Gaming rock – yes, it’s a thing. And at the center of Lithuania’s self-proclaimed No. 1 gaming rock band is Nikita Voitov, frontman and driving force behind DadCap. Blending nostalgia, internet culture, emotional honesty, and heavy riffs, the band has built a loyal community that feels just as much like a movement as it does a music project. From retro gaming aesthetics to live shows where fans can play old-school games during performances, DadCap has created a world entirely their own.
Julia Vargalytė met up with the band to see that world in action and sat down with Nikita to talk about leadership, creativity, pressure, gaming culture, and what keeps DadCap moving forward.
In your magazine you mentioned that you’re the oldest, so everyone has to listen to you. When did you realize you’re not just part of DadCap, but the one steering it?
Making the decision to call a bunch of strangers – at the time – into a dimly lit, stinky basement and convince them to schedule their time around band practice and work on something intangible, something only we understood, demands a certain kind of loneliness. Writing this now, I realize it also comes with a lot of responsibility.
What’s the hardest decision you’ve had to make as a leader so far?
After our ex-vocalist left the band, I decided to step up as the singer despite having zero vocal training experience. Learning new things is scary.
Do you lead more with instinct or strategy?
I do my best to consider everyone’s opinion before making a decision. There are exceptions, but generally it’s a team effort – a mix of instinct and strategy.
Have you ever doubted your role in the group?
Yes. But with my bandmates’ support, I still look forward to going on stage and continuing to improve as a vocalist.
What do you think your bandmates would say is your biggest strength – and your most annoying trait?
Overthinking control freak. xd
I found information in your magazine saying your strength level is 9001. How do you measure it? What trait best represents your strength?
I’m secretly a distant descendant of the Saiyan race. My grandpa told me they used something called a “Scouter” to measure power levels and estimate how much resistance they should expect from different life forms across the galaxy. My strength is finding the will to keep going.
Is it hard being in two bands at the same time? How has being in ba. impacted DadCap?
Music is cyclical. In ba. I’m mostly involved as a performing artist. Right now, the band’s creative direction and workflow are already established, so I have more time to focus on my own platform for self-expression. It took a few years to find the rhythm and know when to shift priorities. DadCap is still seen as my side project. Being in ba. definitely helped bring more attention to DadCap, but most of DadCap’s growth has been organic, and I’m rarely seen as a major factor. People are often surprised to find out I’m in another band at all.
What comes first for you: emotion, concept, or sound?
It’s a mix of emotion and sound. Concept comes last
Is there a song that feels too personal to perform live?
“Turn The Lights” from our early days as a band. It’s dedicated to a friend of ours who passed away.
What kind of music do you secretly love that no one would expect?
I actually listen to a lot of metal. Not that surprising, but maybe something people don’t always notice.
What’s one idea you had that didn’t work, but you still think was genius?
I wanted to create a music show where the artist performs and cooks at the same time. Now some Vietnamese guys on YouTube are getting millions of views with basically the same concept. Great minds think alike.
Why is the band called DadCap?
In honor of PewDiePie and his famous micro-series “Meme clap Review.”
We can see that this is the No. 1 gaming rock group in Lithuania. How did this concept even come to your mind?
We’ve got to give credit to one of our fans. A guy once asked what genre we represented and described us as “gaming rock.” It was genius. Linkėjimai, Ąžuolai! This happened during the listening party for our second EP, “ddcp2,” during the Q&A segment.
Do you game a lot together in your free time?
Yeah, the boys play a lot of League of Legends together.
Do you think old games like Counter-Strike 1.6 or Need for Speed: Underground 2 had a big impact on your group – the aesthetic, graphic design, and nostalgic feeling behind it?
This could be a deep dive on its own, but generally speaking, trends are cyclical – graphic design included. The aesthetic we represent is easy to recreate now because it’s so well documented, but it also shaped us while we were growing up, so it comes naturally. Our guitarist Dovydas is a great art director and designer, so he comes up with a lot of strong concepts. We also get help from Urboo in that department.
You brought computers to your concert so the audience could play old games while listening to you perform live. Where did that idea come from?
It started as a running gag throughout the years. I had this small analog TV and a PlayStation 2 that we’d put next to the merch stand just to grab attention. Eventually we wanted to scale up the idea because it matched the vision for our album. That’s when we found a retro enthusiast called Silicio Palėpė, who helped us make it happen. He takes great care of these old computers, especially now that this technology is slowly disappearing.
Are you building a brand, a movement, or just expressing yourselves?
Probably a mixture of all three. We have a very committed community, our merch feels very brand-oriented, and everything we do is an extension of who we are.
Do you ever feel pressure to fit into a certain “scene”?
It’s never easy to be different, so yes – there’s definitely some pressure.
What makes DadCap different, not just good?
The honesty in how we present ourselves. There’s almost no difference between how we interact with fans on stage and how we are in everyday life.
What does a fun bonding day for the band look like? Do you have any traditions or activities you love doing together?
We draw fan art of each other naked. It’s not a tradition – just something to take the edge off.
What’s the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for music?
I briefly turned away from my family and also had to quit my job. Both were mistakes I wouldn’t make again.
Do you care more about recognition or respect?
Respect.
Have you ever released something you weren’t 100% proud of?
Surprisingly – no.
So are you really selling your dad’s caps? What inspired you to make that kind of merch?
It’s coded into our name. It would’ve been a huge missed opportunity not to do it .
I saw comics on the merch table that fans could buy, and I heard they tell real stories, not just fictional ones. Can you tell us how the band formed, and whether you’d change anything in the future?
Not entirely true. The manga comic isn’t our origin story – it’s more of a collection of real-life situations that every band experiences.
What kind of audience do you not want?
Hateful, politically apathetic, narrow-minded people. So far, though, I think we’ve attracted great listeners :)
If everything stopped tomorrow, what would you regret not doing?
Not going abroad on a trip with my parents – and not doing the same with the band.
Where do you see DadCap in three years – realistically, not ideally?
It would be cool to play a show for 1,000 people.
Interview and photography by Julia VargalytėIntro and edit by Paula-Stina Tasane