Even if We Lose played their second live-gig at the no Guts no Glory Battle for Jera On Air earlier this year at Dynamo, Eindhoven. In the midst of punk and metalcore bands, this post-metal band with bandmembers originally from Greece managed to win. We talked to them at the festival in the heat for an Instagram Live interview. For those who missed it back then, check out the full interview on YouTube now, or read the short version below.
First and foremost, congratulations on winning the Guts & Glory Battle at Dynamo! As somewhat of a wildcard in that competition, how did you end up winning?
Thank you so much! Indeed, we were a bit of an "odd duck out" in that lineup. But as a band, we are very in line with what Jera on Air tries to achieve musically. We play post-metal with a hardcore attitude, we bring high energy to it. That really connected with the crowd and the judges at the Dynamo contest, and here we are three months later!
Have you ever played a festival like this before?
For some of us, no. This is easily the biggest concert we’ve ever played, so there's definitely stress, but we are super excited and cannot wait. As a band, this is actually only our fifth live show ever—the Dynamo battle was literally our second live performance! So playing a festival of this scale is massive for us.
Post-metal can be more atmospheric compared to the high-energy bands here, and you’re opening on Saturday. Are you going for a chill vibe, or are you crushing the crowd with heavy riffs?
We never go easy on live shows. We want to capture the electricity in the air and transmit pure energy directly to the audience. Even though we play post-metal, our music incorporates a lot of heavy hardcore drumming, so it appeals heavily to the hardcore crowd. It’s a great mix that brings a lot of intensity.
Everyone in the band is from Greece, except for your bassist, right? Do you identify as a Dutch band or an international band?
Our bassist, Zoltan, is from Hungary, while the rest of us are Greek. We generally present ourselves as a Dutch metal band because we all live here now. When you’re starting out, it’s essential for people to know where you're based so they can find you and book you. But calling us international also fits our identity well.
Is there a big difference between the metal scene in Greece and the scene in the Netherlands?
There’s a huge difference. In the Netherlands, there is a massive infrastructure for music everywhere—whether it’s metal, punk, rock, or jazz, there’s always a scene and a community ready to support it. In Greece, the overall music scene is a bit more limited, though Greece has an incredibly strong, passionate punk community that might even be bigger than the one here.
Had you heard of Jera on Air before competing, or even attended as festival-goers?
Oh, absolutely! It’s like an annual band holiday for us. Some of us have been coming here as fans for five or six years. Two years ago, when the band was just getting started, we were standing in the crowd talking about how crazy it would be to actually play on one of these stages. To come full circle two years later and be on the lineup is wild!
Is there a subtle Greek or Middle Eastern influence hidden in your music?
Yes and no! A lot of the scale choices in our songwriting lean into harmonic scales, which naturally give off a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean vibe. Greece and the Middle East share a lot of musical DNA in that regard. We like to weave those textures into our tracks. It’s hidden beneath the heavy layers, but if you listen closely, you’ll definitely spot it.
Your debut EP was released recently to great feedback across Europe. Did you expect it to take off like this?
Honestly, no! We expected some decent feedback so we could keep building as artists, but we didn't expect this scale of response so quickly. Originally, we were just going to put out a simple demo release, but we decided to put in the extra effort to make it a full EP. Going from releasing our EP in September to playing Jera on Air for our fifth show ever is completely insane.
