
04/09/2025
Q&A Thursday! Today with Bart van Lier, who plays guitar at The Agitators and takes up and produce bands in his high lake hill studio. Many thanks to Bart and have fun reading!
1. Since when are you infected by „the Oi!-Virus“?
Early/mid nineties. Drinking and Driving by The Business did it for me.
2. What‘s your favorite Record?
Difficult to name one favorite…
In Search of the Crack by The Crack is high on the list of favorite records next to Shock Troops by C**k SParrer!
3. Name your 5 Top-Bands in Oi!
C**kney Rejects
C**k SParrer
The Chisel
Mess
Last Resort
4. Most liked Band of of the Scene?
Beerzone/Control. Always good times when they’re on and off stage. Iain is an absolute legend, he managed to get The Agitators to play Holidays In The Sun festival in 2003 and the rest is history! He became a good mate.
5. How do you see the development in the Scene about young bloods joining the Scene etc.?
I’ve seen a lot of new bands joining the scene this last decade. Bands like Crown Court, The Chisel, The Reapers, Mess and Fatal Blow to new but a few. Not all young bloods but they bring something fresh and top quality releases to the scene which hopefully will bring a younger crowd to the gigs, which we really need.
6. What‘s your Nickname and where does it came from?
My nickname is “Pistenflitzer”. It’s a coffee with liquor in it which I used to drink a lot on winter holidays.
7. Where are you from? in which City do you live currently?
I grew up in Schoten (Belgium) and living in Brecht (B) at the moment. Really quiet area, perfect location for my recording studio but close enough to the city of Antwerp!
8. What‘s your favorite Club?
Back in the day it used to be Lintfabriek in Kontich (B) but that venue sadly closed down many years ago. From my experiences with The Agitators I must say Monkeys Club in Hamburg!
9. What‘s you favorite Festival?
Rebellion festival by far! We had to honor to perform there 11 times, from Holidays in the Sun through Wasted into Rebellion. Always good atmosphere and brilliant line-ups. Made lots of good friends over there.
10. What was your best Concert? When and where was that happening?
C**k SParrer at Holidays in the Sun in Basque Country, year 2000. Drove to the festival with some mates in a rented van which was a whole adventure in itself. Organization wasn’t 5-star but it all contributed to a legendary weekender.
11. What was your first „self owned“ Record? (Vinyl or CD)
First 7” I bought in a store was Love Like Blood from Killing Joke. I was 14 years old at that time.
12. What‘s going wrong in the nowadays and how could it be done in a better way in your opinion?
That whole “influencer” hype is the plague of modern times. The sheep that follow every move they make are even worse. The cure is simple, make up your own mind and do whatever YOU wanna do.
Oooh and techno DJ’s, never touching a button and showing of dance moves while their USB stick does the rest. The cure is simple, support live bands!
13. What do love most in the Subculture?
The friendships, the unity (which is beter these days than it used to be), the rough/aggro edge but not over the top. I’ve always felt a lot of support among bands in the Oi! and (true) punk scene, which isn’t always the case in other genres.
At the end we‘ve got some Questiones to decide.. only 1 is counting of course..
Punk or Oi!?
Oi!
Reggae or Northern Soul?
Ska ;-)
Dr.Martens or Solivair?
Dr. Martens
Fred Perry or Ben Sherman?
Fred Perry
Levi‘s or Wrangler?
Levi’s
Samba ot New Balance?
Samba
Band Tee or Polo Shirt?
Polo shirt
Festival or Club Show?
Club show
Shaved Head or Cropped Head?
Cropped head