Subterranean Street Society isn’t just a band; they’re a sonic odyssey that transcends borders, both geographically and musically.
Fresh off a transformative tour in Indonesia, this Dutch indie trio has proven that their blend of folk, grunge, and rock can captivate audiences from Europe’s iconic venues to the remote islands of Southeast Asia. Invited by the Erasmushuis in Jakarta as part of a cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Indonesia, they embarked on a journey that challenged their sound, pushed their creative boundaries, and offered a rare glimpse into the intersection of Western rock with Indonesian traditions.
From performing Batak songs with local musicians at the Samosir Music International Festival to navigating the intricacies of Indonesia’s young, rock-loving audience, Subterranean Street Society’s experience was a testament to the universal language of music and their ability to adapt, innovate, and connect in the most unexpected places.
What inspired you to embark on a tour in Indonesia? What do you hope to gain from this experience, both musically and personally?
“We were invited by the Erasmushuis in Jakarta. Erasmus Huis, as part of the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta, also acts as a liaison for promoting the Netherlands’ cultural policy and other priority topics. Essentially our trip is a part of an ongoing cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Indonesia. So we embarked on this journey because we were asked to. For us, the experience was about the opportunity to showcase our music outside of a Western context, gain new fans, and to just have some adventurous fun on the other side of the globe. It’s quite the privilege to be put in a position like this as a small Dutch indie band.”
Your music has taken you to many places around the world. How did you anticipate the cultural and musical landscape of Indonesia influencing your performances during this tour?
“Well, we didn’t have any expectations in this regard. From our experience rock music has by now become a pretty universal language worldwide. So basically when we go abroad we just kind of do our thing wherever we go and see how it resonates. However, for the Samosir Music International festival, we were asked to perform 3 Batak songs. Batak is the local language on Samosir Island. During the performance, we also collaborated with 3 local musicians. We made an effort to create an arrangement around the songs that made the music sound like us. So we were very curious to see how this mix of styles would appeal to the local audience. As it turned out they absolutely loved it and went wild for it.”
The Samosir Music International Festival is set in such an idyllic location. How did you think the natural surroundings would impact your performance and the audience’s experience?
“To us, it wasn’t so much the surroundings that made an impact but the people. Samosir island is a very remote location and it takes over 8 hours to reach by car and boat from Medan, the biggest local city on Sumatra. This makes it a very local festival with a very local audience. A local audience that is highly musical and excited for such a big and unique event on their island. But they also barely speak any English. I felt our niche alternative indie folk was quite the (positive) shock for this audience.”
‘BLEEP’ marks a shift in your sound toward more protest-driven themes. How do you think songs from this album will resonate with Indonesian audiences, particularly considering the social and political context of the region?
“Well musically, apparently Indonesia is a country with a young demographic that has an appetite for rock music. This is one of the reasons we were invited by the Erasmushuis because they wanted to do an exchange with a rock band for a change. The music went down tremendously. However, I felt that most of the lyrical concepts were too fast-paced to always come across.”
What aspects of the country’s culture or history were you most excited to explore, and how did you think they might influence your music moving forward?
“As I mentioned before we were invited to perform 3 Batak songs at the Samosir Music Festival International. So for this reason we’ve delved deeply into that local style of music, which was an interesting challenge to begin with. What resonated most with me was the use of continuous percussion. It makes all music very uplifting, religious, and danceable. I thought it might be an interesting angle for new music, but who knows.”
You’ve described your music as a blend of indie, folk, grunge, and rock. How do you go about integrating such diverse genres into a cohesive sound, and how has this process evolved with your latest work?
“I think the blend is a result of a process rather than an intention. So it’s not that we set out to create folk, or grunge rock. No, we just create the music we like to the best of our abilities and at the end of that process, we’ve decided to label it as Indie, Folk, Grunge, and Rock. Also since we live in a world and industry that has a hunger for labels, I feel our music is so much more than these labels. The core of the songwriting, initial melody, and lyrics are done by Louis, and his songs tend to be folky and bluesy by nature. Moreover, his lyrics are very Dylan-esque both in being descriptive, personal, politically engaged, and at times metaphorical. As a producer, Ivo adds a layer of Grit, Grunge, and Anger. Being influenced by artists such as Jack White, Nirvana, and BRMC. I think these backgrounds result in this unique mix of styles.”
With a discography that includes both melancholic and more aggressive protest songs, how do you decide the direction of your music? Is it influenced by current events, personal experiences, or something else?
“We go where the muse takes us. Personal experiences and current events always factor into where we are emotionally at the time of writing.”
Subterranean Street Society has performed at iconic venues like Paradiso and major festivals like Zwarte Cross. How does preparing for a festival like Samosir Music International differ from your previous performances, and what unique elements did you plan to bring to the stage?
“Actually we were very limited in this context. Anywhere in Europe, we would bring our own backline. Which means our own amplifiers, numerous guitars (for different tunings), and warship-sized pedalboards for crazy sounds. Due to airline travel, all we got was one instrument and so we did this big performance on different equipment than our own. So our preparation was mostly built around how we could still bring our unique sound with limited means.”
Your recent track ‘Focus On The Melody’ critiques the modern attention span. How do you balance creating music that carries a strong message with ensuring it captures and retains listeners’ attention in a fast-paced world?
A great question. I would say it’s a balancing act. The current music industry expects you to be a full-time content creator next to being a musician. You have to boil down your ‘message’ to one-second reels. On the one hand, there seems to be a lot of possibility and freedom to this, if you compare it to the old days, because everybody can make it now and the dinosaur gatekeepers have disappeared. However, there is a new gatekeeper called the algorithm. So you could make wonderful content that doesn’t fit the algorithm mould and nobody sees or hears your stuff. So you don’t wanna be stupid about it and waste all your energy on creating things without any engagement, but you also wanna protect your integrity as an artist and make sure you remain a musician as opposed to a content creator, at least we do. So we always try to keep our eye on the ball. It’s about our music being enjoyed by real people. So how do we make sure we reach real people that come to our shows, so we can have a real live experience together.”
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