I Love You Honey Bunny will start their own small tour in Hungary again. Last year you could meet the band in Budapest and Sopron, and this year also in Pécs. Twice during the two years we had the chance to talk to the band members, Kristián Kraevski, Martin Šolc and Josef Keil, who shared their thoughts about last year’s tour and this year’s tour.
We have already met you several times in the capital city. What was the first time like when you played in Budapest?
Kristian: The first time was with Ivan and the Parazol. We supported them at the A38 in the beautiful ship in the centre of Budapest. We just had a great time. All people were really nice to us, very welcoming, and it started this whole thing. Ever since we played a lot of gigs is Hungary, and this country has been the number one place where we have been. I don’t really think that there is another country in Europe, where we have played as many times as in Hungary. Last year we played in Sopron, where we had a really good time with other bands called, The Microwaves, Needle Jim, and a great acustic act, named godozsolt. We played at the acustic garden and we knew it is gonna be a small gig, with just few people coming. It was so intimate, it was a small club, which is very different from, what we have been doing for the last couple of months before the gig. It had a very special energy, and we really enjoyed it!
Why is Hungary the number one?
Martin: We just feel Budapest is a really cool city, it is like Berlin, Vienna and Prague at the same time, and we really love the people in Hungary, and we are really lucky to get in touch with bands like Ivan and the Parazol. On this last tour we had the chance to play in another city than Budapest. We just played on several festivals in Hungary, but never played a club show anywhere else just Budapest, like in Sopron, but is was really nice to play there.
Your last album, We Just Had a Wonderful Time has a double meaning title. In a little bit sarcastic and a very beautiful way. Connecting to the sarcastic meaning, what do you think about the social problems in this century?
Martin: We just had a really tough time during covid as everyone. We felt really detached from the society, from each other, we couldn’t meet people and staff. This is the sarcastic way. This was really though for us, we couldn’t even write new music in the first year of covid. And then, we managed and actually we really had a wonderful time. So it helped a lot, it was like a therapy for us.
That was the word which I wanted to use. The process of making this album was different than you used to make?
Martin: As we changed as a band, our thoughts changed with us. For us, it was a really important album, to get back together, as a band, as people, as just a group of guys, who love making music. We love touring, we love making music, and everything around the band, and we didn’t do it for two years. It was really great to get back together and make songs.
Kristian: I think we changed the process as well. Our last album was recorded in a studio with a producer, which is one of the traditional ways to do, but this time we recorded most of the things in different places, and this process is easier for us.
The album also focuses on mental problems and their dangers.
Martin: We feel it is very important to talk about the problems, because it is difficult to get out of them, when you feel down.
Kristian: Making therapy more popular is very important. It would help the society a lot. And covid has made these major insights into mental health issues, because maybe everyone suffered from this. So it could be the good part of the covid, that we realise our problems, and don’t afraid of asking for help.
Do you have any special method of getting through the hard things?
Martin: I feel it is different for everyone, and sometimes that is why it is better to get the professional help. But for us, the huge part was about to make the album, because that time we could gather.
Kristian: I feel lots of musicians do it that way. Music helps to get something off their chest. And we are lucky to have it that way, it is a big advantage for us.
Last year, you were not only in Hungary, but also in several locations across Europe. How did you experience your European tours?
Josef: We get to know each other with other bands, and playing music was the best part for me.
Martin: And we met a lot of interesting people in each city, we went. We travelled all around Europe in few weeks, so it was a lot of fun. It is also the first time when we came to Switzerland, and it’s been really nice. We got few more festivals, after we have some weeks off and then we jumped into making new music. We are going to release it before summer.
So you are still working on something new?
Martin: Yes, we needed to start working on something new as soon as possible, so it doesn’t take five more years to do.
Kristian: We are planning to release two singles before the summer. Fans can expect quite a wide span of genres in our sound and songwriting. We are very happy to be working on these new songs with great music producers – Koen van der Wardt (Klangstof, Netherlands) and Steven Graham Ansell (Blood Red Shoes, UK).
When is the next time when you are going on stage?
Martin: Actually, we just came back from the biggest European showcase festival ESNS in Groningen, which was a lot of fun. We played in a nice club there, and we could meet international bands. And we are coming to Hungary again in March. We are going to play on the 21st in Budapest at Akvárium Lokál, on the 24th in Sopron at Búgócsiga Acoustic Garden, and 26th in Pécs at Szabadkikötő with boebeck and Luvver.
How did you find each other with the other bands?
Looking at the dates and venues, it’s going to be a busy tour. Six days non-stop. How can you do a full concert in every city?
