The Über Rock Interview: Mattias Larsson and Tomas Wallin (tAKiDA)
Written by Sheila Hamilton
Saturday, 25 November 2017 04:00
Following on from the release of their latest album, ‘A Perfect World’ earlier this year, Swedish rockers tAKiDA recently pulled into London for a headlining show. Shortly afterwards, after the band had re-crossed the English Channel back to mainland Europe, I managed to catch up with drummer Mattias Larsson and guitarist Tomas Wallin for a quick chat.
I started by asking the chaps to give me a bit of a history lesson on the band…
We’ve been around, in different line-ups, since 1999. We wrote our own songs from day one and we have sold quite a few gold and platinum albums since we got the record deal in 2005. We’ve mostly been touring in Sweden, but we have had good gigs in the UK, Germany, Finland, Norway and now Holland.
Your current album, ‘A Perfect World’ was released last year. What’s the song writing process in the band – is it a collaborative thing or are there one or two main song writers?
Yes, nowadays we all participate in the writing process. It can start with a riff or a vocal hook that somebody made and we build around that.
What are your inspirations for writing the lyrics?
Robert [Pettersson – vocalist] writes all the lyrics and it is mostly about personal stuff that’s happened to him or people around him. There’s, of course, some fiction, as well and stuff you see on the TV or hear on the radio.
How do you keep your sound fresh?
We like to try new stuff on each record and that’s how you evolve as a band I think. Never be afraid to experiment.
On the album you worked with a new producer, Ryan Star. How did this change thing for you?
Ryan came with good inputs, both lyric- and music-wise. He is a talented man and we became good friends during the writing session.
What were the best and worst bits of the recording process?
The better side of it is when you start to see the shape of the songs. It can go from a piano melody, kind of a ballad into a heavy rock ballsy face crusher in the matter of hours. It’s a cool ride to be a part of. Negative sides to recording is… none really. Well… maybe time… you want to present the new stuff asap. It’s a matter of patience.
When do you start to think about new material? Are you a band that’s constantly writing?
Well, individually we write riffs every now and then. And then we all hook up and finish them together.
Do you have a schedule in mind for the next album, or is that a way off as yet?
Well… we’re in the “writing riffs” period now, but hopefully we’ll begin putting a couple of songs together before New Year’s Eve.
You guys are touring right now, how is the new material being received by the fans?
Very well I must say. We got really devoted fans and it’s amazing to see that people here in Holland (where we are at the moment) know our songs. We’ve never released an album here!
You played at the Shacklewell Arms, with support from InMe’s Dave McPherson in London on Tuesday night. How was the gig?
It was a small venue, but I think like 100 persons showed up, so the club was almost full. Fun gig for sure. Maybe next time they will tell all their friends to tag along!
If you could play in any venue or country, where would you choose?
Oh. That’s a tough question. Wembley or Madison Square Garden would be legendary of course. It would be cool to do a tour in Japan and America as well.
How would you describe the Swedish and/or the music scene in general? What is the difference from when you first started out back in 1999?
The Swedish music scene has always been strong, I think. We often got good possibilities and conditions as a young teenager in Sweden and I think our introduction to music starts out really early.
The biggest difference today compared to when I was young is the way music is consumed. Back then you bought an album with one of your favorite artists and listened to it 300 times every day and you were pleased with that. Nowadays, there is so much music coming in from all directions. You’ve got Spotify, YouTube, iTunes etc…
If you could recommend three Swedish bands for people to listen to, and three other bands from around the world, who would they be?
Three Swedish bands would be In flames, Corroded and Sator. Three other bands that I listen to at the moment are Paris, Young Guns and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man.
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