Hailing from Stockholm, Viagra Boys has been creating a welcoming environment for "freaks" since 2015. Since then, despite operating within a specific musical niche, the band has stood out for its irreverent attitude and its biting critiques of social caricatures, conspiracy theories, and toxic masculinity, among other behaviors that plague modern society in the internet age. All this without forgetting to insert themselves into this equation and laugh at themselves, evoking the essence of the punk ethos.
After the bittersweet cancellation at Primavera Sound 2022, the Swedes finally made their debut on Brazilian soil. Before dominating the Lollapalooza Brasil on Friday the 20th, they made Audio feel small in an explosive sideshow sharing the night with Interpol – check out our full review.
In an interview with Wikimetal, after a chaotic tour of the city and a soundcheck at Audio before the sideshow, vocalist Sebastian Murphy commented on his fascination with shrimp, revealed his admiration for Sepultura , and, after going viral dancing to Novos Baianos as soon as he landed at the airport, joked that he would incorporate samba into an upcoming album of unreleased material, the successor to viagr boys (2025), which is already in production.
Wikimetal: What's the story behind how you guys met? Were you really depressed, singing Mariah Carey's saddest song at karaoke? Did you actually hit those high notes and everything?
Sebastian Murphy: It's a true story, but that's not how we met. I mean, I was already friends with Benke long before that. We used to drink at the bar together and talk nonsense about music, and then he saw me singing at a party and said, "Yeah, we have to start a band."
WM: The cover art for the new album looks like it came straight out of Surrealist Manifesto , but at the same time it maintains that raw, punk fanzine aesthetic. How does this visual surrealism interact with the lyrical themes and chaos that you explore in this new work?
SM: I think surrealism in general is part of my brain. That's how I see things, the images in my head. And when I draw, I usually draw very surreal images. And we live in a very surreal world. So I think that's how it all blends together.
WM: What exactly is the story behind the shrimp?
SM: It's an old reference to amphetamine, actually, and the fact that it smells like shrimp, you know? When we started the band, we used a lot of amphetamine, so it was a central theme in our lives. And then I think it ended up becoming an obsession for me, in general, just thinking about shrimp, drawing shrimp and talking about shrimp, and I like shrimp. And I have shrimp at home, in an aquarium. I'm a shrimp breeder.
WM: You mentioned that you never planned to have a band and that you hoped to be a tattoo artist your whole life. What's the most bizarre or inexplicable tattoo you've ever done on someone?
SM: The weirdest one? I don't know. I don't remember. I don't think I've gotten many weird tattoos. Maybe just a shrimp. I don't know.
WM: No artist likes to be labeled, and you clearly love to experiment. Is there any specific rhythm or regional music from other countries that you've considered incorporating into your sound?
SM: Samba. The next album will be samba.
WM: Elias mentioned in an interview the film The Secret Agent, by Kleber Mendonça Filho, and also the band Novos Baianos. But what about the rest of the band? What do you know and enjoy that was produced here in Brazil or in any other South American country?
SM: Sepultura.
WM: Is there anything you'd like to say directly to your Brazilian fans who have been waiting for this moment?
SM: Brazilian fans, I'm so happy to finally be here. And now you don't have to write "Come to Brazil" all the time anymore, you know, you can just say "You're in Brazil!" And I'm so happy to be here. I love this place.
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