There I was sitting on the hill of Sabaton Open Air Festival. When this amazing band walks up on me. Lagerstein had arrived! I am surprised that almost the whole band was there. Because we all know these guys know how to party! And I bet they had a heavy night. I interviewed: Captain Gregarrr (CG), The Majestic Beast (TMB) and Mother Junkst (MJ).

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GRIMM: I have seen you guys play on Wacken, I was there as well… 

All: Oh really? Cool! 

GRIMM: …so how was it to play for such a big festival? 

CG: Amazing a dream come true to be honest.

MJ: The festival is so proud they look out for everybody.

TMB: From the staff to the attendees to the bands.

MJ: I also mean we had to play and come and watch so many bands. It was like a mini holiday.

TMB: It was a fucking party. As an Australian we are so far away. You know we live on the other side of the world. We do not have festivals like this in European style. We don’t really have metal festivals in general. But to get the opportunity to play Wacken that is every kids dream when they start playing music. And to stay the whole festival and just act like another fan on a gig and watch all your favorite bands. You can’t help but have a funny feeling!

MJ: I was a bit depressed when we had to pack up the campsite.

TMB: I am sure you felt it too! 

GRIMM: Yeah of course! Take me back! 

TMB: I think they also call it a hangover!

MJ: Is it really a hangover?

CG: I think it definitely was a dream come true. We said last year: When we were here in 2017 for 7 months. We said we should go to Wacken this year and go check it out. And then we said no, let’s be patient and we will get a free ticket. We made it our goal to play there. And two years later we did. 

GRIMM: It is always a pleasure to see you guys play. I saw you in our youth club Asgaard in Belgium. 

MJ: Oh no way! That was a hell of a party! 

GRIMM: Indeed it was. And you guys are coming back very soon! 😀 

MJ: Yeah, indeed. Will you be at the gig? 

GRIMM: Well of course I will. It is so fun to see you play very small club shows and then festivals like Wacken. But what do you prefer the most? 

TMB: Any show is a great show for me, like there is these different ranges. Because when you play these small pub shows you really get to interact. Even have a beer with everyone there. 

CG: Yeah indeed it is very personal.

TMB: But when you play a festival stage you get more of this rush inside.

CG: I think it really depends on the energy of the crowd. If you get a good energy from a tiny crowd, it doesn’t matter if it is only six people. Like I am having the best time and going to get off stage and get these compliments like that was awesome! But if it is a whole crowd just standing there like kind of bored. Then you feel like it could have been better. It kind of sucks.

MJ: We are all about fun. But it depends how much fun the people have we are sharing this with. 

GRIMM: Is it easier for you guys to get a bigger or smaller crowd moving? 

MJ: No, it really depends where it is.

CG: It all depends where you are. Some countries really party harder than others.

MJ: Yeah, some countries like to dance more. Say like the Polish people. You just play a little bit of music and the whole room erupts. Everyone has really come to shake around their bodies. But in Switzerland and I think Sweden is a bit the same. They just kind of came to watch. You really have to kind of talk them into the moshing.

CG: But we always have great responses from every country.

MJ: Like you come off stage and they come to you. Like this was the best show that I ever saw. And I am like: Dude, I don’t think you enjoyed it at all. No no that really was an amazing show! It is just different cultures.

CG: It is always fun to get a big crowd moving! I love to get down in the crowd and make the crowd sit down or do a wall of death. 

GRIMM: What was the best show you ever did?  

TMB: Wacken ranks up pretty high, but I also like playing in Australia. It is our home country so we build our own little scene there. And to see that evolve year after year. Without that we have no opportunity to play in Europe. We had to build ourselves in Australia first. So playing a hometown show in Brisbane is always memorable or Melbourne because that is the hub of the metal scene in Australia. 

CG: We really have a solid following over there. It is good because going overseas for months at a time it gives Australia a break from you. So when we come back it will be more fun. Last time we played Brisbane before we came to Europe. It was in May.

TMB: No, it was April.

CG: Yeah April.

MJ: Wasn’t it March?

CG: Anyway, it was one of the best shows we played before our departure. It was awesome and certainly one of my favorites. Just because people knew they were not going to see us for the next seven to eight months. Let’s go party! 

MJ: We are really pumped for it because we are going back to Australia in November. That will be with the new album and everything. And these are the biggest venue’s we have headlined. We have played them before but not as a headliner. This time it’s going to be just us and a support band. So that is really exciting. I think one show that stands out from this trip is that we played in Germany at a festival called: Aaargh Festival.

We did the late slot like we will do tonight. And we were like, oh man, what is that going to be. We have never done it before. There is a reason they call it a deadline. Everyone was so pumped and they were all so ready and as soon as we came out it was like an eruption. We got like three encores that night.

TMB: Nobody wanted to leave.

MJ: Exactly so it kind of might go well for this evening too. 

GRIMM: Yeah, but you guys are a known party band so why would we not be pumped? Sadly enough, we cannot bring beer to the stage here in Sweden. 

All: Yeah,we know!

MJ: It is an interesting one. It is kind of a stitch up! We are thinking about it. When everyone does there shoey and stuff we now want to do it double!

CG: Just to make it up to the rest of the crowd. It is a very strange thing for us not seeing a crowd drink. But it will be fun. I always drink double anyway. 

To read about the beginning of the Lagerstein party, their love for Pirate Metal and their very own festival Lagerfest, go to the next page…