Doomed Confessionary: Alex Muller (We Kill Cowboys)
Photos by Jean Paul Veaudry
We Kill Cowboys is a stoner/psych/grunge band from Cape Town, South Africa, the brainchild of tattoo artist and singer-songwriter Alex Muller.
The band draws on their varied influences, spanning metal, punk, rock ‘n roll, country, folk, and blues. Lyrically, Alex delivers a raw, uncompromising, and anti-establishment polemic, drawing directly from her lived experiences in the music scene and the world at large.
We Kill Cowboys is raw energy. We Kill Cowboys is having a good time. We Kill Cowboys is about flipping the bird to conformity while sipping on some ice-cold lemonade…
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are a 4 piece rock n roll band from Cape Town, South Africa. We’re just shy of our 2 year bandiversary and it’s been a fucking incredible journey thus far. We also like to talk a lot of shit and make bad jokes.
What was the biggest challenge for the band last year?
Losing our bassist to an incredible opportunity overseas , was a shock but we were super supportive. I think the stress of wondering how we would find someone to fill his shoes, right before we had a run of shows booked, was definitely a challenge. Then the universe hooked us up with our current bassist, the legend, Danie Otto and we are styling! Awesome human and next level bass player. Challenge, accepted.
What can you be most proud of last year?
We’ve been really stoked to be able to share many stages with some our countries musical veterans. Bands we’ve grown up to that have impacted us and many other musicians and fans.. it’s been really great to be asked to open up for these dudes and support them numerous times. To see our fan base growing has also been incredible .
What was your biggest regret?
No regrets. Everything happens exactly as it needs to. If something doesn’t work out, it’s a learning experience. We’re all experienced musicians who have been performing in other projects for years, so we’ve definitely learnt the hard lessons in our younger years and we’re just super stoked and grateful to do what we do!
What was the best concert/tour last year and why?
There have been a good few, haha. Opening up for Springbok Nude Girls a few times has been sick. Honestly, it’s hard to think of one… most of our shows have been incredible.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
I can’t say there have been any surprises with regards to the music scene.. purely because we’ve been in it for so many years..
There are definitely big changes with the way the world works with social media and all those things. Coming from a punk rock background before all of that.. maybe it’s been surprising how now it’s all about the image, the content more than the music, half the time. We work with it. I feel like we were surprised to see how quickly we gained fans and so much support and love for our music. What can take bands 5 years, has taken us 1.5. That’s been fucking cool.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We’ll be ripping up some stages locally, in our home town and of course touring locally. There are some incredible festivals that we’ll be performing at that we can just mention yet 🙂
We’re busy working on some European dates… it will be our first overseas tour.. so keep a look out!!!
Keep following us for all the show dates 🙂
What are your plans for this year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
This year is all about releasing a lot of music, writing and definitely touring. We want to push things to the next level, so as I mentioned, heading to the UK and Europe. For me personally, that’s a big deal. Playing our music internationally is something I’ve dreamt of my whole life. Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t fuck around when I’ve got a vision.. I’m like a dog with a bone.
What are your New Year’s Eve activities like?
We’ve been playing a festival.. what else would we be doing, lol ?!
How can people best support your band?
COME TO LIVE SHOWS!! That’s the best way to support any band. That’s where the magic happens.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well