2, 3, Spoiler!
Belgium’s crowd favorite number two Justice just got back last week from their two month bi-continental tour and already again there’s important news. Their bass player (and equally important to a band like Justice: their artwork dude) Kevin Alen, a.k.a. Push The Limit a.k.a. Spoiler, is playing his final show with Stief, Billy, Tilburg and Flip as he is moving to Canada, following his wife Friday who went back there just before the summer. As everyone will be missing this dude, his artwork, his zine, his stage presence, his humor and his eating habits I figured I’d give the Spoiler one last chance to speak out a little about Justice, but also about himself, his trek out of Belgium and the summer of ’05. All Hail The Spoiler!

You are just home again a couple of days from the Justice Annual Western World Summer Tour, are you used to a real bed already again?

Actually I don’t have my apartment anymore, so I’m sleeping on a mattress on the floor at my mom’s house. The first few days after tour were unreal. So much happened in two months and there was never any time to sit around and think about it, so once tour was over it all hit me. It was weird being alone, with no time schedule or anything.

The second summer in the existence of Justice, the second summer of an extensive US and EU tour. How was it this time around?

This tour was obviously a lot longer first of all, especially in the US (last year was nine US shows, this one was twenty-nine US shows). We got to go all around, see all of the “scenes” and places. Also last year we were there pretty much on a demo, not knowing what the fuck we were doing, with our van breaking down constantly, etc. This time around we had our shit together a little and we actually made some money this time too.

How would you compare Y2K5 Summer Tour to last year’s summer tour? Did the hardcore scene go through some noticeable changes in some places since the summer of ‘04?

In the US I noticed that a lot of the “cool” crowd was gone and in most places the crowd was made up of young kids. It reminded me of the UK actually. US dudes get jaded at like what? Twenty? Fuck that. On a positive note we were treated really well at all places, people were friendly, almost all the shows we played were awesome. In the EU I noticed a lot of the not-so-hip places we played last year or in the winter with Righteous Jams, like Poland, East Germany, etc. had all improved a shit load since last time. Give those dudes a year or two and their scene will explode.

What were some of the highlights and lowlights of the tour?

Highlights: All the great shows and the cool places we saw. All the beaches we went swimming at in Florida, San Diego and Spain. Hiking, the lake in Seattle, so much shit… Hanging with Mental, meeting a bunch of cool people everywhere.
Lowlights: members of Mental breaking their edge, people arguing (even though this is no big deal for a two month tour), the fact that touring the US costs so much more...but honestly there weren’t many lowlights.

What are some of the better bands you’ve seen on the road?

Underdog!!! There were also the obvious great like Iron Boots, 86 Mentality, LOJ…but I’d like to mention some cool new bands: Iron Age (the demo is ok, but live they kill), Like It Or Not, Scab Picker 69 and I’m forgetting some.

What were the best 5 shows of the tour? Which shows do you want to erase from your memory as soon as possible?

Off the top of my head: ‘t Lintfabriek in Belgium (thank you all for not being over us), Chicago, Boston (we only got to play five songs, but it was intense), Posi Numbers (seeing AJ in the corner of my eye in his orange shorts getting ready for a dive did it for me) and Nottingham. The only one I’d like to erase from my memory is obviously our Ieper Fest set. You’d think after sixty shows in a row Billy would know how to play our songs.

Did you write a tour report for your next issue of Push The Limit zine?

Yeah, I kept a journal the entire two months and this will be published in its original uncensored form. It’s obviously pretty long so it may be in Push The Limit or become a zine of its own (Justice: The Book) to accompany Justice: The Movie.

Speaking about your zine? What’s up with that, when will there be a next issue? How did people react on your last issue? What are some of the most remarkable things people said about it?

As usual I am taking forever, but this time I have the excuse of touring all summer and moving across the globe. I am working on it though. It will have only live interviews with Cold World, Iron Boots, Violent Minds, State Of Mind, and more. Last issue was received really well. The main things I remember is how many people loved the piece on the Icemen (this was inspired by my man Tombeur by the way) and how many people got into the Icemen because of it. Also the prudish kids who said that boobs have no place in hardcore zines. Why the fuck not?! Seriously!

Saturday September 10th you are playing your final show with Justice as you are moving across the ocean. How are you feeling about playing your last show? Will you miss the band? Will you miss Belgium? What will you miss the most about Belgium/Europe? And what are some of the things you won’t miss at all? Will we ever see you back again on this side of the Atlantic?

Not one day goes by that I don’t feel shitty about it. I don’t even know how I feel about it, I try to kid myself into positive sides to it, but there aren’t any. It’s going to be fucking weird going on that stage for the last time. I guess I’ll try not to be too dramatic about it. I am going to miss everyone in the band dearly and I’m going to miss doing the band: practicing, doing artwork, road trips, touring… Justice was one of the biggest things in my life and played a big role in who I am today. Wait, I said I wouldn’t be dramatic. Belgium has the best scene in the entire world and I am going to miss its shows and all the great friends in it. I’m particularly bummed on not getting to see how the scene evolves, Dead Stop’s and Justice’s last shows, new bands… I will definitely be visiting Belgium, maybe I can pull off some roadie duty or something. I also made a deal with my wife that if we decide in a year or two that Belgium was cooler to live in than Montreal, we’re coming back!

Thanks and good luck!

For those of you who want to see Spoiler in action with Justice one last time, come out to JH HobNob in Brasschaat/Belgium this Saturday, also on the bill are True Colors, Turn The Screw, Restless Youth, Reproach and Dead Stop. Show starts at seven!