TV CULT - The Sound Of Urban Decay... (Germany - Post-Punk - Interview with Marco).

Hello! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you - your encounter with this musical universe, what appealed to you, what fascinated you and what made you want to get into music?
Hey, my name is Marco and I take over vocal duties in TV Cult. I got soaked into music at a very young age listening to my older siblings’ record and tape collections (mostly 80s rock and pop). There’s various photographs of me as a toddler of probably less than 2 yrs with headphones on and bopping along fascinated by the tunes. Over the years I quickly developed a passion for guitar music - the older I got, the louder it had to be! Starting off with lots of hard rock/metal and grunge/alternative later, my passion for skateboarding eventually got me into punk and hardcore as a teenager. Its aggression, speed and attitude just added the perfect soundtrack to what was most important to me. I had dreams of being in a band around that time but as I was a pretty shy kid it wasn’t until my early 20’s that I dared to grab a mic in my friends’ practice room myself.

Tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band?
All my previous band projects before TV Cult never really lasted long enough to make it out of the rehearsal room while every once in a while I was contributing some guest vocal parts or lyrics for friends’ “real” bands. So, it must have been some time in autumn of 2018 that I decided to give it another (probably last) shot when I accidentally bumped into a guy at a punk bar in Cologne who played bass, had keys to a shared practice space but no band to play with at the time. I asked for his number and told him that I was going to find him a band. It took me a little while to convince my then work colleague Flo (of whom I knew he was drumming in a stoner band in the past) and Martin whom I got to know at the skatepark a year or two before (I remembered him telling me once that he played some guitar) to meet up with that guy from the bar in his practice room - that’s when the initial line-up for TV Cult was born. Shortly after recording our very first demo at the end of 2019 we had to find a substitute for both our bass player and practice room though. A couple of months later Zeini joined on bass and TV Cult played their very first gig in a friend’s living room in March 2020 - just in time before a forced break of all band activities for several months that came along with a nationwide lockdown due to the pandemic. As there were no indications if/when live music was ever going to happen again, we took the chance and wrote new songs that would later appear on our debut album ‘Colony’, which was released in November 2023. Around that time we got to play a bunch of support gigs with some amazing bands like DITZ, High Vis, Militarie Gun and Home Front amongst others. By now we’ve played several tours with headline shows across Europe as well as the UK and released our second full-length record ‘Industry’ last October. So, to get back to your question: TV Cult has just organically developed into the band we never knew we “needed” to form to achieve where we are now, I guess.

Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
I often get to hear from people that listened to our music for the first time that we create a one of a kind sound they never heard before by blending in various genres or styles they wouldn’t have necessarily expected to work well together. Enough to make you curious? (Definitely ! Ed)

Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ?
I think each of us draws from their own set of unique influences that get incorporated into our music in different ways and thus eventually help build the TV Cult sound. As for me, it’s vocalists that have a recognizable tone and authentic attitude, no matter if they are yelling, talking or singing. We're always trying to maintain a rather interpretative approach to songwriting that mostly reflects the disturbing status quo of the world around us as well as personal issues sometimes. So, even if we may not always sound like what people consider a “punk” band it’s important for us to carry that attitude and address what’s on our mind as to certain political topics but without being too blatant, to leave room, space for interpretation while at the same time making clear which side we're on. Otherwise your songwriting becomes irrelevant.

About the band's discography... Imagine someone who doesn't know your band at all and wants to get interested in.. Which release would you recommend to start with, and why?
I guess, I’d always recommend to start with our latest release as that’s what/where we’re at right now. At least that’s how I tend to approach newly discovered artists myself. If I really get into a band I will start digging backwards in their discography and see how their music has developed over the course of time. It’s sometimes quite fascinating to eventually discover where a band originally came from.

About your latest release ?
Our second album, Industry, was released on 10th October 2025. Recorded by Christoph Scheidel at 79 Sound Studios in Cologne, the album was mixed at Holy Mountain Studios, London by Misha Hering (High Vis, Idles) and mastered by BradBoatright (Off!, Sleep, Stranger Things OST) at Audiosiege, Portland. The artwork for Industry features a photograph from world famous Cologne based photographer Boris Becker’s ‘Konstruktionen’ series. ‘Industry’ is exploring themes including the decline of western culture and rejecting the belief systems that are presented to us. It’s currently available on 12” vinyl in standard black (worldwide distro via 375 Media / Indigo) and a limited exclusive colour version in “Industry Grey” only available via the band directly or its label shop www.flight13.com

Future plans ?
Play more shows, record new music.

Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
Oh, that's a tough one! Playing a KEXP Live session maybe one day would be pretty sick for sure.

Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ?
So far we haven’t experienced any really bad gigs as far as I remember! Guess, we should consider ourselves quite lucky… There were actually quite a few very great ones which makes it hard to pick THE best. The last one I enjoyed a lot though was our first Italian show at Circolo Gagarin in Busto Arsizio, near Milan. It was kind of a weird homecoming experience for me as I’m half Italian.

Next live-appearance(s) ?
We’ve previously finished the second stretch of our UK/EU Tour in March and are currently working on new dates for Summer and Fall. Stay tuned!

Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name?
Cologne has a very diverse and pulsating music scene which is truly inspiring. However, we’re not too deeply connected with any of the local bands to be honest. We are however lucky to have made friends with a lot of amazing artists from all over the place whom we were allowed to share a stage with. Special shout-out to our good mates DITZ from Brighton and High Vis whom have supported us when literally no one knew us!

Last word is yours..
Join the TV CULT! 📺🙌🏻