MPF Band Spotlight: Forever Unclean [Interview]

It’s all gone a bit MPF mad here at Shout Louder HQ. There are so many great bands that we don’t know where to begin! To help you make the most of the festival, we have spoken to a handful of the bands we’re most excited to see. Even if you’re not coming to MPF, there’s plenty to learn and enjoy.

We will be posting every day in the lead up to Manchester Punk Festival. Check out the full series here.

Band Spotlight: Forever Unclean

Forever Unclean are a fantastic, energetic three piece from Copenhagen, who formed from the remains of Stars Burn Stripes (if you remember them). They hit the grittier end of the pop-punk spectrum, incorporating the speed and skill of skate-punk and the lyrical angst of indie-punk. Their EP Float was one of our top picks of 2017. On top of that, they’re super-friendly, wonderful people and they’re enormous fun live. Here’s an excerpt from when we last reviewed them:

“The whole set is fast, fun, sweaty and packed full of brilliant melodies – every song has me grinning, and makes me feel like an angst-riddled 17-year-old ready to let loose. Float slays even better live than it does on the record, rivalling the best Gnarwolves songs for self-effacing lyrics and catchy hooks.”

We spoke to singer/guitarist Lasse Mikkelsen (who’s also an incredible animator!) to find out more.

Why should people come check out your set at Manchester Punk Festival?

Important stuff first, I see? Well, there are countless reasons! Maybe we play at the venue with the best bar? Maybe nothing else is playing at the same time? Maybe you like to have fun? We certainly plan to have fun! And maybe… just maybe… you’ll like the music too?

Which bands are you most excited to see at the festival?

Wonk Unit! Their songs are awesome, and we’ve never had the chance to catch them live before. The Bennies are great fun and were absolutely awesome the last time I saw them, so that’s gonna be a party too.

We have a lot of friends playing the festival as well and their shows are all gonna rock! I’ll probably forget some, but here goes: Rebuke, Darko, Goodbye Blue Monday, Revenge of the P-man, Spoilers, Start at Zero, Hoof, Egos at the Door, Uniforms and Dead Neck. Can’t wait to hang with all of those guys again.

You were at MPF in 2017 as punters – what was the best thing about last year?

Everything! The line-up was amazing, and we got to see a lot of our favourite bands. Personally, I prefer venue shows over outdoor-festival shows, so for me it totally beats the other festivals that I’m used to. Going from venue to venue, stumbling into good friends from all over Europe. Nothing beats that!

What’s your top tip for having the best time at MPF?

Skateboarding makes going from one venue to another a lot faster and more fun! (And you don’t have to be good at it. I’m certainly not.)

Propagandhi or Iron Chic?

Propagandhi. Oh wait… they aren’t playing at the same time, are they?!

What other big things are coming up for Forever Unclean this year?

Woof! A lot actually. It’s the most exiting year for us, yet. Let me see… ehmmm, what can I talk about, and what’s still secret? Ok, I might as well throw you one or two…

I’ve been working on an animated Forever Unclean video for over a year now, and it’s finally done. It’s been taking up a lot of my spare time and it’s the biggest animation project I’ve ever done. I am really proud of the result and I am so exited to share it with everyone. It might even be up before this posts.

We’re also working on a new EP. Everything is already recorded and mixed, and it sounds great! Can’t wait to share that either.

2018 will also see us touring new places, and all I can tell you right now is that the three of us are super exited.

If your flight over to the UK looked like it was about to crash land, what would you put on your iPod for the final descent?

Speaking for myself, I usually play videogames on planes. Would be cool to finish a Mario Kart level just as the plane crashes. Especially if I beat Leo!

Manchester Trivia: Have you ever tried a pie barm?

Nope. What is that even?

Check out Forever Unclean on Facebook and Bandcamp.

At Manchester Punk Festival they are playing in The Bread Shed at 14:30 on Saturday – make sure you check them out! Consult the MPF Clashfinder for more details.

Check out our full series of Manchester Punk Festival related articles: