Skoink nº 6 (1992)

PUNK - 01! - SKA - HARDCORE -

RED LONDON

FANZINE

ISSUE 6 APRIL 1992 BF 50/NLG 2.50 DM 2.50/$1.50

SC ENE REPORTS (COLOMBIA, SPAIN, FINLAND)

STRAIGHT EDGE / HARDLINE

ISfATTERGCMIE

the

WAY

Hi all you outcasts, It took again a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get this issue out and I think ' it's one of the best so far.

'If you're interested in SHARP Belgium. badges, the price for one is BF 20/DM 1 and postage is also BF 20/DM 1 up to 5 badges. Patches will be available this summer. SHARP Belgium can be contacted at the same address as Skoink. SHARP and Skoink remain two sepárate things though but I fully support the idea of course.

Well, I'don't feel like writing a long editorial as this goes to the printer in two hours. Enjoy the fanziné and keep the faith !

Next issue out somewhere in July.

Due to lack of space the round-up of the fanzines is shorter than usual but the next issue will again contain an extensive fanzine review section.

UPRIGHT N°l/24 A5 p./$ 1.50 ppd.

Jawbreaker, Nations On Fire (Belgian SEHC), Initial Cause, Step Forward, lots of stuff on animal rights, antivivisection. SE oriented but without the preaching. Written in English.

(Tuomo Miettinen, Meteorinrata 5B 17, 02210 Espoo, Finland) STREET ROCK 'N' ROLL N°2/24 A4 p./200 P. Spanish language zine. No band interviews and mainly punk/Oi! articles : Sham 69, The Stab, Bullshit, cartoons, extensive record/gig reviews, ads, etc.

(Jordi R., Apartat Correus 8041, 08080 Barcelona, Spain) WISCH-MOB N°6/44 A4 p./DM 2,50 Tons and tons of extensive reviews and two long crossword puzzles.

Further you'll find interviews with No Means No, Coffin Break, Big Drill Car, Gray Matter, gig dates, etc. > (Rainer Sprehe, Theo-Claas-Damm 5, 4834 Harsewinkel, Germany) BIRTH OF A HOOLIGAN N°l/32 A5 p./$ 3 Mainly dealing with Oi! and ska includ•ing Red London, Ritam Nereda, football news, Klasse Kriminale, Blaggers ITA, 100 Men, King Apparatus, The Allsorts, scene reports (Spain + East Germany)...

(Po Box 128, Derby DE1 9PX, England) REVENGE N°2/40 A5 p./30 p.

Anti-racist and anti-sexist news : a testimony of a raped woman, abortion, nazi bands must not be tolerated, Blaggers ITA, Necracedia, Molotow Soda and much more.

(Po Box 253, Oakengates, Telford, Shropshire TF2 6UH, ,England) STAY RUDE N°3/40 A4 p./?

Lots of skinhead/SHARP/ska stuff includi-ng sound systems, extensive gig reviews, Maroon Town, Jackie Mittoo, The Cosmics, The Skatalites, ads,....

(SHARP Holland, Postbus 2999, 1000 CZ Amsterdam, Holland) TRAUMA N°2/28 A4 p./IRC or SAE Basically a catalogue of the S5 mail order, filled up with reviews and ínter views (Creen Day and Seein Red).

(Hans Tebbens, Amethistdijk 82, 4706 BC Roosendaal, Holland) DRASTIC SOLUTIONS N°5/40 A4 p./$3 ppd.

A combination of critical articles and cool bands : Moral Crux, Bad Religión, Hopeful Monsters, poverty in the cities, breaking down the myths of Arab culture, hardline (2 Embro Dr.; Downsview, Ontario M3H 2M8, Canadá)

Skoink=tt= 1 (in Dutch) is still available : Sham 69, Anti-Racist Action, Alptraum GmbH, The Bips, SHARP, Toy Dolls, Baby Snakes, Stiv Bators, Les Frelons, Stiff Little Fingers, Skoink ^2 sold out Skoink*f3 sold out Skoink#4 sold out Skoink#-5 still available : Blitz, Slap of Reality, Pounded Clown, The Stab, D.I.Y./Skinhead Liberation Organisation, Sumpfpapste, an extensive report of the X-Ray Spex/Sham 69 reunión gig, SUBSCRIPTION

RATES

Four issues : Belgium BF 200 Eur'ope DM 10/$6 USA $ 6 (surface) - $ 10 (air mail) Well-hidden cash or I.M.O payable to Van Mieghem Johan, Postbus 41 9550 Herzele, Belgium. No cheques ! ! !

Single copies : Belgium : BF 50 Europe : DM 3/$ 1.50/íl USA : $ 1.50 (surface) 2.50 (air mail) ADDRESS

AD RATES

Johan Van Mieghem Postbus 41 9550 Herzele Belgium.

Full page : BF 1000/$ 30 Half page : BF 500/$ 15 Make ads the Quarter page : BF 250/$ 8 right size !

One-eigth page : BF 150/$ 5 Note that I'm always glad to swap ads.

i

ALERT Back in the early eighties, Red Alert were one of those bands on the 'No Future 1 label and released a couple of great singles and the classic 'We've got the power' álbum. Then carne the 12"EP 'There's a guitar burning' which sounded somewhat smoother and didn't sell very well but I personally think it's as good as the other stuff.

Red Alert can be put next to other famous Oi! bands such as 4-Skins, Cockney Rejects, etc. They were one of the few Oi! bands which took a clear anti-racist stance and strongly b^lieved in the "punks 'n' skins unite" idea and with good reason as wasn't that what Oi! was all about in the first place ? Due to lack of interest, they split up in 1984 and nothing was heard from them anymore. They surely were an influential band, e.g. singer Choke frora Slapshot once said that Red Alert are one of his favourite bands.

In 1989 however, they reforraed and have been playing numerous gigs since then (especially abroad). If you have seen them during one of their recent tours, you'll agree that they sound better than ever. What you can expect from Red Alert in the future is a brand new LP for which the songs are already finished. Some were written in 1984 before the split but they weren't released on record, most of the stuff however is written since they reformed and are pretty much in the same vein as the early songs. They've also recorded 2 songs for a French compilation, namely 'Across the lake' and 'Kill or be killed'. Also a tour throughout Germany is planned for M a y , together with another Oi! legend that reformed a few years ago : Blitz.

Well, that's it for the introduction, let vocalist Steve have his say now.

Why and when exactly did Red Alert reform ? What are the other original members doing now ? Do you still see them ?

After almost five years out of music, the former members of Red Alert began going to a music club called 'The Kazbah' in Sunderland. By going to this club and seeing bands play live almost every night, we regained our appetite for music again. When the gig organiser of the club suggested that we reforra for a one-off gig, we agreed.

This was in November 1989. We rehearsed a few times and played the gig on February 24th 1990. Also on the bilí were Red London and Atilla The Stockbroker, an oíd friend of ours.

The line-up of Red Alert that night was myself, Tony Van Frater (guitar), Gaz Stuart (bass) and Matty Foster (drums). The gig went so well that we decided to give it another go. Due to lack of commitment we decided to replace Gaz Stuart on bass with Tom Spencer. We don't see much of Gaz now.

I don't think he's involved in music now. We still see Matty Foster, but he has a job which takes up a lot of his time, so Sticks (former Angelic Upstarts and Cockney Rejects drummer) drums for us now. We don't see much of Nobby, our former drummer. I don't think he's involved in music either.

How did the recent tour go ? What were your impressions on your first visit to Belgium ? Did you like the local bands ?

The tour was a bit of a disaster as we had a lot of problems with the van.

This resulted in us missing a big gig in Lyon (France). After various other setbacks and lack of finance we were forced to come home early.

The gig in Belgium was very good. We travelled from Sunderland just for this one gig. We had to rehearse hard with Red London bassist Gaz Stoker for about 3-4 days as Tom Spence*. was unavailable. Nevertheless, it was a worthwile trip as we enjoyed the gig.

From a personal point of view, I thought that all the bands were very good at the gig. The people were nice also, apart from those who carne for trouble. It's a pity that people can't just come to gigs and have a good time.

They should leave their politics at home and just enjoy the music. Violence is not the answer.

You are one of the few Oi! bands that have always openly spoken against ra- . cism. Did that never cause problems ?

Why are so many bands (especially Oi! bands) so vague about their ideas ?

Our anti-racist stance has caused a few problems, but it's soraething we've come to live with. In the early days, we felt it was important to let people know what our ideas were, but now our main aira is our music. The songs we write now are not political because we don't really think it should be part of music. We aren't really sitting on the fence, we just want people to come and enjoy Red Alert gigs without arguing politics. I know this isn't easy, but that's our intention. As for other Oi! bands, I can't really speak for them. Maybe they feel like we do and just want the music to do the talking.

Why did Red Alert split up ? What have you been doing since then ? Did you keep in touch with each other/the scene during all those years ?

There were a few reasons why we split.

We no longer had a recording contract which made things difficult for us.

There was also a lack of public interest in us which left us disillusioned.

The reaction to the 'Cuitar Burning' EP also disappointed us. We still believe that was a very good record (so do I, ed.). After all, you can't make every record the same, that's a bit monotonous. At the time we decided to split, we felt that we'd went as far as we could go, so we called it a day.

During our time apart, we didn't really see much of each other. We lost touch with the scene basically. It was mainly thanks to The Kazbah that we reformed. It was really just a coincidence that we all started to go there at the same time. I suppose it was fate.

We aiso owe a iot to Ked London. They kept it going after we split and really helped us to get it back together.

It was also thanks to them that we began touring Europa. We have known each other for many years and are very good friends. We see each other a Iot and drink together every week.

The LP was puré Oi!, then the 'Cuitar Burning' EP sounded softer. Are the new songs like the LP or EP ?

Our records which we've done are an indication of our musical progress.

The musicians in Red Alert, particularly Tony, are very talented. When he writes a new song, he doesn't intentionally make it softer than our previous material, it's just what he comes up with at the time. It would be easy to write 20 versions of 'In Britain' but we believe in progress within reason. We don't intend to change drastically, just gradually better ourselves. The songs which we have written for future reléase are a blend of all our previous stuff. Given a fair chance, we believe that our fans will be happy with our new songs.

Link Rec. releases a Iot of punk/Oi! stuff. There are quite a few dodgy bands on the label (Section 5, Glose Shave, etc.) and many bands are ripped off. What do you think of Link ?

Link Records is releasing a Iot of good stuff. The only problem with this is that they are ripping bands off.

The only people who are profiting from Link releases are Link themselves.

I've been informed that a CD containing the best of Oi! songs has been released. From what I have been told, 'In Britain' is on it.

We certainly don't expect any money from this, and it would have been nice to have been asked if they could use it. We have a feeling that anyone who goes around r i p p i n g so many bands off will eventually get their come uppance. We'll have to wait and see .

Will you be continuing to play with members of Red London or are you looking for a steady Red Alert line-up ?

At the moment, Red London bassist is playing with us. He'll also be recording with us. It's not easy to find reliable musicians, which Caz is. As long as he is available to us we will continué to work with him. Maybe in the future we will get a permanent line-up.

But for now we will take each day as it comes. Myself and Tony are the only permanent members of Red Alert. We've always worked well together and have always written the songs. As I say, maybe one day we'll find permanent members, we'll wait till we find the right people.

Many UK bands are complaining about the gig scene in England but on the other hand lots of oíd bands have reformed and they attract huge audiences, What do yoo think of this revival ?

The punk revival in Britain is a good thing. It's not so big in the North of England where we live, but it seems to be pretty big down South. We don't do much gigging in England, so from a personal view I don't actually know what it's like. We prefer to travel to other parts of Europe, where we are appreciated more. We have discussed playing in Britain this year but nothing is sorted out yet. The more bands that are gigging in Britain makes things better because it creates more chances to play. The main problem with playing gigs over here is the money. Strange as it may sound, we are better off playing Europe. Bands are better treat, and on a whole the audiences are better. Hopefully the current revival over here will continué and make ít worthwile gigging again.

What do you stand for politically and do you wanna keep that conviction sepárate from the band ?

Politically wise, Red Alert prefer to keep that apart from our music. In the early 80's our music was very political. We wrote about everything that was wrong in the world Nowadays we tend to write about milder issues. Playing around Europe we have realized how important politics are to a lot of our fans, but we prefer to concéntrate on our music. Our main priority is to give people a good time Obviously we do have our own personal views on the world, but in all honesty we can't see a place for it in music.

It's a free world and everyone should be entitled to their own opinions, whether we agree with them or not. We don't mind who comes to our gigs as .long as they keep their opinions to themselves. We are constantly asked our views on racist violence etc., and naturally we are totally against this.

On the other hand however we just wish that people would just treat us as a band who plays good music. We travel a long way to play in Europe, and the last thing we want is people coming to cause trouble just because they have different views on politics. I suppose this could only happen in a perfect world.

But if people insist on arguing and fighting it's just a sad thing we've got to deal with. A lot of bands have stopped gigging because of this, but we can only hope that one day it will die down. After all, bands only play to let other people enjoy them, it's great playing live on stage and that's the way it should be for the audience.

What's your opinión on : I.R.A. : The IRA is a heavy subject in Britain. A lot of people, particularly Americana, support them. These people don't see the misery and pain they cause in our country. They continuously murder innocent people, obviously they don't like having our soldiers on their streets but the simple fact is that most Irish people want to remain part of Britain. It's a very sad situation indeed, and unfortunately it's one which doesn't seem to be anywhere near being sorted out.

Fanzines : They're a very good thing.

Since our reformation we have been in a lot. It's a vital part of the scene It's free publicity for bands and the best way to let people know the latest information.

Beer and drugs : Beer is a great thing. It's something which we can all legally enjoy. It's an important accessory on the Red Alert tours. The beer we drink in England is good, but in other parts of Europe, particularly Germany and Belgium, it's excellent.

Drugs on the other hand is a different matter. In my opinión a bit hash is OK, but other drugs like acid and cocaine etc. are unnecessary. But I suppose it's every one to their own thing. In my town at the moment ecstacy is the big craze. I haven't tried it and I don't intend te I think that beer is enough for anyone but other people seem to think they need more. I know people who regularly take drugs, but I don't bother taking them.

Animal Liberation Front is not something I know But anything that tries cruelty to animáis must thing in my opinión.

: The A.L.F. much about. to prevent be a good

Religión : Religión is I suppose a bit of a personal subject. When I was young I went to a very religious school. I regularly went to church. As I got older, I suppose I grew out of it. I still have beliefs, but like I say I think it's a personal thing.

Everyone should be entitled to their own religious beliefs and it shouldn't be something to argüe and fight over.

'Ska : I have listened to ska music but it's not my favourite stuff. I prefer to listen to harder music. I suppose early punk rock (The Clash, Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, The Damned, etc.) is my favourite. I like to listen to rock music also, particularly Guns 'n Roses.

Ska is good music though, it's just that I like other styles of music better Hippies : Hippies are OK. It's like I say, they should be left alone to do their own thing. They aren't really doing anything to harm other people, which is a good thing. It's only my opinión but I'm a strong believer in people being allowed to do what they want to do as long as it's not bothering or hurting others.

Football : I'm a very big football fan but I don't go to so many matches now.

I've always been a Liverpool fan since I was a kid and I used to travel to watch them. Nowadays it's a bit expensive, so I don't bother so much. I live right next to Roker Park which is where ray hometown Sunderland play. I go to the odd game, but not too often.

I suppose I'm more of an armchair fan.

Punk music has changad a lot over the years. Bands included metal into their music and hardcore became popular. Do you like that kind of music ?

It's true that punk music has changed a lot over the years. Some good and bad carne out of it. As I mentioned earlier I was a big fan of early punk, and personally speaking, to this day I still think that that was the best.

We've never been fans of hardcore. One or two songs are OK but I think it sounds a bit monotonous. On the other hand it is another side of punk and prevenís every band sounding the same.

In our very early days ('79) our music was a lot faster than it is now, but as we matured as a band we tended to slow things down a bit and créate more melodic tunes.

What's the scene like where you live ?

And life in general ?

The scene in Sunderland is pretty quiet. There are still a few punks and skinheads about, but the gig scene is quiet. A few miles from Sunderland in Newcastle thxngs are better. It's a much bigger place than Sunderland and there's more happening. This is only a personal opinión, but I don't think people in Sunderland have much idea about music.

The Kazbah club, where we played after reforming, regularly had bands on. Almost every night there was a band on but it was very rarely a full house.

They had all types of bands on, but live music in Sunderland is not really a big thing it seems. The Angelic Upstarts played The Kazbah, and only about 150 people carne, that just about sums things up. Sadly, The Kazbah closed due to lack of public interest.

Life in general isn't too bad in Sunderland, apart from the normal bad things like unemplyment, You've just got to get on with it. Being in the band enables to tour Europe a few times a year, which is something we always enjoy. We consider ourselves very fortúnate to be given these tours.

Whether they're good or bad it gives us an escape from the normal routine of life.

Would you agree to play a benefit gig for S.H.A.R.P. ? Is it a good initiative in your opinión ?

As I said earlier we prefer not to get involved with politics these days. On the other hand if it's for a good cause, then yes we would play. The racist problem is not as bad where we live as it is in other parts of Europe so it's not too much of a problem for us. I must say though, it's something which saddens us deeply. All we wanna do is enjoy playing our music to people who wanna have a good time.

Unfortunately some people want more.

Which bands made/make the biggest impression on you ? Why ?

The band which probably made the biggest impression on me was the Sex Pistols. When they appeared on TV etc. it created such publicity and outrage that a lot of young people felt they finally had something they could identify with. For years we'd had the same music and here was something so different it was amazing. In my opinión there still hasn't been an álbum to match 'Never Mind The Bollocks'.

Another band which heavily influenced me was The Clash. Their first two albums were brilliant. Bands like Sham 69 and U.K. Subs (early) were also a big influence. As far as influencing our music, the Cockney Rejects were a big influence. Myself and Tony would agree that they were the greatest Oi ! band. Today, however, there isn't really a band that influences us. We are busy creating our own sound and don't need to listen to other bands for ideas. Hopefully other peoplle will enjoy it as much as we do.

Why did you get interested in punk/Oi ?

If you compare today's scene with the one of 10 years ago, what would you say ? Did you experience the '77 punk rock wave ?

We were all into the punk scene very early on. As I've said earlier it was something we could all identify with and it was a music that influenced a lot of young people to form their own bands. We became interested in Oi! without really realizing. It wasn't a delibérate move for us, it's just that the punk scene was dying off, and the Oi ! scene was like a new fresh approach. We didn't actually say we were an Oi! band, we were a punk band when we started and even though our image changed, we still felt the same.

A big thing was made of our change of ímage and style, but to us it was no big deal. We just wore what we wanted to, as we do now. Our attitude is still the same as it always has been, which we feel is more important than the clothes we wear.

Today's scene is more or less finished in comparison with around 10 years ago, in England anyway. I don't know what it was like in Europe 10 years back but it seems pretty good today.

Some of our gigs in Europe have been better than any we've done in England.

It was quite good ten years back in the U.K. because Oi! was still a growing scene, but after a couple of years it died off.

Yes, all members past and present of Red Alert experienced the '77 punk explosión. From a personal point of view they were without doubt the best days of my life. I feel very fortúnate to have been part of that scene. With the exception of Sex Pistols, I saw all the bands play live. It seemeu almost every week there was a band playing. Yes, those were truly brilliant times.

Do you still believe in the "punks 'n' skins unite" idea ? How could trouble between both be avoided ?

Yes, I do still believe in punks and skins uniting. Almost all of our gigs has punks and skins together. When the Oi ! thing started, punks and skins were united at our gigs and there was rarely any trouble. The thing was that we could identify ourselves with both cults. To be honest, the same goes for anyone who wants to see Red Alert. As long as our gigs are trouble-free, we don't mind who is there. Our music is for everyone. This tnay seeir. naive to expect trouble-free gigs all the time, but we can't understand why people want to fight with each other just because they dress different, or have different views. When I went to gigs between '77-'84 I very rarely saw fighting. All we can do is keep playing our music and just hope that people behave themselves. There is definitely no place at our gigs for people who want to fight. We can't see the point in travelling round Europe in the back of a van just so people can come along and kick the shit out of each other. I supppse the only way trouble can be avoided is if people leave their politics at home and just come along to enjoy the show. Sadly I guess this will never happen, we can only hope.

Tell us something about the best memories you have frora playing in Red Alert (past and present) Probably the best memory of playing live in the past was in 1982 when we played The Lyceum Ballroom in London.

It was on the Ist April 1982 and went under the title of 'No future for April fools'. Also on the bilí were The Samples, The Partisans, Blitz and Test Tubas. The hall was packed.

It was the •only time we've played a venue of that size and it was a memorable occasion for us. Another good memory. was seeing an article in Sounds music paper -of us. Obviously seeign our Ist record in the shops was a good memory too.

Of the recent days in Red Alert, playing in Hamburg in April 1991 was the best. There was a big crowd there that night and it was troublefree. Yes, that gig was very special for us. Since we reformed and began playing overseas, almost all the gigs have been good. There's only been 1 or 2 bad gigs. Of all the places we have visitad we enjoyed Berlin. We spent 2 days there and had a really good time.

There have been some good times in France also, and Geneva is a great place. There are probably a lot more good things which have happened, but unfortunately too much alcohol on the road has clouded ray raemory ! The problem is that when you travel so far in the back of a crowded van, ttnpers can get frayed, so large stocks of beer are essential. When all is said and done however it's always a good experience and good times by far outweigh the bad.

What are your plans for the future ?

Any final words ?

Our future plans are mainly to get another álbum out. We have quite a few new songs written now, and are eager to record them. For some reason, we don't seem to be able to get a record deal, and we can't afford to finance it ourselves. I can promise this, that real fans of Red Alert will enjoy our next álbum as much as the first. All these companies who have ignored us wi11 regret it.

Another idea we.have been toying with is a live LP. This would obviously contain all our best known songs and a few covers. As I say, this is just one of the ideas we have at the moment.

We also plan to do a limited edition video.

Finally I'd just like to say a big thanx to all fanzines who've written and our fans. See you next time.

REPOBTS The majority (almost all of them) were 'metallers'. Industrial music was also This is a report about the 'underT'getting known, but the public was difground' movement in Colombia. I'll start by sayíng a few things about the í^ferent. In the mid 80s punk rock and country. Colombia is a so-called Third "fehardcore carne, and frora this moment on new movement started. Many bands 'World country. Economically it depends together, most of them played metmuch on Ínternational demand to sell its products, mostly agricultural. So rs:al. Many 'metallers' were converted to '.— punk. Ska and 'underground' new wave •- i t' s an easy U.S. target : they have a^haven't penetrated yet, only a few the voice and vote in every negotiation and have the foreign debt as main -^-individuáis listen to it. argument.

2^As more punk and HC music carne (Narco_sis, a band from Perú is a starting Internally, the country suffers irom t^ inflation, low wages, a high unemploy- /Wpoint to almost the entire movement in » r / m e n t figure etc. There's much voilence ^°Medellin and Bogotá) more 'metallers' pywere converted to punk, recognizing in ** ' in the big cities (murders, kidnap^pings etc.). The drug trade is a la- njthis style something more radical and Vtent problem, even if the 'cappi' are Kfsincere than the vain and commercial satanism of metal. The discords beconvicts or clandestine persons. The tween 'metallers' and punks began and administration is very centralized, so now exists in almost every city. ...rural zones have to look after themI ¡selves. Like everywhere, the armed ¿What I mean with this 'historie' re'^forces act arbitrary, are corrupt and Jview is that, unlike many countries ,' a r e the armed wing of the upperclass. Public schools are disregarded by the government and hospitals are closing by lack of money.

I

On the other side, the Colombian youth is very apathetic, they don't tend to 5° |fbe organized, and family Nowdependence is commanding.

"IJÍThe young people of the big •fcities are mainly ruled by ^a Yankee way-of-life in their clothing, behaviour, etc. This is the general situation in Colombia.

As for the alternative movement, we first have to say something about its history. In the early eight• Íes, we began to listen to underground bands from other countries, mainly U.S. A. and U.K., whose public was part of heavy metal (back then genre was little known) ciThe most popular music was speed metal and some thrash, mainly in Medellin and Bogotá. Even if the English lyrics were a problem, people were interested and read different and more radical lyrics than your typical rock and heavy metal poetry. That's when the change began.

-where rock is generally an almost folk culture and where punk is something ^totally different from hard-rock or heavy metal, punk appeared as a later ?alternative for metal listeners in 'this South American country.

The current situation is much more diThe connotation of satanic and atheisverse and complex. Metal is now a lyrics was the first step. Then p¿the underground public identified it- !|feJfashion' frivolously listened to by a great part of the city youth and many sself with metal. ^young people dress just like their favourite bands since their bloody and fluorescent T-Shirts are very showy.

J

?The ones who buy it don't necessarily listen to metal, a Madonna fan can easily wear a Slayer T-Shirt.

As for the skinhead movement, we have to say that there aren't any nazi ¡skinheads over here. The closest to this fascist movement is a far rightwing Christian organisation called 'TFP' (Tradition, Family and Property whose young members are gathered in a convent. They're sexists, racists, •^anti-communists and defenders of the Bible. Their music (I think) may be Gregorian chants.

There are two kinds of skinheads : t'.'redskins and R.U. (Respuesta Única).

• Redskins don't shave their heads but are 100% communists and are now repre sented by DISOLUCIÓN MORAL (Moral .Dissolution) , a hardcore band.

R.U. (I'm a R.U.) embraced the look : shaved head, boots and '- jackets without ornaments. We dou't ourselves skinheads because ideo- *: logically we differ somewhat.

While the punk movement is related to the term 'anarchy', straight edge to 'positive self-control ' , redskins to ' communism ' and skinheads to 'working class', the R.U. is related to 'justice'. Ideologically we take a stand against the social and natural exploitation that has nearly lead society and the planet to its own destruction, due to egoism which causes all culturp£"í¿!!V*?' ": .^^ — al prejudices and all injustices. The also includes the rejection of anicultural prejudice that we reject most g^mal derivativas and their torture as 'is fashion, that's why we use the ífi|much as possible. Another aspect of Sishaved head as an anti-alienation re- £¿Rthe R.U. philosophy is the option for sistance symbol. ^^consumption alternatives, different ppfrom mainstream producís. Homeopathy In a Third World country like this, S§;(as an alternative to the materialisjsupporting fashion (which generally ií^'-tic chemical medicine) is an área that fe'? comes from foreign countries) in•-v&we're starting to explore and we use creases the social damage and makes ijijbicycles as a real and ecological al(the problems worse. The 'plásticos' "'are the individuáis who depend on the ^ternative to the capitalist petroleum•jpíbased system. By using the necessary latest fashions (generally from the j>fímethods (with or without violence), we __.SU.S. ). They are apathetic to social gjíltry to bring justice although we know problems (poor 'plásticos' and rich fe^that we don't have the perfect solu'plásticos' are the same), they're ~;alienated by televisión and commercial tions. ;: music. We hate this large 'social JES So, R.U. aren't really skinheads. At group' and fighting them 'hand to handgg|the moment there are two R.U. music is our way to let'em know it. We know |p5bands : POZZETTO (the ñame comes from - v very well that it doesn't solve anyrestaurant where a Vietnam veteran thing but it's like a way of reléase 27 people), I am part of this for us, a different way of protest. and ODIO RADICAL (Radical Hatred) Obviously, cops f'uck us when we act, saying R.U. music 'eos the lyrics '.AV^í-'but that's a forseeable risk. are based on the R.U. philosophy, the musical style is closer to HC though. social exploitation is a deep and bad problem, natural exploitation l'il now talk about punk and HC bands: is even more destructive 'eos it's the,.. basis of all life. ^Bogotá : This city is most of all ,, , , ,. , ^Olalienated by Yankee things. Just like Nature seems to be straggling as a £»-$££! „„„..„„,.„...,. in •„ TLatin „«--:„ íAmerica, m = r-^Q *-K O Pr,^_ geverywhere the Engture generation problem while we're lish language is a way to sell a running out of time to save it. Anitrendy look. Upper-class shops have who seem to be undervalued by English ñames. In this city cops and who are only used for conup, looking different is a reason and ornament are another rea— e suspicious for them. From 1987 for our struggle. That's why some the R.U. people have a vegan diet, . LA PESTILENCIA (Pestilence) was and in one way or the other, we try to gjí-'one of them. They were the first band ,•:«>••.; \-rV • j r r • i i•¿ • »X; one oí tnem. iney were une J.XISSL ua *;'*£.'¥?" ^id^-lL0 an,^ .1^b-e"-t¿°°'~ J^with an LP out but they've split up *r •<.;-/4^Sé-Ví;- y^^^frv'í'.,: &^?C-X^?,¿*?^^^^

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iln 1991-1992 more and more bands formed, an (incomplete) list could be : SIN SALIDA (Without Exit) : melodic HC íWhen talking about the skinhead scene influenced by Oi Polloi. Anti-drugs. ¿in Spain, we have to go back to the They've got one demo out.

70s or early 80s (as usual everyREPUNKNANCIA : R.U. - HC tendency happens late in this country and MENSTRUACIÓN MENTAL (Mental Menstrua/ the skinhead cult is no exception). tion) : noisy - female vocals ^The first skinheads were non-political INSTINTO BRUTAL (Brutal Instinct) : / and into the explosión of 2-tone and grindcore xOi! music that was hitting Britain at DEMENCIA (Insanity) : short lyrics _ that time. But the number of skins songs - female vocals didn't even arrive to 100 in the whole DISOLUCIÓN MORAL : HC punk with commucountry ! nist lyrics - melodic scene wasn't really strong and the grindcore sss NECROPSIA (Necropsy) skins hung out with punks as Spain MINORÍA (Minority) HC punk, anti-drugs 'has an important punk scene with radiPOZZETTO : R.U. music, anti-drugs cal kids, mostly in the Vasque country MUERTOS PA'L MUNDO (Dead people for ¿•and Barcelona. The only skinhead band .the world) : R.U. - HC tendency was 'Decibelios' from Barcelona and Medellin : There are many punk and HC had a large audience of punks, skins bands but the scene is very regional and radical kids. There were also lots and it seems they want to be the of hardcore and punk rock bands. world's most underground movement The two roots or points where the (does this have sense ?). Drug ai/use scene is the biggest are Barcelona and, is heavy and the main problem is the the Vasque country, both with politi'sicarios' (hired assassins). cal feeling of independence, majority Pereira-Dosquebradas : In these two commies and radical ideáis. One of the! cities, the punk/HC movement is more most important movements is the 'Rock recent and bands are appearing. Punk Radical Vasco', the voice of the bands like FÓSIL (Fossil), GENOCIDIO Vasque country kids with bands such as 1 PUNK (Punk Genocide), ANTI-ORDEN (Anti 'Kortatu', 'Cicatriz', 'Tijuana In Order) and HC bands like DECADENCIA ^Blue', 'Potato', 'La Polla Records', (Decay), SOCIEDAD IGNORANTE (Ignorant ^'Vomito', etc. These are the bands Society), CORRUPCIÓN (Corruption) and that were on top in the mid-eighties.

OPRESIÓN (Oppression). x There were loads of gigs' and festivalsi Cali, Bucaramanga, Ibagué... are cit- /where the kids got to meet each other, but riots started and as usual the íes where there are also bands. press attacked this and many gigs were; Cities don't cooperate and bands don't ', cancelled. The same oíd songs, again tour. At the moment there are only and again. But a lot of these bands R.U. and redskins in Bogotá 'eos both ^^are still on top now, the best one is movements are still in their infancy ^probably LA POLLA RECORDS with 7 LPs and are little by little increasing in 'under their belts and a new 12" single strength. In cities like Cali, metal / due out soon including covers of Cock and HC have the same audiences but Sparrer and also an 8th álbum is mostle they go their sperate ways. ¿expected. Other bands in the punk/Oi! Only a few individuáis listen to ska, Jfstyle are CICATRIZ with 2 alburas, so there are no ska bands over here. ^KORTATU with 5 LPs, DECIBELIOS with (Thanx a lot to Néstor for this scene ^5 LPs and TIJUANA IN BLUE also with a ^great number of releases. The hardcore greport - to contact him : see flyer — scene in Spain is also strong, but I'm elsewhere in the zine). not into hardcore, so I can't really stalk about it.

In 1988, the ska revival reached Spain new fanzines carne out and new bands were founded : DR CALYPSO, LITTLE FEET AND THE PRENATALS, PELUQUERÍA PÉREZ, BANANA BOATS, KOMANDO MORILES, etc.

With this, new skinheads started to appear. Barcelona seems to have the -best ska scene as nearly all the bands come from there and they have 3 zines.

But unfortunately there are also many jcheeky boneheads over there.

A S.H.A.R.P. división has been set up in Sabadell, so things might look better in the future. The Vasque country also has an own S.H.A.R.P. chapter.

S=Spain also has important reggae bands gplike POTATO who are the Spanish ska/ •gfreggae veterans, they play covers of Byron Lee, Baba Brooks,... and have a ^few records out. JAH MACETAS from "Valencia play reggae too and released

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is that we get to play rock 'n' roll, meet some great friends and engage in some good times.

You've rleased two LPs in a relatively short time. Tell us something about both. If you compare your very first LP with 'Tumbling Dice', what would you say ?

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\, what makes With 'Tumbling Dice' the sound we have *~ always wanted was just about captured.

We always felt the first LP suffered fc^through poor production. Indeed, the , new álbum 'Look Back In Anger' was a •^delibérate attempt to re-capture the , ,older songs of Red London in the way gthey were meant to be heard - live, loud and powerful.

IWhat are your favourite Red London Isongs (lyrically and Musically) ?

Red London formed in December 1981 and were influenced by bands such as The Clash, The Jam, Angelic Upstarts, Chelsea and Stiff Little Fingers. Although they took their ñame frora a Sham 69 B-side, all the band members were born and still live in Sunderland in the north east of England. Since 1983 they've released two singles : Sten Guns in Sunderland and The Day They Tore The Oíd School Down, 1 miniLP 'Pride and Passion' and 4 albums : This Is England, Outlaws (my personal favourite), Tumbling Dice and recently A Look Back In Anger which contains all their best known songs (including -48 Reasons) as well as a few covers. .jJust like their mates from Red Alert, they especially gig in Europe and go down very well in countries such as ^France and Germany. Mouthpiece of the band guitarist Kid Stoker gave the following answers.

Firstly, what is Red London all about?

Just the usual - playing as many good gigs as we can, releasing the best records we can, meeting new friends and oíd friends, getting drunk generally, and trying to make sense in a world of troubles.

How was the recent tour ? Did anything special happen ?

A lot went wrong during our last tour.

To begin with the van broke down in Calais, France. It took two whole days to fix. By then we had spent all our money and were becoming cold and hunrr?gry. Travelling to Besan^on, a piece y?of the drum kit fell off the luggage ¿^¡rack and split our lead guitarist's j^head wide open. The French doctor ¿¿-charged him"f50 to put stitches in. At one gig the neighbour of the venue, annoyed at the late night noise, threw a riot gas cannister in the middle of the packed hall. There was a rush to get out and the bands were the last to leave and caught the full forcé.

5,1 could go on and on with such stories ^because all of our tours are eventful.

Musically speaking, one of my favourite Red London songs is 'Frontline 1 .

It was a demanding song to write. It took over a month to finish. It has a great structure, and the guitars interact well together. Equally as good is '48 Reasons', which only took twenty minutes to write but has a chorus you do not forget.

Lyrically, songs such as 'The day they tore the oíd school down' and 'New kids on th block' mean a great deal to ¿_ me. They deal with growing up in the i working class áreas of the north east 'of England. Though the story of devel- f ^opment from late teens to adulthood is » . jjactually universal and can apply to just about any working class ícid, from London to Paris, Newcastle to Amsterdan Red London seem to play more often aMbroad than in England. Isn't there an fBaudience for Red London in England ?

D o y o u like playing abroad ?

England is obsessed with fashion, or rather the music press are. If you are R-not this month's new trend it is very Sj|hard to fit in. Though we actually do Jbetter in England than most people re3alize. It's just that it never gets Spublicized. We love playing abroad.

The underground scene in Europe is very positive, especially the live .circuit. In England it's all 'Dance' ¡and pre-recorded music. The live scene : is under a lot of pressure now.

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||*§Í I guess one of the band's main influ¡Your music is rather quiet now. Will jfuture raleases be in the same vein as bJ^ences is The Clash. What do you think ;-, Ijltiof the renewed interest in The Clash "^ jthe last álbum ? jgand of what the former members are do-\ ing iWhat do you mean quiet. Just listen to jthe new LP, it will blow your socks Clash confirmed my belief that -.= ¡off. (wish I hadn't asked, ed.) bands should never split unless they J. ¡I heard that your former drummer Raish all want to jack it in for good. The ¡Cárter now plays in 'Skullhead'. How J^combined solo recordings of all the H^ individual Clash members bears no coro-§ ¡is such a sudden change in his attijtude possible ? Do you still have con- _tS3parison to the work of The Clash it¿jgí?_self. The same happened to The Jam. jtacts with him ? ;¡-|S|Paul Weller became lost after he put íFirstly, I cannot be responsible for £down his Rickenbacker and left The ÍRaish Cárter. He left the band in 1986 jJake Burns was lost without Stiff land what he does now has no reflection Little Fingers. It just seems to be ion us. Raish spent a year in prison the case that you are in a great dan;and while inside, he met the singer ger of losing a sense of creativity ¡from Skullhead. Since then Raish seems once you walk away frora a creative and 'to have fallen under their influence. forcé you first found by jl have tried to tell him he must be working together. ¡fucking mad associating with a bunch ¡of neo-nazis, but he claims he just jjWill you keep on playing together with..;, iwants to play in a band. I have also Alert or will you both go your own ^ ¡tried telling him Skullhead are more ways jthan just a 'band' but so far he has Alert are our best mates and we : failed to get the message. We rarely |pP*;will continué to gig together whenever see him now. ^; ..possible. pi, :Red London is often called a socialist ¿.«band. Tell something about the band's ^j¡||How do you see the future of punk rock ^ jidealism and do you associate it with i^íin England ? Could '77 punk make a your music ? Which alternatives would _U_^?come-back with all these oíd bands reyou propose to solve the working class ^gforming ? Do you think they're doing ,'jjSj it only because there's money involved problems ? «i^Mega City Four started off a mini-wave »-,.'

I happen to be a socialist and that obviously finds expression in some of ggl^of guitar bands that owe a lot to ápppunk. Added to this there is a growing my songs. The lads are all lager £gr£ interest in '77 punk, with a lot of drinkers who enjoy a good time, and íií:fethe origináis reforming. It's probably there is nothing wrong with that. .^only the likes of The Clash who have As for alternatives to solve the Ibeen offered big money to reform, and working class problems, that would have turned it down. The rest are take up too much space, but there are at least two key words : Democracy and Hornost likely doing something they have Socialism (not the state capitalista of ss^Salways enjoyed. I don't think the monej the Soviet Union, but real socialism side of it matters at all. as found in the writings of the nineyou think punk could exist without teenth century socialists). music ? What does being a punk or skinhead mean to you ?

'You started with the band when Oi! was at its peak. What's your opinión on is an attitude and it can survive , todays Oi! scene ? ¿"without music. Punk is a way of life, Oi! still has a bad press, which is a OT&.though of course the music is an ex* pity because the scene still throws up jSg: pression of that life. .interesting bands.

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When taiking about the punk scene, there are few people who mention Red London although you're around for quite a while now. Do you feel you don't get the recognition you deserve? ¡I sometimes do feel we do not get the irecognition we deserve, though I don't know that once people do come across us and hear Red London for the first time, they are rarely disappointed.

Once heard, seldom forgotten.

- I guess very few of you know of a Say something about the following sentence ; 'Aids is a punishment of God'. jagscene in Hawaii. Yep, there are even -ískinheads in America's 50th state.

I honestly believe that God in all his IjjlThere's one Oi! and one ska band, jwisdom and grace has better things to SÍ3scooter clubs and many hardcore bands. gdo than bring vengeance on the activi- ^mA bloke called Chris started a firm 3 ties of two Consulting adults private- •years ago H.A.R.S.H. - Hawaii Antily doing what they both wish to do.

•Racist Skinheads. They've got about 30 Besides, if God is in the habit of "jmembers and affiliates all over the punishing people of this world, why HSworld. Drop him a line at : Chris didn't he strike Hitler down with the ^Smith, 439 Keoniana* 705, Honolulú, pox, or put a curse on Stalin ? *Hawaii 96815, USA. !- DISTORTED TRUTH split up due to What do you prefer recording an LP quarrels between the band members. or playing Uve ?

During their recent tour through Although it's a great feeling inside France, the bass player got into a as you watch a riff become a song, a fight with the drummer and so they desong become a fully rehearsed musical cided to cali it a day. They'll surely statement that ends up recorded for be missed. The lads had just recorded ever on vinyl, there is still no beat10 tracks for the follow-up of their ing the magic and joy of playing live. excellent debut álbum 'Smashed Hits' It is what being in a band is really and the French label Combat Rock was all about. going to reléase it. Due to the split it won't be released on record after lWould you cali Red London a political all. The 10 tracks are available on band ? Would you sign to a major rec- írT tape though for "5:2. Also a compilationj ord label if you had the opportunity ? " v i d e o is for sale (t7 ppd.) which has live tracks plus tracks they were We have never liked putting labels on filmed miming to. Write to : Kevin the band. If you want to see us a poMclnnaly, 32 Bannerman Pl., Clydebank litical band then that's fine. If you G81 2UG, Scotland. want to see us simply as a rock 'n' The latest rumours are that the bass roll band that's also fine. In the player and the guitarist will start a meantime we just keep being ourselves. new band.

We would sign to a major record label if we had the chance. It's important - Bulldog Promotions is a relatively to reach as many people as possible. I jcheap mail order for punk, skinhead mean what would you rather have the and psychobilly records and merchantsSffi y o u t h of Europe listen to , The Clash Idise. They don't stock any Blood and i VlKHor Abba ?

Honour stuff, it's a pity they sell ICondemned 84 and Demented Are Go rec« V'^—~|Tell somethina about these bands ; ords though. For a catalogue send an IRC to : Bulldog Promotions, 6 Purbeck - Crass : short haired hippies who had Court, Great Baddow, Chelmsford CM2 no musical talent. |8YX, England.

- Pauline Murray : a great singer who fronted the greater band Penetration.

- A new book about the skinhead move- Chelsea : circa '79 Chelsea were ment is in the pipeline. It will be hard to beat. written by a Germán bloke from Berlin : called Klaus Farin. It will deal with - Manic Street Préachers : they sing like The Clash but unfortunately pose origin of the cult till now. A lot attention will be given to what like the early Alarm. have to say. If you want to ex- Stiff Little Fingers : one of the press your opinión on the scene and best punk bands of the 1970s. fill in your skinhead charts, write to - Cióse Shave : who ? ,the following address for a question- Dead Kennedys : I was never to keen aire : Presstige, Fidicinstrasse 3, on a lot of American punk.

1000 Berlin 61, Germany.

- The Selecter : a great band.

- Cheap : I have yet to hear them, but |- THE CRASH NETWORK is a datábase of The Adverts were a good band and TV people who like to visit people and Smith was an excellent songwriter. have visitors in return. It brings together fellow travellers who want to 'What are your future plans ? isee the world and meet people along jthe way. The purposes of the network We have our new álbum 'Look Back In [are to make travel cheaper, moré fre[Anger 1 out in the spring. We also have Iquent, fun and even educational. a tour of Germany set for April.

- Those who read Skinhead Times will Twice a year, they ptiblish a directory remember that in ^6 an article was of the Crash Network members, which ^jprinted entitled 'Booted out of school includes contact information, interests, types of 'crashes' available,...

It told the story of a 15 year oíd hey also publish the Crash Update eveskinhead who had been expelled by the ry 2 months. In it, you'll find artischool's headmaster because of his cles and letters about travellingshort haircut. Curious as we are, we places to go, adventures that people »—Iwrote to the school and this is the have had. Contact : The Crash Network, ^headmaster ' s reply (literally quoted): 519 Castro Street *7, San Francisco, üE"I am pleased to be able to tell you CA 94114, USA. tthat the information you quote is entirely inaccurate. Maxwell Middleton I- Here's a message from Andi, maybe was not expelled from the school. He / jthis is what you were waiting for to •gwas not prevented from taking examinaíspend your summer holidays : iítions, indeed when he failed to turn •Unfortunately you missed the first ev|er Skinhead Holiday held August 1991, ^up for his 'mocks' we arranged for him f to take them the following week at no |in Cahors (France) when myself and a •^little inconvenience to my colleagues. jgroup of east and west Germán, and / Throughout the five years Maxwell has [Frenen skinheads spent a week together -¿íspent with us he has received every junder canvas. Getting pissed and havIsupport and consideration amounting to 'ing fun in the sun. You now have the Hmany, many hours. I hope this deals iopportunity to join in this great adwith your concerns."

Iventure in 1992. I propose two camps Well, I guess the truth is somewhere Ifor this year, one in the western N in the middle (???).

JHighlands and Islands of Scotland, the lother on the west coast of France be- The 'Stay SHARP' compilation álbum jtween the city of Bordeaux and the - has again been delayed but here's the BSpanish frontier. latest info. As they received lots of ¡The camp is being organised as NON f- recordings there will be two parts.

Jpolitical, racist, SHARP ñor musically I don't know which bands will appear lorientated and therefore skinheads of on the first volume but this is the salí backgrounds will be welcomed. No full list of bands which have sent Ifirm decisions have been made yet. I songs : No Sports, Mr Review, Messer Iwill wait for reaction from the skins Banzani, Intensified, Laurel Aitken Swho I am writing to and when I have at [land the Malarians, Special Brew, Red Ipjleast 10 skins almost definitely inLondon, Verska Vis, Apollo 7, What's terested in attending I will then pro- j,Gone Wrong, The Malarians, Skarface, duce the following.

Tft 100 Men, Dr Calypso and also recordA detailed route, indicating stop off Sings from Casino Royale, Little Feet ipoints and camp sites which will be • and The Prenatals, The Allsorts are lused. Excursions and points of local ^expected. We have to wait a long time ;interest. Transport will be available ftibut I'm sure it will be worth it. :(i;';for the first 15 skins who would want/ lyContact : Mark Brown, Apartado De "flneed it and pickup points for those ¿Correos 1474, 07800 Ibiza (Baleares), be arranged. The Scottish camp S pai n . start from Dover to London to the I- A new non-political skin organisa,Midlands and then to Scotland, FranceStion is B.O.S.S. - Brotherhood Of y*"''Dover, Rouen to Tours and down to Silly Skins. I don't know too much ^Bordeaux and beyond. Each camp will 'what they're about but if you're inHflast for about two weeks and will be terested in a B.O.S.S. patch, send $5 •what we make of it. I leave it to your 'to : Justin Cook, 3686 E. Carmel Dr., Eimagination but don't be apathetic. pWrite if you think you might be inter- (Carmelin 46033, USA. iested and even if you're not, perhaps lyou can help with some other addresses ^questions or comments.

'Dalveen', Main Street Ormiston, Patches are high quality jEast Lothian, EH 35 5HT, Scotland. f- At the end of 1992 a skinhead photo%book will be released. It will contain «jthe best photos of gigs, parties, Brotherhood B1G BOOTED Of BALD BOYS 'Clothing, bands, aggro, scootering, Silly (and girls) fltattoos, luv-a-fairs and everything Skins ¿?:take Seise you can think of. seriously, but Patches $5 00 K But your help is needed to make it NO; commies, nazis Justin Cook hornos, or vedge.happen. So we want all you skinheads 3686 E Carmel heads allowed Carmel IN jto get up on your feet, put your bra46033 U.S. A íces together and your boots on your ^feet and stagger to the post box to send your best and worst photos to : jDouble Shot, Komeetstraat 12, 6043 TE Roermond, Holland. jAll help will be very much appreciated IPlease send in your photos before August 1992.

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THE SKATTERBRAINS are a ska band hailing from Ottawa, Canadá and released an excellent debut cassette called 'The Killer Beat'. They play fast paced ska and influences are obviously newer bands such as The Busters, Toasters, Gángster Fun,... Questions are answered by their drummer Fierre.

Give us a round-up of what 'The Skatterbrains' have been up to until now.

What's the philosophy behind the song 'Guess who's coming to dinner' ?

Noah Creen wrote it. Basically the song relates the story of a girl who falls in love with a boy of a different racial background. The girl becomes down by her parents' racial intolerance. In a broad sense, the song is demonstrating the senselessness of racism as well as demonstrating the depth of racism. It is everywhere.

'The Skatterbrains were founded by Noah Most ska bands avoid political lyrics.

Creen and Fierre Ringwald in September I got the impression you want to get 1989. David Yamasaki and Ornar across a certain message like in e.g.

Montelongo joined before the year's 'Questions'. Do you agree ? end and the band began a stint of practising every week in Noah's baseIn general, our material ranges from 'rnent, accomplishing very little. In the silly (e.g. 'Theme') to social March 1990, Glen Beauchamp was reissues. We write about what appeals to cruited on bass and the band began in us : our likes, dislikes, our hopes, ^arnest. Enough original material was fears and aspirations, etc. assembled to earn us an opening slot Fierre wrote 'Questions' with the inIfor Toronto's 'Hopping Penguins' tention of addressing what he perj(reggae) at Zaphod Beeblebrox (an ceives as apathy among the global Ottawa club) at the end of May. Since community towards social issues he re•then, things progressed quickly. We gards as important. Though more heavyv .... headlined our third performance and handed than intended originally (which '^^—___have played several skafests in Toron-^ is why we no longer play it), it marks •"•OCto and Montreal. g hsomething that appealed to Fierre at lt*^tf%\ years since the first live perTÍ ¿the time. formance, we have played over 35 shows Now we feel that we have songs that (not bad for a bunch of students). We address similar issues more effectivehave played with The Selecter, Bigger ly. We move on.

Thomas, Bad Manners, Skaface, Gángster^ Fun, The Toasters, NY Citizens, King 'Apparatus, etc. In addition, we have played with punk, alternative, rap bands, constantly exposing ourselves to new audiences.

February-March 1990, we recorded our 'first cassette with 1300 Can.$. Our 'only regret is the vocal mix, which should have been louder. Our audience ranges in age from about 15 years oíd to 25 (college crowd). We usually pulí anywhere from 150-250 people at our A lot of ska bands have songs about own shows. 'love'. Do you think there's a differAt the moment we are recording a 14 ence between love songs from ordinary •song reléase. It will appear on caspop bands and those from ska bands ? sette/CD in late spring. The CD will (e.g. 'Cheesy love song') probably include 4 bonus songs from I don't think there is a difference the first cassette, but re-recorded. between the love songs of pop bands |We also have T-Shirts (15 Can.$ air and ska bands. As far as Skatterbrains > \ /mail), pins and other merchandise to are concerned, writing straight forcome ward love songs does not appeal to us.

J \e intend to approach both record laOr rather, I don't think we could ibels and distributors. Most likely we write a generic love song. For inwill have a Canadian distributor with stance, 'Cheesy love song' is poking ,the product available by mail order. fun at sentimentality. ,A press kit is in the works as well.

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'-As for punks 'n' skins unite, we say PEOPLE unite ! ünity should be based 'on common moral/social outlook, not on .whether or not you wear the same hairjstyle etc. (e.g, we have fans and friends who are punks, skins, rudies, mods, 'alternatives', rockabillys,...)

You wrote that you don't want your music/the band limited to a subculture following. Could you explain that a bit more ? Don't you fear the ska Iscene would be destroyed again if it [becomes too commercial ?

Do you like bands like Operation Ivy Believe me, The Skatterbrains have and The Mighty Bosstones who mix ska nothing against subculture, but we and hardcore ? think that ska should be 'people' music, not a music that is jealously Operation Ivy and Bosstones are great guarded by a tiny fringe group. Our bands ! They seem to attract a diverse own support was built on the local audience, but so do most ska or ska skinhead/rudie/mod scene, which we hybrid bands in North America. readily acknowledge, but we also at• tract the punk scene university stuIf there would be one thing you could dents and even post-university stuchange in the world, what would it be? dents because they all enjoy the music We hope for harmony between people and When we say that we don't want our muthe planet. Understanding through sic limited to a subculture following, ^—communication and taking action are we don't mean that we want to appeal to everybody necessarily. We don't in- ü^the only solutions. tend to compromise our music for commercial success. In fact, we feel that we can achieve commercial success without sacrificing our ethics. In Canadá, 'Me Mom and Morgantaler' and 'King Apparatus' are among the most successful indie bands, and they play ska or ska influenced music.

What we do mean is that we want anyone who hears our music, and enjoys our music to feel comfortable at our shows ^whether they are the average-looking person on the street or Rudeboys or whatever. As long as people aren't sexist/violent/racist we welcome them to take part in our live performances.

Did you send any demos to record com- — panies ? Are they interested in the band ? Do you plan to record a 7" or an álbum ?

We did send our cassette to Moon Rec. in New York and it was received by Rob Hingley of The Toasters. When we had the opportunity to play Montreal with The Toasters, Bucket said he was extremely impressed with our live performance and music (May 1991). He said he had not yet listended to the tape as yet. However, we feel though it is a good reléase for a first low budget effort, we feel it lacks 'punch' for a minor/major label deal. We intend to approach labels from Sony to Cargo Records with the new CD/cassette.

There are regularly two-day ska festivals. Personally, I get a bit bored after hearing 15 ska bands. Do you think it would be possible to organise gigs with both ska and punk/Oi! bands?

Do you believe in the "punks 'n' skins unite" idea ?

This question surprised us. Ska fests happen in Eastern Canadá two or three times a year (as all the Canadian ska bands are from central-eastern Canadá) More often though, ska bands will join bilis featuring punk bands, reggae, ¿rap, etc. because an all ska or punk bilí is not necessarily feasible as a festival.

THEKlLLER ¿ÓEKX

•KA i ¡tKbRAlNS debut cassette 'THE KILLER BEAT" $10 ppd around the world L "*

For tapes, ínfo and bookings write: 2446 Tupper Ave. Otíawa, Ontario K1G 1G7 Canadá

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Fanzines play an important role 'eos What have been the best gigs you ve ^^they can publicize bands and events I played so far ? ^across the globe if handled properly. \e best shows we have played have ^Colourblind, for instance, introduced \n any headline show during which you to us through our mail order ad \e crowd is obviously enjoying them. while Fillet of Soul is getting us . Iselves. We also particularly enjoyed ijattention in Toronto, Montreal and US. \g with The Toasters, Gángster I 'Fun and Bad Manners (Buster always has If you had to give a definition of ska i something funny to say ! ) . what would it be ? Is it just music or is it a 'way of life' ? i If you'd get an offer from a major 'Ska is music, a music which has grown 1 record labelj would you do it ?

M(and changed and diversified over 30 I \g as major labels are pursuing | years. As we see it, there are tra I. I more alternative music of late, and I 1 tional/two tone ska bands, power ska 1 Ithese bands seem to keep artistic con- I I (Toasters, NY Citizens, Gángster Fun) \l of their music, we are extremely I l or hybrid (fusiOn) ska bands such as | linterested, particularly because^of \lBosstones, The Skatterbrains, Me Mom the fantastic distribution possibiliand Morgantaler... Just like jazz, ska ties. ranges from traditional to fusión jazz/rock. Although I think that cerWhat do you think of SHARP's role in tain subcultures are associated with the scene ? What's the situation in jska (skins, mods, rudies and new ska Canadá like concerning racism ? Are kids), anyone can enjoy the music, so there any problems with nazis at gigs?

I wouldn't consider it a way of life. |We agree with the general S.H.A.R.P. Here in Belgium, there are quite a lot lideology of promoting a positive of problems between Dutch speaking and 'scene', free of racism etc. However, French speaking people. What's the we recognize that just like any other situation in Canadá like (French and organisation, SHARP chapters suffer ^English people) ? from different degrees of corruption (e.g. gang violence mentality).

[There is (and historically always) Racism in Canadá is as prevalent as tensión between French and English anywhere else, I imagine. However, it people in Canadá to different degrees. is usually much subtler than in the US Some of it is just ignorance, particfor example. ularly as there is a recession, people jBoneheads are rarely a problem at are always looking for an excuse to shows and have never bothered us. I vent their anger. imagine the few fervent boneheads here To explain the current situation would have enough sense to realize that picktake a book. In fact, many Canadian ing fights with a room full of people Iwriters and historians have written who would readily kill them is very books about the French and English, unwise. . . primarily concerning the province of Quebec (primarily a French province) ¡In 'T.V. Preachers' you criticize re- > as the rest of Canadá (though there I ligion/television. Tell us something I are French people in smaller numbers ; across this huge country). about that.

If any readers are honestly interested 'T.V. Preachers' condemns the 'busiI suggest they read 'Two Solitudes' ness' of televisión evangelists. Primarily American, these people have TV ' ,(an international classic). The ñame of the author escapes me... programmes during which they basically beg for money and imply that by sendWhich bands are The Skatterbrains ining them money you will be saved. What fluenced by ? Do any of you listen to they represent is a mockery of other musical styles ?

Christianity or even religión in general. Religión can be positive but We are influenced by early ska, early they use it to capatalize on the rich reggae, our contemporaries, Fishbone, and guilty and the poor and naive. In Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Urban Dance recent years, American media and senSquad... sationalist tabloids have exposed the i •Collectively, we listen to ska, reggae corruption of many evangelists (e.g. punk, rap, jazz, rock, punk/funk. frequenting prostitutes), but still Listening to diverse music is the key people follow these idiots. We can't to developing new ideas and interprehelp but criticize them. tations of ska.

í

Are there many fanzines that write about ska in Canadá ? Do you think fanzines are important for the scene ?

To our knowledge there are two fanzines that focus a considerable amount of print on ska gigs, band releases, etc. Both zines are from Ottawa : Colourblind (SHARP) and Fillet of Soul (rudie, rock and blues, ska, soul, mod, etc.)

10

What are your plans for the future ?

•Future plans include finishing University and hopefully being able to make music a career. A record deal would be nice. We are releasing The Skatter|brains 'Wythakay* (CD/cassette) in May accompanied by new merchandise and a video. Our first cassette is still available .

Address (see ad) Telephone : (613) 523 2458.

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--'^;&B:^&::.:¿&

THE WAY formed in November '90 by vocals) and me, Harry (drums). We have some songs where Erwin drums and I play guitar and do the vocals. In the past, Erwin and I were in a punk band called ' BÓ'SLINGE' , we were active between the end of '79 and the beginning of '81. We still do a few oíd BOSLINGE songs with THE WAY. We played our first gig in June '91 as support for Anhrefn and in September our 2nd gig which has been recorded live and one song from that recording will be used for the 'Boiler' double live LP. 3oth gigs took place at the 'Flex 1 which is a brilliant self-managed, non-profit venue here in Vienna where lots of local and foreign punk, hardcore and underground bands have played. Besides that double live álbum (every week on Wednesday there is a concert with an Austrian band at the 'Flex' and each band will be featured on that record) 'Boiler' also runs a pirate radio station (the radio is a monopoly of the state over here).

The music we play is melodic punk. We have a lot of influences. Erwin is mainly into '77 punk, older heavy metal and rock. Edgar is into indie pop, rock, Bad Religión, underground, '60s.

I'm into '77 punk, non-fascist Oi!, '80s punk revival, flower power (might sound strange but that's 'the music which influenced me before I got into punk), some older indie stuff, blues, ska, melodic Californian hardcore and I'm also open-minded to newer styles in the scene (e.g. American HC, jazzcore, British noise-core when the bands have something to say.

Of course not all these styles influence our music, it's primarily the punk stuff which we take as an influence for the songs of THE WAY.

?*fX

"^¿ya^f. • -v^ws¿.fesi In the beginning of '91 we recorded our first demo tape in our rehearsal room (with a 4-track recorder), we released it simply under the ñame 'Demo '91'. We are not too satisfied with it and so we will re-record all the songs from that demo + a few new songs. We will probably also reléase some of the songs we recorded at the 'Boiler' gig as a live tape.

We are also planning to reléase a record in the future. I think we will produce and reléase it by ourselves because nowadays there are hardly any labels that would be interested to sign a band playing a musical style like we do.

All members of THE WAY have a leftwing stand. Our lyrics deal with such topics as economic problems, pólice brutality/oppression, anti-war/militarism, oppression and exploitation at work, anti-fascism. All our lyrics are critical about society and some of them are about interaction between people. motivation to form a band was simbecause we are friends, we like making music and expressing our feelings and thoughts through our lyrics.

We rehearse just once a week, before we play a gig we rehearse twice a week We're in a band mainly for our own fun so that's maybe why things are going rather slow. But I have to mention that we're very serious about everything we do with the band.

Edgar also plays in an indie pop band 'Almost Blue' and I'm working for the Vienese fanzine 'Flex's Digest'.

Last but not least I want to mention that I'm very pleased with the SHARP idea, fuck off to all fascist scum.

If you wawt to know more about us, feel free to write me : Harry Rau, Medeagasse 11/1, 1100 Wien, Austria.

¿.i.

I_2=X=I_C_..=N=A=R_C=0=T=I=C oxic Narcotic formed during the winof 1989 in Boston, Massachusettes. i power trio quickly gained a large avid following in the local music 'jre well knqwn for their energetic and solid live performances as well as angry, yet intelligent lyrics. With a wide range of influences, ranging from punk, hardcore death, grind and crustcore, to industrial and psychedelic music. They have a unique and progressive sound that has attracted a myriad of open minded listeners.

Contact : Rodent Popsicle Rec., Po Box 335, Newton Ctr. MA 02159, USA.

NO T O L E R A N C E F O R A New Labe!

A New Movement

A R A New Form of Fascism This article was originally published in the Canadian fanzine 'Drastic Solutions 1 (see fanzine reviews). It's not our habit to 'borrow' articles but as I intended to write an article myself (I even already had written down a few ideas) on hardline/S.E., I decided to reprint this one (lazy ??).

It contains well thought-out argumenta comes to the point and criticizes hardline with good reason. I really couldn't have done it better.

There's indeed something wrong with the attitude of many hardliners (and certain straight edgers) but I want to stress that I'm not putting them all in the same box 'eos there's also some decent people in the movement.

Now read the goddamn article and make up your own mind.

Over the past several months, I have been reading a lot of literature concerning the Intifada - the Palestinian uprising and struggle for a homeland.

The exaraination of Israel as a fascist state has been a recurring theme in each of these texts. As the problem of controlling the Palestinians becomes more and more unmanageable, the Israeli response has been one of increasing oppressiveness, a desperate attempt to strengthen their failíng grip on the occupied territories. Uri Davis, author of 'Israel - An Apartheid State', reached a conclusión that was essentially this : "Nation states are more or less vulnerable to embracing fascist ideology as a solution to internal strife".

This hypothesis can also be applied to the hardcore scene. For the purpose of this article, substitute punk rockers for nation states, and emotional and intellectual immaturity for internal strife. Thus we achieve the eque^ation punk rockers are more or less vulnerable to embracing fascist ideology to compénsate for their lack of emotional and intellectual maturity.

With that in mind, let's explore some facete of a recent trend, that being the Hardline movement.For those unfamiliar with this ugly mutation, a definition is in order. Hardline appears to be a dangerous hybrid of straightedge fanaticism coupled with homophobia.

Its disciples preach the usual straight edge standards of sobriety, abstinence from smoking, drugs and sex, as well as the more or less popular straight-edge ethic of veganism. What sets this particular group of intolerant lunkheads apart however, is their stance with regard to one's sexuality. While straight-edge frowns on casual sex and promiscuity, Hardline maintains that all sex is immoral. And though vaginal sex is met with disapproval, their reaction to homosexuality has been one of outright violence. Gay bashing, traditionally a nazi cement-head practice, is eagerly adopted by these neo-fascis hate edgers, who see such action as a means of resolving their own retarded sexuality. And the danger is that such extremista is attractive to those already caught up in a similar lifestyle Straight edge, while certainly offerin some 'positive' and sensible valúes, has been received with such overenthusiasm that militant supporters have turned it into a sort of new reli gion, demanding the strictest of dedication from its adherants. Straight edge demands conformity. The fashion, music and strict rules of 'membership' demónstrate this. It is quite likely that its followers will adhere to the law as it is layed down, and ammended, by its most prominent and vocal spokes people, who may be termed the new priests. This was demonstrated a few years ago by the straight edge mass embrace, more or less, of vegetarianism. This took place after lan MacKaye and others in the Dischord community proclaimed vegetarianism as the next logical step of the straight philosophy. More recently, a great number of straight edgers have embraced religión following Ray Cappo's (ex-singer of Youth Of Today) new found 'enlightenment' and conversión to Krishna. What the priests set by example, the flock blindly follows as law.

Having made that point, let me reitérate my concern that Hardline may be adopted by an ever-growing number of the straight edge faction, and thus represents a threat to us all. The law according to Hardline dictates the standards of morality, and makes no bones about the required punishraent fordissenters.

SCENE REPORTS CONTINUED In a letter to Mike Bullshit of the band GO!, Jason from the Hardline band Blindside (Scooby-Doo Records and My Utopia zine), demonstrates the stupidity and violent potential of the 'movement' he's caught up in. Quoting his band's lyrics, "Kill the murders, whores, junkies and queers - unproductive, destructive, meaningless fools, you serve no purpose, your life or death I do not care !" Jason goes on to explain in his letter that 'homosexuality is a sickness . If you think it's uncurable by any medicine or treatment, well, maybe the only cure is death. Or at least stomp you guys so much that you go back into hiding.'

The Vasque country bands hosted bands like Angelic Upstarts, Anhrefn, Bad Manners plus loads of others and so has Barcelona with Desmond Dekker, The Toasters, Laurel Aitken, Maroon Town, The Riffs, Hotknives, etc.

New Oi! bands that deserve a mention are Z A K A R R A K from the north of Spain who play powerful Oi! with covers of Sham's 'If The Kids Are United' and an Oi! versión of Symarip's 'Skinhead Girl'. They've released 2 demos but only 1 is still available.

Another band is FRONTPIELSEN from Barcelona who play Oi! in the oíd style and have members of Skatala in their line-up.

The pathetic ignorance and hypocrisy displayed in Jason's words does not require further commentary. Now that we know where they stand, we also know how to deal with them. Hardline is the ñame of a record label, so obviously all of the bands releasing material through them should be avoided. Their 'for your enlightenment' ad offers three overpriced 7" releases ($6), which should be fine material for the dustbin. They are : Vegan Reich 'Hardline', Raid 'Words of War' and Statement 'Prepare For Battle'. Sounds like the whole Stars and Stripes bullshit.

And as if there were any doubts as to their militaristic tendencies, the Hardline logo features automatic rifles crossed in the shape of an X.

(This report has been written by Mark 'Skanky' Brown of 'Skinhead scene and rudies' fanzine. Thanx mate.)

Fascism rears its ugly head in many forms. It may initially appear that the Hardline bunch are a positive and compassionate lot, after all, they support the animal liberation m o v e m e n t , Unfortunately, it's a different matter indeed when it comes to allowing human being their freedom. It is impossible to tell how many bands have adopted the Hardline philosophy. Vegan Reich, Blindside, Raid and Statement we know of for sure. The key is awareness. Be critical of the bands you listen to (straight edge or otherwise), and know what kind of politics it is you are supporting. I hope this article doesn't come off as a condemnation of straight edge in general, my concern lies only with the fascistic Hardline movement. A boycott of Hardline bands, labels and fanzines is a good way of putting some pressure to these nazis and will let them .know that fascism will not be tolerated, regardless of the forra it takes.

(Yes, it seems that lan MacKaye has unintentionally created a monstrous, intolerant (Hardline) movement which has very little in common with the basic ideas of straight edge or hardcore for that matter.

I definitely haven't printed this article as a pro-homosexuality or antistraight edge stand, just mentioning the facts in a critical way - Skoink editor ) .

F I N L A N D The Finnish punk/skinhead scene is in limbo at the moment : no new bands and no gigs. There aren't many oíd bands left neither except for UNBORN SF, DREADLINE (who are not really part of the scene, they're a reggae band), AKWARD SQUAD (psychobilly) and a few others. None of these bands have played in ages. Of course the big trend here is death metal but I hate it.

Grindcore is also popular and there are a lot of bands playing hardcore á la '82-'84 but none of these bands are worth mentioning.

There are about 300-350 skinheads in Finland and about 90% of them are racists/fascists. I know only a few non-racist skins here, there are more but they uve in other cities, so I haven't met any of them (yet). We haven't got any hassle from nazi skins so far. Where I live (Vantaa/Helsinki área) are about 10 boneheads. Some of them aren't violent at all, they even try to make themselves look good in front of the public. They cali themselves 'Skullhead Skins' and publish a magazine called (surprise!) Skullhead.

It's full of political crap and pictures of themselves. They say that they are not racists, but if you know anything about them, you'll know that they're fucking neo-nazis. Most other nazi skins are violent, stupid and ignorant bastards. We mostly hang out with punks. It's a pity that most fanzines here don't want to have SHARP flyers included because of the word skinhead. They don't seem to accept the idea of an anti-racist skinhead movement. They only know the siegheiling bootboy type skins. Well, I hope that will change one day as we continué our struggle.

This short report has been written by Ralle who runs a Finnish S.H.A.R.P. chapter and produces a fanzine called 'Skinbeat' .

Contact : Kalle Silvennoinen Jonsaksenpolkn 3A1 01600 Vantaa Finland.

\ X

•vPunk to me means freedom. Also, I was "attracted to the political messages Jthat bands like Jesús Chrust, Crass "»and Chaos U.K. express. Punk music ••should inform as well as entertain. ^M: We started to get lots of girls and fc*lots of money and spend it all on ""•drugs and booze. I got interested in ^punk because it was fuckin' cool and ,i¡it still is cool. I first listened to ^,bands like Ramones, Dictators and Sex ^Pistols. Then I grew up and now I JJlisten to bands that sound like Sex JTPistols, Ramones etc. "^R: Punk is the coolest music ever creI've always wanted to be in a but could never play very well. ^To be in a punk band you just have to fake it, pretend that you could play and look cool doing that. So I started The Blanks started in October 1990. a band with other people that couldn't There are four members, one girl in play either. We're having fun, fun, the band - plays guitar and sings back fun! up vocals. They played their first show in February '91 at Abc-No-Rio in The first song on your demo is called New York City. They're from New Jersey 'Spirit of '77'. Is the spirit of '77 and entertain crowds in NJ, Connectistill alive in the U.S.A. and what cut and NYC. They recently changed ¿does it mean to you ? their ñame to BLANKS '77 due to threats -of another band willing to £B: To me, anyone who is into punk in take them to court. According to the some way connects to 1977. 1977 marks singer Mike, the band is not political the beginning of the punk movement and Some have strong political beliefs but most people recognize that. The spethat's not what the band is about. ^cifics of society and its problems are They're about youth and youthful ideas *different now, but the same type of and making their dreams come true. ^stance punk made against all of the Questions are answered by Brendan (B) shit in the beginning is still necesbass, Renee (R) - guitar and Mike (M) •esary . vocals. ¿' R: The spirit for change is still here •' and I think that was the most impor¡tant thing about '77. The kids changed J t h e face of rock 'n' roll and that's ¡B: Most of the band's history happened Jwhat I want to do. before me. I was the last meraber to 1M: 'Spirit of '77' is our song that join in October or November 1990.

•Jkinda salutes the oíd punk bands and Renee, Mike and Chad had been together "also kinda degrades them for giving up for a few months before that. They had or should I say 'moving on'. For a lot of trouble finding a bass player example Clash members, Misfits members so I bought a bass and joined. etc... '77 style is kinda popular in R: I put an ad out, Chad answered it, ''the underground scene but some bands then he introduced me to Mike. The \,don't know how to do it. I love the three of us got together, figured out <4,0ld '77 stuff, it's like cool fuckin' we couldn't play and then we found yrock 'n* roll that makes my feet tap Brendan passed out drunk in the street.^jand my head bop and I just want to He couldn't play either so he fit jfuckin' pogo all over the place. right in. The rest is history.

(That's what it means to me.

M: We started way back in 1977 and took a long break and started back up ¡Are you influenced by American or in '91 'eos the time is now! The rest ;European bands ? is history. I was six when we started.

B: Renee writes almost all of the music and she is really into the early What was the reason to start the band?

English punk bands like the U.K. Subs, Why did you get interested in punk ?

Anti-Nowhere League, Buzzcocks, The B: I've always wanted to be in a band Clash, and so on. The only American for as long as I've been into punk. band that influences is The Casualties Punk is the only music and one of the ífrom New York City. few things in society that is honest.

R: European definitely. I know as soon There's no rockstar bullshit in the as I listen to a song if it's European punk scene (with the exception of a «*or American. In Europe you guys get few asshole bands). I got into punk jthis undefinable sound and it's great. for that reason and also because of €l'm jealous 'eos we can't get that the message that goes along with it. 'sound.

Punk basically says 'I do what I want M:AskRenee. because I want to and if you don't like it then fuck off.

f

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What do you think of the changes that took place in Europe ? (Yugoslavia, Germany, USSR,. . . ) B: Well, obviously it's great to see autonomy given to different countries.

It's fucking pathetic that people actually have to fight to gain personal freedom. It's about time that many of the oppressive countries are loosening their stranglehold on weaker neighbours and recognizing human rights. I wish that the United States would follow the same path. As far as Germany goes, on the surface it's fucking great. Every other time in history that Germany has been unified, though, it has tried to attain global domination. I hope history won't repeat itself again.

R: They're great as long as Germany doesn't try to rule the world again.

M: What changes ??

What do you think of the N.Y. scene and its sub-divisions ?

M: Jesús loves me, yes I know for the bible tells me so... Religión is boring. In the USA right now there are a lot of scandals going on with preachers and prostitutes. A lot of people believe in God, and that's fine, but a lot of them try to shove their beliefs down your throat. I don't think that's right because if you wanna find religión you don't wanna get it from some guy preaching to you as you're walking down the street.

A lot of bands say 'we'll never change but you don't see many 35 years oíd punks. Do you think you'll change one day ?

B: It's hard to say what I'll look" like or be into when I'm 35 or 40. I may not wear a leather jacket or have a mohawk in my later years, but my views will never change. Most of my personal philosophies I had before I sgot into punk. Punk provided a way for me to channel my ideas and anger into society.

R: Everyone changes, I guess I will too but I don't want to become some boring middle class wife with 2 kids, a dog and a house with a picket fence.

M: I don't know, ask me in 10 years.

B: I think the N.Y. scene is the best thing I've ever been a part of. The sub-divisions are a load of shit, though. There is competition between some bands and there is some arrogance in the scene which screws things up a bit. All in all, though, the scene has have been the reactions to your sorae great fucking people and some Idemo ? Will the EP' s be available in great organizations like Squat or Rot pEurope ? (a record label) and the Abc-No-Rio The demo tape got a pretty good re-i (a fucking great club that puts on ¡action. We have gone through about 450| shows and sells records). ¡copies so... Personally I think the R: I think everyone should be friends !demo sucks. I hope the new EP will be and live happily ever after. available in Europe but I'm not sure.

M: NYC punks rule. The crowd reacts really good - lotsa pogoing and no fights. The N.Y. scene is very open minded. There is a lot of competition between bands but that's stupid 'eos we're all playing music to the same people and we all have the same crowd.

There's no rootn for ego's in our scene Bands like The Radicts can go die 'eos they are really good, but they're a bunch of assholes. We make fun of bands that act too professional when they're not. . .

You have a song called 'Jehovah's Witness'. What are your views on religión and what's the situation like in USA ?

B: Personally, I',m agnostic. I fucking despise organized religión and I think that most of the people who follow it ,are pretty ignorant and mindless.

Religión breeds hatred, violence, racism and sexism. The fucking Bible is totally racist and sexist.

There's no place for anything like that in society. The situation over here is pretty scary. Almost everyone is a Bible reading Christian fool, including George Bush and Ronald Reagan (two of the biggest assholes of all time).

R: I think religión is a big money making scheme.

•\\V.l.

R: Everyone's liked the tape, and I ' 11 •"Is the punk scene really a solidarity give you our address. If you want one, 'movement ? send us money and we'll mail you one.

B: I think that the punk scene lacks Same goes for the EP . If anyone wants the unity it needs. It's not like all to distribute it in Europa, please punks are at war with each other or /write to us. anything, but as I said before there M: People who have reviewed us have ,k are some sub-divisions that will hurt called us gods. We ' re sick of the tape.

We're looking forward to the 7" EP. We A t h e scene if they continué to exist. don't have any distributors in Europe, VR: As soon as I know what solidarity 'means I'll let you know. í ! except for someone in Germany, but if ¿anyone wants to sell our stuff, please JCShould punk be political or are things in touch.

Nlike D.I.Y., trust and music much more important ?

How do people in the USA react to the reunión shows (Buzzcocks, X-Ray Spex, B: I think that there needs to be a ^Stif f Little Fingers, etc.) and are mix of all those things in punk. I'm oíd U.S. punk bands reforming ? _ Jjireally into the political aspect of jpunk, as well as the D.I.Y. approach.

B: The reunions haven't been publiIPunk should inform and entertain while cized too much. When the Buzzcocks remaining honest and sincere to the carne around, though, everyone went people involved in the scene. '(except me). No oíd U.S. punk bands « J R : Some bands are good at being poliare reforming. It would be cool if some of them (like Youth Brigade) did I tical but we're not. Brendan is the only one who's into politics. The rest though . of us don't understand them. If you 'R: We think the reunions are great but ' can be political without being preachy only the Buzzcocks have played here.

• then do it. If you're gonna preach I wish other older bands would play here , 3 shit though, then you're just like any . other politician. I hate preaching and but I hate politicians. they don't , rM: I don't give a shit about politics. ^D.I.Y. attitude is excellent. Trust is so important. But everyone should do what fuck they want. I do. Fuck you Brendan.

J

Is there a strong Oi! scene where you live ? Is.it dominated by nazi boneÍ heads or are the S.H.A.R.P. and S.P.A.R. organisations doing a good ^Job keeping nazi scum from the streets B: There really is no Oi! scene around «* here. There are some Oi! bands (like our friends Those Unknown) but there isn't a complete scene. There are white power kids around but they are kept pretty quiet for the most part.

I have some S.P.A.R. and S.H.A.R.P. flyers but I haven't seen much activity from either group.

R: There isn't any kind of strong scene in Jersey but we're trying to change that.

M: Oi! is punk is rock 'n' roll is NOT M: X-Ray Spex can go die 'eos I wordead ! The skins where we live are ship the ground they walk on. I almost cool - oi oi oi. The places we play went to England to see their reunión. and hang out nazi shit isn't tolerated These bands who reform need to tour S.H.A.R.P. and S.P.A.R. aren't very everywhere, not just their own town. popular in our área. ÍLotsa people want to see them. No American bands have reformed though. I'd like to see Fear or Dead Kennedys, but our dreams come true'. What are your the problem is that all the oíd Ameridreams exactly ? can punks are dying like Stiv Bators no more Dead Boys and Johnny Thunders. IV;B: Mike wrote the 'dreams come true' They're all dropping like files. Dee ?};shit, so he can answer it without my Dee Ramone should be next. Then Iggy v&help.

Pop. .'.¡•R: Ask Mike, he' s the one with dreams.

IOT Y¡M: To play cool music to cool kids and ¿put out cool records and have fun and *\go places on tour and hang out and •:•' have fun.

\u wrote 'the band is about mak

i

I

iIs the traditional punk outfit still important to you ?

B: I'm not sure I know what the traditional punk outfit is. I do thinK that tradition for tradition sake is fucking stupid though. I guess I don't really care.

R: If you mean clothes, then yes it iis. But I don't think clothes are the E o n l y aspect of punk. Anyone can wear bondage pants and safety pins. If you don't have the attitude, then you're not a punk. It's not a fashion. I happen to think the clothes are cool which is why I dress the way I do. But sorae people think to be a punk you've got to look like one. I know people that look like punks but aren't.

I forgot if I even answered the question or not.

M: I like wearing my leather jacket |with studs and painted shit on it and I like to spike my hair and wear combat boots and I love safety pins 'eos they are punk. ¡What do you think of the térra 'alternative' ?

We have a 4 song 7" coming out soon on Vandal Children Rec. and we might try to put together a compilation record if we can scrape up enough money.

Our demo is still available and we are on a few tape compilations in Europe and the United States. Also, we are planning to go to California in August of 1992 and play out there as much as we can. The scene out there is supposed to be fucking great and we're all really looking forward to it.

Other than that I don't think we have any plans, do we ?

Anyone and everyone write to us and let us know about the scene and the bands over there. Also, remember the four most important things ... anarchy, peace, equality and ecology and pogo till you die ...

R: We're going to California in August and we're gonna have a single out.

We're gonna raake stickers and shirts and pins. And we're gonna go see lotsa cool shows and pogo.

Write : Blanks '77, 1303 Myrtle Street Hillside, NJ 07205, USA. Oh yeah, we're starting our own fanzine called Final Solution. We're gonna try to get bands off their asses make them play out more, make 'em play different clubs and shit like that.

We'll also do reviews of tapes and records and we'll try to do interviews too. So if you're in a band or if you just want to send us shit, write to : Final Solution Fanzine, 131 Knickerboxer Ave., Paterson, NJ 07503, USA. Demos are $5 (US currency please).

EPs (4 songs total fucking pogo punk) will also be $5 p p d .

M: - EP on Vandal Children Records.

- we want to do a video or movie for one of our songs.

- tour California - go to sleep.

B: In the USA, alternative means those bands and people who want to be weird 1 Vandal Children Rec., 183 Prospect St, \Willimantic, Ct. 06226, USA. and 'rebel' against society or whatever but still sign to major corporate labels and have videos on MTV. They look different and pretend to think :Anybne mío animal liberación differently but they are simply another part of the mainstream. I hate the .d US $2 (postage) and $500 term alternative and many of the 'al^¿(Colombia).forthisfreelittie zine ternative' psople-who are really full **S+ more info. It includes pbotos, ' of shit.

•tfartwork. info, directaction etc...

R: I've listened to the so-called 'alon animal abuse. Spanisb and ternative' stations and most of them Engiish editions available play that dance shit from England. e.Please write to send any Sounds like fucking disco to me, they are just trying to package it differ, anieles oranytbing about ently. Fuck disco, be a punk ! animal rights fornextissues. or M: It's a good song by The Exploited, just to contact us. We've no we cover it. interest in profit, just want to What are the plans for the band in the future ?

B: We are going to keep playing shows anywhere we can until we break up or kill each other.

e wordof animal rights.

NÉSTOR G. p+ á A.A. 59018 V^" BUGOIA-COIJJ^BIA 1

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MORAL CRUX : LOAD OF DEAD TRACKS Although this band exists since 1983 and has already 2 LPs under their belts, it's the first time I hear one of their releases. The EP Icontains six previously unreleased [out-takes from the 1987 'Moral Crux 1 debut albura. They succeed in combining the energy and freshness of punk rock with the passion and speed of hardcore, Impressive drums, a ripping guitar and powerful vocals. They remind me a lot of 7 Seconds at the time of the 'Skins, Brains and Guts' and 'Commited For Life' EPs. There's really not one bad track but 'Girlfriend' and 'Stop The KKKlan' are my personal favourites.

Well thought-out socio-political lyrics about racism, the environnement,...

Great '77 style hardcore, an 8 page booklet telling the story of Moral Crux + photos and a glossy cover make this package a real winner.

(Po Box 1484, Oxford, Mississipi 38655, USA) DISTORTED TRUTH : THE OFFICIAL BOOTLEG The 10 tracks on this cassette were intended to be released as an álbum, but I explained that in the news section. Distorted Truth are one of the best UK bands, they nave a powerful '77 sound with some '82 punk influences. Decent recording quality, good lyrics, strong vocals and melodic tunes make this a worthy follow-up for their classic debut LP. There isn't a killer song like 'Party Political Bullshit' on it, but overall it definitely equals 'Smashed Hits'. Not only the pace of the songs is reminescent of Stiff Little Fingers, also the vocals are similar. If you liked the 'Smashed Hits' álbum, you'll certainly dig this too. (í 2 from Kevin Mclnnaly, 32 Bannerman Pl., Clydebank G81 2UG, Scotland) ABSCESS

: DEMO 2

Abscess is a project band with 2 members of Ejaculate. Doomy metal is what they cali it, I cali it distressingly slow metal rumble with animal roaring, in other words it ain't music. No lyrics included but I don't think they have any lyrics. I can't believe people are listening to such crap, let alone buying it. There's no tunes, no enthusiasm, nothing at all. Just don't do anything stupid.

(R. Kreft, Joseph Haydnlaan 44, 2394 GM Hazerswoude r/d, Holland)

THE SKUNKS : CHAOS IN SKAVILLE The Skunks formed in 1988 in Hyatsvile, a suburb of Washington DC. This is their first LP, it's only available on cassette at the moment but will be released on CD in the summer. What you get is mostly an up-tempo, two tone ska beat with a few slower songs and some rock, hardcore and Latine influences thrown in for good measure. The production is excellent and the brass section comes out very well. The vocals could've been a bit more varíes though. Best tracks are the fastish 'The Race', the skanky versión of 'Under My Thumb' (Rolling Stones) and the poppy 'Bounce'. Eleven tracks ranging from good to brilliant, especially side 1 is worth checking out.

(P.U. Records, Po Box 5, Riverdale, Maryland 20737-0005, USA) PENNYWISE

: PENNYWISE

Ñame : Pennywise; Address : 1 Hardcore Blvd., MT 19020 Musictown; mother : Seven Seconds; alleged father : Mr. Oi. This must be about the best what the actual hardcore scene has got to offer. The álbum as a whole sounds fresh and powerful. No Napalm Death shit, no beating about the bush but straight forward top-level HC with some good singalong chorussses. A strong guitar and a clear voice turn this LP into a powerful piece of vinyl. All the songs are quite short (between 1.5 and 3.5 minutes) which adds some extra energy.

You're into hardcore and you don't know Pennywise ?? Shame on you! Let's hope these Americans keep on rocking this way, (Epitaph Records) JACK SCRATCH : WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE I liked their previous 7"s and this is even better. The package contains three 7" on red vinyl. It sounds ]very much like 'Candy from a | stranger' , some songs are a bit jheavier, more punky though and the cello is included in a few songs. They still play a sort of heavy rock 'n' roll, well-structured and varied songs and good production.

It's quite difficult to put them in a category but that's maybe to their credit. Can't say much about the lyrics as they're a bit confusing but they don't seem to say much. When you see what you get for a mere six bucks (a triple 7" on colored vinyl, a lyric sheet, stickers and a foursided glossy cover), you can't go wrong. So buy it ! ($6 p p d . to Po Box 146702, Chicago, IL 60614 - 6702, USA) WHEN WORLDS COIIIDE

ROGUES : GET OUT ALIVE The Rogues are what you could cali a 'hard' band : powerful and hard-hitting music and ditto words, anything but an ideal purchase for emo-core fans. They play tuneful punk/Oi! with great singalong chorusses and remind me a bit of other US bands such as Moonstomp and Anti Heros but are slower than these bands. This 4-song EP grabs you by the throat and doesn't let you go anymore. I've seldom heard a band expressing such an energetic anger, really a 'no bullshit' attitude.

Lyrics are inserted and deal with the traditional skinhead issues : violence, pride and working class problems ('Stand in line for government cash, stuff your welfare up your ass') nothing exciting but decent enough.

Powerful, pissed-off anthems for the youth of the 90's indeed !

(Forcé Majeure Records, Po Box 39148, Detroit, MI 48239, USA) VACANT LOT : CHEERS TQ YOU Vacant Lot consists of, four skinheads hailing from Toronto, Canadá.

On this EP they deliver 3 excellent Oi! singalongs, it's not typical American but rather English style Oi!. Influences are clearly bands like Blitz and Niblick Henbane. The lyrics deal with the u s u a l s k i n h e a d t o p i c s : ••C^CCílé beer, pride, football,~etc. - a bit banal but I still prefer lyrics like that than preachy political bullshit.

It seems the Oi! bands in America and Canadá are much more interesting than in e.g. England where tiiey're either ignored or affiliated to organisations like Blood and Honour or Rock Against Communism. Cheers to you for this great EP. (Forcé Majeure Records, Po Box 39148, Detroit, MI 48239, USA) THE STAB : PUNK 77 After their fantastic debut tape, here's the first vinyl reléase from Italy's premier punk rock band. These guys are already a long time involved in the scene and you can clearly hear that they ha'.'en't budged an inch from the good oíd punk rock sound. Kinda early The Clash meets Stiff Little Fingers but they definitely have their own sound. The title track was already included on the tape, the other three are brand new songs. Great punky guitar riffs, catchy melodies and emotive vocals. Well thought-out words, they are in Italian but an English translation is included. With this EP, The Stab proves that oíd punk rock is anything but outdated and in my opinión they're the best Italian punk/Oi band.

So what are you waiting for, get off your ass and send them some money.

(7000 Italian Lires ppd. to Romano Bedetti, Via B. Cellini 10, 40138 Bologna, Italy)

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS : FLAGS< EMBLEMS An exaggerated amount of SLF compilation and live alburas has been put out, but here is finally what we waited for : a brand new SLF studio LP. Only two original members are left but the line-up has been strengthened by the coming of exJam bass player Bruce Foxton. This doesn't sound like the cutting punk rock of 'Inflammable Material', they however still play powerful music and the punky edge is still there allright like in 'A Long Way To Paradise' or 'Johnny 7'. SLF has always been known for its emotional and commited lyrics and that hasn't changed a bit, just look at 'The Cosh', 'Beirut Moon' or 'Stand Up And Shout' ("Get on your feet and raise your fist up for the count; What's yours is yours if you stand up and shout; No looking back, you got to play the cards you're dealt; Break down the barricades and speak up for yourself"). The love for their native country Ireland hasn't disappeared in the lyrics neither. If you have sean them live, you'11 also know they remained an interesting band all along and if they reach a wider audience with this new reléase, they amply deserve it. Brilliant álbum !

(Castle Communications) ALMIGHTY LUMBERJACKS OF DEATH : ALWAYS QUT OF CONTROL BUT NEVER OUT OF BEER ALD is the showpiece of this cool American label which calis them 'the darlings of drunkeness and debauchery'.

This is a band you either love or hate and a 'beer' EP like this will not make them very popular among SE fans.

Qua attitude they remind me of ripoff bands such as Anti-Nowhere League or Chaotic Dischord. I like these bands but you don't have to take them too seriously. The lyrics are completely nuts, here are sonu examples : 'Drink beer, go to the bar, Drink beer, smash your fucking car'/ 'We were born in rotten oaks, we laugh at corpses of people we slay, then spend the night trying to get laid'.

Don't know the exact meaning of 'Our veterans from Nam walk the streets each day, it should be our honor to shake their hands' but it sounds pretty needless to me. Musically it's hard-hitting Oi-core with a heavy bass, powerful and harsh vocals and contagious refrains. I received the EP for review only some 3 months ago although it dates from '89. In the mean time ALD have a 5 song cassette ('Soul Of The Storm') and a live cassette out.

Buy this unless you insist on being 'politically correct' (oink, oink).

(Forcé Majeure Records, Po Box 39148, Detroit, MI 48239, USA)

ANfíELIC UPSTARTS : GREATEST HITS LIVE This 18-track CD has been recordad at the Retford Porterhouse in 1982 after the Upstarts left EMI and just befare they signed to Anagram. It contains all the classics from this influential punk band : The Murder Of Liddle Towers (their very first single), Teenage Warning, Guns For The Afghan Rebels, Mr Politician (you fat cunt), I'm An Upstart, Two Million Voices, etc. plus cover versions of The Young Ones and White Riot. As usual Mensi spits out the lyrics very convincingly. Eve-| ry true punk fan has to admit that the Upstarts' lyr-l ics are one of t.hel best ever written:) realistic, critical, intelligent and without the preaching. Also great is Mensi's comment in between the songs iike in the controversial 'England' in which he rightly points out that 'you don't have to be a flag-waving nazi to love your country'. The sound quality is excellent unlike some of the other Live and Loud releases of Link.

Is this all Link does, releasing and re-releasing oíd stuff and cashing in on oíd famous bands ?? Sure, this CD is great but shouldn't they be giving a chance to new bands too (like they used to do) ? At least the low price of their CDs is to their credit.

(Streetlink) MURPHY'S LAW : THE BEST OF TIMES The four weirdos from Asteria are back and sound better than ever. What you get is an excellent mix of hardcore and ska. One song you find powerful and fast guitars, the next one you get funny trumpets and skankin' horns ('Tight'). As usual the lyrics mainly deal with having lotsa fun, beer,...

The sad thing about this álbum is that 'Big Spliff' sounds as if Murphy's Law have been listening to Happy Mondays too much (sorry for those who like the Happy Mondays - I hate them). Anyway it's most likely one of the best and funniest LPs of '91. If you like their 'Back With A Bong' LP, you'll love this one.

(Relativity Records) THE OFFSPRING

: BAGHDAD

Two excellent hardcore songs, an original Jimmy Hendrix cover and some Arabian music is what these blokes offer. It's obvious that they know how to use their guitars, just listen to the superb title track. The 'Hey Joe' cover is a nice piece of guítar work too, but I think that Arabian music wasn't really necessary. The vocals sometimes sound a bit like those of a metal band but all in all they're OK. All lyrics are in English and printed on the inside cover. By the way, if you're a George Bush fan, this record could damage your faith in him !

(Nemesis Records)

THE URGE : SELF-RESPECT. M A N N E K S ANÜ..

The Urge are an oíd punk rock outfit who toured with The Lurkers back in 1977. The songs have been written between 1977-79 but have only been recorded in 1991, so I guess they're the umpteenth band reforming. As far as I'm concerned keep them coming 'eos I haven't yet discovered any style of music that can match the great '77 punk rock sound. Come on Adverts, Slaughter and the Dogs, Eater, etc.

Enough nostalgia. This LP contains 15 tracks which all sound a bit similar but they're all great, raw and wild pogo anthems. The Urge remind me a lot of The Maniacs and a bit of Lurkers.

Got the picture ? They've got some funny song titles like 'Teds Only Have Quiffs 'eos Their Hair Won't Spike', a punky rock 'n' roll number or 'Too Oíd To Do The Pogo'. Strongly recommended reléase.

(Incógnito Records, Hochfirststr. 23, 7000 Stuttgart 80, Germany) THE_ FRITS : LITTLE IDIOTS I saw this Germán band once live and found them somewhat deceiving but this álbum convinced me of their potential.

You have to listen to it several times to fully appreciate it though. It contains outstanding poppy ska songs like 'Hey Girl' and 'Searching For Another Place In Town' and more laidback reggae like 'Sense Of Life' and 'Stories'. There's also ,an instrumental versión of Serge Gainsbourg's 'Je t'aime, moi non plus' included (without the panting though). My personal favourites are the title track, a fine rock/ska crossover number and the remixed versión of 'Why do you change it', a fastish and very danceable tune. The lyrics aren' bad at all.

'Sense of Life' is a question I'm asking myself all the time (and you should too) and 'Bonehead' is selfexplanatory. The Frits evidence skilled musicianship and this álbum is surely a great acquisition for your ska record collection.

(Pork Pie Records, Forster Str. 4/5, 1000 Berlin 36, Germany) COUCH POTATOES : EP This is in fact a split 7" featuring 2 Dutch bands : Disturbing Foresights and Antic Hay doing two songs each.

The latter's gotta be placed somewhere between Iggy Pop at his best and the Cockney Rejects. Get the picture ?

Indeed, solid and melodic (punk) rock which goes straight to the heart.

Disturbing Foresights tends more to early hardcore. Slower parts are mixed with fast riffs and some excellent lyrics (two lead singers!). Oh yeah, if you have bought this EP already and you didn't get 'Couch Potatoes' zine free, you've been ripped off ! (interviews with Psycho Terror, Yawp, Disturbing Foresights, Rat Patrol, Máximum Droplul, Union Morbide and articles on squatting, anti-fascist gigs, etc. - written in English) (Stichting De Wijde Wereld, Po Box 39, 1713 ZG Obdam, Holland)

THE BUSTERS : DEAD OR ALIVE The third studio LP from this twelvepiece ska outfit is one of the best releases to come out of Germany lately.

Whereas the 'Ruder y Than Rude' álbum was solely uptempo ska, this LP is characterized by its diversity. Influences like calypso ('Rum and Coca Cola') and soul ('Gángster Of Love') have come up and the fast two tone is still present like in the title track, 'Agatha 1 and 'Candy'. I guess 'Illinois State Pólice' has been written as a result of their highly successful North-American tour. Like most ska bands you don't have to look for a particular message behind the lyrics, just fun, girls, love,... With this eleven track LP, The Busters should achieve even more success than they already have but let's hope they won't fade away from the ska scene. Purchase obligatory !

(Weserlabel) THE WAY : DEMO '91 The Way is a band stemming out of the ashes of Austrian seventies punk rock band 'Boslinge'. I've never heard of that band before but I guess their music hasn't changed much as this tape, done on a 4-track recorder, contains good '77 punk tunes - mostly mid-tempo but also some slower ones like 'Chaos'.

There are 18 tracks including covers of 'Rock 'n' Roll Music' (Chuck Berry) and 'So Long' (Abba), good for some 40 minutes tuneful punk. The words are mostly in English and titles such as 'Raise Your Fist', 'Against The Rich', 'Pólice State 1 show that The Way have besides great music also something worthwile to say. Although they're anything but skins, they printed the S.H.A.R.P. logo on the cover - keep up the good work.

(Voice of the street tapes c/o Harald Rau, Medeagasse 11/1, 1100 Wien, Austria ) DR. CALYPSO : DR. CALYPSO What do you get if you take a glass of tequila, put 11 crazy Spanish dudes in it, add 1/4 Calypso, 1/3 Soul, 1/2 Reggae, 1/1 Ska and shake it well ? Right : Dr. Calypso! The A-side of this tape contains 2 great ska songs (one in Spanish and one in English). The funny Calypso influences will surely make everyone skank down the place at your party, even the most boring wise guy will join in. The first track on the B-side is a mixture of all possible Caribbean music styles, the last track is an excellent and refreshing instrumental ska tune. With summertime coming up, this tape is a must for your collection.

(Dr. Calypso, Apartado De Correos 3142, 08080 Barcelona, Spain)

DISCHARGE : MASSACRE DIVINE I've never been a big Discharge fan but I have to admit they have a few classic songs like 'State Control'.

Since their reformation they released two live alburas and now a new studio álbum and it's AWFUL. You sometimes have to listen to a record several times but after the second song I knew this was crap, all songs are really a torture with 'Terror Pólice* as absolute low point. It's a combination of the dreadful vocals of grind bands, the boring guitar parts of metal bands and (probably) the poser attitude of glam rock bands. It's really sad to see a once influential hardcore band make complete fools of themselves, how can anyone still take them serious ? As far as I'm concerned, Discharge can stick their past in their ass and tour with Poison, Slayer and the likes. This is their future : due to a bad selling LP and poor attended gigs they'll split up again, reform in '94, reléase a few compilations to grab some quick money, make an even worse record than 'Massacre Divine' and split up in '95 again.

Don't say I didn't warn you. The (Discharge) nightmare continúes !

(Clay Records) NIBLICK HENBANE : WHAT'S YOUR PEAL If you take a look at the front cover, you get the impression the members come straight from Hitler's nazi camp and the bass player looks like a second lan Stuart but don't get me wrong, these guys are anything but nazi boneheads. Just read the lyric sheet : 'Racists of all colours deserve no deals at all'. The music is pretty much in the same vein as their debut EP, tuneful and strong Oi! with great singalong chorusses and decent, no bullshit lyrics (4 songs including one cover). Glad to see that some American bands still know how to play good punk/Oi!. Niblick Henbane are together with The Bruisers about the best Oi! band to come out of USA lately. Wellcared-for sleeve and if you're interested, Budweiser is their favourite beer. Good label, great reléase. ($5 ppd. from Headache Rec., 53 Myrtle Ave., Midland Park, NJ 07432, USA) BAKESY'S MIDDAY JOGGERS : DAYS GONE BY BMJ formed as a five piece outfit in January 1990. 'Days Gone By' is their third two track tape and an ex-member of The Loafers plays drums on this one.

Two fine modern ska/rocksteady tunes which remind me of The Hotknives.

Excellent quality, good danceable stuff and a well-cared-for cover show that BMJ is a band to watch for. It lacks a bit of punch though but that's definitely the only minus point. They will be recording an LP in the sutnmer and tour Germany in May/June, so keep an eye on that.

C$2.50 from Kevin Flowerdew, 26a Graven Road, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5NE, England)

ANGELIC ÜPSTARTS : gOMBED OUT We had to wait a long ¡ time for the follow-up of 'Blood On The Terraces' ('87) but it was certainly worth it. The line-up includes again Mond on guitar and Decca Wade on drums and also the music goes back to their early stuff, it's pretty much in the same vein as their first álbum 'Teenage Warning'. Great, rather fast and tuneful punk with that typical Upstarts guitar, singalong chorusses and of course Mensi's passionate voice. Most people become a bit less fanatical when growing older but that's not the case at all with Mensi, judging by the lyrics of songs like 'Red Till Dead' (self-explanatory or what !) and the poem 'Proud And Loud' in which he attacks Thatcher, Neil Kinnock, trendy lefties, Scargill, SWP, fascists, etc.

Let's hope the Upstarts will alsc gig a bit more now as the last time I saw them was some five years ago.

Essential reléase from one of the best punk/Oi! bands ever.

(Neat Records) BLAGGERS I.T.A. : BLAGGAMUFFIN Blaggers used to be a great hardcore/ Oi! band. I said USED TO BE 'eos don't expect to hear the good oíd Blaggers on this álbum. OR, it's very ¡original : trumpets itogether with Manchester influences, rap, samples and hardcore. I've never heard that before but the bad thing is that it sounds artificial. On top of that comes that some disc-jockey from the local disco got lost on his way home and ended up in the recording studio. From time to time you can hear some good HC (e.g.

'Ten Years On') but then something screws the whole song up, if not that runaway DJ then it's some inappropriate trumpets. And what about some Madonna and Tracey Chapman sampling stuff 1 Even the Clash cover 'Brixton 91' and some of the 'If the kids are united' lyrics can't improve the quality of this álbum. Sorry Blagger boys, but I think it's up to you to change something this time. Maybe you could change your ñame into 'Red Hot Chili Blaggers'.

(WOW Records, Po Box 119, Newport, Gwent NP9 7YD, Wales)

IJLAGGMÍSM*/

EJACULATE : GERMICIDE After hearing this demo, I wondered what is worse : listening to this kind of music or being one month without beer (just joking). This metal band consists of four longhairs and one mohawk and according to the band itself they play thrash metal with melodic solo parts and death metal influences. Well, I won't argüe about that.

The intro is very ominous and the rest is indeed a sort of thrash metal, the guitar parts are still OK, the drums could be a little more varied and the vocals are really awful. What the vocalist does is not singing but rather producing primitive sounds. The texts are surprisingly good for a metal band, no satanic bullshit or so, they are critical and intelligent, maybe that's because they nave a HC background. The lyrics deal with Apartheid in 'Oppress The Oppression', animal rights in 'Experiment And Cruelty' and pollution in 'No Second Chance 1 .

For metallers only. ($6 p p d . from Richard Willemse, Mozart"laan 117, 2394 Hazerswoude, Holland) INTENSIFIED : CARNIVAL! Intensified recruited a new three piece horn section after the reléase of the first demo 'Tense' and with this new 4-track cassette, they sound stronger than ever. 'Dictator' and 'Saturday Girl' are two upbeat poppy ska/rocksteady numbers while the title track is an instrumental and sounds more like traditional ska. 'Summer In Jamaica' finally is also instrumental and will make all you ska fans sweating on the dancefloor. The main difference with the previous tape is that the brass section stands out much more now. This good quality tape will suit all tastes : two tone fans as well as those faithful to the traditional Jamaican sound. Future plans for the band include a recording contract, a video, staging a ska festival, etc.

Obviously a band that continúes to spread the word of ska and reggae, so support them and place your order now. (í3 p p d . from Steve Harrington, 82 Church Road, Folkestone, Kent CT20 SEN, England) THOSE UNKNOWN : EP Debut EP from these four American guys, unknown so far but they'll be known as 'Those Unknown' in the future. Confusing' or what 1 'Hard-hitting American Oi!' that's what the included flyer says and indeed these lads could easily be the American Anti-Nowhere League.

Four singalong songs with a heavy bass line, a rough voice and a punky guitar.

Ain't that everything Oi! needs 1 Texts are (of course) about having lotsa fun ('Weekend Nights'), friends sticking together ('The Four Of Us 1 ) and social problems ('Cries Of A Nation'). This EP costs $5 overseas (ppd) which is actually not a penny too much knowing that it's printed on beautiful blue or splattered vinyl (don't forget to mention your preference ) (Headache Records, 53 Myrtle Ave., Midland Park, NJ 07432, USA)

! *

SCHIAVI EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIMENTAL GUITAR DISCOGRAPHY - "MÚSICA FUTURISTA" (uve recording) The original italian noise music, Luigi Russolo's futurist music (the art of noise).

ALEX SCHIAVI: guitars, violoncello, saxex, objets, hammer, etc. MASSIMO PELOSO: drums, tímpano, percussion.

Limited Edition.

- "THE BUDAPEST CONCERTS" LP A realisation HUNGAROTON-Budapest (Hungary).

Techno pop with guitars, synths, drum-machine.

ALEX SCHIAVI: guitars', effects. NAH ITOWA: synths, sequencer, drum machine.

- "ECLIPSE OF REASON" LP Pannonrecords (Budapest-Milan).

Experimental rock with ¡apáñese folk tunes influences. ALEX SCHIAVI: guitars, effects, synth.

Orders to: NAA AGENCY di Nena Avoti Viole Brianza, 32 - 20127 MILANO ITALY ADN - Via Decembrio, 26 - 20137 MILANO ITALY

KAYOKO SHUTO: piano. NAH ITOWA: bass.

MASSIMO PELOSO: drums.

"INFERNO" LP & CD (with two traack more) Techno heavy rock, original experimental guitars. ALEX SCHIAVI: guitars, effects, some synth.

GINO DE CAVAZZANIS: synths, organ, sequencer, drum-machine. MASSIMO PELOSO: percussion, drums.

AvailableonApril 1992.

"CELLOTRONIC" LP Experimental music the electric violoncello. ALEX SCHIAVI: electric cello, effects. NAH ITOWA: bass. MASSIMO PELOSO: drums, percussion.

Limited Edition. Available on May 1992.

"DIETRO LE QUINTE" MC Synth music (trance, meditative music) on Japanese folk tunes. ALEX SCHIAVI: synths.

MANAGEMENT: NAA AGENCY inltaly PANNONART-G. GESZTY F. DEAK ut. 19 1052 Budapest (Hungary)

COLLECTORS, WHOLESALE

WELCOME.