NO ONE RULES OK! PUNK ROCK FANZINE FOR PUNK ROCK PEOPLE. ISSUE 2
StEvE IgNORANt CRASS INtERvIEw
Book Reviews
Rose Tattoo
John
Robb GlasGow Punk.
Sex Pistols Experience
Punk in ulster & rudi
£1.00
NO ONE RULES OK ! ISSUE 2. thE NIghtmARE REtURNS Intro – Back By Popular….Apathy This is the boring intro bit where I blow smoke up my own arse and say what a great fanzine this is and how clever I am for doing it. Except I don’t. This is the second issue of this rag, the first issue sold out of all 400 copies .I plan to get 600 copies of this issue printed. Trying to sell them is a story in itself. I might as well be standing in a shop doorway wearing piss stained trousers with a flea bitten dog on a rope screaming `Big Issue`. Hopefully, this issue will surpass the exceptionally low standard set by its predecessor by laying an even smellier turd of fanzine tomfoolery. For the sake of clarity, I have typed all my questions in bold print. I of course would like to take this opportunity to thank no one in particular except for those of you who have bought a copy. Thanks for your quid, it will be well drunk. You can contact me via email me at – musicisloud@hotmail.co.uk. If you have been offended by any comment or article please do not hesitate to come round and visit me at – 3 Burgess Close, Haynes, Bedfordshire, MK45 3PB. I suppose I should add that I do not actually live there, but you have my permission to punch the man that does. Cheers Justin Musicisloud Thank you for buying this fanzine, here is your receipt
Fire Exit are a rabble rousing bunch of Jocks who were formed back in the heyday of punk in 1977. I bumped into Gerry in a pub in Blackpool last year. I was trying to sell some fanzines so naturally Gerry headed straight for the Fire Exit. I found him cowering under a table clutching his little tartan purse tightly to the chest which a bead of sweat dripping off his head. `Ya cannna have me moooney, amm but ahh poor weee Jock mon`. Gerry swiftly redirected the conversation from `buy my fanzine you tight arse` to `eh come an` see me band Fire Exit later, we`re a good fun band ya`ll sure to like us, we play good foon poonk rock`. Okay, I couldn’t understand this gibbering wreck either, but I did go and see the band play in The Arena stage at The Rebellion festival a few hours later. Fire Exit are a great fun band who play rabble rousing anthemic punk rock. Lots of good tunes here and
catchy choruses that you can really shake your sporran to. Gerry never did buy a fanzine, but good bloke as he is, he has written an article on the band and here it is. We started in December 1977, Gerry met Brian and after a bottle of the holy water Eldorado. They agreed to start a band called “Fire Exit” the name came when we looked at the nearest sign. And that was it fucking Punk Rock...haha!!! Anyway out came the Telecaster and Brian & Gerry got into it. Gerry had a book of lyrics and that was it 12 songs written in one night, the set was almost complete all they had to do was get a bassist-( Billy Holland was the man) and a drummer. We got a guy called Doogie Maxwell he looked like a poodle with his fucking permed hair but it wasn’t his hair we wanted he was a good fucking drummer. In 1977 we played a gig at the Coral Island Ferryboat in Blackpool -Brian went missing hours before the show. Panic with around one hour to go still no Brido .We looked everywhere, then around 15 minutes to go we heard kids shouting and screaming on the beach. We looked over to see Brido buried up to his head in the sand with his two hands also free, the funniest part was he had an Indian curry in one hand and a bottle of red wine in the other. We could not stop laughing the tears were running down our faces then reality kicked in, bastard we got a gig to do. We got him to the B&B and Miki Insane was playing rhythm guitar so he had much more to do, we left Brian to sober up in his room around five minutes into the set Brian appears jumps up on stage staggering everywhere and batters into `Exterminate`. He is falling all over the stage so I went and got duct tape and taped him to a pole, so he would stop falling over. A great day was had by all. When we got back to the B & B there was an imprint on the bed of sand and water in the shape of Brido ha-ha. We went to London to record a single as no studio in Scotland could record us we tried at ceva but it did not have the sound we wanted and we knew a shit load of people in London. Alex (Fergusson) ATV & Sandy Robertson (Sounds) Scritty politti, UK Subs, The Vibrators. We started to Gig in London and we got a new drummer on board. We stayed in the back of our Transit van for 9 months, shit was it sweaty! In August 1979 we finally got into Waterloo studios owned by Pat Collier the Vibrators bassist at the time we recorded “Timewall / Talking bout myself”(Pat help produce & engineer it). We put the single out on our own record label Time bomb Explosions Records (TBE1).. We were gigging a lot in London and the single done very well all sold out in about 2— 3 weeks 2500 of them. (Thanks to John Peel) We signed to Decca records (Burlington music) but never released with them as they treated us like shit. 1978 –We agreed to head to London to stay for a while to gig and record. Billy and I were all set to go. Billy Holland our bassist sold his pride n joy, a mark 3 gold Ford Cortina, We bought an ex Godfrey Davis Walk through Transit Van (our new home) Billy picked me up then we went to pick up Brido he came out the house waving at his wife and shouting something like, yeah I will bring back a curry when were finished. Billy and I looked at each other and burst out laughing, thinking his wife was just joking. Brian jumps into the van with
a Peavey Duce amp and his trademark Fender Telecaster He said; drive round the corner and wait; we were in stitches and did as he asked .Billy asked where are your clothes? just wait said Brido, two seconds later he jumps back into the van with 2 black bin bags and says drive, drive quick...We looked at him and he said; I have told the wife I’m playing at the Babcocks club tonight (that was a local club) and she’s asked that I bring her a curry back, he didn’t tell his wife he was off to London. The tears were running everywhere and Billy could not even drive for laughing. Ha-ha!!! (He went home 10 months later; I think he got hit with the curry ha-ha) Well let’s just says its now 1985 Brian has now teamed up with captain Senslis er Sensible . Gerry was back in Glasgow and had started “Action Men” and another line up of “FIRE EXIT”, He then teamed up with his brother Billy and Alan Campbell who is now guitarist with the UK Subs & played with Marky Ramone. The new band was called “The Serpents of Love” and they released a single The Pylon / Sailors Cry on their Time bomb Explosions Label the years ticked by and Gerry was asked by Daz Russell why FIRE EXIT had not been around for a while. Gerry phoned Brian and they got Fire Exit back together. The first gig in 2001 Holidays in the sun Morecambe over 100 punk bands from around the world. Fire Exit followed The Lurkers onto the stage and I can tell you the sweat was running from the roof onto everyone in the Dome. Real punk Rock eh! I have my black PVC trousers on for this gig and after the second song had drunk everything lying around the stage to cool me down, well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. I am diabetic and was really suffering with erm heat. After getting through the set at the last number I was climbing back onto the stage (after my usual singing in the crowd) Doogie (Bass player) & Brido saw me fall onto the stage on my back (I actually passed out on stage) They thought it was a stage act and started pilling on me. Doogie was sitting on me and Brido had a few kicks .I came too and managed to finish the song. But what a laugh we had when they found out it was for real. Even Joe our drummer said Hey that was great keep it in. Yeah the bastards wanted me to Keep it in future set ha-ha.
. Where’s Mel Gibson? Fire Exit Bravehearts
Gerry eating a microphone.
The feedback from the gig was great and we really enjoyed it we played again in December that year with The Business in Glasgow was 24 years to the day that we played the bandstand across the road from 13th note (Barfly). Now we’re back we have a new solid line up with me joined by Davy the drummer & Bass Hitter George from Trade! Brian/Rab Velcro Guitar. We have done a shitload of gigs together and have released new Cds on our Time bomb Explosions Label. We are still gigging (in 2010) 34 years later. played Punk Aid London and Wasted Amsterdam at 30 years of punk rock...1976-2008..we`re doing Rebellion (35 years in 2011) .I am writing a book (for the last 3 years I had to stop due to ill health) I hope to complete it within the next few months....so you can read loads, loads more stories of Fire Exit...Cheers Gerry www.myspace.com/fireexituk/
The Sex Pistols Experience are the number one Sex Pistols tribute band. I received two DVDS from the drummer Dave – `Song by Song` which included a narrative by self proclaimed Sid Vicious specialist Alan Parker and also `Who Killed Nancy`. This film was directed by Alan Parker and once again examines the controversy surrounding the death of Nancy Spungen (yawn). I am not a great fan of tribute bands but was quite interested in what Dave had to say about Alan Parker. The following is from a brief conversation I had with Dave The Who Killed Nancy was quite in-depth. In some respects this story as been flogged to death over the years and no one knows the definitive answer; at the end of the day it is just two dead junkies. Alan Parker is held up to ridicule by Sex Pistols purists, is he really full of shit ? Regarding Alan Parker - trust me - I know him well, absofuckinglutely full of shit and self interest. We have no time for the fellow these days; too much bullshit has passed through those fat lips. Don’t believe a word he says and all that "living with Anne Beverly" (Sid Vicious mother) which he's milked over the years is a lie too - as is the story about her paying for the tattoo he had on his arm. We just did the `Who Killed Nancy` for a laugh and bit of promotion, Alan’s inclusion on the 'Song by Song' DVD meant we got it filmed, edited and produced for free - so we happily went along with it, although it was 5 years ago now - before we really knew him, he just wanted to get his face on a Sex Pistols DVD in an attempt to gain some credibility, which failed I think, half of what he says on there is made up on the spot. The music is spot on, and the mannerisms etc, the guitarist doesn’t look much like Steve Jones though? That guitarist - we were well aware he was too skinny & looked nothing like, but we couldn't find anyone else at the
time, he's since been replaced! I did start to read one of Alan Parkers books but thought it was shit so gave up on it. I also started reading one of his books but gave up on it, I just couldn’t take any more nonsense, much of it he dreamed up to fill pages and make himself sound more important. We did a couple of book launches for him and the film premier etc, but we used him as much as he used us, since Anne Beverley died in 1996 there's no one to counter his claims about meeting her, he always say he went to visit her alone - so no one can say he did or didn’t meet her, but him being such a big Sid fan - the first thing he of done is take a photo of himself and her together - strange how there isn't one!!? Do you see yourselves as musicians first or actors , and do you come out of character offstage, as the photos of the band always seem to show `kid being Sid ?.We never carry the band personalities off stage, never, only for photos - cos people want a picture of a 'Sid Vicious' - not Nigel from Doncaster! We're musicians first, certainly not actors, were shit at acting, none of us had any acting lessons, we just have to act the part cos people pay us to do it, for films and TV, we are all big Sex Pistols fans though and always have been, so we do want to try to give the impression of the Sex Pistols band live with the costume etc.. Might as well, better than 'not' doing and looking like Status Quo or something, For more information on the band, check out their website at -www.sexpistolsexperience.co.uk
ChRISt – thE StEvE IgNORANt INtERvIEw Love them or hate them, you can not ignore the impact and influence that Crass made upon the global punk movement. The Crass logo can still be seen today on T shirts and old leather jackets, and the very mention of the band’s name can stir up a whole hornet’s nest of vitriol and passion. Crass formed in 1977 and were based at Dial House, near Epping in Essex. The band’s history has been well documented, and George Berger’s book `The Story Of Crass` covers pretty much all you want to know about the band. The band split in 1984, and main front man, Steve Ignorant went on to play with Conflict, Schwarzenegger, and The Stratford Mercenaries. In 2007 Steve performed Crass`s entire `Feeding Of The 5000` record at The Shepherds Bush Empire in London with a backing band, and was slated for selling out by Crass purists and accused of betraying the ethos of Crass by former band member and close friend Penny Rimbaud. However, at the Blackpool Rebellion Punk Festival 2010 both appeared onstage with interviewer John Robb and all past differences were put aside as Penny gave Steve his blessing to perform Crass material live. Steve then announced The Last Supper Tour, where he would be performing Crass songs from 1977-1982, promising that this would be the last chance to see Crass songs played live with a band. Adding to this Steve has completed his autobiography `The Rest Is Propaganda` which also coincides with the re release of a remastered and repackaged cd `Feeding of The 5000`. All has not gone smoothly however, as former band members are strongly opposed to the Crass material being released, which rather ironically may see the seminal anarcho punk band in the high court.
I managed to secure an interview with Steve before the second gig of the tour in Birmingham. We drove up from Bedford earlier in the day, and then met up with his girlfriend, Jona outside the venue. She took us into the dressing room and Steve came in half asleep as he had just been having a nap (even anarchists need their beauty sleep) . I suppose it was one of them surreal moments sitting down and having a cup of tea with Steve Ignorant from Crass. This is the interview that took place -.
How did it go last night on the first date of the tour (Bristol)? Yeah it went well, really good. I heard something about a banner getting nicked? Ah yeah some little scumbag, yeah the usual thing, you know the bloke pays how much to get in or whatever in then after the 3rd song nicks the banner and runs out through the fire exit. Did he come onto the stage and get it? No where it was, it was originally going to be onstage but it wouldn’t fit there…so it was fixed to some stairs and gaffer taped to the banister. I must admit when I saw it there I thought, well if I was a punk I’d nick that. Well that’ll end up on eBay or his bedroom wall then…yeah well all the Bristol punks have said you little shit if you don’t give it back, we’ll come round and find you, bloody hell so I don’t think he’ll be flogging it ha-ha. Will this tour be going into next year and will you be taking it to the USA and Australia? Looks like it; er… America is defiantly on but Australia and New Zealand I’m not Sure there were murmurs about it. And then that will take up all of next year? Ideally... I'd like to finish this in May but that’s impossible so I’m going to have to finish this at the latest in July. And after that spoken word performances? yeah, but I’ll take some time off first, and that’s what I’ll like to do, I’ll take a year off or something first cos I want to write it, get the visuals for it as I want to do it with a kind of stage set so its more like a drama you’d go and see. Not like just standing up there and doing it and I’ve got to get a band together as well…So is it going to be an acoustic thing? Well no, I’m hoping to have double bass and keyboards Is that a change of musical direction for you? Well…no, well I just want that instead of music, it’ll be like background
music. Something to listen to, maybe I’ll do a couple of songs or something Sounds like its going to be cocktail hour with Steve Ignorant? well…it could be like an audience with Steve Ignorant as I am thinking about opening it up and let people ask questions, and I’m thinking of doing it in little venues like book stores ,or whatever .I saw the interview you did with Penny Rimbaud and John Robb at Blackpool Rebellion. The impression I got was of two mates chatting away but I wanted to ask you what’s your relationship like with the other members of Crass and which one would you punch first? Pete Wright!
Really….I thought there was a problem with Andy Palmer? No, there’s not a problem with Andy. When Crass finished Andy decided he wanted to finish full stop and we said well how do you want to do it? Do you what the royalties or what? He said he’ll have the lump sum. So he brought his Dad down who was a solicitor or something like that, went into see John Loder and they came up with a deal that Andy said he was satisfied with. So what’s really annoying me about Pete Wright is that he’s always been saying since John Loder died that …oh Andy got ripped off by John Loder.I mean kick a dead man why don’t you and Pete has been like `oh Steve are you prepared to give some of your royalties to Andy Palmer ? Like no, cos he made an agreement all those years ago, that he didn’t want anything to do with it. And every time I’ve seen Andy Palmer he’s said `Steve, I’m quite happy the way I am`.Phil Free and Joy have been donating part of their royalties to Andy Palmer so I don’t think its on cos Andy made a deal with his Dad who was a solicitor and well was a little bit shirty about it as well, and that was the deal he made. 30 years later you can’t turn round and say oh no I’ve made the wrong decision there, especially as the bloke who made the deal is dead. He’s not around to defend himself. And that’s the little wind up thing there. Pete is just being so fucking awkward. So is this going to end up in court then? I don’t know, it wouldn’t surprise me. So what are his objections, is this just about the re releases? Yeah, you’ll have to ask him. I tried to ask him, we had to have this meeting in London and I said `look Pete, can we do the re releases` and he said `no`. Can we reissue the stuff as it originally was then `No``Why not``cos I don’t want it to go through Southern .Why? That’s what I said. He said cos Southern isn’t the company it was and Allison isn’t the person she use to be. Well Ok well I’m not prepared for Crass records to go through something like…bloody..one little Indian…so it came to a complete stale mate, and all the way down its no no no no as to why all this has come back you’ll have to ask him. I’ve tried to ask him but I couldn’t work out what the fuck he was on about. Couldn’t this
be resolved by a punch up in a car park? Well yeah that crossed my mind once or twice, but I think if it does go to court or carries on like this, he’s just going to make himself look an arsehole if he hasn’t done away. Well, you’ve released The Feeding Of The 5000 anyway, are you waiting for something to come back? yeah…well I don’t know, maybe he’ll use his cut of royalties from that to take us to court, I don’t know some fucked up thing will go on. I don’t really care to tell you the truth but if it does go that far course of all the things I’ve been hearing about this re release has been so positive. I’ve got a copy of it but I was a bit sceptical when I found out it was being released. I thought I’ve got remastered cds and they still sound the same but having played it, the difference is amazing. It sounds like a powerful, properly produced album, whereas before it was very tinny. Absolutely, which is what I wrote in the sleeve notes cos it never sounded proper to me cos that was the technology we had at the time, and I don’t feel that it’s detracted from it, which was my concern when Pen was doing it. After you did the speaking at Blackpool, I was wandering about and saw a big crowd. I saw you and Penny signing autographs. You looked really uncomfortable, how do you cope with that adulation as people put you on a pedestal and quote you like you changed their life? Well. that I understand , cos its like I met the bloke who wrote Kes or Alan Shillitoe or one of the great writers, it would mean exactly the same thing cos they changed my life and been an inspiration to me. When it gets difficult is like tonight, I’ve got to go down to the merch` stall and stand around and meet people…but its when they start coming over thick and fast, and photographing and all this and its really hard to deal with. I spoke to John Robb about this and he said that you didn’t understand why people wanted your autographs as you’re just normal blokes, but if you didn’t sign autograph they’d think… yeah stuck up bastards Rock stars? Yeah, there you go so it’s easier to do the thing than explain why you’re not. You’ve got your book out now `The Rest is Propaganda`. Have you actually read it? Yeah, of course I have, I wrote it you sod. Yeah but have you actually sat down and read it, now that it’s in print? ah yes .I’ve skipped through it as I’ve read it so many times but yeah I’ve already been through it yeah. Do you fell this is an honest portrayal of the real Steve Ignorant? Yes. Do you feel that people’s perception of you will change after reading it? Will they look at you in a different light? Could do, I don’t know, I think it might strike a few chords with a few people so I don’t know, I really don’t know. I’ve tried to be as honest as possible and not big myself up if you know what I mean .I’ve read Penny Rimbaud’s book `Shibboleth`, have you read that? Yeah. Well bits of it. Can you explain it cos I didn’t understand it? No, I don’t understand it at all. There’s one bit that’s stayed in my mind, when he was in public school and was at church and he use to stick his fingers up his mates’ arses Yeah, yeah, that kind of thing., When you was stage with him I was hoping he’d stick his finger up John Robb’s arse. Ha-ha I have only seen the cover of the book yesterday; I think it’s a strange choice for a cover. Well do you know where the quote `the rest is propaganda` comes from? No oh alright, its from a film called `Saturday night, Sunday morning` and the anti hero in it says erm ya know I’d like to see the bastards grind me down, what I’m out for is a good time , all the rest is propaganda then the film starts. It’s a black and white 1960`s film and the book that the film is made from, the front cover has Albert Finney in bed with a woman, so that arm is actually the arm of Annie Anxiety. The reason I used that picture was, when we
brought out `Best before 1984` it was decided for the one time, any picture of yourself you want to use you can use, so ok, I set up this photo with Annie Anxiety to represent the photo of Finney and that is it.
Has Steve Pottinger actually written for you or did you? Yeah he did basically, but what he would do is bring a tape recorder down and we’d just talk for hours, he’d ask me questions. Then he’d take it all away and write it out, and send me the stuff through on email. Then I’ll read it and say can we take this bit out and he’d say. Well I think it’s better if we have this cos he was never really a Crass fan he was really good to work with cos it’s not all about Crass. Is he an author then? No, the reason I used Steve was cos I met him and he gave me a book of his prose writing and it’s very similar to the way I write, so I thought he’d be a good bloke as he sort of knows what wavelength I’m on. Did you find writing a history of your life therapeutic and why didn’t you get Gary Bushell to co write it? No I didn’t find it therapeutic, it was harder than I thought, it drags up ghosts and things and I didn’t get Gary Bushell to write it cos I’ve read the book he did with Stinky Turner.I could see what Jeff was trying to do there. But I think the way Gary Bushell writes is like the Beano meets The Krays bit like Alf Garnet. In George Berger’s book `The Story Of Crass` it states that you was seriously considering becoming a priest, is that true and do you believe in God ? That’s true, but that was very young when I still school, not a priest, a missionary. I don’t believe in god. It’s a bit of a change now though isn’t it? I know its one of those things you do, what do you want to do? Well I want to be a missionary and help poor starving black people in hot countries ya know like a fucking mug. On reflection do you think that Crass have been over intellectuised, and are you sick of explaining yourself? I think sometimes they’ve been over intellecutised, I think that people try and read too much into it like this picture I’ve been using for The Last Supper with the gun, and there’s been a whole thing about… I’ve seen you’ve explained it, how you was in a play Yeah I was in a play, and there was a picture of me doing that and I thought that’s smart, I’ll just stick the crass symbol on like its shooting Crass at you…erm and I was thinking actually of putting love on it, so the Crass symbol was the O in love, but I didn’t bother with it…and erm..All people have read all different sorts of things into that
Crass influenced not just punk bands but protest groups such as the anarchist’s movement, class war, ALF etc. Did you think you were ever on the brink of changing anything? At one point I thought we might change something, it was when we were flooding the independent with all the records, and other bands started doing the same thing, and at one time Crass were selling more than AC/DC and they were mainstream and I thought actually we can fucking do this….all these punk bands, but it didn’t happen and as soon as the Falklands war started, and after that there was the miners strike and I was like we aren’t going to do it we’re fucked, and I was going I don’t know what else I can do now. What about going more towards direct action? Well. There was talk of that but that wasn’t an area I wanted to go into, that aint my scene. The Crass logo has become an iconic symbol for companies to profit from how do you feel when millionaires such as David Beckham are spotted wearing the bands logo and do you feel exploited? Well it’s been there to be exploited really…we’ve been lazy. There’s 100s of Crass T shirts on eBay and the internet Yeah I know you cant stop it, that’s why I’m doing my own ones now, where you can official ones and you’re getting good quality or whatever, and really its down to the individual make sure. You get on the Southern website or machete cos I do stuff with them as well…erm and all the bootlegs ones. You can’t stop it. What about the David Beckham one it’s a bit of a compliment really for someone like that to be seen wearing the logo Yeah but I don’t think he really knew what it was, its funny cos his image or his name has been copyrighted so it would be interesting to get a T shirt picture of him wearing the Crass T shirt. Are you skint and does punk owe you a living? No, I don’t think that punk owes me a living, I’m not skint at the moment, but I have ran up a tab at my local pub which is about £30 at the moment. Back in the 1980s punk gigs were a battleground of violence and intimidation. Were you ever frightened to go on stage and did you ever fight back? Yeah load a shit wasn’t it. Sometimes I was scared to go onstage but yeah sometimes we thought back. There was a classic one at Reading when the so called British Movement came in and we sent them packing. On the back sleeve of the Merry Crassmas single there’s a spoof crass competition which poked fun at The Exploited. Do you feel that Crass encouraged rivalry and helped divide punk into two separate camps? Maybe I don’t know that wasn’t our intention, it may have been the people that followed us. What turned me off the whole punk thing…cos we called ourselves anarchists, people use to come to our gigs and say..ohh I’m an anarchists, then you’d have these factions like narco feminists, narco pacifists, all
fucking fighting each other then all suddenly having a pop at us, cos I never read any anarchists literature, so what could I know about it. It struck me that it got very religious at one stage It really was, maybe it was our own fault cos we were so serious. But in the end we couldn’t move for being wrong. Steve…are you vegetarian….yeah…do you have milk in your tea…yeah…..bastard…..Steve …..are your shoes leather….yeah, I think so…..bastard. Where have all the anarchists gone? I don’t know probably to the square mile in London, all doing jolly well.
Back in 1983 Crass gate crashed a gig by The Exploited at the 100 Club No we didn’t gate crash it, what that was is that Annie Anxiety was going out with Wattie at the time, she comes back to Dial House and says the Exploited are playing the 100 Club next Monday or something and Wattie wants to know if we could go unannounced and just play. So we said yeah alright then. You played for about 15 minutes, what was it like playing to a hostile crowd? Well I was used to it. So once we started, people knew who we were anyway so it was like wahay…but there was like 4 skinheads trying it on but I couldn’t be arseholed. How did you get on with Wattie? Yeah alright but to be honest The Exploited weren’t my cup of tea. I gave them a fair listen and I watched them onstage….not for me. Sex and violence… yeah whatever. You have done sculptures and you have expressed an interest in the history of music hall. Do you see yourself as a modern day variety performer bearing in mind the singing; Punch n Judy and future spoken word performances? I think so yeah! Cos that’s why when I had the chance to play The Shepherds Bush Empire I was so excited cos all the old musical hall entertainers use to play there. So which performers interest you? There’s a guy called Gus Elen and he’s got a very distinctive voice and the songs that he sings are really cheeky and have all those double entrebres and there’s famous song called the man who broke the bank of Monte Carlo that we use to sing at school. There’s a line in there that’s `you can kiss the girls to make them cry, and see them wink the other eye` and there was another one a song by a woman called Marie Lloyd. She actually got taken to a tribunal over it some of her lyrics was singing about a woman who` tends her own garden. she sits amongst her cabbages and leaks`. You have highlighted the work you do with the lifeboat crew at Sea Palling. It strikes me as something you are proud of and feel quite passionate about. How did you become part of the crew and do you exercise and keep fit? The way I got into it was when I did the Shepherds
Bush Empire I like every gig I do to be a benefit…so I thought who should I give this money to, so I thought I’d give it somewhere where I can see where the money goes, So I decided to donate to the local lifeboat, who aren’t with RNLI but are totally independent. I can show you where the money has gone with these new life jackets, which this year we’ve had 17 call outs and we’ve saved about 9 lives this year so everybody who contributed to that…that’s where its gone. Then they said `do you want to join, come out with crew` and but I said that I couldn’t really commit myself and they said no even if you can give 10 minutes that’s fine. So yeah I've carried on doing it, and here I am crew member number 9. And yeah I do keep fit, before this I’ve been circuit training with a mate of mine who’s a football coach. Sea Palling is small village in Norfolk. Do you think it’s in danger if being invaded by Crass fans eager to meet you? Nah, nah I don’t think so…I don’t think it will, I don’t think that’ll happen….famous last words! What was life really like at Dial House? Gary Bushell viewed Crass as a collective group of miserable middle class hippies Yeah, well he’d know about that being so fucking working class, he started off his career by writing about tractors and Christ knows what. Did Crass have a sense of humour? Yeah of course we did, yeah it came out in a funny way. Penny Rimbaud’s jokes are crap but poor sod, he tries. Dial house was the same as any other house except we all dressed in black it was just a bunch of people living in the same house and it was cheaper to do that. Penny Rimbaud has said that the actual band wasn’t that important it was more about the house …and the people inside the house Oh well, Pen will do loads of things like that, the same way that Pen will say that David Bowie was a load of rubbish and didn’t do anything. You’re a big Bowie fan? Yeah well Bowie did do something he enabled blokes to wear bangles on council estates and not get their heads kicked in. I am not trying to kill you off here, but what inscription would you like on your gravestone and how would you like people to remember you? Well I’m not going to be buried, I want to be burnt and thrown in the River Thames .er..Steve you was alright and that’s your lot. I think it was Spike Milligham who has `I told you I was ill` yeah perhaps I should have `of course they fucking did`. ChRISt – thE SUmmARy. Steve has taken a lot of stick from Crass purists for performing Crass songs live. He is never going to please everyone simply by being Steve Ignorant and expectations are high. I think we have to realise that there is a big distinction of Crass being up onstage and of Steve & friends playing Crass songs. Make no mistake, this is not Crass and never will be. Steve can say what he likes behind his reasons to do what he is doing, but I am sure that you can not ignore the financial incentives behind it. But so what? How many reading this would sell their life’s work for nothing? I do feel that all this ill feeling within the band is discrediting what they did manage to achieve. Steve has thrust himself into the spotlight by publishing his autobiography and he did dry up when I asked him a couple of questions regarding to matters covered in the book. Colin Jerwood from Conflict has since posted a large personal statement on his MySpace page directed at Steve and the allegations he has made against Colin in his book. All this infighting is making a mockery of the bands and people who use to sloganise `Anarchy and Peace and Freedom`.
My Life In Punk by Steve Bonzi Steve Bonzi originally from Aylesbury was one of the original punks from 1977. This is his story and has been written in his own words. Bonzi is still is a regular gig goer and can often be seen lurking in the shadows peddling smut. He is also a punk DJ and a fat bastard. I got into the punk scene at the age of 15 in 1977. You didn’t hear much in the way of punk on the radio except radio edits of the Stranglers, Blondie etc you had to either go to a gig or listen to the John Peel Radio Show late evening to hear punk music. It was hard to buy Never Mind the Bollocks by the Sex Pistols as many shops wouldn’t advertise it because of the title. In Aylesbury we had a record shop called `Earth Records` where you could hear the latest tunes and buy punk records. Punk was always put down by the media. and it was television interviews like Bill Grundy, that at the time shocked the nation, as swearing wasn’t heard of on tv then. LWT had punk documentaries and late night shows like `Revolver` showed punk bands. I met other punks and stayed friends for many years. The older so called punks told me punk was dead in 1978, I saw many of the old punks change and sell their records. I got beaten up by Teddy Boys for wearing a drape jacket with a swastika armband and safety pins around the collar, I was only 15 and these guys must have been in their mid 20s. Punks and Teddy Boys fighting was a regular feature in newspapers, but by the end of 1978 it was no longer an issue. Punks were targets for abuse or a attacks by `trendies` or Nazi skinheads. Punks often fought back but we got fed up with the mentality, that if you weren’t a Nazi you were a Communist. I wasn’t either what with all the Anti Nazi League marches and concerts, many punks I knew just wanted to go to the free gigs, and didn’t give a shit about politics. `Sounds` was my favourite music paper, as it had many band features and let you know where and when bands were playing. I first started going to punk gigs at the age of 15. My first gig was at Friars in Aylesbury. In December 1977 I saw the Ramones .I got into the Ramones at school and some of the lads at school asked me to go to the gig with them. I didn’t know any punks at the time, the ones I did see were older, the atmosphere was brilliant, it was hard to take it all in, I was nervous, and don’t remember too much about it, apart from being there. , there was no trouble and so I carried on going to regular Friars gigs. I must have attended most of the Friars gigs until it closed. My first festival was Reading Festival in 1978, I was 16 years old, I thought the atmosphere was bad, the hippies didn’t like punks, it was the Friday I wanted to stay for, bands like Sham 69 and Penetration, Ultravox with John Foxx playing, there was trouble in the beer tent with skinheads, I didn’t feel safe so went home on the Saturday. I started going to other places like Oxford (Oranges and Lemons pub), High Wycombe (Town Hall) and London for punk bands, in London The Marquee and Music Machine (Camden Town) were my regular venues although there was still problems with Teddy Boys, and Nazi skinheads. Luckily the Teddy boy problem phased out quick. Trendies or Nazi skinheads would wait outside venues in gangs to beat you up. The gigs were great but you always worried what was waiting for you outside. It would only take a dozen Nazi skins to cause trouble and there could be 200 punks running away. When we got older we tended to fight back. I had skinhead mates who loved punk but they were picked on as well. We got into many fights at concerts, although I was there for the love of the music, I wasn’t going to let some twat ruin it. A regular visit down the Kings Road, London on a Saturday always ended up with the SPG (Special Patrol
Group) harassing you, taking away your studded belts, saying they were offensive weapons. The police were always stopping you, many a time I ended up in a cell just because I was a punk. I got beaten up badly by Nazi skinheads down Notting Hill Gate; the police said it’s my own fault, because of the way I dressed. I had no respect for the police. My skinhead friends had problems with the political views as the punk scene changed, many punks got into anarchist bands. They looked like tramps, we called them crusties, they didn’t want to be part of a system, many were on the dole but had rich parents and they lived off them. The anarchists I knew just moaned, and even complained if the buses were late. My pet hate was glue sniffing punks, what was the point going to a gig, paying to get in, and sit with a glue bag acting a twat all night? Punks used to scrounge money off you outside a gig, so they could get in, so comes the phrase ``Have you got 10p? I got into the Oi scene as too many of the punk bands were too political for me, but Oi gigs attracted Nazi skins. I made friends with punks from different towns, and we met up for gigs. Over the years many of the punks changed and stopped going, I ended up going on my own to gigs .Some of the old punks have come out of the woodwork now and started going to gigs again probably due to family commitments. I used to love going down the front at a gig jumping around, but in the early days you got covered in gob as everyone spat at the bands. There were a lot of punk poseurs standing at the back, in case they didn’t get any dirt or rips on their new bondage trousers. The venues were packed full of punks especially The Lyceum in London, nowadays many of the punk bands play small clubs and pubs. The average age you see at gigs are people in their 40s. I think it is a better atmosphere being in smaller venues, but we have been to punk festivals in Europe and they are well worth attending. At the age of 48, I can say I am proud of the many bands that are still playing, and although I saw many of them first time round I love seeing them now. Thanks to the promoters who put the gigs on, as far as I am concerned, punk never died, it may have changed, but it was or is a way of life with the passion for the music. ************************************************************************************************
Bonzi – 1978
Bonzi –2010 Who ate all the punks ?
Interview with the Media Vampire – John Robb John Robb seems to have stuck his nose into every possible crevice in popular culture, from fronting bands such as The Membranes and Goldblade, to radio presenting, interviewing, writing and generally mouthing off on crap television shows. Slowly climbing up the celebrity B list, simply being a John Robb is a fulltime job. So who is this man that the media love so much? Is his ego as big as his gob, or is he really the `goody two shoes` of punk rock? I caught up with the man himself before a Goldblade gig and put these questions to him. I saw The Membranes back in the 1980s & felt that bands like them were moving away from punk to a more alternative scene; don’t you think that with Goldblade you are returning to the more traditional formula of punk? I love both really, I love basic punk but I also love the punk that is twisted and & fucked up as well. We thought The Membranes were a punk band but then it was structured punk, you could be anything. I’m 49 and came out of the first wave of punk and the idea is that it was as different as possible. I like The Fall and bands like that. I categorize The Membranes with the John Peel kind of thing like bands such as Sonic Youth. I watched an old clip on you tube and it seemed such a noise. There are songs in there but when its noisy its dead exciting cos you just keep turning up the more distorted and fucked up sounding. Are The Membranes more significant since they split up? We weren’t that big at the time, we were a cult band, for some people we were really an important band. John Peel liked it. We have reformed, we have done 4 gigs but we aren’t going to tour. If the gigs are full, it’s cool I saw you play in Bedford in the 80s and all I can remember is the band banging bits of metal around. The Legend supported, weren’t they the first band to sign to Creation, they were awful? I remember that gig, about March, April 1985, that’s the worst gig we ever played. They were the first band Creation signed, we were meant to be but McGee couldn’t afford to put our record out so we had to go to this really shit Goth label. Where are the new generation of bands going to come from, we live in the age of celebrity culture where everyone expects instant success? I don’t agree. I think there are more bands around now than there’s ever been. In Manchester now there are about 25 venues in the city centre. When I first moved to Manchester there were only 2 venues. Everyone’s in band now, there’s too many bands. There are bands that come out; The Arctic Monkeys are a generation band. You can’t look at it through punk rock specs. Punk was important cos there was no computers, no computer games no television, nothing to do… but music was the middle of our culture. Whereas now you can play your computer game, you do your band, you do your blog ….There are not many young punk bands coming through, you’ve got the Gallows …but most seem to veer off to the more commercial MTV punk sound. Well it’s a variation, there are some fucked up ones as well. We came out in a different time in the 70s. It was a shit time; everybody was pissed off and bored. Even in a recession there’s still more to do now. Even if they don’t go out they can stay in and fuck
about on the internet. You are a regular raconteur and pundit in today’s media. Don’t you think you are in danger of becoming rentaquote ? I hope so, especially the rent bit. I don’t get paid that much though. You are always on TV, it`s like if I put the TV on at 2 in the morning cos I can’t sleep there’s John Robb popping up again…and that sends me off straight away.. Ha-ha, but you do it wouldn’t you. Its easy isn’t it. I wouldn’t say no to that, but you seem to be the voice of popular culture, why do they put comedians on music shows? They get me on cos they get celebrities on who know nothing about the music; they get me on as the old bloke who’s heard of the bands. You’ve got comedians you’ve never heard of, they’re all neurotic and not funny in real life and can’t tell good stories and know nothing about music. I made programmes for a couple of years and they always insisted on getting a couple of comics in but I said no fuck them. I `d rather have bands on, or people who go to gigs like you. There are a few comics that know their music but its not like musicians can get on programmes and talk about comics and comedy. When you interviewed Nirvana did you have any inclination that they would develop into a huge cult band? No chance. The first interview they ever did, I did it. It was on the phone, I rang up his mum’s house. I just thought they were fucking amazing. Everyone else said they were shit and the worst thing that `Sub pop` had ever signed. That `Sub pop` was over, and I said no he’s a great singer his voice is amazing. I didn’t think they’d get big, but after they got bigger I interviewed them a couple more times, everyone thought they would get as big as Sonic Youth, sell about 50 000 in America, and to be honest if that had happened it wouldn’t have fucked them up. They had a really good sound. And his voice, he really meant it. It’s like John Lennon, its one of them voices that’s really powerful. Obviously.. They have got bigger since his death…Well death always sells. Well if you keel over John the Goldblade stuff will go through the roof. Unfortunately I` m not big enough, you have to be a certain size. I won’t even get a one line obituary, I’ll just disappear. It don’t matter when you’re dead, who gives a shit anyway. Whos been the most difficult person you have interviewed? There are a few people who don’t have a lot to say, I interviewed Ozzy Osbourne once and his wife was doing all the talking and making him say stuff, he didn’t say much but he’s a nice guy. What is the art of securing a good interview am I cheating by writing the questions downt? Just talking to someone and building up a rapport. I never write the questions down. There is no right way of doing it, me
personally I just like talking to someone. I know what I want and I know I will find it just by talking, I don’t like a safety net and I don’t like having a plan. If you know your stuff it helps, and research is easy, just look on the internet. You should be able to interview anybody, its just talking and trying to get on with someone. You have written a variety of books covering a wide range of bands and musical genres, who has been your main musical influence? When did you sell your soul to rock`n`roll? It has got to be punk rock; I liked glam rock before that. I grew up with `Top Of The Pops`, T Rex, Bowie, The Sweet, Mud.. then punk came along and it was amazing. You could do it yourself, you didn’t have to watch Top of the Pops, and you can actually have your own band. Well when you speak to different people from different generations, some say it was Elvis, Bill Hailey, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. That was all before my time, so it has always been punk rock. Well punk was our Elvis. It is the same feeling, it goes through generations, if you speak to someone who is 16 now there’s a band now that has got them into it. It’s more fractured now, its not one band that goes across a whole generation. You once did a punk fanzine, now that music is so accessible via the internet, do you feel that the DIY ethos of fanzine culture has died? No it is on the internet now, its bigger now cos people are blogging all the time. Fanzine were blogs, they were printed blogs. There are still fanzines around but less of them. The spirit of DIY writing is bigger than it ever was. Did you use the fanzine as a stepping stone to write for the music papers, you wrote for ZigZag and that was verging on becoming a more serious magazine? That wasn’t the plan; we wanted to make the fanzine so big that we had our own music paper. Zigzag started in the late 60s as a kind of hippy fanzine. A lot of music journalist have gone onto become broadsheet columnist or popular novelist, who has been the biggest influence in your writing career? Well for writing influences it wasn’t journalist so much, it was fanzines. The best fanzine was `Vague`. Its an amazing fanzine, full of stuff like Situationism , football hooligans, and Apocalypse Now. and you know pre Goth when Southern Death Cult were a punk band, they use to write about Adam & The Ants , Crass, Bauhaus and local bands and they use to go on the road with them and do tour diaries I thought that was a fucking great magazine. It was really laid out, the rest of the magazines were shit really. I actually like that cut and paste and you can’t take Mark Perry out of the equation. When we saw `Sniffing Glue` fanzine we thought fuck we can do this with out writing. Yeah but `Sniffing Glue` looked like it had been done by a ten years old, its all scrawled out. If I did something like that I’d be shot. Yeah but it looks ace though. We had no excuse then as there were no computers to lay it out. Its DIY, that’s the beauty of punk, it didn’t have to be done right, it had to be done that’s all. That’s the revolution of punk, anybody could do it. You have cited The Clash and Crass as major influences, I can hear The Clash in the band, but I can’t hear Crass in there as I think you’ve adopted quite a commercial sound and Crass was anything but that. But it doesn’t have to be more musical does it, but they sell more records so they are more commercial. I love Crass records, we are The Membranes, we are a noisy band. In a lot of ways we should have been on Crass records, that would have made sense. You don’t have to copy a bands music to be influenced by them. There were great bands like Rudimentary Peni, a fucking amazing band, Crass are the best though. Their records were really inventive and they had tunes, quite a lot of the songs are catchy. This year you oversaw the first literature stage at Rebellion; did you consider this a success? Yeah, it went really well, lots of people came and enjoyed it. I got the interviews filmed; I am setting up a website and will put them up on there. What do you think about Rebellion in general, do
you think there should be more variety of bands? I think it is great; it works out about 50 pence per band. There is quite a lot of variety. I am trying to get them to do a reggae stage. Don Letts said he will do it and he’s up for it, he’s a fucking great DJ but also get some bands on as well. The sound is shit though. The sound is always bad, the Olympia is the worse venue to play in. That side of it I would improve get the sound better. The Empress Ballroom is amazing it is such a great venue. I know a lot of stories about that place by growing up in Blackpool. I think it is quite diverse, they have people like Pete Murphy on, you have acoustic stuff, you have all different types of punk from new school to old school. Do you still view Blackpool as a tatty seaside town …it’s a fucking shithole? Yeah it’s got tattler, they have done it up a bit and have put grass down the prom. The centre is run down, the promenade looks great now. Is Darren Russell milking the system? Not really no, he’s taking a hell of a risk. He makes money out of it. I have been round his house; he doesn’t live in a mansion. If that festival sells a thousand less tickets he is fucked. I think that festival has saved the punk scene. Considering all your work as musician, pundit, presenter writer, do you consider yourself an ego maniac? Is there any pie left that John Robb hasn’t already poked his finger in? Well it’s the same as what you do isn’t it. You do a fanzine and write your opinions in it. I like opinions. I hate it when people review stuff and don’t say what they think. Is it being passionate or egomaniac I’m not sure. There’s got to be a bit of ego mania about it as you are in the public eye… Its still the same process isn’t it, whether it’s a 100 fanzines or appearing on a cheap running TV programme. Its still sitting down saying what you think. We have all seen Goldblade quite a few times, without being critical of you, within punk circles the popular consensus is, that if you have seen one Goldblade show you’ve seen them all. Yeah but every band does the same thing. It’s not choreographed, its not worked out. It’s like Charlie Harper getting up and playing for the UK Subs.
At the Birmingham gig you said `oh I don’t care if you don’t buy my records or read my books`, how many copies has Punk Rock – A Oral History` sold? I am not that bothered, that’s sold about 18 000 copies. `Death To Trad Rock` has sold about 1300, I am surprised that it sold over a thousand as it’s a pretty obscure book. If Goldblade were a football team what division would you be in? The Championship. We are not the Premier League, we’re not a multi million pounds. We all support little teams, I support Blackpool, we are on the outside looking in. We are a bit like them when we do a support gig, It’s a bit like Blackpool playing at Chelsea. I have some quick yes and no questions now, do you
take drugs? No. Have you ever worn ladies underwear? No. Are you vain? Yes. Is punk dead? No. Have you ever said `Do you know who I am `? No. Can you speak French? No. Do you have children? No. Have you ever been arrested? Yes. Has this been a good interview? Yes. Do you lie? No. Do you eat meat? No. Have you ever voted Conservative? No. Do you believe in God? No. Is Jake Burns fat? No. Did you meet John Peel? Yes. Are you rich? No. Have you ever been sacked? No. Are you gay? No. Are you happy? Yes. Is there life after death? No. Is there life after Goldblade? Yes. Do you have a tattoo? No. Can I have a free book? No, ha-ha, yeah you can which one do you want. I have spoken to many a musician over the years, but I don’t think any can match John Robb for sheer passion and enthusiasm. He is the human dynamo of modern day music culture and his relentless commitment to his art is commendable. Blessed with Einsteins`brain of musical knowledge, Mr Robb’s energy and drive is infectious. At 49, John shows no sign of slowing down, he’s just like that bloody Duracell Bunny Rabbit banging his drum whilst all the others have stopped or fallen over. John Robb is an annoyingly nice bloke, it’s just a shame that his bands are shit. (Only kidding John)
John Robb as vain as fuck
Banging his drum
Banging his pen.
www.goldblade.com www.myspace..com/goldblade If anyone would like a PDF version of the first issue of this fanzine, email me at – musicisloud@hotmail.co.uk Its shite….but hey…at least it’s free shit.
Literature – Book Reviews It was all there in black and white but I never learned to read & write. Book Review, Kris Needs – Needs Must Kris Needs is a British music journalists and author and is probably better known as being editor of the Zigzag magazine in the 70`s. This is his autobiographical tale of his life within the murky world of sex, drugs, and rock`n`roll. Kris fronted Aylesbury punk band The Vice Creams and, in fact The Clash were the backing band on one of their singles. The familiar theme to this story is that Kris is forever jumping ship from one movement to the next. He unashamedly rides on the coat tails of his more famous chums. This story is a self indulgent tale of excess. Kris would love just to crawl up Keith Richards’s sphincter and cuddle up to his hero’s liver. This was an interesting read for a while, but really it is Kris Needs love affair with hanging around with famous musicians that I found nauseating. Book Review, Ozzy Osbourne – I Am Ozzy Obviously not the most imaginative of book titles but I suppose when your brain is as pickled as Mr Osborne’s then it’s easier to opt for the safer option. Of course many of the tales that appear here have now gone down in the folklore of rock history. I am already familiar with many of these stories – such as the formation of Black Sabbath, their rise to success and fame, subsequent fall out and split, biting the head off a bat, being banged up for strangling his wife and more recently his quad bike accident. The bloke of course is a complete prick. This book reads like a comedy of errors and is in fact a very funny book to read. There are some hilarious moments in here that will have you chuckling away in disbelief at his idiotic antics. But also there are some more heartbreaking and personal moments covering the death of guitar maestro Randy Rhoads, and his wife’s battle with cancer. Ozzy though is a complete numb nuts and I find stories about his frequent abuse and neglect of animals hard to stomach. It isn’t funny and it certainly isn’t fucking clever. If he is as sorry as he claims, then he is should donate all the proceeds from this book to animal charities. That aside, this is an amusing tale of shenanigans that will have you pissing yourself with laughter. The bloke is a buffoon of epic proportions.
Literature – Book Reviews Steve Ignorant (with Steve Pottinger) - The Rest Is Propaganda Reviewed By P.J Peanutz. I was and still am a fan of the band Crass. I bought all of their records at the time as well as all the bands associated with them. I only got to see them live once (1979 in Birmingham) but caught three of Steve's more recent shows performing Crass material in London, Durham and Birmingham. When I heard he had his autobiography coming out I was really looking forward to it. By all accounts of those that have met him Steve is a good bloke and this is a good book at a good price! I found this to be one of those books you can't put down until you've read it all. Even if you didn't like the band Crass I think you would still enjoy this book. Steve writes in a very honest and straightforward way. There's a lot of humour in there too. I don't want to give too much away as it would spoil it but in here you will find mention of characters like, Punch & Judy, The Clash, and Poison Girls. There's Japan, USA, Europe, Argentina. Dagenham, Conflict, betrayal, death, violence, depression, etc. Nicely illustrated too with early pictures of family, the Crass years and right through to recent times. You can find out about growing up in the 60's and 70's, firms, school, work, football, Dial House, politics, fans. Also why later bands Schwarzenegger and Stratford Mercenaries folded and why the name Colin is muck! There is a different perspective on this book which has been reviewed elsewhere in this fanzine. Book Review, Auschwitz, The Nazis And The Final Solution- Laurence Rees Having recently read Ben Shepherds book on the liberation of Belson I wanted to educate myself further on the atrocities that was committed within these camps. This is a riveting account of the systematic death of millions of innocent victims. The book contains testimonies from bystanders, perpetrators and victims, and covers the birth and development of Auschwitz right through to its final days. It is important that we educate ourselves and our children to the true horror and inhumanity of the Nazi ideology. This book brings the Holocaust into the comfort of your own front room. It details appalling and disturbing stories of suffering, pain, and inhumanity. We all must learn from history and ensure that this never happens again. Everyone should read this book, we can not turn our backs, and we can not forget. If anyone would like to contribute to this fanzine, be it a review or a really bad joke. Please email me your effort to me at – musicisloud@hotmail.co.uk For a large list of punk dvd and cd bootlegs (over 1000) email me at the above address.
alternative ulster Okay, not the most imaginative title but I like to keep things simple. What follows is a comprehensive article on Ulster punk by Brian Young. For those that do not know Brian fronted the band that time forgot –RUDI. He also sings for Shame Academy , The Sabrejets and has been asked to play with The Outcasts. (I am not sure if that was meant to be a secret, but if it was…well it isn’t now). Thanks to Brian whose arm must be slightly sore from the amount of twisting I did for securing his input.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ULSTER PUNK ALMOST 35 YEARS ON… OK – your humble editor asked me to scribble a few lines about Ulster punk. Rather than rehash stories you’ve heard a dozen times before I’ve decided to give ya a quick update on what many of the movers and shakers from those halcyon days have been up to. To the uninitiated or anyone that hasn’t a clue what I’m talking about, I’ll pause briefly to recommend the book ‘It Makes You want To Spit’ written by Sean O’Neill and Guy Trelford. Published a couple of years back by Reekus Books this mighty tome documents the entire Ulster punk explosion in glorious, eye watering detail. Anyone who thought that all there was to NI punk were SLF and the Undertones is in for a real eye-opener! Personally, I’ll argue anytime that Ulster punk really was the best in the world .As all those scratchy ol’ 45’s prove, most all of the bands here had something that made them a little bit special. They were much younger, much fresher, more willing to take risks and much more exciting than all the big name punk bands I saw later on in England. See, we believed it and lived it! Face it - most English bands were simply aging ex hippy bandwagon jumpers who used punk as a handy marketing ploy. Offstage they were stuck up drug addled wanna be rawkstars every bit as ego ridden and standoffish as the old farts they claimed to despise. We met almost all the so called big names and what a bunch of posing phonies they turned out to be! In stark contrast to the stereotypical image of jaded nihilism and self destructive negativity of punk elsewhere, NI punk was largely positive and constructive, rooted in the whole DIY ethic and promoting a fierce local pride and self confidence. In practical terms it actually kept me and many others out of trouble by encouraging you to think (and do) for yourself and not swallow the mindless crap that you'd previously taken for granted. Perhaps unwittingly too, punk did bring some young people together here for the first time, their love of music
crossing religious barriers and class divisions. It’s no coincidence either that many Ulster punk lyrics were resolutely intelligent, informed and positive, unlike the hackneyed gibberish spewed out by far too many highly rated major (label) punk icons. So punk may (or may not) be long dead - but it's reassuring that many people here learned valuable lessons from their punk days which they still put to good use. Foremost amongst these remains that DIY ethic and that legacy is exciting and relevant today as it ever was -as you’ll discover in the following paragraphs. Still, I guess for most folks outside Ulster it was the music, championed by that the likes of John Peel, Mike Read and Kid Jensen that first made ya sit up and take notice. Like everywhere else all the name bands here had imploded by the early 80s. Punk had degenerated into a clichéd parody of itself and even the bigger names like SLF and the Undertones couldn’t give their records away. Unsurprisingly, many ex punk rockers here flirted unsuccessfully with different genres, but by the mid 80s most had hung up their guitars – at least temporarily! However, as the years passed and baby boomer punk nostalgia started to kick in with dubious 10, 20 and 25 and year anniversaries the promise of a fast buck lured some musicians back onto the stage. Always quick off the mark, SLF reformed several times down the years with varying degrees of success. Jake Burns still fronts a very popular, proficient and profitable line up to this day, now with Ali McMordie back on bass too. However, many SLF diehards have never forgiven Burns for sacking Henry Cluney ignominiously from the band he founded. Though Henry moved to the USA some years back, where he plays in local hard rock bands, he did return to the UK last year where he performed acoustic versions of SLF faves on tour with the Damned and The Alarm. Local man about town, skinsman Jimmy Reilly still drums with various ex Starjets on ad adhoc basis round the pub and clubs of Belfast and every once in a while resurrects his ‘Little Fingers’ SLF tribute band – much to the chagrin of the aforementioned Mr Burns !
After the Undertones folded motor mouth vocalist Feargal Sharkey had huge international success with his cloyingly irritating ‘Good Heart’ 45 which is still a staple of AOR daytime radio (and is still shite – ed) Sharkey continually rejected all entreaties to rejoin his former colleagues and is now highly paid CEO/top man for
the Performing Rights Society in London! Although brothers Dee and Sean O’Neill
had a good run through the 90s with the highly rated ‘That Petrol Emotion’, the other ex Tones were less fortunate making little impact in such forgotten combos as The Carrelines and the Hickeys. Somewhat inevitably, the Undertones finally hit the reformation trail with new front man Paul McAloon sounding remarkably like Sharkey. Tighter than ever, they still tour regularly and as well as repackaging their back catalogue relentlessly, they have released 2 new CDs which are both well worth checking out. That Petrol Emotion also performed some well received reunion gigs last year! The other ‘big two’ bands of N.I punk RUDI and The Outcasts fared similarly. RUDI split when the Jamming! Label folded just as we were about to break real big. However after the adventurous punk funk experiment Station Superheaven! Folded, though getting more record company money on the table in 6 months than RUDI had in 6 years, Ronnie and Grimmy hung up their guitars for good. I’d done the same, but after self publishing a Marc Bolan Tribute book ‘Automatic Shoes’ in the mid 80’s I started writing again and after close shaves with roots rockers The Tigersharks and The Roughnecks I finally hit pay dirt in the early 90’s playing two fisted self penned rockabilly with Belfast’s greaser kings The Sabrejets. We've unleashed a heap of rockin’ slop on vinyl and CD and built up an envious live reputation with gigs all over Europe. We’ve just recorded a new CD and are putting the finishing touches to another ‘Best Of’ CD – both of which will be released by Raucous Records early next year.
Most surprising of all, the ‘Spit’ book launch saw yours truly, Greg Cowan from the Outcasts and Petesy Burns from anarcho punk pioneers Stalag 17 take to the stage under the moniker ‘Shame Academy’ to play a set largely made up from old RUDI and Outcasts songs to a packed crowd. Though intended strictly as a one off, the demand was overwhelming and we ended up releasing a CD on French label Combat Rock and touring as far afield as Italy and Spain, whilst also playing two memorable slots at Rebellion. The Outcasts released records on It Records, Good Vibrations, New Rose, Outcasts Only (their own label), Anagram and many others and though hugely popular at home and in France never made the breakthrough everyone expected. They never really recovered from the death of founder member Colin in 1982 and split in 1985. Greg and Martin Cowan then put together a synth punk band called 'A Time To Pray' with guitarist Colin 'Getty' Getgood but only played a couple of gigs before folding in 86 .Greg retired from music until Sean O'Neill asked him to play at the Spit book launch which led to the formation of Shame Academy. Hot news is that the Outcasts finally agreed to reform for a
handful of gigs next year including a slot at Rebellion. Catch 'em while you can!
Perhaps predictably, the Spit book launch and related activity brought several old bands out of the wood work! Ruefrex had threatened to reform several times but finally made it back onstage with most of the original line up and a handful of very promising new songs. Sadly, nothing more appears to have come of this, probably as lyricist Paul Burgess now lives in Cork where he is a University lecturer! Stalag 17 also reformed recently and will be sharing a stage with Steve Ignorant here in November. Bassist / vocalist Petesy Burns has been a central figure in the local scene through his work with Giros / Warzone and has played in literally dozens of bands down the years.. Not content with playing for both Shame Academy and the newly reformed Outcasts, Petesy also found time to stage and produce the popular sex change musical ‘Hedwig And The Angry Inch’ as part of local Arts festivals. Various ex Starjets went on to chart success with the Adventures who were managed by the X Factor’s Simon Cowell (!!) Singer Terry Sharpe and guitarist Pat Gribben played for years in local covers outfit ‘the Dead Handsomes’ but reformed the Adventures for a handful of low key gigs last year. Pat also works with Van Morrison and has co written a musical based on the life of Belfast’s favourite wayward son George Best!
Early 80s punks the Defects have reformed and split several times down the years. They seem to have buried the hatchet at last and have played several well received gigs recently, including a slot at last years Rebellion. Singer Buck still fronts popular local ska act Doghouse and drummer Glen Kingsmore, who is a pretty nifty songwriter, also plays in reformed hard rockers Ashanti and Take the Fifth. Again a new album is rumoured to be in the offing. Though Belfast now has four record shops where there used to be hundreds, Gary Fahy of Dragon Records is putting his money where his mouth is by starting up his own label. First release is to be live /demos recordings by the aforementioned Defects and future plans include releases of vintage material from both the Outcasts and RUDI. Sean O’Neill, co author of the ‘Spit’ book is also about to enter the vinyl fray with a debut full length album by the Outcasts containing two sets recorded in France in 1983 /1984. N.I. punk’s most famous record shop/label was of course Terri Hooley’s legendary Good Vibrations. Despite several setbacks during the past decades, including being declared bankrupt and the destruction of his shop ‘Cathedral Records’ by arsonists, Terri never ever stands still, always bounces back and has now become a veritable national treasure! Benefit gigs by Shame Academy/The Undertones enabled him to open a new shop 'Phoenix Records' after 'Cathedral Records' was destroyed. Another benefit celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the release of Good Vibrations
Big Time by RUDI which again featured both the Undertones and Shame Academy
then provided enough for Terri to move to new larger premises in Winetavern Street which he has rather fittingly christened ‘Good Vibes’. Now in his 60s Terri is as infuriatingly compulsive, weirded out and tirelessly enthusiastic as ever. His autobiography ‘Hooleygan’ has just been published by Blackstaff Books and is essential reading! Apparently Terri is convinced that The Undertones will one day record once more for the Good Vibrations label! Watch this space! Stranger things have happened! Be warned too that a film is being made next year entitled 'Good Vibrations' telling 'The story of Terri Hooley, Belfast's punk godfather, and the Good Vibrations record shop’. It’s being made via Film 4 and is being directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa & Glenn Leyburn whose last film 'Cherrybomb' starring Rupert Grint (of Harry Potter fame!), James Nesbitt (and a cameo from The Sabrejets!) has just come out on DVD! A 5 minute trailer was shot and shown locally last year and mighty impressive it was too! Kinda surreal to three guys playing 'RUDI' in a mock up of the Pound Club though! As an aside, though the local media resolutely shunned or ridiculed NI punk back in the day and still continues to ignore contemporary punk acts, it's kinda weird that they have recently embraced vintage punk as part of our 'shared history' with local rag the Belfast Telegraph choosing 'Teenage Kicks' as the most significant musical moment of the last 50 years! Terri and the Good Vibrations label were number 11 with SLF's Alternative Ulster scraping in at 47! All very ironic and kinda unsettling! Speaking of writers, prolific local novelist Colin Bateman (now just ‘Bateman’ apparently!) goes from strength to strength. The first gig Colin saw was RUDI’s McMordie Hall gig back in January 78 (the one where the Buzzcocks never turned up!) and he’s never been the same since! Colin used to write a music column in his local paper and managed several punk bands. His novel ‘Driving Big Davie’ is dedicated to ‘The Clash, Rudi and the portly punks of '77' and his proudest claim to fame is that Joe Strummer wrote a song just for him for the film ‘Divorcing jack’. Sadly the producers opted to use a song by the Nolans instead! Typical! Many of the ex fanzine scribes continue to write for various publications today, most notably AU’s Gavin Martin. CS Control’s Nick Parks, better known as Mr Puke, followed a different calling and is now pastor of his own church in Drogheda! Ex Shock Treatment vocalist Barry McIlhenny became head honcho at Empire magazine and is now a veritable media mogul!. Meanwhile Henry McDonald has become one of NI’s most insightful political commentators and has written several books including ‘Colours: Ireland From Bombs To Boom’ which includes material on his life as a teenage punk rocker. Ex ACME /Troubleshooters singer/bassist and NME journalist Stuart Bailie is the man behind the ‘Oh Yeah’ centre in Gordon Street. This is a one stop musical resource/hub with rehearsal rooms, a recording studio, a live venue and an ever-expanding display celebrating Ulster’s musical heritage. Natch it’s got plenty of punk memorabilia and is well worth a visit. On a sadder note many of the folks who made life more exciting back in the day are no longer with us. Special mention goes out to Bill Guiney, a real larger than life character who lost his battle with cancer a while back. I first met the Guin over 30 years ago when he drummed (briefly) for the Idiots and he was truly a one off. Phew!.....that’s all I can think of for now - and that’s probably not the half of it! If I’ve
piqued your curiosity you can catch up on what most all of the above are up to via
various online websites. Though most of the early punk platters are increasingly hard to come by, many have been reissued in the last decade via the likes of Captain Oi, Anagram, Last Year’s Youth, Rave Up, Wizzard In Vinyl. Special mention goes to New York based Sing Sing Records who have released a slew of rare NI punk on vinyl – most recently the legendary lost Protex album! Natch there are a zillion under the counter CDs, albums and bootleg DVDS also readily available – and many of the rarest releases can be located for download on various blogs, whilst much of the previously hard to find TV and film footage (such as the Belfast edition of BBC's renowned Something Else featuring RUDI amongst others) has turned up via Youtube. Amazingly, many recordings and much archive footage thought to have been lost have resurfaced in recent years, including both the Moondogs and Protex albums and even the much ridiculed UTV documentary It makes You Want To Spit from 1978 which gave the book and label it’s name all these years later. Who woulda thunk it! Happy hunting! Brian Young (Rudi)
Gig Flyer
Rudi Group Photo 1979
Ulster Punk Book
The Warriors were formed in 1981 by vocalist Saxby out of the remnants of The Last Resort. Since then the band have split up and reformed several times and have recorded several albums, the last being `Unite the Scene`. Recently the band has recruited a new guitarist in Andy H, and they are currently gigging on a regular basis and working on a new album. The current line up is Saxby on vocals, Russ – bass, Andy H – guitar, Luke – guitar and Chris on drums. The band embodies the working class spirit of urban rock`n`roll by playing catchy street punk with sing-along choruses. I interviewed Saxby and Russ before a gig in Bedford. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Do you think that band is living in the shadow of The Last Resort, and have you created your own identity? Saxby -Yes we have created our own identity Russ - And we are not living in the shadow of The Last Resort. Saxby –Yeah we play a couple of their songs Russ - That’s cos he wrote them. Saxby –People still want to hear it…we don’t do too many, were gradually working them out Russ - Is that why we’re doing another one? Saxby – Two of them The Last Resort don’t do anymore, they don’t do` £8 a week` which was never a Last Resort song anyway and they don’t do `Johnny Barden` and they do `Working Class Kids`.. but we do it the original way In the 1980s gig were a recruiting ground for the far right, what do you think of groups such as the NF and BNP trying to infiltrate the punk movement? Russ - They can get their own fucking movement. Saxby - Well that what happened back in the day, but it was `skinhead by numbers`. Some young kids thought yeah I’ll get my haircut, get some boots and I’ll become a member of the NF. It started at the football grounds, I was a kind of baby skinhead, I was one in 1971 so I knew it wasn’t about that. How bad was the violence at gigs in the 1980s and are there any incidents that stand out? Saxby - Well there was Southall where the pub got burnt down, I didn’t go but my wife did and it got petrol bombed. The worst one I went to was at Acklam Hall where Infa Riot were meant to headline but they didn’t get to play.. That was cos of local soul boys thought the East End was invading their turf. Russ - The worst one I went to was Canterbury where it was South London against North London. Saxby - All the East London and South London ones were ok, it was when The Resort played west London or elsewhere. The last one they did was somewhere like Kings Lynn and some kid got stabbed and the band got blamed .They thought that’s the end of that and just gave up and we started calling ourselves The Warriors. Are your lyrics written about your own personal experiences? Saxby - Yeah, generally speaking, there’s a few we made up, there’s a couple we’ve changed like this one called `John Fila`. Its about a guy I know, he’s a lovely guy. But he just lies, he’s a bit of a drug dealer and bit of a football hooligan but he just lies all the fucking time. So I made it an imaginary one and embrodied it a bit. It’s loosely based around the bloke. Russ - it’s about any idiot your likely to meet in the pub any
night of the week just a bullshitter. Your last album was called `Unite The Scene`, what scene are you trying to unite? Saxby - Well once upon a time it was `I’m an oi band` or `I’m a punk band ` kind of thing but like today there’s not many of us left so I’m saying we should all stick together Russ – It’s not just about the Oi scene its about people who just like listening to the same type of music Saxby - I never used to like` hardcore` or `psychobilly`…I missed all of that, when` psychobilly` come along I was married so I got it in retrospect. What kind of excuse is that ? I was married so I could`nt listen to Psychobilly? Russ - Ha-ha marriage and `psychobilly` don’t go together Saxby - Ok I didn’t go to gig for about 8 years, bands like The Misfits, I know fuck all about cos they came when I wasn’t going to gigs Russ - The thing is at the end of the day we all listen to similar music, they won’t come and see us cos `you’re a bunch of Skinheads` `we wont and go and see them cos they’re a bunch of rockabillys , why the fucking hell can’t they? I put some gigs on where you had a `skinhead` bank, an `anarcho`punk, band a normal punk band, a `psychobilly` band you know `Unite The Scene`. We’ve all got the same kind of attitude. Saxby - We’re all punk just a slightly different version, its all alternative. I was reading through the lyric sheets on the album and considering your stance on drug dealers, political extremism and violence; do you think you are a band of a certain moral standard? Saxby - Ha-ha yeah I didn’t get where I am today by taking drugs. What I don’t like is people who take drugs and think they are fucking tough they have had a bit of Charlie…and it gets them a bit of Dutch courage, normally they would `not say boo to a goose You pay tribute to Joe Strummer in the song `The future is unwritten`, how big a loss was he to the punk world? Russ - massive ….did the news of his death make you question your own mortality? Saxby - Yeah, well I’m 52 now, when he died I was about 45... Russ - The one that got me was Stig from the Icons of Filth cos he was exactly the same age as me…that really got me Saxby- Well if you can get past 50 you’re laughing, Charlie Harper is 66, Jet Black is 73, they’re going to live forever. You have to get past 50 first. Considering the age of the band shouldn’t you be at home tonight watching the X Factor? Saxby - My Mrs made me watch the X Factor the other week, she knows I fucking hate it, she said ah you got to watch this one they’re shit and I thought aw you cunt, you made me watch it and I hate it….but she got me into it. People are staying away from gigs and live music cos they’re sitting in front of their TV.. Russ - No they’re sitting in front of their X Boxes. The X box is the new gigging unfortunately for the youngsters. When are you going to sue Lonsdale for stealing your logo? Saxby/ Russ - Ha-ha erm pass. You`ve played with a great variety of bands over the years, is there any bands that you would refuse to play with? Saxby - Yeah, there’s a few, I wouldn’t play with no Nazi bands. Would you play with metal or reggae bands? Saxby - Yeah that’s no problem, I don’t know how well we would go down Russ - We’ve played a gig with a `skiffle` band and borrowed their drum kit which was quite interesting. You played recently with TV Smith... Saxby - Yeah he did an acoustic, we came on and played really well, and he had to go on stage on his own, and he said `God I’ve got to go on after that`. Russ - Yeah and he did a very good job as it happens. You have recently recruited a new guitarist, what is he going to bring to the band? Russ - lyrics Saxby - He wrote the song `England. ` We have recorded two new songs and a Blitz tribute song. We’ve penned in to get in the studio; we’ve got loads of lyrics and tunes. Our new single called `England is out in November, it’s a split single with Booze & Glory Will you still be doing this in 5 or 6 years time? Russ - I fucking hope so, I want to play till I die. Saxby - Yeah, if Charlie Harper can do it when he’s 66 then so can I.
So what’s your long term future then ? Saxby - World Domination. Russ - Play, get pissed, fall over, record songs then do it all over again. I know you are a Westham supporter were you involved with the ICF or Bill Gardener Crew or anything like that? Saxby - I know Bill Gardener and Cass Pennant to say hello to but they don’t really know who I am. I was a little hooligan. What about the Cockney Rejects, did you hang around with them? Saxby - I didn’t go around with them but I did see Vinnie the old bass player. He was a proper hooligan he was always up there, I don’t know about the other two. He was in that Hooligan TV programme. With Westham you had the `ICF` who were like the elite, and then you had the `Under 5s`, we were just in the main mob who got stopped by the police, we were just the normal crowd. We have a fight, they’d be like the `SAS` and we’d be like the infantry. The `Under 5s` were like the commandos, we were just like the ones who came along last. Sham 69 really brought it from the terraces to the music world and then the Cockney Rejects got involved Russ - Shame; they should have left it to the terraces really. What do you think about the punk scene at the moment, we go to Rebellion every year and everyone is getting older and older? Saxby -Yeah I noticed that this year, `Rebellion` is only going to do ok when there’s someone like Cock Sparrer to put bums on seats but this year it was very American. Russ The New York Dolls were awful. Saxby –We played this year but only stayed for 2 days. Where we played the sound was shit, we played the Olympia that’s got the worst sound. When we played it was loud, I had to walk away from the monitors. Russ - The sound on stage was awful Saxby - but we sold £900 of merchandise Russ - In 5 seconds flat. Saxby - We had a really good crowd though. Street punk bands seem to attract an audience .Saxby - The band that never really made it but are now huge are Cock Sparrer cos all their songs are similar and you can sing along to it, they are very poppy but are very good. They have kind of made it by accident. They are huge in Europe that could be you one day Russ - No the only thing we’ll have huge in Europe will be our beer guts!!!! Saxby
Russ
The Warriors holding in their beer guts!!
www.thewarriorsengland.co.uk www.myspace.com/thewarriorsengland
I first saw The Drongos at the 100 Club back in the early `80s. The Exploited were meant to be headlining that day but Big Jon (Exploited) had just thrown his guitar out of his pram and had left the band, which meant that The Drongos topped the bill. DFE were a somewhat poppier band back then and had released some classic punk singles such as The Adverse Chorus EP, Deaths A Career and Eternity. Formed in 1979 and hailing from Birmingham, the band suffered when their label Tempest Records went bust leaving them neck deep in the brown, smelly stuff. The band folded only to resurface again with a more distinct, aggressive, hardcore punk sound. They have since released several albums and have developed into a popular band on the punk circuit. The line up is – Tommy /Vocals, Dek / Bass, Ohmsy / Guitar, Danny / Drums. These questions were answered by Dek. I have added some pictures for Tommy’s benefit (He was too lazy to answer the questions by the way) What motivates the band to keep going when turn out at punk gigs seems to be decline? DEK - MY TELLY'S BROKE! Besides it always goes in cycles, we're in a down part of the cycle right now, but it will get better like it has done on and off these past 30 years .Do you feel that the annual Rebellion festival has contributed to lower gig attendances throughout the rest of the year? The stay ways can then see the majority of bands over just one wk end in one venue, rather than travel around to see the bands throughout the year. DEK, you know what I never thought of it until you asked, it's made me think, it could be a factor, plus loads of us have kicked the bucket or are in jail. But the Drongos are one of the few bands from the early days who are still good looking and attract a female crowd and even younger kids, but most old punk bands look like extras from the Adams family and should be locked away in asylums or cellars. I think another problem is the way some promoters promote gigs and bands as if they were selling them in the pound shop! 20 bands at an all dayer is fucking ridiculous, loads of bands don't get paid except the headliners who end up playing at 3 in the morning. I spend a lot of time in Berlin and most shows are just two to 3 at the most bands, and music in between and it works and is a nice night out instead of a fucking endurance test that some promoters and most punks picnics end up putting on. Promoters need to show some respect to the bands and the people who come to watch, it may work at the Winter Gardens cos it has space and different bars and places to sit and eat, but not in little pubs, no fucking way! What actually is a `Drongo`? Is it housed trained and would it make a good pet? DEK -A Drongo is some kind of bird who will shit on your windscreen. Band members will also shit on your windscreen given the chance. Tommy would make a good pet, but I didn't like wearing a dog collar and walking around on a leash, and she made me pay too!! Unusually I first heard
DFE on Radio 1 (playing Hope and Glory) The band then released two singles `Deaths a Career` and `Eternity` on Tempest label but then the label went bust. What affect did this have on the band as DFE seemed to drop off the radar after this? DEK - The truth is this, the Drongos were some of the first punks in Brum to have their own flats, so everyone who liked to party, get fucked up or just fuck ended up at the Drongos flat. (we also rehearsed downstairs in the cellar) so the Drongos ended up getting too fucked up to accomplish anything useful except spend nights in jail, in one case be committed, sniff glue, go to the clap clinic, or in my case get married which was far worse because she won't leave me! GBH on the other hand were swots and got signed up and went on to become one of the biggest (and most real) punk bands on the planet. We share our practice room with them and find comfort in the fact that we are better looking by far. Do you feel that the band reinvented itself when it reformed, as the band seemed to adopt a more aggressive, faster delivery than before? DEK - We were determined not to be a nostalgia band, we still go to punk gigs, small underground gigs, we put gigs on, we're still punks and we mean it man, plus I'm still angry cos my Telly is still broke! There's nothing worse than watching those fat old cobweb covered bunch shits at Rebellion who only reform to play there for the money. We will play anywhere for the money not just Rebellion Ha-Ha I was walking around the Bull Ring in Birmingham a few weeks back and could not fail to notice how overweight the Brummies are. What would Dr Drongo prescribe to get the Brummie lard arses into better shape? DEK they were tourists from Manchester that you saw, Brummies are all gorgeous like us. Dr Drongo prescribes punk rock!
Can you describe what the punk scene was like in its heyday in Birmingham and how does it compare to the scene today? DEK -The Punk scene in Birmingham back right from day one was really good, really cool and very big, we had the likes of Boy George move up here to hang around with real cool people like the Drongos and GBH, Martin Degville was an early face, Ranking Roger used to DJ at our punk bar the Crown Pub, the Pistols and every other great early punk band played at Barbarellas, we had our own great bands and the scene was great right into the early eighties when it went tits up with Mods and New Romantics. But there was a hardcore of punks from the early eighties and some even before, who stuck around and are still here. We didn't really have too many skinheads here, but they were the usual bullying shits to kids on their own but not to the punk faces. The skinheads were the kids who's Mums wouldn't let them be punks and now who's Wives won't let them be punks. Birmingham is a Punk Rock city! We have a good strong scene here now, and if people know about a gig and its advertised well and in a good venue, numbers will show up. We get 350 -500 at our regular Christmas gigs here. Does the band support the DIY fanzine and if so, why didn’t Tommy buy a copy off me at Blackpool? DEK -Tommy can't read. I'm an avid zine buyer, I got hundreds and some in foreign languages
that I can't even read, but I look at the pictures and show Tommy the pictures too. The Lyrics to `Who The Fuck Are You ` seems to be directed at certain quarters of the punk scene. Who is this song about and do you still believe in the punk monster? DEK -I wrote that about the punk police or punk fundamentalists who are making rules up for people who don't like rules. Fucking hell, my heroes were Johnny Thunders, Stiv Bators, Sid Vicious as well as Strummer and Lydon, I'm not having some crusty fuckwhit who's from a middle class background telling me I can't eat a Pukka Pie, FUCK OFF! Birmingham city have now established themselves as a Premiership side, if the Drongos were a football team, where would you be in the table…..and who would be the star player? DEK- we're the number one band in the country, what a fucking silly question! Who the fuck are you? anyway, we like Women’s Beach Volleyball it's a real mans game, not into watching young lads running around in shorts falling over and crying, Ultras my arse! Star player? I'll say Tommy cos he's the founding member and been in the band since day one, I joined in 1982, I think all the others will say I'm the star player but I'm far too modest to say so. I saw a few photos of the band pictured with Lars Frederkison. Is he a fan of the band and what do you feel about bands such as Rancid and Green Day being so popular with younger audiences? DEK -Lars is a big fan of mine so we let him hang around with us, my Wife is very fond of him too. I like Rancid, Green Days American Idiot was intelligent and got messages across to an audience we can't reach, I don't have strong opinions on pop punk bands really, if you don't like it don't listen, but the Drongos are far better looking than both those bands. For anyone who is not familiar (shame on you) with the DFE, sum up the band in one sentence? DEK - Think Ruts crossed with the Stooges but better looking than both. Anything else you would like to add? DEK - Support your local punk scene, there are hundreds of great punk bands in every town.
Dek Drongo – Bass
Tommy Drongo – Vocals
Ohmsy Drongo-Guitar
www.myspace.com/drongosforeurope
Punk roCk in GlasGow Well we can’t start the punk scene in Glasgow without a mention for some of the 70`s punk bands after all they set the foundations for a new wave of local bands to “spread the word” in the Glasgow area. It was hard starting out as punk rockers, the earlier punk rock movement was made up of kids from Glasgow, Paisley, Renfrew, Johnstone, East Kilbride, Motherwell and other surrounding areas, coming from the schemes was hard. Glasgow Council had banned punk rock bands from playing in the city until the City Fathers gave the thumbs up after an arranged gig in the late 70`s at the Candleriggs (The Stranglers + London) I was there. If you wanted to see bands you had to travel to the Silver Thread Hotel in Paisley on a Wednesday night, Disco Harry had all the punk bands on so it was the only place to see the bands-outside the Glasgow jurisdiction legally. Unknown to Glasgow council some venues were putting bands on in the city like –The Grafton, Mars Bar and Chivagos .These places were full of various individuals with slashed tops, bin bags, safety pins, all colour hair and shirts that they made themselves. Punks would be drinking in the audience one week and form a band and play the following week. Like wee Dennis Boy (The Provoked Stank Lifters), Gerry Attrick (The Pencils+ Fire Exit) Rev Olting + James King (The Backstabbers) Big Frank (The Shock) and Jock Strap (The Straps). The bands came from all over like -The Backstabbers from Glasgow, The Pencils from Renfrew, The Subhuman’s from Clydebank, The Shock from Bearsden and Fire Exit & Defiant Pose from Paisley.
Throughout the years new venues opened their doors to the punk scene like-Hurricanes, The Amphoria, Tiffany’s, Burns Howff ,The Mars Bar, Rock Gardens, Glasgow Tech, Art School, QMU,13th Note, Cathouse (Rat Trap)Rooftops-Nite Moves, Barfly, Arena, Strawberry Fields(now Ivory Blacks),Rockers, Nice N Sleazy, The Garage, ABC, Classic Grand, King Tut`s, this was just in Glasgow. The Paisley area was booming as well with The Silver Thread, The Bungalow Bar (this hosted most bands up to late 80`s).The Arkleston Inn, Geories, Paris, TUC Club, Paisley Tech to name but a few. As rock in the Glasgow area developed it was clear punk rock influences were steeped in the music scene throughout the 80`s, 90`s, even to this present day, and the venues have catered for every taste You know punk rock bands don’t all bawl and shout. Real music and styles came shinning through over the last 33years bands like; Ex-Catherdra, 3D Scream, Fire Exit, Pink Kross, Burning Boy, Machine Gun Etiquette, 4 Past Midnight, The Red Eyes, The Zips, Defiant
Pose, Praire Dugz,Gun Rubber, The Snipes, The Destructos, Roxette, and of course The Amphetamines. All the bands slotted into the punk scene but all very different in styles and originality. It’s not only the bands that contribute to the punk heritage; a great source of information is the Fanzine They are full of interviews, reviews, pictures and various articles. They give gig listings and some even give away free CD`s. Glasgow area fanzines include Anarchoi, The Raw Cry, Running Feart, Provoked and Product and Glasgow Gig Listings, there are many more. Some venues usually have them on the bar the most you pay is £1or £2.50 if a DVD is with it, “The Raw Cry” is free (it’s been going 34 years and still free).The guys and girls that make up the Fanzines can be found at most gigs around the city and surrounding towns and they are very interested in new bands as well as the old. I think it’s fair to say the Glasgow punk scene is well and truly alive. You can venture into the city and venues like Ivory Blacks or Nice n Sleazy will have a fun filled night with each venue having 4 or 5 bands on the same bill, changed days eh! Most young punks now meet at Royal Exchange Square, near Hellfire on a Sat afternoon so it’s only the meeting place and faces that have changed .The great thing is they are all still Punks.! Of course let’s not forget the people that make up the audience it’s so varied and that’s what punk is all about. In the crowd there are Punks, Mohawks, Skins, Bikers, Rockers, Baldies (because no hair left) All mixing together and finally enjoying the sounds of the finest, young and old bands. Yes, the punk scene is very much alive and everyone’s welcome. We hope to see you at a gig soon .All the best. Gerry Attrick (Fire Exit)
Fire Exit Single
King Tuts, Glasgow
King Twat
Thanks for Gerry for providing the above article on the Glasgow punk scene. Many punk bands have come out of Bonny Scotland, but how many of you can recall the real Scottish punk monster hit of 1978? Those of us of a certain age may recall back in the dark recesses of time (just after the light bulb had been invented) Scotland had qualified for the 1978 World Cup Finals in Argentina. Scottish comedian Andy Cameron released a 7” single called `Ally’s Tartan Army`. It faired decidedly better than the teams performance in Argentina who sunk without trace (okay so they did beat the Dutch, but too little too late). The B side was called ` Ah Want Tae Be A Punk Rocker`. And here are the lyrics – Chorus – Ah want tae be a punk rocker but ma Mammy wullny let me ,she says if ah`m a punk rocker she’ll throw me oot and hit me , A want tae be a punk rocker but ah`m feart tae be a punk, Cos me Mammy wullny let me be a punk.
Steve Ignorant - The Rest Is Propaganda Reviewed by Johnny Reynolds (the wimp asked for a false name)
Oh dear! We’re off down memory lane again dodging the shit as best we can. I grabbed this paperback out of curiosity as the man was kick starting his own (and his alone) so called "celebration" of CRASS songs performed rock style in wanky corporate venues across the globe. All nice and safe with dumb fuckers on the doors and protection for the rock stars behind the barricades... from you! Firstly, I’m not at all interested in anyone’s childhood which (in this biography) went on and on to the point of pointlessness. Quite uninteresting characters dominate his pre Crass existence so I decided to fast-forward to the coverage of his Crass career and what did I get? Hardly anything of interest, no ideology ,very few memories from tours or gigs in general, no depth nor detail, and whole passages that have been skimmed over. It is shoddy and basic. Sections on post Crass bands he appeared with are all wrapped up with his disenchantment with the DIY scene as he never seemed to get his belly filled and get a good comfy nights sleep, ah bless! Granted being short changed when it comes to fulfilling an agreement on a gig can be a bastard. But I can't help thinking it all masks the fact his pockets are now being lined from the Shepherds Bush sing-along bollocks and the recent jaunts coining it in from every mug that paid in. A typical mid life crisis is on show here, pointing the finger at other unsavoury characters and accusations of dodgy dealings all aired within a book is pretty low and should have been kept in house. Personally to be told to "fuck off" as I opposed his reasons to redo Crass songs in recent years is a pathetic insult as I (like many others) embraced the DIY ethic during the Crass years. Maybe this is for the young punks amongst you, but to be honest if you aren't old enough to have been there during the Crass years why are you reading this anyway, you missed it so fuck off and create something new. All told not a great read. **************************************************************************
Rose Tattoo - A brief history lesson from down under If anyone reading this hasn’t listened to Rose Tattoo then I suggest you invest in the following albums `Rose Tattoo` and `Assault & Battery`. Formed in Sydney in 1976, the band played a hard hitting heavy metal, blues cross over with slide guitar and hard hitting lyrics. The following article has been contributed by Merrick from down under. It would have been better if Angry Anderson had answered the questions Merrick had emailed him but….ahh you know how cantankerous these rock n rollers can be! Most Australians probably don't think of Rose Tattoo as a punk band, but they are still well and truly respected amongst the punk scene. Their street level lyrics and hard driving riffs laid foundations for many a band to come. Some of our new and finest punk bands like RUST do cover versions, and Angry Anderson even put in guest vocals on THUG's new album. It's been just over 12 months since the fourth Rose Tattoo member was to die in as many years, each from cancer. Mick Cocks, Pete Wells, Ian Rilen and Lobby Loyde. While they all contributed to the music world through and beyond Rose Tattoo, the band has had enough members throughout the years to provide a full line-up when required to, in the same way as the UK Subs do. Pete Wells ran a tattoo parlour in Annandale / Sydney for years before he died and had a strong following of his blues side projects. Rose Tattoo still regularly play shows in Australia, and are going to support Slash from Guns N Roses on his upcoming tour here. They still do small tours of their own, so recently you could probably find them playing at a local sports club a few months of the year. Angry Anderson is an Australian legend in his own right, always doing fundraising and charity work mostly for disadvantaged kids and poor communities. He is a well known public figure here, and many people who know of him would not know their Rose Tattoo from their Motley Crue (see map).Then he does a bit of acting in one of the Mad Max films and comedy series "Fat Pizza" where he plays a biker in a speed lab. Many lefties and punks were abhorred to see Angry appear on a TV commercial for the Australian Liberal Party, talking about how shit the government is. To his credit, the ads didn’t mention a single endorsement for the Liberal
party (only writing off Labour), and everyone knows he's going to put the money to good use. But still........It's probably Angry's celebrity, along with the bands overall commercial success which has separated them from the punk label. Once Angry's 80s solo ballad "Suddenly" was played during Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan's onscreen wedding in Neighbours, the ever stretching boundaries of punkness had been just slightly crossed.
Angelic Upstarts / Splodge – The Garage, London 18th September 2010 This gig had been cancelled and rearranged so many times that it was difficult to know if it was still going ahead. Anyway, we made our way to North London, and bumped into the bands in a nearby pub where I had the pleasure of taking a piss next to Max Splodge. I asked him what he did for a living, Max continued to piss all over his shoes before his brain managed to unscramble the signals of such a difficult question, and after struggling to put Percy back into his trousers responded by saying` er….well, bit of this and er..bit of that…I did do a bit of the other but got banged up for three years for that`. This of course is referring to when Mr Splodge got busted for selling cannabis. The only weed he deals in these days is the weed growing out of his thick head! We walked down the road to the venue, which is now known as The Relentless Garage, and after getting over the initial shock of coughing up £17 to get in, walked into …well an empty hall. The first band were already on stage, I think they were called Sket or maybe Shat, anyway I used their stage time to sell some last remaining copies of Issue One of this fanzine. I gave a copy to Mensi, who looked at me like I was giving him a freshly laid turd, he eventually summoned up the courage to accept my offering before ramming it in his back pocket. Oh …well at least he’d have something to wipe his fat arse on later .The crowd was still quite sparse when Splodge stumbled onto the stage. I was surprised to see Decca Wade drumming for Splodge and all in all, they were a decent backing band. Max stumbled around the stage like the town drunk and his incoherent vocals sounded like someone on the first step to Alzheimer’s. For a singer Max makes a great drummer. Truth be told it was a sad spectacle and the only time worth seeing him perform is when he is doing the bingo at Blackpool. The Angelic Upstarts were only the second band that I saw live, and they opened up my eyes to the brutal energy of punk back in 1981.Tonight was no different as the band ripped through a storming set. The venue had filled up to a reasonable capacity as the larger than life figure of Mensi stomped onto the stage, back on vocals, he makes a formidable presence .Tonight we saw the best of the Upstarts as they played all the favourites such as `Police Oppression` `I’m an Upstart` `Last
Night Another Soldier` `Solidarity` and of course `Liddle Towers`. Fat and heavily jowled Mensi springs to life with his eye balls nearly popping out of his head like a mad axe man ready to strike. We were saved from the sermons between songs as Mensi delivered a tight set of classic `Upstarts material. A shirtless Thomas Mensforth is not a pretty sight, as his enormous girth is punctured by stab marks and knife wounds. …but it`s not about being pretty tonight, tonight is about a celebration of one of the best punk bands that have existed. They are the Angelic Upstarts, and they were awesome.
Mensi – A podgy Upstart
Angelic Upstarts - London
Below is a list of bands that I have recorded myself on a digital recorder. They are all very good quality recordings. The band London even released one of my recordings as a live album called `Get out Of London`. Price for single cds are £5.00, 2 x cd sets are £7.00. These prices include postage within the UK. Pay via PayPal to me at – musicisloud@yahoo.co.uk Anvil – Islington Academy, London 15th June 2010 4 Skins – Bedford Esquires 6th February 2010 Angelic Upstarts – The Garage, London 18th September 2010 Bermondsey Joyriders – 100 Club, London 1st January 2010 Citizen Fish – Sawyers, Kettering 24th September 2009 (off mixing desk) Cockney Rejects – Bedford Esquires 17th October 2009 Code 1 – Bedford Esquires 6th February 2010 Control – Fiddlers Elbow, Camden 29th January 2010 Control – Blackpool Rebellion 8th August 2010 Drongos For Europe – Sawyers, Kettering 12th March 2010 (mixing desk) Drongoes for Europe – The Beat Club, Blackpool 8th August Dun2Def – Bedford Esquires 13th March 2010 Dun2Def – Fiddlers Elbow, Camden 29th January 2010 Gallows – The Junction, Cambridge 15th February 2010 GBH – Sawyers, Kettering 23rd April 2010 (2 x cds) Goldblade – The Academy, Birmingham 25th September 2010 Public Image Ltd – Shepherds Bush Empire 10th July 2010 (2 x cds)
Restarts – Sawyers, Kettering 12th March 2010 (mixing desk) Skinfull – Bedford Esquires 6th February 2010 The Godfathers – Bedford Esquires 15th May 2010 (2 x cds) Dr Feelgood – Bedford Esquires 12th December 2009 (2 x cds) The Pigs – Blackpool Rebellion 8th August 2010 UK Decay – Blackpool Rebellion 7th August 2010 The Vibrators – 100 Club, London 1st January 2010
Shitty Music
Shitty Fanzine
The End