Rock Monsters Romania

It’s a new year, and this means you will meet new bands from various music genres and different parts of Romania.

We are starting off with a not-so-unknown alternative rock band from Bucharest, especially if you attended The 1975 concert last summer. Yes, you guessed it – today’s interview is with Dimitri’s Bats.

As I was mentioning earlier, many people discovered them at The 1975 concert, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. I discovered the band during the pandemic, and I was amazed by the clean Summer Well-ish sound they had.

Dimitri’s Bats has truly taken off in the last couple of years. Firstly with the release of “Get Your Fix” in August 2022, and a pajama concert (yes, you read that right!) in September 2022 that went viral on social media.

And if 2022 seemed good, 2023 was even better. They played at the Mastering the Music Business conference in September, where I had the opportunity to see them live for the first time. More importantly, they released their EP “Monobloc” and had concerts both in and outside Romania, at showcase festivals in Estonia, Poland, and Hungary.

We spoke with Ana, the bassist of the band, to find out more about them, their success, and also their amazing social media interactions.

Let’s begin with some fundamental questions: How did the idea for the band originate, and what’s the story behind the band’s name?

The band’s name has a haunting story behind it. One day, during a family lunch, Radu’s great-great grandfather was talking about his windmill and how it was infested with bats. The family was mocking and making fun of the matter. After a couple of glasses, Dimitri slammed his fist on the table and declared, ‘I’m going to take care of those damn bats’. He stood up and went to the windmill. The family waited and waited for him to return, but he never did. Dimitri vanished without a trace, and nobody heard from him ever since. It is said that Dimitri is still with his bats.

How did you all meet?

Prior to Dimitri’s Bats, Radu (vocals) and Andrei (guitar), who have first met in highschool ,had their first band together named Sophisticated Lemons. Few years later, they met Bop (guitar) and started the band Dimitri’s Bats. Through mutual friends, actively performing in the music business, they met me (Ana) and at the beginning of 2023, I joined the band as the bassist.

If you had to sum up this band in one word, which word would it be and why?

Dynamic – there is a certain randomness that goes on within our band. Sometimes perspectives differ massively. Naturally, this would represent somewhat of an issue. It’s like any kind of relationship, after all. But in our ‘normality’, it’s actually a virtuous strength. We have a common goal: to serve the music and our audience whilst creating and enjoying our art. We always gravitate towards these things.

You have a special style. What are your sources of inspiration? Why so funky?

I think it’s just honest music. It can get quite influential if you start overthinking whether your audience would really like it or not. The difference is how you make people like it. For me, I always say that ‘groove is the way’ – if we can make you move, then an essential goal is achieved. Obviously, other things have to do with personal taste. Sources of inspiration – firstly, each band member and their own choice of musical ideas, secondly – personally it would be a lot of fusion jazz (Alpha Mist, Jordan Rakei), disco funk – (Jamiroquai), Jaco Pastorius, lots of electro pop – etc.

You had a great year with many concerts in Romania, Poland, Estonia, and Hungary. Which one was your favorite and why?

We are all very grateful for each and every opportunity to play nationally and internationally. I do have a special place in my heart for every international gig we play. Just the thought of our music reaching souls beyond national borders makes me very happy. Also, opening for The1975 gig was absolutely mindblowing.

Of course, you also opened the show for The 1975, a huge milestone for the band, I think. What is the story behind this and how did it feel?

“WHAT IN THE ACTUAL CHICKEN NUGGET DID JUST HAPPEN?” – that basically sums up my personal reaction. Our manager, Dorina, did a great job pitching us for the opening spot, so she had a big part in this (thanks, Dorina <3).

You also had some releases besides the concerts, including the EP “Monobloc”. Was there one special moment (or more) in these that you’d like to share?

I will never forget the actual EP release gig in Bucharest, at Control Club, after our mini national tour. I was so ill, lost my voice, couldn’t really hear or see. That cup of Coldrex I was ‘enjoying’ on stage was a top notch drink. Nonetheless it really was a gig.

Everyone knows about your marketing campaign, especially the TikToks and Reels. Who’s the mastermind behind this, and how do you come up with these videos? Do you believe that these helped you in reaching more and more fans?

Radu is the one who started this trend and he’s the one mostly in charge of social media stuff, he really comes up with some cool ideas. Naturally, he’s a ‘think outside of the box” guy. Lately, all of us have been getting more into it. Andrei did some pretty funny content scenarios and sketches. I read somewhere that, to be a successful musician, you also need to work on your acting skills. I think we all just have a lot of fun and we enjoy doing these promotion vids. This definitely has seen an increase in our reach. It’s essential to us to engage with our audience.

Also, can you describe what a fan of Dimitri’s Bats looks like, maybe paint a portrait?

Hmm…well I’d say… a very beautiful human being that supports and identifies with our art – they might be wearing a Dimitri’s Bats piece of merch. 😀

The first concept that blew up on social media was the concert in pajamas a while ago, which you recreated a bit at MMB 2023. Who had this idea, and how did it end up? Also, for those who were at the concert and want more of these, are there any plans?

This is a funny one for me cause I was actually invited by Bop to see their live show. It was the first time I was seeing them live. Shame on me. I didn’t even wear my pajamas (I forgot :D). About future plans regarding crazy outfits – you might wanna keep an eye out for that hehehe.

You also start the spring with a concert in Bucharest on the 7th of March at Control. What should we expect?

Not to brag or anything, but we’ve been working on our live show, soooo expect some…things…that you wouldn’t normally expect…??? And a classy look. Maybe a new…something. Come to our gig, see and hear it for yourself!!

What other plans (and dream goals) do you have for this year?

Our focus is to expand our audience, promote our music to the farthest borders and broaden our live show experiences with international concerts.

Do you have any message for your fans? And for the people who are going to read this interview?

Your support really does make not just ‘a’ but ‘THE’ difference, considering we are an independent band. Thank you for your patience and for showing us so much love, we are very grateful! Stay tuned, we are on it. 😉

Have they convinced you to be their fan after this charismatic interview? If the answer is yes, you can buy tickets for their show starting from March 7th on iaBilet. And if the answer is no, maybe you should read the interview again.

Jokes aside, I think Dimitri’s Bats are on their way to becoming Romania’s next huge sensation, and they could achieve that even this year.

Interview by Radu Mihai