On Sunday morning, before Lollapalooza had gained its legs and started running full steam towards complete insanity, a booming rock ‘n’ roll showcase could be heard in the distance. After a mid-morning journey across the festival grounds, side-stepping festivalgoers who had somehow managed to drink themselves beyond recognition within the matter of an hour, we discovered that Alberta Cross was braving the morning humidity to their bring their brand of swaggering six-string chops to the stage. From our position, only the sweet sounds of distorted indulgence could be heard. Upon closer inspection, Alberta Cross unveiled to us the inner workings of their delightfully retro-heavy set and their perceptions on the bliss of the American festival lifestyle.
“I see it as a little break from reality, a little slice of freedom,” explains bass player Terry Wolfers, whose accent is quick to remind of the musician’s upbringing in London’s East End. “You’ve got the music and that’s all great, but even if you didn’t want to see too much music, the whole vibe of everyone is just absolutely amazing. People are out to have fun no matter what” — perhaps rain? — “and that is a beautiful thing.”
Of course, our minds began jogging to the obvious conclusion — the behind-the-scenes lifestyles for these New York via Europe boys must include a lot of drugs and groupies. From the grinding rock ‘n’ roll spilling from their amps to the stylish duds each member was sporting on stage and backstage, it made quite a bit of sense. While guitarist Sam Kearney was quick to drop his girlfriend’s name and vocalist Petter Ericson Stakee simply remained mum on the subject, Wolfers let us in on the juicy details … sort of.
“We did a show in New York recently, and this guy flew all the way from South America to see us,” says Wolfers. “That was amazing — we couldn’t believe it! When it comes to groupies, there has been some crazy shit … speedboats, tour buses (laughs). I take it back — we’re not quite at the groupie point.” As a flock of girls roll by scoping out the band, they’ve could’ve fooled us…
Words by Ryan Patrick Hooper, photos by Dustin Downing
