AsiaLIFE

Ahead of playing at the FCC for what the band describes as the “umpteenth time”, band leader Claudio Duek of Saigon-based Latin rockers Bad Neighbour talks to AsiaLIFE Guide about the band’s signature tunes and his love for punk.

A visit by Bad Neighbour to Phnom Penh is a regular highlight for the capital’s live music buffs. Long-term fans – the band has been coming here since 2007 – and more recent arrivals already feeling the scarcity of gigs, usually flock to the FCC for some Latin tunes and moves. Alas, the anticipation is not exactly shared by the nine-member band. “In truth, for us to come here is not good, because we lose a couple of days,” explains Claudio. He explains that as most band members have day jobs, travelling away from Saigon for a gig is somewhat tedious.

Not that he begrudges the FCC Group for inviting the band over to play at their iconic restaurant a few times a year.  The band has never played anywhere else in the Penh, and doesn’t intend to do so either. “We’re not exclusive artists to the FCC, but we like to play there,” he says. “We’re used to playing in bigger places, but the FCC is a nice place – I like it and it’s cool for us to play there.” He also likes the city itself, and appreciates that in music-starved Phnom Penh, the band has developed quite a fan base.

The Art of Destruction

Originally from Argentina, Claudio has spent the past six years in Saigon. Involved in music throughout his life, he played with both a Latin band and a rock band in Vietnam. Four years ago he decided to combine the two genres and start Bad Neighbour. “My neighbours proposed the name,” he says, explaining how his interest in music has throughout his life made him a bad neighbour. Some of the members for the new band came from his old Latin band, while Claudio also looked for Vietnamese musicians. “I wanted Vietnamese musicians because they live here and are more available,” he says. “They are also very talented.”

The band’s distinctive sound stems from the diversity of the members of the band. “The saxophonist is from the States so he brings some American jazz style, and the rappers are from Africa so they rap in an African style, I’m from Latin America so I put in some Latin rhythms, and the Vietnamese are more rock,” explains Claudio. In addition to being band-leader and manager, Claudio sings and plays rhythm guitar.  The band has had the same members for three years now, which has allowed them to develop their style. “Musically speaking, Bad Neighbour today is a real Latin rock band. We take traditional Latin music and we arrange, or push it, to a rock style” he says.

They do not write their own songs, because they would not be a patch on what is already available, according to Claudio. Yet Bad neighbour is no regular cover band.  “We use the pillar of the song, and then transform it,” he says.  “We try to destroy the song and put in reggae, rap, Latin, some house. The idea is to do our own version based on the original version.” Sometimes, the original is barely recognisable in the final product, which is exactly what the band is trying to achieve. “We try to do the exact opposite of cover bands who try to perform as much like the original.” 

Punkadelic

Latin-rock is however not the only thing on Claudio’s or the band’s plate. Early this year he and some of the members of Bad Neighbour organised the first ever punk festival in Saigon, named Hey Ho Let’s Go following the song by 70s punk band The Ramones. Well received, he organised a follow-up festival in April. Bad Neighbour, with a guest singer, headlined both events, though their sound was distinctly different from the Latin rock Phnom Penh-based fans have come to know.

“I love punk,” says Claudio, citing The Ramones as one of his favourite bands all-time. He hopes to organise the next festival in October, to which he would like to invite Phnom Penh’s very own punk rockers, the Stiff Little Punks. Despite dabbling in punk, Latin-rock with the original Bad Neighbour remains his main musical pursuit. The parallel band is according to Claudio “just for fun.”