Stockholm's Shout Out Louds were one of our favorite bands at SXSW this year. Opening for the New York Dolls at Stubb's alongside Kasabian, Aqualung and Bloc Party, their onstage ebullience infused the night with exactly the sort of pomp and circumstance to get the capacity crowd in a rabid frenzy.

Since then they've come into their own, releasing their international debut album, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, to widespread acclaim and blanketing most of the US and Europe with back-to-back-to-back tours.

We had a chat with lead singer Adam and bassist Ted last Friday afternoon, before their show at the Parish Room. Read on for the interview!

---

So how’d you guys spend Thanksgiving?

Ah yeah, we were here in Austin – it was our first Thanksgiving ever. 

Had you guys known about the holiday before?

I didn’t know it was that big.

Well, yeah, everything shuts down.

Yeah, we noticed that. We decided to go to a bar, and drink away our sorrows [laughs]

And that turned out well?

Oh, yeah, except how I feel today.

So this year has been … awesome, for you guys.  The record was released internationally, you got to played some great shows at SXSW -

It’s been, you know, really good.  We’ve been touring over here, and in Europe a lot.

Have you guys ever found yourselves looking back, just seeing all that you’ve accomplished over the last few months and wondering how you ended up here?

I guess we haven’t really thought about it … yet. [said with an ominous tone]  We should, but it’s been really crazy. It’s been a good year, but it’s been quite messy as well.

How do you mean?

It’s just been a lot of things to think about, and so many new things.  We’ve just spent seven months of the year traveling.  We like traveling, but you know, not working and traveling.  It’s kind of a … strange environment to be in.

Sure, this becomes your day-to-day existence.

Yeah, and that’s really weird sometimes. [SXSW] seems like two years ago. We’re touring almost constantly, but it’s been really good.

What do you suppose is the most challenging aspect of being on the road, overseas, all the time?

The most difficult thing could be that you get really tired of the Monday nights in a small town, and trying to have the same level as if you played [in a large city]. It’s hard to be away from your family, girlfriends.

Are you able to stay in contact with them on the road?

Yeah, we buy those phone cards and we try to call everyday.  But it costs a lot of money and it’s weird with the time difference and everything.  I’ve become better at writing emails.

Yes, luckily most venues here have free wireless access.

Yes, that’s been good, but most of the places in Europe don’t have it yet.

So tell us about the music scene back in Stockholm.  Is it a very communal environment, or are bands left to fend for themselves, Is there a very do-it-yourself type atmosphere?

It’s a lot of do-it-yourself kind of stuff.  There are so many small record labels that have pretty easy deals. Like you go in, record your own album, and they’ll put it out.  Which is really good, because the market is not so big.

Yeah, you don’t need a lot of money to tour.  It’s a very interesting scene because there are so many kinds of things – a lot of electronic, and a lot of very mixed-up things.

Very experimental?

Yes, very experimental.  But still, we have a tradition in the Swedish music scene where it still focuses on melodies and focuses on pop music.  And people try to be more creative in productions.

Is there a lot of enthusiasm for this, in terms of the audience?  I mean, people will go out to see many shows?

Yes, the last two or three years have been better.  They have opened a lot of new venues.  People are going out, getting more interested – because there are more and more interesting bands coming out and more bands going abroad as well.

How do you get music in Stockholm?  Is it radio, on the internet, by buying records?

The public radio in Sweden is really good.  They have a youth channel, which everyone listens to.  And they play whatever they want to – like they’ll play Broken Social Scene and Britney Spears at the same time, ya know what I mean?  [Laughs] It’s fun.

The programmers are really good, it’s a good mix.

There are [also] a lot of music magazines.  And there are so many promoters from Europe and the US who just found our music through our website before we got signed.

Is it true that, over there, when you first released a record in Sweden – was it with a friend who actually started a label for you guys?

Yeah, he was an old friend.

Is this very characteristic of Stockholm?

Many bands have put out records by themselves, or with their friends.  It happens quite often, too.

I think it’s easier, because the really big labels in Sweden over the last couple of years haven’t been really up-to-date.  Everything’s changing, so the smaller labels adapt to the new things.

So tell us about your Austin experience at SXSW.  What was your impression of the city?

Everyone was talking about it [beforehand].  It was ... crazy.  You get pretty overwhelmed, because there we people everywhere.  And then you have to wait in line, and you can’t really get in at places. 

I was a little depressed by it – so many bands playing everywhere! I felt very lucky that we could have really good shows.  I was still really happy at the same time.

How’d you guys get the show at Stubb’s arranged?

I have no idea.  I think it was our booking agent.  We went with this old Italian family in Sicily, that helped us. [this may have been a big lie, but we couldn’t tell if they were joking or not]

What have been the more memorable shows that you’ve done in the States?

Coachella was good.

Yes, it was good, except it was so fucking hot!

Yes, we liked being there, but we could’ve played later.  I also liked being in New York. We played at the Bowery.  It was probably one of the best shows of the tour.

How much do you estimate that you’ve been touring over the last year? Most of it?

Yeeeeah.  We didn’t do it as much this year, last was more.  Maybe six months.  But in Sweden, you can be home for the weekday and only tour on the weekends.  This year, we’ve probably played about 160 shows.

It’s a wonder that you can actually remember a show.

[Laughs] Yeah, I’ve got a good memory about venues.  But you don’t usually remember how the show went.

Speaking of venues, which do you guys prefer – playing in large amphitheatres, or playing in small intimate clubs?

I like some mix, usually – maybe 500.  Like tonight’s will be good.

Yeah, the Parish – compared to some of the other venues in town – is actually fairly small.  It’s nice because it’s so intimate.

I also like that Great American Music Hall in San Francisco – it’s fun to do those big shows, too.  It’s quite epic, you have a big stage, and you feel very small.

What sort of relationship do you like to have with the audience?

It’s always fun to have them interacting and singing along.  When we play huge venues, the kind of distance where they’re so many yards away, you can’t see them. It’s nice to actually be able to see them.  But with a big stage, the production is better and it’s more comfortable.  Like Stubb’s outdoors is nice.

It all depends on the audience, though.  They make the concert really good.  Like we’ve played in small, shitty clubs, but with a great audience.  And we always remember those shows!

Have you noticed any discernable difference between the fans in Europe and the fans in the States?

Not really, actually.  I guess in America people talk more, like on the street.  People talk to you all the time.  But otherwise, during the show, it’s the same.  There are some cities – like Manchester, where they are crazy.  Many big music cities always have great turnouts, but … they’re very stiff. But Manchester, they were really proud of their city and they want to welcome you as a band.  And I like that.

So what’s next for you guys after the tour?  Plan to go back to the studio and record another album?

That’s what we’d like, yeah.

Have you started writing stuff?

We have a pretty decent amount of songs that we’re going to start working on.  We can rehearse them, so many songs still need to be rehearsed.  We’re going to go home, and find our own sound.  We need to see what bits we come up with.  Because I really want our sound … to sound like it’s been recorded in Stockholm.  It’s very important for us to have that.

Have you found a producer yet?

We’re probably going to go with one of the two who did the new album.  He’s got a nice studio, and he’s a friend, and he’s a very talented guy.  He has good ideas about production, and he works with a lot of different musicians.  But some time off, and then...

So you think you’ll be coming back for SXSW next year?

Not next year, but hopefully the coming one.  We’re going to be doing more of the UK.  The album came out in September in the UK, so we need to give them [more tours].

---

*Images copyright Malcolm Fallenius, courtesy Bud Fox Recordings