are they equally as mad as you?
Well, I think a lot of them are looking to express their manic tendencies and use our music as a vehicle. Birds of a feather if you will.
What can we expect from your upcoming album Echo Palace?
The best Iguana album yet. I really feel like we came into our own on this record. The theme shifted from personal malaise to social criticism, but the energy is still there.
“Sensory Overload” is such a banger, and you just know it’s going to make mosh pits explode whenever you play it live. What’s the story behind this song?
Scrolling up and down my feed I literally feel like I’m traveling back and forth through space and time sometimes since down is up and up is down and reality is starting to feel like a joke which is making me very, very anxious. We wrote quite the jittery tune to compliment the manic lyrics which are more or less heavily distorted flutters of consciousness. To emphasize this, we asked saxophone legend Benjamin Herman to channel his inner James Chance and blow this song to pieces.
You have just dropped your latest single “Pusherman” and we love the OTT green screen video. Was that fun to make and whose idea was it?
It was! We often work with the same videographer, hache.mov. He and I always go back and forward a lot, spitballing ideas. Because “Pushermen” kinda sounds like an action movie, Hache came with the idea to do a casting video. He actually just did some sort of green screen masterclass, so he was very eager to use his new skill. Worked out great, I think.
There’s a huge buzz surrounding your upcoming gig at The Hope and Ruin in Brighton. Have you got anything special in store for that show?
All I can say is that it will be a magical night.
30/04 Iguana Death Cult – The Hope and Ruin, Brighton
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