Eesti Laul 2015, Estonia’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, is heating up with us already voicing our opinions of their songs in the Eesti Laul Wiwi Jury. We continue our Eesti Laul 2015 interviews with a local Estonian band Elephants From Neptunes. Don’t be fooled by the name: they’re not from outer space!
Hello Elephants From Neptune. Congrats for making it to the Estonian national selection, Eesti Laul. How do you feel?
It’s really great. We are very excited.
What made you decide to submit a song for Eesti Laul 2015?
There’s only a few music TV shows in Estonia and Eesti Laul is one of the most popular ones. It’s a great platform to introduce your music to a wider audience. We have a good following already, but there’s definitely a lot of people who still haven’t heard about us or our music.
Some readers outside Estonia might not know much about you. Could you tell us about your band?
We are a four-piece rock band from a small town in Estonia called Võsu. We live in Tallinn, but Võsu is the place where the band was born and a spot we use to create & record music. Robert is the singer and guitar player, Markko aka “The Birdman” is the guitar slayer, Rain aka “The Doctor” slaps the bass and Jon is sitting behind the drum set. It’s really hard to describe our music in words – so just go to YouTube or soundcloud and have a listen.
Your band name is very interesting. Where did your name come from?
There are a lot of stories that we have had ourselves told over the years – some more absurd than others. However in reality it’s just a combination of books/stories/songs that we like.
Your song is called “Unriddle Me”. What is your song about?
“Unriddle Me” is a groovy rock song with catchy lyrics and a lot of guitars. We also made a video for the song ourselves (directed, edited, acted etc) which is pretty nutty.
Have you heard the other competing songs in Eesti Laul? If so, what are your favourites?
We really haven’t had a chance yet to focus on all the songs, but I’m sure we’ll get some time when the shows come closer.
In July 2012 you warmed up the audience in Tallinn for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. What was that like?
The RHCP show was immense – a lot of people at the show and one of our favourite bands will play right after us. It was a great experience and really motivated us to set the bar even higher.
In 2013 you won 3,500 euros as part of Skype’s Go Change the World Award. Why do you think you won and what did you do with the cash?
The Skype award is given out by music industry professionals and the audience. So both get to vote and then the artist that gets the most votes, wins. I’d like to think that we won because we were the best band at the festival. We used the money to build our own studio in which our latest record “Pressure & Pleasure” was recorded at.
What do you want to get out of Eesti Laul?
For us it’s just about introducing our music to new people. We have already gotten a lot of great response from people all over the world, who have written to our Facebook or sent e-mails. So it’s already a success.
Are you Eurovision fans? Do you watch Eurovision yourself?
I think when we were kids it was a bigger thing, but nowadays we haven’t been following it too much.
Who’s your favourite Estonian act from Eurovision?
It’s Ruffus with “Eighties Coming Back”.
What would it mean for you to represent Estonia in the biggest song contest in the world?
Hard to imagine. Representing your country is always an honor.
Estonia didn’t qualify last year, is Eurovision popular in Estonia?
I think it is. People still follow it a lot and always hope for the best result.
If you could pick just one song for our readers to listen to, what would the song be and why?
The Datsuns – Mother*ucker From Hell. It’s just a badass song.
What musical styles do you like?
I think we have a broad taste of music in the band – rock, funk, heavier music.
What is your link with Ireland?
We use “The Boys Are Back in Town” by Thin Lizzy as our intro song at our shows.
Have you alw
ays enjoyed the art of music?
We have. It’s something we love doing and need in our lives.
What’s the best advice ever given to you?
If you believe in what you do, there’s no way can go wrong.
Who are your musical inspirations?
There are a lot bands we love from Motorhead to the Foo Fighters, from Prince to Rick James etc.
Do you have a message for the readers of wiwibloggs?
Stay safe and check out our new record “Pressure & Pleasure” on Spotify/Deezer/iTunes.
Thank you for the interview from all of us at wiwibloggs. We wish you all the best of luck in Eesti Laul 2015.
Thank you very much!
Photo Credit: ERR
Hope they win! Love their song so much. These guys are cool