Brooklyn cabaret circus punx World/Inferno Friendship Society revamp Just the Best Party before trouncing through the Northeast and into the Midwest.
The World/lnferno Friendship Society have been in a league of their own for going on almost 25 years now, following their debut album just over five years after they formed with the classic Just the Best Party. This collective gang combines various music forms including cabaret, soul and punk with Eastern European history and anarchist thought in such a way that transports the listener back to another era while firmly rooting us into the dirt and soil of the modern world. They are far from any dull attempt at philosophy as lead singer Jack Terricloth woos crowds with his poetic lyricism, raging politics and fantastic flair for showmanship. Skamp Zine had the chance to interview Terricloth about the revolutionized Just the Best Party, the upcoming World/Inferno tour and other surprises the band has in store.
"Secret Service Freedom Fighting U.S.A."
Just the Best Party
The World/Inferno Friendship Society seems very proud to have remastered and reissued Just the Best Party. Did y'all have fun coming back to such a classic album?
Well, pride is a sin! So yeah we did enjoy it. It was a very strange experience seeing all the old band members again alongside the current line up. so I enjoyed that too. It was a bit of a mind flip...
Not only has the band redone the album cover art but you all put out some new t-shirt designs. Do you think you need more of a creative outlet at the moment or is this part and parcel by now?
I think it has been universally agreed upon that the original artwork was dreadful. At the time we couldn’t agree on anything so we just chose “blue”. A perfect example of democracy not working. So we used the cover of one of our european EPs from the period that was never released in the U.S. Plus, there weren’t as many opinions this time. Yes, I am endorsing Fascism.
Is the band excited to hit the road through the northeast and midwest?
Any opportunity to get out of the house and fight my encroaching agoraphobia! I’m staring out the window at yard cats like an old woman (actually, I’m in a bar but I did pick one that is always empty).
Photos Courtesy of W/IFS
Are y'all stoked for the Punk News Summer Soiree in Philly?
Of course! Always had a good time in Philly. As baby punk rockers, we used to commute to shows there all the time: Ruin, Scram, F.O.D., Pagan Babies. Good scene in Philly. And Punk News is my first choice for punk news so always happy to help.
Obviously, after your upcoming tour and the energy you've put into Just the Best Party, World/Inferno would likely need to recharge their batteries. Will you all have much opportunity for that with Hallowmas coming up around the bend?
In a word, “no” but you know, the First Law of Thermodynamics: "Objects in motion tend to stay in motion while objects at rest tend to stay at rest." We gotta stay in motion like a shark.
It seems like the band might be pulling out all the stops for this particular Hallowmas. Can you tell us much at this point about what to expect from Hallowmas this year without giving away too much fun?
Just a small hint: it takes place in 2019.
You all certainly aren't hiding one fantastic surprise regarding Hallowmas being your next album release bash. Is there much to say at this point about the new album, whether about the theme(s), music, and/or politics if much is known right now?
It’s about the immigration crisis in the form of a giant talking cat trying to avoid being deported whom a bunch of punks let hide in their house. The music is really quite remarkable as well. I really get to croon.
Not that everything The World/Inferno Friendship Society is working on presently and in the near future isn't amazing and likely exhausting but, beyond the upcoming tour, parties, Hallowmas and yet another fantastic album in the works, does the band have anything else planned further out?
We’ll be on tour around the planet for two years, catch our breaths and then do the whole thing again with a panache and determination not found by many, to the benefit of punk rockers and dry cleaners all over this world, which was made for you and me.
worldinferno.com
The World/Inferno Friendship Society plays the PunkNews Summer Soiree on August 3rd at PhilaMOCA, located at 531 North 12th Street in Philly with folk punker Joe Jack Talcum, punk rockers Street Vengeance and hardcore punks Trash Knife.
~ Garyn Klasek
