Interview: Ninkasi, Alcestice, Minorfase | 21.3.25 | An Club

Λαγωνικό met with Ninkasi, with Alcestice and with Minorfase shortly before their upcoming appearance at An Club (Facebook, Instagram).

Ahead of your upcoming appearance, tell us a bit about your thoughts on it. Talk to us a little about how it came about?

Ninkasi: 'As usually happens, a message comes in, a phone rings, and you get an offer. When it comes from people you respect and you know you'll have a good time no matter what mishaps might crop up, then the "yes" comes a lot easier.'

Alcestice: 'In July 2024 we put out our first record and since then a few months have gone by in radio silence, but good things take time to happen. Other things also take time to happen, regardless of quality, so maybe that saying is a bit incomplete. So on March 21st we'll be playing our first record live for the first time, alongside two bands we really rate, Minorfase and Ninkasi, and we can't wait.'

Minorfase: 'We can't wait for this night in Athens! It's been about 3 years since we last came down to the capital, and this invitation from the guys came at just the right moment, right before we head off on tour to the Balkans. The connecting link, basically, is our drummer Antonis and the brotherly friendship he has with Christoforos Razis from Alcestice, as well as with Lina from Ninkasi.'

Describe for us your most special musical experience? A live show, a musical memory, something funny...

Ninkasi: 'I think the first shock is seeing, for the first time, people singing your lyrics. Seeing them pay attention to something you've created because it genuinely had something to say to them, not just because they happened to be there to tick a box as someone you know.'

Alcestice: 'Our darkest moments: for Christoforos, when Alkistis would tell him to play less correctly. For Alkistis, trying to count out "What Do You See". For Michalis, when we handed him a score to hold. For Petros, when he got the answer "D Mixolydian" to a simple question.'

Minorfase: 'There's a lot we'd love to share, of course, but we'll definitely mention our appearance at Los Almyros Fest in 2019, on an unforgettable night with huge names like Nightstalker and Graveyard, as well as the recording of our latest record ''No Place To Rest'', which have stuck in our memory full of laughter in the studio and relaxed nights with cold beer..'

Tell us your thoughts on the music scene in Greece, regarding the genre you represent.

Ninkasi: 'The Greek scene today has nothing in common with what it was in previous years. Noteworthy bands keep popping up, each in their own genre, and for the first time it seems like there's not only room for everyone, but the musicians themselves genuinely and actively support one another.'

Alcestice: 'Sometimes it feels like there are more bands than there are people in Greece, which is super because it shows the desire that exists to create. Realistically, some of us won't even be known by our own mothers because how many bands can actually become "brands" nowadays, but we're totally into what we do, and we hope to get to know some mothers and other relatives too, maybe a random passerby, and especially time travelers, because we believe it's exciting to listen to music from another era, and they also give you a really good reach with audiences when they go back to their own timeline.'

Sometimes it feels like there are more bands than there are people in Greece, which is super because it shows the desire that exists to create.

Minorfase: 'The underground scene in Greece has gone through many phases across all genres. Especially in heavy music it's been through very high points, with venues packed and music happening daily all across the country, but also the opposite extreme, with venues closing down and bands disappearing, especially after the hit from covid. It's a fortunate thing that many bands survived through time and are keeping the scene standing in 2025, where we're now seeing a trend of the scene coming back into the spotlight, with new bands appearing too.

We believe that the modernization of everything, with ready-made playlists for every mood instantly available, even with pre-fabricated AI-made songs, will quickly hit its peak and won't last long. People will soon go looking again for real music and will seek an outlet in live shows and all the magic that comes with them. We believe history repeats itself and in a few years we'll be back in 2000s-era times, when live shows were an inseparable part of our everyday life.'

Tell us a bit about your style and your influences, as well as your songwriting.

Ninkasi: 'We play a blend of grunge and punk, with quite a few 90s elements, which we originally dubbed "grunge n' roll." We're usually closer to punk rhythms, so I'll tell you that in the end it's all rock n' roll, like uncle Lemmy said. Our goal is to see the audience dancing and smiling. As for our influences, a few examples could be: Nirvana, Distillers, Iggy Pop, Ramones, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters.'

Alcestice: 'Style: fab. Influences: Βανδή, Tom Robbins, Maria Brink what a voice, the weird prog bits Christoforos had to undo to get the playing right on the record, and which shine by their absence. Last but not least, at the last rehearsal Michalis was positively influenced by some chocolates. Songwriting: whatever came down to Alkistis. Help us.'

Minorfase: 'Our influences have roots in Classic Rock and Μetal and give a foothold to the backbone of our music, which is based on the alternative scene of Grunge, Southern and Heavy Rock. From Sabbath, Dio and Purple to Chains, Soundgarden, BLS, Pantera and Metallica.'

Tell me a bit about your plans for the future. Upcoming live shows, upcoming albums...

Ninkasi: 'You'll find us in the middle of preparing new material and quite a few things we're really excited about and can't wait to share with people. We've got a few more shows lined up through the summer, and people can keep up with those through our social media.'

Alcestice: 'As much as we can manage. The two of us have gotten a bit older and started the downhill slide, so whatever we can squeeze in.'

Minorfase: 'As we said, the show at An lands right before we head off on a small tour of the Balkans. We'll start in Montenegro, then Serbia for 2 shows, and finally Romania. We're really excited and we'll be happy to share this experience as we tour around.'.

On top of that, one of our next plans is to release our latest record ''No Place To Rest'' on vinyl too, and in parallel we'll start getting ready for new material.'

To wrap up, we'd like you to tell us what those of us who show up at the festival can expect.

Ninkasi: 'Expect a big party! All the bands are coming in with a great mood, new/old tracks, merchandise, and we can't wait to see familiar and unfamiliar faces alike!'

Alcestice: 'Chaos. Three bands. Lights. Sound. People. Musical instruments. Biological organs (most not on public display, if all goes well, but in any case necessary for the venture). Beers galore (not free). Awesome merch at the stand (give us money). People. Great music. Temperatures are apparently going to drop a bit on Friday, they say, but weathermen are a strange breed, not to be trusted. (Note: this text is meant humorously, the show is open and friendly to weathermen, give us money). Anyway, it'll probably be nice and warm inside, so make sure to pile in so we can all keep each other cozy. But don't go outside sweaty afterward, that's not something to mess around with, with the weather changing now you can easily catch something. Or catch it, yolo, you only live once, we're not gonna tell you what to do, we're not your mother. Btw does your mother know us? Send her the record link so she can vibe to it. Peace.'

Minorfase: 'Get ready for a night full of energy, fresh sound and lots of headbanging!'