| JANUARY 2008 | ISSUE 14 | ISSN 1754-3746 | |
SPERMBIRDS BORN OUT OF BOREDOM AGNOSTIC DOWNL
UK SUBS CHARLIE’S FAVs
FRONT IG ES + NITE
OAD WO
TH E E T G IN L L U P + ’S E THE LOVED ON THE IRANIAN PUNK OUTCASTS introducing: FONT
PLUS! MISPELT, PUNKS GO ONLINE, REVIEWS...
EDITOR/Co PUBLISHER_ Cerven Cotter
editor@distortedmagazine.com
ADVERTISING/Co PUBLISHER_ Nikola Cotter nikola@distortedmagazine.com ART/WEB/LAYOUT_ www.pixeldeath.com
SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR_ Steve ‘I’m touring the world’ Noble steve@distortedmagazine.com CONTRIBUTORS_ Lola, John Robb, GrillyX, Tim Drunk, Willa, Fungal Punk/OMD, Eggle, mr Funnel. Contact information_ Distorted Magazine 9 Bridle Close, Surbiton Road, Kingston Upon Thames Surrey, KT1 2JW, UK info@distortedmagazine.com www.distortedmagazine.com Distorted Magazine is published by Distorted Ltd. ISSN 1754-3746 All content is copyright protected © 2006 - 2008. Distorted is a trademark of Distorted Ltd.
Views expressed in the magazine’s content belong to the contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers. The contents are believed to be correct at the time of publishing. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors, ommissions or for changes in the details given, © 2006 - 2008 Distorted Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in a whole or in part of this magazine is strictly forbidden without prior written consent of the publishers.
RESOLUTIONS? CAN WE STICK TO THEM
I can already hear everybody going “Fuck it, I
always make that resolution but I never seem to stick to it...”. I can say I’m much the same, except I’ve given up on making specific resolutions at the end of a year. I have always set up goals in my life and with the start of each new year I look back and see how much closer I am to making them happen. So looking back at 2007, I can honestly say I’m a little closer than I was at the end of 2006 - and that brings a smile to my face. Without fail, I’m pleased to bring you yet another new issue of Distorted. Now with all the celebrations that happen at the end of the year, we made sure we got the new issue to you as soon as we could, and I think the 3rd of January is pretty good - hangovers from New Years eve can have a habit of sticking around for much of January... Perhaps this issue isn’t as thick as we’d like it to be - we all need a holiday at some stage, although travelling the world for 2 months might be pushing it...ha ha - but we have ensured it is packed with the best content possible. So while you nurse your New Years hangover and contemplate the year ahead, give the January issue a read, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Got something to say? Heard a crazy rumour about your favourite band? Have an idea for something we should add? What you waiting for? Get in touch with us today! See ya in February and get ready for some exciting cnew hanges happening right here at Distorted. ~ Cerven Cotter Editor ...for more ramblings and other items of some interest: www.pixeldeath.com | JANUARY 2008 | page 03 |
Features AGNOSTIC FRONT + IGNITE... 16
THE LOVED ONES... 24
SPERMBIRDS... 26
REGULARS
PULLING TEETH ...46
Editor No tes...... 03 Headlines ...... 04 DISTORT ED GIRL S!...... 11 Label Spo tlight.......1 2
SupportSlo t...... 14 Under the Radar....... 3 Reviews.... 2 .. 36 Favourite s...... 50
| JANUARY 2008 | page 03 |
This page: © Tim Drunk. ON THE COVER: Roger of the SpermBirds © Marc Gaertner.
H EADL INES News and other things you need to know
The Latest... RUTS/ROLLINS DOWNLOAD The Ruts and Henry Rollins live version of ‘Babylon’s Burning’ is available now as a download single at: http://www. indiestore.com/TheRuts It is officially released on 14th January but all pre sales made before then will count towards it release week chart count. TIME AGAIN RELEASE NEW SONG! With a charging sound of non-stop guitar riffs and a chant worthy melody Los Angeles punk band Time Again has released their first single “Days Like This” off of their second studio album, Darker Days, out February 19. SHAM69 TO PERFORM THAT’S LIFE Sham 69 will be performing the entire That’s Life album in a special production. The show that will take place on Saturday 18 October 2008 at the Astoria 2 will feature special characters as well as other special guests. Tickets for this show will be on sale from Astoria 2 and also other ticket outlets, including Sham 69. THE WARRIORS IN NEED OF DRUMMER UK, Kent based, The Warriors are in dire need of a new drummer. Contact them if you’re interested. warriors_uk@hotmail.co.uk
| page 06 | JANUARY 2008 |
HORRORPOPS RELEASE FIRST TRACK OFF KISS KISS KILL KILL Horrorpops released the first single, “Heading For The Disco,” off their highly anticipated third album, Kiss Kiss Kill Kill, which will hit stores February 5th. NEGATIVES CALL IT A DAY Bradford’s best punk band The Negatives (Love Is Not Real etc) have decided to call it a day as they are fed up with promoters freezing them out. It is a real shame as next year next year would be their 30th anniversary year. NEW GUITARIST FOR PFS Picture Frame Seduction has recruited a new guitarist. True Sounds of the Revolution guitarist Ashley Shannon has joined the band on a permanent basis and will make his debut at the
Dudley Arms Punk Festival in North Wales on January 19th. NEW MONTHLY PUNK NIGHTS IN KINGSTON, LONDON, UK. Don’t Do Dance Promotions will be putting on some regular punk gigs at The Fighting Cocks pub in Old London Road, Kingston (SW London). The venue is only a 5 minute walk from Kingston train/bus station with easy access into London and surrounding areas. Doors will be 8pm and most of the gigs will be £5 entry. http://www.myspace.com/ dontdodance Got some interesting news? Send it to: nikola@distortedmagazine. com
|| JANUARY JANUARY2008 2008 || page page 07 05 ||
H EADL INES News and other things you need to know
10 MINUTES WITH:
Steve Belmonte
(punkrockers.com admin) How long has punkrockers.com been around for now? I bought the domain name back in March of 2000. What made you start this community site? When I first joined myspace back in early 2005 I knew I needed to do the same thing and build a community for bands, fans and alt models. I actually met with several programmers in late 2005. I finally began to get the new version of the site underway in early 2006. Months and months went by and the company I chose to build the site tried to screw me over and then it became a year and a half battle with those guys. I finally dumped them in July of 2007 and found a new programming team to finish the site. I launched it in mid October 2007. I should have launched the site back in May of 2006! It was a pain in the ass. At least it is out now. How has the site progressed since you started? The site has gone from a fan site that offered info on bands, video, mp3’s and a forum to a full scale community. The first thought was bands, punk companies and fans connecting. Then we added the Alt and Pinup Models section. To me, Pinup and Punk tattooed models are a big part of the Punk and Psychobilly culture these days. It all ties in well now. | page 08 | JANUARY 2008 |
Why should someone sign up? If you are a fan of Punk, Psychobilly, Ska or Hardcore music then it is a must. If you are an Alt or Pinup Model it is a great place to build a fan base. We have a lot of very attractive girls on the site. It amazes me at times. I watch myspace and other communities very closely. I made sure that it is much easier on PunkRockers.com to create an event and send an invite with just one click! So, for bands Punkrockers.com is great to promote their music, shows and build a fan base! Also, since we have thousands of members worldwide, companies such as record labels, clothing, magazines, fanzines, photographers, venues, managers, promoters etc can all join as a vendor. It is a great place for them to build a client base, meet bands and make money! Anybody you wish to thank? I would like to thank my beautiful partner Olga Belmonte aka VIXXEN, John Kirker, Chris Turner, Vice Squad, Abrasive Wheels, Tiger Army, John Denney and The Weirdos, X, Mystery Hangup, The Johns, CH3, Mike Virus and his new band Evacuate, The Last Gang, One Way System, Goldblade, Johnny’s Saloon in HB, Teagan Marie, Alana Lalure, Chuck Holland aka Horse Cock Charlie and Ivy D’Muereta.
Photo: Roy Varga
Distorted
Girls! Name: Alana LaLure Age: I just turned the big 2-4 on October last year Height: 5’10” pre-heels...and with’em... oh, forget about it! Hometown: A little town called Paso Robles. It’s a beautiful place on the cental coast of California. Occupation: Counselor/Case manager for adults with developmental disabilities. Favourite bands: I listen to all sorts of music. I was a drummer from age 8-18 until I started practicing on the harmonica, so I learned to appreciate all sorts of music that allowed for awesome drumming. I used to define myself as a “Rock ‘n roller from the stroller”, but I like anything from ragtime to reggae.
‘‘
‘‘
I’m a veteran! I served the US Army from age 18-22 as a mental health specialist. I also went to school full time and got my BS in Social Psychology shortly after I left the service. I plan to use my education benefits to get my doctorate in Sociology. (and I’m a model) Website: www.myspace.com/Alana_LaLure
| page 10 | JANUARY 2008 |
| JANUARY 2008 | page 11 |
LA B E L
S P OTLIGHT
Inside the companies that put out the music you buy.
TNS Records
A Manchester based DIY label
Label headhuncho, Andy, reveals all to Fungalpunk. Tell us a little bit about That’s Not Skanking (TNS) - its origins, the thinking behind the name, the mission statement and overall what is the reason behind putting so much work into something that has the capabilities of both financially and mentally draining you? Andy: I originally started TNS in 2004 | page 12 | JANUARY 2008 |
as a band night and a fanzine. I’d written reviews for other fanzines and liked the idea of starting my own. I enjoy the chance to rant and also to give coverage to bands that I really rate. I also saw the fanzine as a way of promoting the band nights. People into punk music were likely to read the fanzine so putting adverts for our gigs in the ‘zine could hit the right audience. The name comes from a ska gig I was at. A mate and me were dancing like idiots (no change there then) and the singer told us our dancing wasn’t skanking (as if we thought it was). It was funny at the time. I started the band night in response to some of the crap promoters in Manchester. I was in a band called McGraw and although we were getting offered loads of gigs we were fed up of playing on bills with bands who in no way fitted in with us musically and being forced to sell stupid amounts of tickets, just to hand most of the cash over to promoters with no real interest in music. Those sorts of gigs in no way develop any sort of scene or community as each band ends up just playing to their mates. I had always put gigs on in my home town so thought I
may as well do it myself, then at least we could play with bands we actually want to gig with and not rip off the people who want to watch us. Turning TNS into a label was a natural progression, but with Bev and George getting involved I realised that we had three motivated people working together to release music we genuinely believe in and that we could really do something productive. What are the main obstacles when producing a fanzine and organising gigs? It’s a lot of work. Full time work has really slowed down how many fanzines come out. It is now going to be released to coincide with label releases, so it’s going to change again. One of the main problems with organising gigs in Manchester is that there is a certain amount of apathy. The amount of people who told me they were coming to TNS on Sunday and didn’t actually turn up does get to you. Obviously no one can go to every gig, but I find it strange that people whinge about having nothing going on in the City, but still gigs are poorly attended. I know the last TNS was a rainy Sunday but if people can’t be arsed to pay £3 for Dog Toffee and Buzzkill, you’ve got to worry a bit. Still we got 80 through the door and most of those people had a great time so I did feel a sense of achievement and I genuinely really appreciate the people who do support the night. Rumour has it that the first TNS’s compilation CD is on its way? The bands on the compilation have all
been really supportive and are buying copies off us to sell at their gigs, which is great as one of our main ideas with the TNS is to get like minded bands to help each other out. We are putting out 2000 fanzines (which will double up as catalogues) to push the compilation. We are getting 1000 CDs pressed, which we don’t expect to sell straight away, but with the help of the bands and a lot of hard work we are hoping to at least break even. We are treating the release really professionally too, so people can expect a high quality CD for their pennies. Ideally what would you like to achieve with TNS - world domination or just knowing you did your bit for the music scene? I’m almost 100% certain that I am never going to make any money out of the music I’m involved with, but at the end of the day that’s not the reason I’m doing it. As long as my heart remains in what I’m doing I’ll carry on. If we sell 1000 TNS compilations and some of the bands go on to do bigger gigs and we are able to release more material I’ll be very happy. If we manage to release some music that I would genuinely want to buy myself I will also be really pleased. I don’t want much more than that really, I’m not even arsed about getting a pat on the back. I just want to do something productive with music I am passionate about. myspace/thatsnotskankingrecords | JANUARY 2008 | page 13 |
SUPPORT SLOT with...
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Being in a punk band can be as simple as getting a bunch of friends together with musical instruments and jamming. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Now imagine all forms of rock music are forbidden, infact illegal, in your country. You may think it is funny – but this is the reality for FONT, Iran’s first and only punk band. Formed in 2005 by brothers Ashkan (guitar) and Pooya (vocals) when they found Kaveh (bass) and Soroush (drums) through the underground minority of Iranian rock. This garage-punk four piece bring a new meaning to the punk genre as they continuously battle the law just to play their music.
Distorted: Hi Ashkan, so you’re a punk band from Iran? Sounds mad. Are there many other punk bands from your country? Ashkan: Yes actually it sounds crazy. We had the balls to play some music in a country with such strict rules against rock music in general. We appear to be the first punk act in Iran, ever. I wonder if people in other countries only consider us as having nuclear weapons or being terrorists. We are nothing but anti-war punks! You made international headlines on the net a few months back with regards to a ‘Satanic’ concert. What actually happened? Oh it’s a long story! It was early summer that we decided to play a live show for those few fans who would dare to come to a rock show in our country However we had some previous events with some strict rules – we weren’t even allowed to head bang! We held our hearts and instruments together and played an unbelievable show (the one you’re referring to in the question) in a place in the suburbs that ended up a horrible mess. Can you believe that? You play a gig and a team of police officers attack you and then arrest you. You end up in prison sitting next to a criminal, just because you were playing punk rock music. This is what happened there, for the first time fans had no restrictions and even the girls could wear party clothes! It was a real rock show. Why they called it “ satanic” was because the face of things such as rock music, drinking, dancing and other primary elements of a rock concerts represents evil and therefore we were accused of worshiping the devil. Satanism is a thing that we fully opposed to and refuse to be involved in. We are simply musicians, punk rockers!
It sounds like playing shows in Iran can be very difficult for a punk band. Where do you normally play shows? Yeah it’s officially forbidden to play rock music of any kind. We’ve been playing underground parties now for a few years, but there is always that risk of us getting arrested! We try to play in more public places such as the music conservatories and University halls when we are given permission. Where do you draw your influences from? Since it is hard to get access to good music here in Iran, we are inspired by our own reality of life and just play our hearts out! But that doesn’t keep us from listening to pure brit-punk bands and derive our influences from bands like The Clash and the Smiths mixed up with modern ideas. Any last words? We would like to thank Distorted and we send love to all the punk rockers in the world. We hope to make our sound global and scream the peace and freedoms of human beings as loud as we can.
http://punkrockers.com/Font
“...it’s officially forbidden to play rock music of any kind... there is always that risk of us getting arrested!
Words by Cerven Cotter
When the hardcore road show known as the Persistence Tour rolled through London in early December of 2007, it gave us the opportunity to chat to hardcore bands Agnostic Front and Ignite. After their blazing sets, we enticed frontmen, Roger Miret and Zoli Tegla, into a small backstage room and grilled them about animal rights and digital downloads.
Zoli is neat and composed while Roger sits heavily tattooed and notably more dishevelled considering he had just got off stage 20 minutes before this interview.
Earlier that evening Zoli and his band Ignite, had an individual come out on stage during their set to talk about the whaling issues taking place in Japan. How do Zoli and Roger feel about using their music to inform people of what is going on in the world? Do they get through to people about animal rights activism? Do they get taken seriously? “Some people do (take us seriously), I think some people take Zoli more seriously than me… I play to a bunch of knuckle heads,” comments Roger, as we all burst into laughter. As it subsides, he continues, “I have to be more worried about them beating themselves up, but yeah, sometimes I feel we do (get taken seriously). Sometimes it really just feels like the message goes over their heads. I wonder if they’re really listening to us. There was a time when people really listened, they listened to the message, the lyrics but I think today, this generation of kids, just want the music.”
As these two men of hardcore talk, you can feel the conviction of every word that leaves their mouths. They were very excited to be a part of this tour. However, it wasn’t the tour that interested us. We want to find out about their roles as animal rights activists and in turn this would open the digital ‘can of worms’…
In addition to using music as a platform for animal rights activism, Roger is an active supporter of PETA. He is regularly featured in their ad campaigns (Ed note: See Roger’s PETA advert in this issue), so much so, that many people actually know Roger as the guy from PETA and not Roger Miret the hardcore punk rocker. “It makes me feel good (that people know me as an activist), I know I’m not wasting my time. I’ve raised my daughter a vegetarian for the last 16 years, my ex-wife is a yoga teacher, same thing, also a vegetarian, they preach the same things – non-cruelty to animals.” “I didn’t know that,” says a very surprised Zoli, “That is cool.”
Breaking the ice, we started off by finding out how the Persistence Tour was going so far and both Roger and Zoli were in agreement that it was brilliant. “It’s been awesome, it’s been great. All our bands get together, bringing all our genres of music and our stuff to a bigger audience. It’s a great thing, “ says Roger, who then turns to Zoli asking, “What about you?” “Yeah, it’s been great, it opens up a lot of markets for everybody. This was one of the better shows we’ve played in London. The Dresden show is sold out at 3500 tickets. Yeah, so it’s crazy. It’s been real big and real fun.”
“I know I’m not wasting my time...” - Roger
For Zoli it is a different approach,
“We’ve really got to shove it down peoples throats. Nobody buys CDs or albums that much anymore, they’re just downloading the music, so they’re not reading the lyrics and they don’t really know what the songs are about. With a CD you’ve got the booklet that contains so much information about what you are supporting and pushing. That is just one of the downsides of downloading, you miss out on all the extra’s that come along with a CD. So less and less environmental activism is going on in the punk rock hardcore scene, it’s becoming more about the look and fashion sense instead of being what it started out as being which was a political, social and environmental movement.” “It’s so true…” utters Roger in
agreement. “So when the guy came down to talk about the whaling, I told him to fuck’n scream at them – it’s like everyone has ADD nowadays – so if you give them a second to look away, you’ll lose them. When I talk about something on the microphone, I really scream at them so they turn around going, ‘Fuck, what’s this guy talking about’ and then they listen. We’re in the most educated time of the world, and we’re doing the least we can. Education with out action is
“Education without action is nothing” - Zoli
AGNOSTIC FRONT
nothing. You’ve got to act upon the things you read up on.” It becomes very clear that the digital revolution and music piracy via downloading is something that is an issue for both these artists. Not only is their message getting lost but the punk/hardcore scenes are worse off because of it. How much does it really bother them? “I don’t mind, I’ve always said to the kids, ‘Get my record no matter what.’ Steal it, buy it, pirate it, whatever,” admits Roger before adding, “Our bands work so hard at a full package, from the lyrics to what it looks like, the full package. I feel cheated when somebody rips us off our CD and doesn’t read or see everything else that goes with it. When I was younger, I’d pick up a record and see what other bands they mentioned and then go out and find their records. You could see where a band was coming from visually. Today, there is that lack of visibility. You download an album and you like, but for all you know
IGNITE
that record could have a giant swastika on the cover or something to do with the Klan. It’s sad that today everything is just handed to ‘em (the kids), there is no more discovery, no more finding new bands through bands you like. So you download an album and you really like it, don’t you want to see what else the band presents? Don’t you want to own the CD? Follow it up.” Zoli shares the same view, and explains how the downloading of music is hurting the bands, “We’ve never had any royalty cheques sent to us from selling CDs, you never recoup enough money from an album, especially in hardcore. But if you haven’t a minimum amount of albums sold, the labels won’t push your release, won’t give you a video budget, they won’t do anything with, so you just got to go on the road with it. So it really does hurt the bands when you download stuff. But that is the way it is and nothing is going to change. Everyone’s always going to want it for free, and I understand that. The record companies thought they were going to dick everyone over when CDs came out and then you’d have to buy it again. They made a ton of money but then somebody came along and showed the world how to put it online for free.” Downloading is something that is never going to go away, but there are certain aspects to the downloading generation that really bothers them as Zoli speaks for both of them, “The problem is when you do an album and somebody puts it out on the internet a month before it’s due to come out, you know what I mean, it just not cool.” Zoli goes onto give an
example about what happened to Ignite with their label in Budapest. “Our label out there makes our album $30, fuck, who has that money for a record? So everybody downloads it instead. We got 6000 emails from fans there telling us how great the new album is, and it wasn’t even released yet. We just played in front of 1300 people and everybody
“...it is about one hand washing the other, but the fans aren’t giving back.” - Roger
knew the fuck’n words, but we only sold 400 albums, okay? See what I’m saying? So that label doesn’t do anything for us there because they’re like ‘you only sold 400 albums’, but ah ‘no we don’t care’ is their (the labels) response. So, it fucks the bands in the long run.” But what about a way to overcome this downloading trend? Surely the bands, labels and everybody in the industry can come up with a compromise to make sure everybody smiles? “I don’t know if there will be a solution,” says Roger, “the industry has been trying to find a solution for years now.” Zoli jumps in to say all Ignite did was to put the entire album up on their myspace page, something Roger also did with Agnostic Front. “The solution is,” starts
“....with no money coming in, they can’t support the bands...” - Zoli Roger but Zoli finishes his sentence by adding, “take it, here it is” in reference to the bands putting their entire albums up on myspace. Roger continues and raises the same points that he made in the beginning of the interview, if you like it, then go out and buy the album and see what else there is to the package. “Get the record because you like them, and support the band that is working so hard for you,” says Roger, “it’s about one hand washing the other, but at the moment, not enough fans are giving back.” It seems like it isn’t only musicians across all genres that are being affected. Zoli goes onto to point out the new digital novels and books that are becoming available. The digital distribution is going to rob these authors of valuable sales. “Just watch the quality of these books, it is going to go down because there is going to be nothing going back to the authors and writers,” says Zoli, “And it’s the same thing with the bands, with no more money coming into the labels, they can’t support the bands and so everything just spirals downwards.”
But doesn’t the download scene have a good side? Roger seems to think so, but he is torn between the two sides. On one hand he is happy his music is getting out there and on the other side he is upset that people don’t have enough respect to at least buy the records.
At this point we wind down the interview and chat about less relevant material. As we leave the small backstage room at the Forum, one can’t help but be concerned about where music is headed with digital downloading. But with Roger Miret and Zoli Tegla speaking so passionately about the subject, it really makes you sit back and wonder. The next time you contemplate downloading a bands new release or entire discography, remember that you’re slowly killing the entire scene. Buy an album and keep punk alive.
POPULIST punk? The Loved Ones
Next month, February, will see the release of Build & Burn, The Loved Ones 2nd full length release. While in the UK, Dave Haus (vocals & guitar) gave us some insight into the new album.
The Outline
“The record is called Build & Burn and it contains ten songs. We recorded all over the east coast of the States. Our friends Pete and Brian from the Bouncing Souls, and our buddy Bob Strakele produced it. We had a blast making it (the record), it was really fun. We started going in some different directions, but it’s not like we sound like a different band at all. I’d say we definitely took some cool risks and came up big with it. We’re really excited.
The Family
“Our friend, Frans from Hold Steady, played on about eight of the ten songs. We played keyboard, organ, he even played this weird musical saw, which was cool. He played harmonica, accordion – he was kind of our ‘multi-instrumentalist’ type guy on the record. It was really fun. Tad, also from the Hold Steady, played a guitar solo on the record too. Two of our wives sang on it (the record), I mean, it was like really fun. That is
what our world is like (very family orientated). We tour with a lot of bands we’re friends with and it’s just really cool to be able to cultivate that when you’re making an album. Bringing your friends in and having talented friends who can sing and play, it’s really cool.
change that but I was less of a pain in the ass on this record with him, I think. On the last record I’m sure he wanted to shoot me. This record was different, we had a concept and he was like “ah yeah, lets change it and lets do this” – it was fun. It turned out really well,”
Waiting
Recommendations.
“The album is done, finished, mastered, artwork’s done... It is a real pain the ass. I guess it is the nature of the industry, I don’t know if it’s for the press, must be for the press, but we have to wait for the right time to release the album. I just want to play the songs, like I want to play five of the new songs tonight, but we’re only going to do one because we don’t want to go over time. We want to play the old songs that everybody knows. We will be out on tour again when the album is released. We might be in the UK at least three times hopefully.”
Artwork
“The new album’s artwork is done by Dave Klume. He did our EP artwork and the artwork for our previous record. It’s kind of cool that his fingerprints are still on the band visually, it’s cool, it turned out well. I’m excited about the art. As far as my involvement in the art, I’m a total pain in the ass. As with albums and things, it’s like your heart and soul you’re putting out there. I’m like, change this,
“This band Gaslight Anthem from New Jersey, they’re really, really good. Chuck Ragan’s solo album is great, we really like The Hold Steady, then there’s Dead to Me. There are so many bands…”
myspace.com/thelovedones Build & Burn will be released on 5th February 2008 on Fatwreck Chords.
“...It’s like your heart and soul you’re putting out there...”
BORN OUT OF BOREDOM
With bands putting out DVDs left right and centre these days, it is rare to actually get a band story DVD – legendary German punks, the SPERMBIRDS recently exposed their 20 odd year history in a very personal documentary entitled: ‘Me and My People’. TIM DRUNK got in touch with guitarist (and the film’s editor), ROGER INGENTHRON, to see how the DVD came about and where the SPERMBIRDS are headed. Distorted: You’ve just released your DVD, how do you feel about it? It must have been a long process putting it together. Roger: Yes, it definitely was. I worked on that one for more than 18 months while doing my full-time day job and it caused me more than one nightmare. Especially because I’m not a professional at this and it took time learning the programmes you need and with all those computer crashes and mistakes it took a while to
get things going. But now I’m pretty satisfied because the fans like it and it getting good reviews. Also, I think, it tells and shows our history we shared between the five of and all of the fans pretty well but it still doesn’t show all our experiences, there have just been too many. By the way, I call the DVD “Miststück” what means ‘bitch’ in German. At the end I started hating it but now I like it again. Like relationships…
COVER FEATURE
“Punk is a way of thinking and not the clothes you wear”
“I’m still waiting to write a tune like News Noise from the Refused” Who did the filming for you guys? Can you tell us more about what’s on the DVD? Johannes Gutenhöfer, a pro in filming, filmed the concert footage. He directed the 80 minutes show segment, it was our 20 year anniversary in December 2005 in our old hometown of Kaiserslautern. It was amazing because 1200 people were going crazy during the whole concert. And everyone who knows us knows that we don’t play easy folk-music. The 140 minutes long documentary was directed and cut by me. It includes the beginning years, which became hard to show because we were missing old footage but old friends had some in their archives, which helped a lot. Rainer Ott, an old friend of ours, always in the middle of the pit with the camera to catch the good moments, filmed the 2004 ‘Set An Example Tour’. I filmed the South African and Spanish tours. My basic plan was to show these parts in chapters but then I decided that you couldn’t tell our story in chapters. That is why the whole film shows comments from us about certain happenings or experiences. There are a lot of special moments, especially Markus. Lee and Frank were filmed at night after a show in some kitchen. Seeing how they sit together, getting wasted and slipping through their memories is pretty funny and sometimes emotional, at least for me anyway.
Rumour has it the band was started because you were bored? And the band name? It’s pretty original. Does it have any special meaning behind it? Yes, we were bored in our hometown of Kaiserslautern and being fan of punk and hardcore music, the band just happened. It was the right time to start something on your own. As for the name, no special meaning, sometimes we were thinking we could make up some stories around that name and laughed if somebody would print it. It’s just a cool name and there is more about it on the DVD. After so many years, how do you find the punk scene today compared to when you all started out in the band? When we started there was no big scene in Europe. It was more an exclusive circle of people enjoying and celebrating hardcore. It really was a family thing. Today, we all know that punk became a fashion but there are still people today who know what there is behind it. I have the feeling, especially at our shows that we still have the unity going on. That makes me very proud and I think, that’s why people are still coming to our shows. They know and feel that we are honest and keep something going that has a special spirit. Maybe we are the last dinosaurs or keepers of true punk... just kidding, bit only a little bit. Of all the albums you’ve put out, which one do you think is your favourite and why? My favourite is the last one ‘Set An Example’ because it unites all our styles we went through over the years. From classic punk rock to hardcore, from heavy tunes to the melodic parts we always had
“...all I ever dreamed of as a little kid became true with this band. I can truly say if I die today I will have a big smile on my face.” in our music. And it may have the most powerful sound we were always looking for. Many have been hailed the Spermbirds as one of the original skate punk bands. I’m assuming you all ride (or used to) ride skateboards? No one ever did. And by the way, ‘My God Rides A Skateboard’ is not about skating. But it is funny, that the skate scene made it an anthem... All bands draw influences from a variety of sources. Where did you guys get your musical inspiration? And what about subject matter for your songs? I don’t know if you can call it influences. For example: My favourite bands at the moment are Feist, Radiohead, The Hives, Trail Of Dead, Jose Gonzalez and many other which have nothing to do with punk and hardcore. But I’m also writing new songs for the Spermbirds at the moment. I would call it inspiration or even deflection. When an idea hits you it needs to get out. So, a song may show much more about the person’s mood than what music they’re listening too. But I’m still waiting to write a tune like New Noise from The Refused.
You are writing again so does that mean there a new album in the making? We want put out a new album but between jobs, kids and living in different cities it is quiet hard to get it done fast, even though we all write songs on our own and bring them to the practise room almost finished. I hope for an album by the end of 2008. What have been some of the best things about being in the Spermbirds? Surely you’ve got some awesome memories of being on tour or shows that you’ve played? Shows, countries, people we met and being together with your four best friends is a great experience by itself. For me, all I ever dreamed of as a little kid became true with this band. I can truly say if I die today I will have a big smile on my face. And how many people can say that about their life? I know this is a tough one, but which would be your personal favourite song that the Spermbirds have written? Live would have to be, ‘Bed Tool’ as it is one of the most energetic ones even after 20 years of playing it. Meaning wise, ‘Only A Phase’ because it has that message that will always be true. As for party songs, Uh, there is a lot. We love to party and having everybody shouting “Bullshit!” on ‘Americans Are Cool’ is still a boner (do you say that?) (Ed note: not sure exactly what Roger meant but interchange ‘boner’ for ‘thrill.) Do you have any plans to play the UK soon? There were plans and actually we got
asked to come over in February to play with GBH but we decided to rather work on new stuff. But we will play UK again because the people are great and we love England, Scotland and Ireland. This is always a tough question to ask, but what does punk mean to you? It’s not a tough one. For me, Punk is the freedom to be who I want to be and do what I believe in. It is the freedom to speak out on my beliefs and get them heard with open minds. For me it’s a philosophy, not a musical style. Even though some people always think it is. I see a lot of punk in the hearts of people
and that’s great. Any advice to new punk bands starting out today? Don’t believe in any record company talk, and get a manager… Final words? Punk is a way of thinking and not the clothes you wear.
www.spermbirds.com
under the radar with FungalPunk OMD.
The Mispelt Originally formed in 1996 as Chairman Rao, The Mispelt came about in 1998 due to numerous misspellings of their previous band name. Since then they’ve played with the likes of Stiff Little Fingers, UK Subs and the Vibrators despite going through a good few drummers. Vocalist/bassist, Dunk, had the following to say‌
The Mispelt have been around a fair while now and have some mighty impressive stats on their CV. Enlighten the reader to the story so far giving us a band history, discography and some of the highlights of the journey to date! We formed in 1996 mainly to amuse ourselves but became The Mispelt in 1998 after various misspellings of our previous name, Chairman Rao. Recorded our 1st demo (Outraged of Norfolk/ Say Goodbye) in 1999 with the 1st of our five drummers (Phil), Me (Vocals and Bass) and Steve (guitars) - this CD introduced us to Anne Maria (Hardcore Street Sounds pre Total Rock days) and has lead to a friendship that has spanned nearly 10 years. We recorded our second CD (Same Shit Different Day / Demo) in 2000 with Andre on Drums. This was the CD that John Peel got... Andre left after his last gig, (our first major support slot) with Stiff little Fingers. Hils then joined up, she recorded a CD with us ‘The Good, the Sad and the Paranoid’, but because this was done on the cheap, it never saw the light of day until tracks from it were re-mastered to feature on the current ‘The Mispelt Must Die’ album. She played with us at the 100 Club - which was also the first time we played with Menace and UK Subs, but as the band was beginning to gather momentum she moved to Berlin. We then recruited yet another drummer (Timmi) with who we recorded two critically acclaimed CD’s ($punkA 2002 and North of Watford 2003), ‘Dead Man Walking’ a track from ‘$punka’ was picked up by Mike Davies on “The Lock Up” and he interviewed me for the show and played the track. That really was one of those “Fuck me this is it, we’ve
arrived” moments but ultimately (sadly like so many other times) it was like getting 6 numbers on the lottery - 3 on one line and 3 on another! But this line up saw us play our first festival, play in New York, be in a Christmas video with Capt Sensible, Charlie Harper, Jo Guest, a bunch of page 3 girls, that bloke from Big Brother and Rik Waller ha, ha, ha. Also it was this line up that was interviewed by Anne Maria live on her show on Total Rock (and we got to meet Tommy Vance RIP). However - post New York and things started to go awry within the band, Steve and I had to make decisions and we parted company with Timmi. Kev joined up early 2004. During an interview with Anne Maria she announced that we were going to be playing Wasted that year, as it turns out Wasted 2004 was Kev’s first gig with the band, since then we’ve played
“Success? Hearing the crowd join in with the song.” all over the UK and in the Netherlands with bands such as UK Subs, Anti Nowhere League, The Vibrators, Swellbellys, [Spunge], Assert, Eater and 999. It was also with Kev that Steve and I re-discovered how much of a laugh being in a band could be again. This is reflected in the songs we were writing (Drive It Like You Stole It 2005) and our live performances. Kev is now our longest serving drummer with nearly four years under his belt - time flies when you’re having
under the radar with FungalPunk OMD. fun. Getting played on The John Peel show is surely one of the best ‘feathers in your cap’. How did this come about and how did it help the band! This came about as a complete fluke in some respects. I was wanting to get the band some airplay and at that time John was inviting unsolicited demos, so I popped one in the post in Oct/Nov 2000 and like so many demos that get sent you feel that’s the last you will ever hear of it –and so it was until a year or so later when we were sound-checking for a gig at the Roadmender when these 3 kids approached me and said “are you really The Mispelt?” – “Er yeah – why?”sez I. “We heard you on John Peel” says one of them. “What the fuck? How?” said I “Didn’t you know” said another “No, I don’t get to hear the show that often”. “Don’t worry I taped it” said the first one. Sure enough a few weeks later a cassette tape plopped onto me mat with the whole show from the night we were on. This was the one and only time anyone has mentioned the show and they just happened to have taped it! Another major point in your career was the playing at CBGB’s. How did this experience compare with say, playing your local? What comparisons can be made and what are the best venues you have played at? Playing at CBGB’s was the moment I really felt I was ‘living the dream’ it was an experience I will never forget for a multitude of reasons! However I think we have had better gigs but it is hard to compare... sadly we’ll never get to play at 315 Bow-
ery again (R.I.P. Hilly). On the whole I really enjoy playing smaller venues - places like the 12 Bar in London, Old Wharf in Birmingham and Sawyers in Kettering. I think this is something to do with us being a 3 piece, on a really big stage we just look lost! Ha, ha, ha! I am always interested in bands local scenes. What’s yours like and tell us about some of the bands, venues, faces found therein! The local scene in Northampton is awesome. A lot of good bands playing good tunes - we put on a gig the other week with us, UK77, The Black Marias, Insane Society and Rotten Agenda - all of which (with the exception of Insane Society) are local(ish) bands, two of them UK77 & BM are booked for U.S. dates next year! Lots of good venues - The Racehorse and The Roadmender being two that immediately spring to mind. I prefer The King Billy however. Just up the road in Kettering you have Sawyers. Local faces? Paul and Lorrie and Bonzi spring to mind... What are the best bands The Mispelt have played with and where do the band draw their influences from. Also just out of curiosity do the influences tend to change as the band progresses and matures as a unit? When I first read the question my immediate answer was ‘yes’ of course the influences change, but then I gave it some thought and say no, the influences do not change but the way you interpret and use those influences does. I am heavily influenced in my writing by the American stuff - I got into punk via Metallica covers of Misfits songs, then got into the
Misfits, then the Ramones, Dead Kennedy’s, Black Flag and Operation Ivy then into UK bands such as Snuff and Bomb Disneyland then back into the yanks with Rancid, Offspring and Green Day. Best bands we have played with? Locally its got to be Thracia, UK77, Rotten Agenda, Harlot, Black Marias, Insane Society and Dun 2 Def ‘cos they’re all smashing fellows and jolly good chums - also they’re bloody good bands. On the bigger stage – best band this year by a country mile was the Ultimate Power Duo from Canada, who were, quite simply one of the funniest, cleverest and weirdest bands I have ever seen! The Vibrators are always smashing, as were 999, but then there’s ANWL and Abrasive Wheels, UK Subs, Spunge and Stiff Little Fingers who are all brilliant. Tell us about your biggest regrets, failures, and successes in music so far? Our biggest regrets? Ha ha - No regrets. Success? Hearing the crowd join in with the song. Failures? That we have still not got round to buying a van yet and still turn up to gigs in 2 or 3 separate cars. Bad for the planet - bad for us. Tell us about your subject matter for writing songs and where mainly do the influences come from?
People are my main inspiration; most of our songs are about people, what they do and why they do it. People fascinate me! Lately it has been my exasperation and frustration with this rotten government we’ve been saddled with primarily because they were only marginally less appalling than their contemporaries. However don’t expect political ideology when electing a management consultancy! Finally tell us about what ambitions the band has and how we can get to check you out. Have achieved most of my ambitions for the band but making and playing music is the ultimate buzz for me, getting out there and tearing it up is still what counts - its all that counts! You can check us out, download tunes, message us, book us for gigs and befriend us at www.myspace. com/themispelt or www.themispelt.com
REVIEWS
Don’t take our word for it, make up your own mind!
BREAK ADDICTION Riot Brigade
(Concrete Jungle) Perhaps you enjoy your punk the way The Casualties, The Unseen, Crass, The Restarts and Anti-Flag play it? Maybe you’re a fan of Riot Brigade already – and if you are, then you won’t need to read this because no matter what is said here, you’ve got this new release and you fuck’n love it. Now, if you’re one of the few that haven’t heard Riot Brigade yet, then this release is the first record you should purchase this year. Already by the bands I’ve men-
tioned you can kind of guess as to what their sound is like but if you live under a rock and don’t own any records from the aforementioned bands, Riot Brigade play hard fast in your face street punk. What makes this 2nd full length a fuller more rich experience than their 2005 debut, Here’s our Answer, is the punch provided by the 2nd guitar. Can you see a trend here? 2nd album, 2nd guitar… maybe their 3rd release will see a 3rd guitar being added... I highly doubt that; this punk band is not in need of any gimmicks to make them standout. From sneaky guitar hooks to the gang vocals, Riot Brigade have made a record that the punk scene have no choice but to except, embrace and love. Subject matter is very much on the political edge but never preachy. It’s about awareness. Songs such as ‘Nationalism Sucks’, ‘Borders’, ‘Internal Security’ and ‘Merged Mass Media’ enforce their views while ‘Punk, Forever Mine!!!’ is a call for unity within the scene. Ringing in at just over half an hour long, Break Addiction, is a classic album in the making and if the record is anything to go by, the live performance from Riot Brigade must be something to behold. Could 2008 be the year that the global punk community embraces this German five piece? I hope so. ~ Tim Drunk
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Delirium Tremors AFS
The provocative stimulus of succinct ravings and melodious riffs is brought to prominence here with 17 pick up and pogo offerings from one fine band. This second album release follows on from the excellent debut ‘Tales of a Drunken Generation’ but this time it has pubes. If the debut CD was an intellectual infant then this is of the same id but with dropped balls, jutting Adams apple and genital fuzz. ‘More grown up’ is a cleaner way to put it. All 17 tracks are great stuff and come very well packaged. The sometimesintense themes are kept agreeable by a kind of cartoon ambience the band radiate. ‘Wouldn’t Wanna
Be You’ reeks of early punk rebellion, ‘Nobodies’ is a two-finger salute to a doubting critic, ‘Architecture of Life’ is a strongly crafted classic and ‘Dead Man Walking’ will sting your arses into gear with its infectiousness. I could deliberate and drool over every track but I won’t - I’ll let you put your hand in your pocket and invest in one of the best albums of 2007. ~ Fungalpunk
MORE THAN A MACHINE Milloy
(Household Name) Apparently Milloy is a band that you should know about. That is what the press release says. According to the very in-
formative press release, Milloy have played with some really cool bands. These bands include, Against Me!, Snuff, Hot Water Music, Lawrence Arms and a bunch of others. But what does that all mean? Is this album any good? Maybe. But let’s not get to the music just yet because this record is a re-issue and they’re due to put out a new album later this year. It’s refreshing to a see a gorilla on a CD cover, not many bands do that. I think animals are completely under used as cover subjects… but please no more birds. Can you see what I’m doing here? Yes, I’m stalling. “What for?” you might be asking, well, as I pointed out, Milloy are due to put out a new album and this is just a re-issue. Okay, how about this – Milloy is a loud, impassioned punk rock band with songs that burn with a melodic ferocity – no points for noting that I didn’t come up with that statement myself… what do I really think? I think Milloy have put together some really awe-
REVIEWS
Don’t take our word for it, make up your own mind! some songs that reek of that post punk style ala Hot Water Music, but that isn’t a bad thing, it sounds good but just isn’t that original. I’m curious as to what their next release will deliver. ~ Tim Drunk.
song names, just like Thee Flanders have on Graverobbing. Classics include ‘Pervy in the park’ and ‘Transsylvanian Express’. The DVD is a real (trick) or treat with ‘Videos and more shit’ plus three live chapters featuring songs from festivals like Force Attack, LindenPunk and Punk & Disorderly. If you’re looking for some horror in your life, welcome Thee Flanders with your cold blue hands and enjoy. ~ Psycho Pete
GRAVEROBBING
have a cartoon bird (complete with a mono-brow) staring back at me on the Zatopeks album, Damn Fool Music. To be honest, I’m not really into the whole new school, whiny, geek type punk rock, but Zatopeks can really do ‘geekcore’and in fact, they really do it very well. Hooks abound, catchy pop sensibilities around every beat – this is great party music. I’m sure if you enjoy The Queers and Nerf Herder, you will find this highly entertaining. ~ Tim Drunk
Thee Flanders (Halb7)
From the album name through to the artwork this is unashamedly a psychobilly record. And it comes with a bonus DVD, and who said Christmas was over? If that isn’t enough, the album also contains two bonus songs – could this get any better? You asked for it – Thee Flanders look just like zombies and they produce some cool catchy psychobilly. I love bands that have cool
DAMN FOOL MUSIC Zatopeks
(Household Name) In a recent review I made a comment about the lack of animals as main subjects on album covers – I think I spoke to soon. Here I
Attack of the clones
Los Salvadores (Corndog)
Yeah! Folk punk with a horror edge. Seeing as I have your attention, let me
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say this, horror folk punk is not a genre; it is just something that came about when this release from Los Salvadores landed on my desk... Looking closer at the cover of ‘Attack of the Clones’ with it’s “folk punk our only hope?” slogan, you can quickly deduce that it is possibly a public service announcement, a call to action, a slice of propaganda against all those ‘emo’ bands. Why? Just take a look at the ‘clone’ image… Anyway, with the cover dissection clearly out the way and over focused on, lets see what the actual album holds in terms of music. It’s catchy folk punk on the inside and on the outside. With a total of ten songs, you’ll be raising your pint by the end of track three,’ My Coloured Town’ and you’ll be singing along by ‘Questions’, track seven. I’m sure if you keep pace you could be face down by the final song or hitting the repeat button for one more round of some brilliant folk punk. Let’s only hope that the Los Salvadores can save as from the
clones, we can’t possibly have another year of that shit. ~ Tim Drunk
(Household Name)
version of infamous new school punks, Belvedere. The new band is perhaps a little heavier on the edges but the pop hooks are everywhere. Subtle metal influences can be heard but they only heighten the new school punk sound of this Canadian four piece. If you like bands like the Lawrence Arms, No Use for a Name and Strung Out, then you should add This is a Standoff to your list. Be excited… ~ Tim Drunk
Are you? Excited? You have no choice but to be with this release from This is a Standoff. It will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside (unlike the past festive season). Steve Rawles’ vocals are smooth, welcoming and razorsharp. The guitars are perfectly juxtaposed with the infectious basslines all completed by some awesome foot tapping drums. Perhaps the vocals (and at times some of the melodies) will sound very familiar and yes they do. The reason for this is that This is a Standoff is the new
All in me Full Speed Ahead “All in me… All in me” is what greets you when you stick this album on. It sounds like it maybe some bad deathmetal as it is slow, dark and really chunky, but thankfully it kicks in and Full Speed Ahead live up to their name. This is heavy hardcore, Euro style, with loads of metal influences coming to crash the party. After a few listens the gang vocals will be etched into your head that you’ll be singing (or should that be shouting) along. As much
Be Excited
This is a StandOff
REVIEWS
Don’t take our word for it, make up your own mind! as this band draws from the hardcore scene, the album becomes too metal as it progresses. Some what of a disappointment for some, but will clearly be an interesting listen for someone with a broader taste in heavy music. ~ Tim Drunk More to it than meets the eye Deadline (Captain Oi!) Deadline is one of London’s most respected punk bands even though this release is from a few years back, it is a must for your collection. Comparing it to their latest full length is clear to see how the band have grown as songwriters – Deadline just keep getting better and better. Combining a healthy dose of rock ‘n roll with a full speed punk rock attitude, this band crack the originality scales thanks to the infectious vocals of front woman, Liz. Complete your Deadline discography and get this album. ~ Old Skool Sam
Another kind of blues UK Subs (Captain Oi!) I know this album has already received press within the digital pages of Distorted (January 2007) but honestly, one cannot ever have too much of the UK Subs. What this re-issue offers over and above the 17 classic originals is nine bonus tracks mainly single versions. These extras include, CID, Stranglehold and Tomorrows Girls. This is an album that you should own on CD and on LP; actually it is an album every true punk rocker should have in their collection. ~ Tim Drunk Fulham fallout The Lurkers (Captain Oi!) Hailed as many as the UK’s answer to the Ramones, the Lurkers wrote some really catchy punk back in their heyday. On Fulham Fallout you’ll find fourteen well-crafted punk songs. I’d like to appeal to
those who don’t know too much about the old school scene to pick up this release, as it will provide you with many gems. In addition, this version of the album has 12 extra songs mainly demo’s and single versions. ~ Old Skool Sam
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All grown up Movie Premiere New Jersey, USA
Once entering the Meatlocker, you could tell this was going to be a different night. This was not just a show, it was an event. The crowd was a mix of Meatlocker regulars and some who probably haven’t been to a show in a while. Everybody was pumped to have a good time. The movie brought something that isn’t always apparent at Punk shows. Respect. Respect for those who paved the way and respect for those still finding theirs. Now before you start thinking this turned into a hippie love-fest, there were plenty of Punk happenings like people throwing up, rampant limping from pit injuries, and others being carried out by friends. It seemed like an endless wait but eventually The Flash Attacks took the stage. Then it happened. Whether it is the carryover of the really good vibe from the premiere, or the bands just made sure all their friends showed, I can’t say, but each band was treated by the crowd as if they were headlining . As the Flash Attacks played, people were moving and singing the songs. This wasn’t 3 people in the front, this was a lot of people. When the crowd is psyched, the bands are psyched. Next came The Blame. Again, both crowd and band going full auto. How do you follow this up? With the Dead Heros and U.S. Chaos. The Dead Heros are just a
force to be reckoned with. I’ve seen these guys so many times over the years and they are always giving it everything they got. This night was no exception. Everything about them was fucking spot on, the sound, the stage presence, everything. You owe it to yourself to see them when you get the chance. Wrapping things up were the “stars” of the movie, U.S. Chaos. Rene from Blanks ’77 played guitar. Rene is none other than Gary Reitmeyer’s sister. The band belted out the classics. You just knew Gary was looking on and smiling. Band and crowd became one several instances when members of the audience rushed the stage to add their voices to the choruses. A cover of “Let’s Break the Law” really brought the house down. The set was over but the crowd wasn’t letting the band get away without one more song. U.S. Chaos took back the stage and gave everybody what they wanted. Older punks reminisce about how shows used to be and romanticize how back in the day it was different. How they were better, more energetic, people were different, etc. Well, sometimes they were, sometimes they weren’t. The ALL GROWN UP After Party was the show you will remember and compare others to. The movie really gave sense of unity that carried over into the show at the Meatlocker. I hope that vibe continues. ~ Matt Brown (NJpunkonline.com)
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Persistence Tour The Forum, London, UK 6 December 2007
With such an extensive line-up of hardcore acts, it was a pity that I only managed to get to the venue to see the last few songs of Evergreen Terrace, already the fourth band of the show. Even though I hadn’t heard them before, I liked what they were doing but rushing to the bar didn’t really leave me any option to stand around and give them my full attention, maybe next time… A beer in hand, the stage went into a quick transformation and half way through my beer, Ignite burst onto the Forum’s stage. Power, style and a message all delivered in sheer precision. Once Ignite had everybody’s attention – roughly two thirds of the way through their set - they invited a guest speaker to come out and engage with the gathered hardcore masses about the plight of the whales (I’m pretty sure it was about the whales, but either way it was animal rights orientated) – I think the idea was a good one, but maybe the wrong time at the wrong place. The fans seemed much more pleased once Ignite continued to thunder through their set. I quickly nipped back to the bar for a top up – Agnostic Front were due onstage any minute. The beer skipped over the rim of my plastic cup as I darted through the crowd making sure I got a good spot. The lights went up and the sound of pure
New York hardcore genius poured out of the speakers. What an absolutely stunning site to behold, Agnostic Front in all their glory doing what they do best. The circle pits were called for and the crowd responded by flinging themselves in an anti-clockwise direction. Somebody went down, but no sooner had they hit the floor, arms embraced them and picked them up. The spirit of unity was as thick as LA smog but it only smelled much more pleasant. Somehow my beer never actually got to my lips, but mid set, the cup was empty and by the end of the set, the rush to the bar reassured me I wasn’t the only one who donated their drink to the floor of the Forum. Rounding off the evening was metal/ hardcore heroes Hatebreed. I’m not going to pretend that I saw their show (does the first two songs count?) – but as I headed backstage, I wondered how much better this show would’ve been if Sick of it All finished off the evening… ~ Tim Drunk
UK Subs / discharge Astoria 2, London, UK 7 December 2007
If you’re going to see Discharge there’s probably no better way than to miss the whole set apart from State Violence State Control and Ain’t No Feeble Bastard. They were always better on record, in fact awesome on record, and the post Cal version
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has been a disappointing shambles live. For all those of you who slagged off the Pistols reunion you have no right to comment unless you recognise the authenticity of the UK Subs as one of the truly defining bands of punk – and I mean every version of the Subs. But tonight is a bit special because for the first time in decades we have the original line up. Remember when the Top 40 was lit up with a succession of Subs classics and I’m not just referring to the multicoloured vinyl packaging of their 7” singles. There might be a few too many old blokes here to fully invoke my own memories of teenage nights down the York Pop Club but it sure rolled back the years. Maybe not true of all the audience but the band at least look healthier than they did back then … are you ready for a middle age rampage. 123, 456 gonna do a dance and it goes like this … pretty much the whole of the first two LPs and assorted b sides. At least 32 songs including Left For Dead twice. You remember when the Subs were a covers band well we got Waiting For My Man and of course She’s Not There although Slack and Harper were clearly more comfortable reversing the original bass and vocals roles. Highlights inevitably were the songs they hadn’t played for a while such as TV Blues. Killer, Kicks and B.I.C. but sadly the most enjoyable sing a long was All I Wanna Know … Is Does She Suck. As the bloke next to me kept saying: magic, blinding, absolute TOPS. ~ Herbert
SHAM 69 / MENACE / ANORAKS Borderline, London, UK 8 December 2007
Not exactly the Mexican cantina it thinks it is but the Borderline is a suitably underground dive for a punk rock show … without heroes and egos. I seem to remember the first time I saw the Anoraks they relied quite a bit on covers (we get their staple shrieking version of Identity) but they’ve built up a nice batch of their own material now. IC1 was always my favourite but Suicide Bomber is in a different league. If lines like “I’m a fully fucking paid up member of a terrorist group” aren’t good enough we are then all invited to sing “I’ve got a semtex waistcoat and I’m going to blow you to bits”. It makes you feel good. It’s the first time I’ve seen Menace with new singer Jasper. He wears a dodgy shirt and jumper combination last seen in the 70s (not the punk part) which makes him look a bit of a … well … a Jasper really. However, he’s more than lively enough successor to the Menace mike and straight into GLC. Good mix of Menace standards (Don’t You Know You’ve Lost Your Shoe – go on try singing that next time), mid-period (e.g. C&A, it’s a Primark now) and the new (I think the chorus of one went (121212121234). And on the subject of new singers this is my first venture into the post Pursey Sham world and it looks like he’s been replaced by Punk Aid Tim. After a couple of numbers he broaches the subject for the first time with “I guess you’re expecting me to say something but unless you’ve been in Timbuktu you should know the other guy
> ALBUMS > EPs > BOOKS > GIGS won’t be here.” Further references to the previous incumbent include statements that the old bloke didn’t like skinheads, played shorter sets and wouldn’t have invited original bass player Dave Treganna on stage to play two songs. So sod all that what have we got? I have to say that there were times when Sham 69 could make the hairs stand up all over your body with the sheer excitement and Jimmy had the arrogant swagger which transcended the band. But sod all that what have we got? Well Dave Parsons may be the only Hersham Boy left but I always thought the Ramones could exist without Joey but never without Johnny. So here’s a chance to freshen it all up and provide a new Sham experience and we certainly get it. New songs like Asbo Sports Day and No Apologies are great as is the cover of Action Time And Vision and as are the classics that made up the backbone of any Sham set. However, what made tonight so enjoyable are the old songs dusted off for the first time in years like That’s Life, Hey Little Rich Boy and Sunday Morning Nightmare. Isn’t it a while since they played Rip Off and Cockney Kids Are Innocent too. Anyway if it isn’t long before two versions of Sham remember things only get really bad when you end up accidentally seeing the Rubettes with the keyboard player as the only original member. Who’s got a dirty face now? ~ Herbert
THE GRIT/BLOOD OR WHISKEY / HOT ROCKET TRIO Camden Underworld, London, UK 14 December 2007
Having seen a good number of shows at
the Underworld, one soon learns that the opening bands, especially the first two, hardly get any support from the crowd as they seem more content to hang at the bar – but tonight was different. By the 2nd song of their set, Hot Rocket Trio had managed to pull everybody in. As their set progressed, so the venue continued to fill up. From the punks rocking out at the front to the girls on the side, each song ending was met by more appreciation and it only escalated as the set moved forward. This trio played their farewell as if they would never breathe another breath ever again. Ending on a high note is always better than fading out – I just have a feeling that they made a good few new fans at this show. Let’s hope the Hot Rocket Trio make a plan to return soon as they will be missed. Blood & Whiskey brightened up the mood with their ever smiling Irish folk punk styles and straight from the hip commentary. They were tight and had many fans singing along with them. A good set from these infamous punks. Band of the moment, and hailed by many as possibly the best local band in the UK presently, The Grit, wasted no time and started cruising through their set. Mixing all the finest elements of rockabilly, rock ‘n roll, folk and punk, the Grit can make even the most serious gothic kid smile. I think it was ‘Surrender’ which saw various members of the King Blues join the band on stage for additional support. Moral Dilemma’s Craig made an appearance and loaned his harmonica skills to their set. As usual, a Grit show is always a family affair, a damn fine pleasant affair at that. ~ Tim Drunk
Words by Tim Drunk
Odontophobia Described as a metal/hardcore/ punk rock hybrid, Pulling Teeth, from Baltimore, was formed originally as a side project but quickly became the main priority for it’s members. Pulling Teeth proudly introduced their debut album, ‘Martyr Immortal’ in late November 2007. Not only has the release been receiving critical acclaim from the punk/metal press, the fans are thoroughly enjoying it. As they hit the road for yet another tour, we spoke to guitarist, Dom, about the new album and what the new-year holds for the band. Hi Dom, I hear you’re on tour at the moment? Did you guys take a break over Christmas or has it been full steam ahead for Pulling Teeth? We took a week off for Xmas so that I could travel to visit my family. It’s the one time of year I get to see them so that was nice. Got back to Baltimore Xmas day and left for tour the following. We’re in Florida right now. So your debut full length ‘Martyr Immortal’ has been out for a few weeks now.
What has the response been like? Really,really good. We are all thrilled at the response it has been getting. People at shows know a lot of the new songs, the reviews have been cool. Nothing to complain about on this end.
come together? It started as a side project for fun with friends that hung out at shows together, and it just kind of warped into its own thing when our bands at the time decided to call it a day.
You guys had a few very influential people work with you on the new album from the music all the way through to the artwork. Care to tell us more about this? Dwid and I collaborated on the last track along with Chris Camden who used to play in a band called Liars Academy. It’s an experimental instrumental track that’s only on the CD version of the album. I
With 2008 now firmly upon us, what plans do the band have for the year? Any new year’s resolutions? We are definitely doing a full North American tour in the spring as well as a week long tour of Japan. We hope to hit Europe in the fall as well. Hopefully a new EP... we’ll see what happens.
“We all are huge suckers for catchy well written pop songs.”
like it a lot, it’s really moody, dark and just out there. Scott Hull from Pig Destroyer mastered the album. Great guy, crushing band. Jeff Beckman from Haymaker/ Left For Dead did the artwork again...it’s pretty much the same cast of characters that helped with the 10”/CD that came out last year. Being a group of musicians, do you ever find yourselves wanting to write something catchy and poppy? You never know what will happen. We all are huge suckers for catchy well written pop songs. Before Pulling Teeth came together many of you were in other bands. Where did you all come from and how was Pulling Teeth born? What factors saw this band
Taking a brief look back at the last year, which records would you say had the biggest influence on yourself and the band in general? In the past year I think everyone in the band could definitely agree on the last Ergs LP being awesome. The Trapped Under Ice demo is a guilty pleasure in the van as well. I loved that last Holly Golightly LP. Frightener of course... As far as influential music goes, I can’t really think of anything off the top of my head. Iron Lung definitely made me want to get more amps and an angry guy named Jensen in our band. What about the worst moment of 2007? Which album made you want to give up music forever? Oooh that’s a tough one. Probably that last Ruiner record. Ouch. Let me leave you guys to get on with your tour, but before I go, any words of wisdom or anything else you’d like to mention? I actually loved that Ruiner record. Stay in school, and have a safe summer.
A few of my favourite things...
Charlie Harper UK SUBS 1. Band: The Ramones changed my life, and gave me direction, as well as our first euro tour 2. ‘77 punk band: The Clash 3. Drink: Black Rat Cider 4. Food: I have a diet of global taste, loving every thing from bangers & mash to sushi, but my fave is an Argentine T bone steak (from Aberdeen Angus) 5. Book: ’The old man and the sea’ by Ernest Hemingway 6. Album: I love so many albums outside of punk but ‘Everybody knows this is nowhere’ by Neil Young must be it. 7. Movie: Fried Green Tomatoes 8. Gadget: My wife’s iPod. (She downloads music & stuff for me) 9. Pet: I love guinea pigs. (Nicky & I had them as pets) 10. Things to do aside from band stuff: Fishing and messing about in boats.
Catch the UK Subs on tour throughout 2008. (photo by Grilly)