Step aside Fiorentina: Florence has a new dream team and it’s sporting the colours of rock, dribble and roll. Sex Pizzul are a champion formation boasting the strength of three musicians among the best in the field: multi-instrumentalist Francesco D’Elia, bass-player Irene Bavecchi and drummer Simone Vassallo. Skilfully crossing genres from disco to punk and “match-rock”, the Florentine band has managed to succeed where many before have failed: they have built a bridge between music and Italian calcio.
Powered by their many previous musical experiences, they will be taking the stage at Glue Alternative Concept Space on Saturday September 17 to present their debut album “Pedate” (which translated means “kicks”), released by Florentine record label Chic Paguro (Their opening act, Athens-based psychedelic-rock suit Acid Baby Jesus, is equally noteworthy). We interviewed the three on the day before the concert and it looks like this isn’t just a simple kick at the can – they will let nothing in the way of stopping their goals.
Sex Pizzul photographed by Eleonora Litta
Michelle Davis: You all come from different musical backgrounds – classical, tribal and punk are only some of the genres you have dealt with in the past. Tell us a bit about how the team came together.
Sex Pizzul: We like to think of ourselves as a sort of atypical power trio, since instead of guitars Francesco plays a grime synth, Irene tackles the bass and Simone drums and percussions. Since none of us is an actual singer, we all chime in. Our story started as an improvised game we came up with to survive the sultry Florentine Summer. At the beginning all we wanted to do was vent and spend time together…but the game and songs became more and more structured and therefore more fun!
MD: How would you explain your name to those you don’t have any kind of football knowledge?
SP: The name is a hybrid term that reunites “Bruno Pizzul”, a famous newscaster and sports commentator, with renowned UK punk-legends “Sex Pistols”. Our philosophy – or rather our excuse for making this kind of music – is based on a desire to highlight the underlying anarchist component present in the football world, an anarchy that is at the very core of our sound.
MD: The narrative of your debut album “Pedate” stems from the football world – stories, mottos, stadium choruses and anecdotes all wrapped up in 35 adrenaline-filled minutes. Can you tell us a bit more about one of the tracks?
SP: One of the true stories we recount in the album is René Higuita’s, a Colombian goalkeeper known worldwide for his larger-than-life scorpion kick. We imagined his life, from poverty-ridden childhood to his clandestine crossings and the 1990 World Cup. The album also features other famous names like Batistuta and Santiago “el Tanque” Silva alongside iconic teams like Leicester and St. Pauli.
The cover of Sex Pizzul’s debut album “Pedate” by Alberto Becherini
MD: The album’s cover is absolutely representative of your sound and vision. Who’s the author of this colourful artwork?
SP: The author’s name is Alberto Becherini – he is a young illustrator from Vada, in the province of Livorno. He has worked with many other bands, especially from the punk scene – even Rancid! We were immediately caught by the way his style manages to combine the lightness of pop art with raw punk traits – and when we say punk, we don’t mean Avril Lavigne, we mean punk in its noblest and purest form. When we approached him with the project he latched onto it right away – from the very first sketches we could tell that the result would be absolutely brilliant.
MD: So what should the audience expect from Sex Pizzul’s live show this Saturday at Glue Alternative Concept Space?
SP: A dancy, punky show – we’re going to be live and kicking!
For more info about the concert visit the venue’s website or follow the band on facebook.
