Nach neun gemeinsamen Jahren hat sich Bassist Yvo dazu entschlossen ANTILLECTUAL zu verlassen. Hier sein Statement:
"This is it, I quit! I could not combine my family life with the band anymore. I always gave everything I had for this band, and I wouldn’t want to give any less. As much as I love Antillectual, I want to focus on my family life now. They need me, I need them. It sounds as simple as that, but we all know decisions like this are tough … This is probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made in my life. Antillectual is the very first band I ever played in. When we started I never would’ve thought this band would have such a huge influence on me. On every single tour I was overwhelmed by the inspiring social centres we’d play, I was touched by the people and collectives taking care of us, I was moved by the late night talks and discussions. Beautiful landscapes and fucked up border cops. Endless drives and endless landscapes.
Above all, Antillectual was the proof of taking matters in our own hands. We wrote the songs, we screamed from the top of our lungs, we booked the tours, we brought political books to shows, we organized shows, we almost killed ourselves a couple of times. We trusted strangers on the other side of the world, we made friends who we might never see ever again. Why? Because it felt like the right thing to do. And that’s exactly the reason why I’m stepping off this crazy train ride. Antillectual was my place, my home, and my safe haven. I could say what I want, do what I want, I could be the person who I am. Something that can be hard in daily life I’ve discovered. I’ve read several articles and books describing Autonomous Free Zones. Well, Antillectual was one of those zones for me. At least that’s how I experienced it. Now is the time to create those autonomous zones/ spaces in daily life.
Even though a part of my world has crumbled into pieces, I’m also looking forward to new challenges. Raising my kids in a loving and caring way is the biggest, most intense and beautiful challenge of all. Next to that I’ve always said I should spend more time on political ideals so I’ll be working on that. So I hope to see you on the barricades!
I wish my dearest friends in Antillectual all the best in the world. Thanks to everyone.
Love & rage, Yvo"
ANTILLECTUAL hat mit Tom (ex-Smash the Statues) bereits einen Nachfolger gefunden, einen neuen Longplayer will man noch dieses Jahr aufnehmen. Yvos letzte Show findet am 23. Januar in De Onderbroek (Nijmegen, Holland) statt.
