Interview with CIERŃ (September 2024)

A band that creates music to confront and fight ideologies that dominate and oppress human rights, ideologies that dominate and oppress animal rights, and the conservation of our planet.

It is 2019 and in Berlin four young driven musicians start making Anarcho Punk. Anarcho Punk with a razor sharp edge. Hence CIERŃ, which is Polish for thorn.

Outside, darkness is slowly taking its place. In the background the speakers echo “Bloody Rites”, third song of the Emperor Rx album. And my company this evening: Devi, Justin, Edu & Juan.

Q: Hello awesome gang, good evening to you all. Let me first give each and every one of you, on behalf of Peek-A-Boo, a big thank you for doing this interview! So, CIERŃ, who came up with the band name? Is there a special story behind it?

Devi: When Edu and I first met in October 2019, we were working with another guitarist. He is Polish, so he suggested CIERŃ as our band name (actually in truth, he told us what it would be *laughing*). When we asked what it meant, and he said it’s “thorn” in English, we agreed it was a suitable name in terms of the direction the band would head in, both politically and musically stabby.

Q: And the first result of meeting each other in 2019 are the four songs released in 2020 on the The Box EP? Which was the very, very first song—the one that it all started with?

Devi: Yes. And the first song we wrote was “Let Go”. The lyrics are inspired by my love of the Pacific Ocean.

Q: Edu, you are the drummer. Tell us a little bit about yourself. How long have you been drumming? Which drummers do you look up to?

Edu: I was born and raised in Colombia, where I grew up heavily influenced by Metal, Punk, and Hardcore from a young age. However, more recently, especially with the nostalgia of being away from home, I’ve come to appreciate my roots much more. Genres like Cumbia, Salsa, and even Colombian Hip-Hop have taken a more prominent place in my life, though everything is still shaped by my Punk and Post Punk ethos. 

I’ve been drumming since I was 15, always drawn to different genres from Hip Hop to Metal, but yeah, Punk has consistently been a core part of my musical, aesthetic, and political identity. While I used to admire technical drummers like Mike Portnoy when I was younger, these days my inspiration comes more from the overall sound, simplicity, and how music defies its context.

Devi: One of the things I love most about working with Edu as a drummer is his broad taste in music and how this, combined with his amazing skills, is what gives heart and uniqueness to the primal sound of CIERŃ.

Q: Ok guys, imagine… It’s somewhere in the near future and a biographical movie is made about the life of CIERŃ. Which actor or actress would you find perfect to portray you?

Devi: Gillian Anderson … because she’s good in every role … and she’s a red head.

Justin: If Devi is Gillian Anderson then I want to be David Duchovny because I want to believe…

Juan: I’d say Carlos Ballarta. A Mexican actor/comedian who I think is the funniest person. He’s a leftist proud of his origins, so I can relate to that for sure. Also because I’m from middle of the world Mexico, aka Ecuador.

Justin: I have been informed that Owen Wilson will be playing me in the CIERŃ movie. The rest of the band can verify that I say “Wow” all the time.

Devi: *laughing* And “nice” or “cool”!...