Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Real Farmer
Recently, the Netherlands has become a bastion of all things punk. While the UK is now the home of the hardcore subculture in Europe, this small speck’s Dutch counterpart just across the rugged North Sea has seen a wave of more straight-up punk and post-punk acts come to the fore. A manifestation of this trend is Rotterdam’s annual celebration of all things in this area, Left of the Dial festival, a right of passage for anyone claiming to have their finger on the pulse. The broad range of sonics on offer is a must for the initiated.
One of the most exciting bands the country has produced is Groningen’s Real Farmer. A four-piece comprised of frontman Jeroen Klootsema, bassist Marrit Meinema, guitarist Peter van der Ploeg and drummer Leon Harms, the group strips punk down to its purest essence by way of their hometown’s flourishing DIY scene. From Klootsema’s gravelly baritone and sharp lyrics to spiky guitars and pulsating rhythms, their music is a potent blend of all the right elements to get the head bobbing, stoking an inner desire to launch your glass of water at the nearest wall in a fit of hysterical abandon.
The band enter 2024 with renewed energy and are on the precipice of a milestone. On March 8th, they will release their hotly anticipated debut studio album, Compare What’s There, on Pete Doherty’s Strap Originals. Giving fans and newcomers a distilled taste of what’s to come, they’ve already shared the singles ‘Inner City’, ‘The Straightest Line’ and most recently, the frenetic ‘Consequence’. The three cuts are made for the live arena and, specifically, sweat-drenched pits, which they demonstrated with their recent Independent Venue Week shows.
Following the album’s release in March, they will hit the UK for a run of celebratory headline shows, as well as a support slot for York legends Bull in Brighton. These will likely add to their rapidly swelling ranks of fans.
As Real Farmer are one of the most exciting groups around at the minute and appear to have a big future ahead of them, there was no better time to get to know them a little better. Accordingly, they gave us ten minutes of their time to answer our quick-fire questions. From showing solidarity with Palestine to a band member hating everything about U2, the answers confirm that the punk newcomers are, like their music, resolute in their convictions. This is a crucial feature of any outfit worth their salt.
Check out the answers below.
Quick-fire Questions with Real Farmer:
1. What song would you want played at your funeral?
Marrit: “‘Star’ by Good Sad Happy Bad. It always soothes me whenever I feel down.”
Jeroen: “Joe Cocker’s ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’.”
2. What was the best album of 2023?
Leon: “R.M.F.C. – Club Hits. I’m really glad that they released a full-length that is at least as good as their EPs. Really didn’t think it could be any better than both of their EPs.”
Marrit: “I was in a bit of a musical rut last year, but King Krule’s Space Heavy truly blew me away. Definitely a favourite of 2023.”
Peter: “Geld – Currency // Castration!, crazy good hardcore release from Australia.”
Leon & Marrit: “Oh, and WOW by Kate NV is also a favourite!”
3. Do you believe in UFOs?
“Yes.”
4. What’s your favourite comfort movie?
Leon: “Shrek 2, because it’s fun.”
Jeroen: “Shawshank Redemption.“
Peter: “Gladiator. I also listen to the soundtrack a lot under the shower.”
Marrit: “Probably Scream or something like From Dusk Till Dawn or Planet Terror. I have a couple of horror films that I turn to when I’m sick. Something about knowing when the scary moments are going to be, and how it’s going to end, gives me comfort.”
5. Where’s the weirdest place you woke up?
Marrit: “I’m not really a sleepwalker. I only did that when I was little, so the weirdest places I would wake up back then were in the bathtub or the foot of the bed.”
6. What’s one gig in history you’d time travel to be at?
Jeroen: “An early Crass concert.”
Marrit: “I would’ve loved to have seen Young Marble Giants or Marine Girls live. Or Sponsors.”
7. Where’s the best pub in the world?
“The Horn Pub in St. Albans. We played there during our first UK tour this January. Not sure if it’s the best pub, but the gig was a lot of fun!”
8. What was the first song you learnt to play?
Leon: “One of the first songs I learned to play on drums was Green Day – ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’.”
Marrit: “The first song I learned on bass was probably a Yuko Yuko song. This was a band I started playing in when I was 17 years old. I used to sing and play keys, but for the last demo album, ‘Excelsior’, I switched to bass guitar, and I stuck with it.”
9. What track features the greatest vocal performance?
Jeroen: “Joe Cocker’s ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’.”
Marrit: “Any song by Nina Simone.”
10. What venue do you dream of playing? And who’s your support act?
“This would probably be the main hall in Paradiso in Amsterdam with our friends Frontsector as our support act.”
11. Have you ever had a weird celebrity encounter?
Marrit: “Not really. I did meet Mark Ibold last year, but that was wonderful, not weird. I’m a huge Pavement fan, and he was incredibly kind. Not sure he counts as a celebrity, but for me, he does.”
12. What song do you hate most in the world?
Marrit: “I really hate U2. Sorry, but I’m not sorry. It’s garbage. Can’t even pick just one song.”
Leon: “Linkin Park – In The End’.”
13. What’s your most controversial cultural opinion?
“Free Palestine.”
14. Who the fuck is Mark E. Smith?
Marrit: “My bandmates might hate me for this, maybe they won’t, but I had no idea who it was until I looked it up. Our drummer is quite fond of The Fall, so he would’ve known.”
15. Are The Beatles overrated?
“No, they are not. They were incredibly special in their time, and the musical landscape would have looked really different today if they hadn’t existed.”
