The Hung Ups are based in Salt Lake City and list amongst their influences the likes of Chixdiggit, Screeching Weasel, The Queers, Dear Landlord and Teenage Bottlerocket. They also have a love of early Lookout Records inspired pop punk. They formed in 2009, there's been a few line up changes over the years but as of the latest ep they appear to feature just Josh Recker (vocals/guitar/bass) and Schwenny (drums). Josh and Schwenny are also in a new band called New Routines (https://newroutines.bandcamp.com/album/basement-songs).
The Hung Ups have a number of releases, including their latest ep (Panic Attack) available name your price on Bandcamp https://thehungups.bandcamp.com
A new recruit to Ramone To The Bone family of old school pop punk bands, their new ep was released at the start of January and it contains half a dozen non too polished but pretty damn catchy tunes, the lead track being the one I've posted below. A boy/girl relationship that ain't gonna work out , Make You Angry has elements of those bands they name as influences and I'm also hearing a bit of early Osker in there. See what you think.....
Sometimes the words that I say Make you crazy and go insane cuz your ego is quite inflated I tried to pop it and now Im hated
cuz I don’t care I’ll say what I please I’m not gonna get down on my knees and beg you to like me I’d rather just make you angry
why do you think that we’d ever agree? we’ve never been close to unity you’d rather alienate then educate and act all hostile and so full of hate
so you don’t wanna be my friend I said something you can’t comprehend its shame you’re so self absorbed your skins so thin, and you’re such a bore
You may have noticed I posted the new video from Plymouth band Arch Rivals (watch it here if you haven't yet seen it : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbvRig1R574). It proved so popular that I asked vocalist Mike Brands if he'd like to submit a list of his favourite songs and quicker than you can shout Oi! Oi! Oi! he sent me the Top 10 that you'll find below.
Their video is for a new song, also called Arch Rivals, and it'll be part of a double A sided 7" single which is a split with Outlaws and will be out on Randale Records on February 13th. I asked Mike about what was in store for the band during 2017 and he said that as well as the single, they were also playing the following festivals; Punk And Disorderly, Oi This Is Tegelen and The Great Skinhead Reunion. If the amount of views for their blog update is anything to go by, all those appearances are sure to draw in packed crowds.
All I need to do now is thank Mike for the great list and leave you in his hands....
1) AGNOSTIC FRONT - Gotta Go
Cheesy video, but great song that crosses over the Oi! and hardcore boundaries.
One of America's best.
Roger's vocal style may be an acquired taste, but these guys are the real deal.
2) ARGY BARGY - Burning Skies
The masters showing the rest of us how it's done...
Great band and great guys...
3) BLITZ - Someone's Gonna Die
A band that are totally underrated, they wrote some brilliantly angry songs that represented the desperation of the times perfectly...
4) THE BUSINESS - Suburban Rebels
Even though they didn't write the lyrics, the Business took Gary Johnson's poem and made it their own.
Anthemic and 100% spot on, it's as relevant now as it was in 1983, possibly more so what with the current flock of internet warriors...
5) COCK SPARRER - Take 'Em All
The music industry is full of money men with no real passion, they tell people what to like and sell them lowest common denomination crap... Put them up against a wall and shoot them...
6) CRO-MAGS - Hard Times
Another hardcore band, this time more of a thrash crossover...
The current line up is playing in Leeds later in the year but I'd give anything to see them at their peak with the original line up.
Angry, energetic and passionate, ear blistering...
7) THE LAST RESORT - Never Get A Job
I love early Resort stuff, but the "This Is My England" album is one of the best come back albums of all time... Great musicianship with lyrics that remain true to their roots, but connect perfectly with modern life... There's life in the old dog yet...
8) LIONS LAW - Antisocial
The intro track on their (in my opinion) best album, Lion's Law are one of the current crop's best bands. This song could've been written in the 80s... If you haven't seen these guys live, do yourself a favour...
9) RANCID - Salvation
"...and out come the wolves" is my favourite Rancid album, but this song off it's predecessor was my introduction to the band.
A cool as fuck video, this is Rancid at their best...
10) THE RUTS - Staring At The Rude Boys
I could rewrite this list a dozen times, but this song would be on all of them...
Another timeless track that still represents the modern scene
It's frustrating that there are still divisions amongst us, the unity that so many of us crave is a distant and naive fantasy...
Fuck the extremes, we'll never surrender...
Occasionally I'll ask someone to submit a Top 10 list of their favourite songs from their home country. So far I've featured Top 10's from Canada, France, Estonia and Belgium, today you're getting Sweden. Göran Olofsson is from Östersund and he's chosen 10 early Swedish punk faves. I think I've only heard one of them before so it's going to be an education for me as well as (hopefully) you guys.
Before I introduce today's song I'd like to draw your attention to a poll that's currently taking place on the Church Of Oi Facebook group to decide the best Oi & street punk songs released since 1st Jan 2000. Voting will remain open for a while yet so if you're a fan of punk music from the streets and you want your voice to be heard you can vote for 10 songs and they'll be added to the many that have already been collated. The most popular songs will feature in a chart rundown on the Just Some Punk Songs show. Just get along to The Church and get involved https://www.facebook.com/groups/143253032463231/
One band that I'd guess will be picking up plenty of votes are Plymouth's finest, Arch Rivals. Taking their cue from the likes of Argy Bargy, Cock Sparrer, The Business, Rancid, Booze & Glory etc, they formed in 2014 and are already one of the most popular acts on the scene. Their debut single, On Our Own, attracted the attention of Randale Records who released their debut album One More Round. Mixing up elements of oi, street punk and a little ska the album is full of sing-a-long modern classics covering most of the topics you'd expect (drinking, fighting, friends & family, wanker politicians etc). All in all a cracking album that rightly received some cracking reviews.
The line up of the band is Mike Brands (vocals), Tom Murphy (lead guitar), Kev Jones (bass), Tom Boutwood (rhythm guitar) and Alex Kanchev (drums). They've just released a video for a song from their new 7" single (it's out on Randale on Feb 13th). This is Arch Rivals.....
"You're fucking with my mind You do it all the time You're messing with my brain It's driving me insane"
Tongues Of Fire are "post-punk indie warriors" from Asheville, North Carolina. They take inspiration from the likes of The Pixies, Metz, The Fall Of Troy and Japandroids and are a three piece featuring Lowell Hobbs (guitar/vocals), Tres Price (bass/vocals) and Jakeb Reel (drums).
The song you'll find below is the lead track from the new ep, despite the band being in their infancy they're showing great promise, I'm expecting the big name indie press to sit up and take notice soon. This is Adderall.....
Are you a fan of catchy as hell pop punk? If your answer is "hell yeah!" then today you're in for a treat.
The Putz are from Indianapolis, they formed in 2009, released their debut album in 2010 (titled Hole In One, it was remixed, remastered and re released last year) and have resurfaced intermittently since then to provide us with further doses of old school pop punk fun. They first featured on this blog almost 3 years ago when I featured a song from their excellent Knock It Off album : http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/the-putz-operate.html
Hailing from Indiana, Liquids are one of the coolest bands around. Their music is a riot of short blasts of lo fi diy hardcore garage stompers and they're often mentioned in the same breath as fellow Indiana outfit Coneheads (http://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/the-coneheads-way-things-am.html). Mat Williams features in both bands.
Over the course of the last couple of years they've released a bunch of cassettes, eps and the rather excellent Hot Liqs re recorded compilation album which you can check out on Drunken Sailors Bandcamp page : https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hot-liqs-lp
Drunken Sailor are also streaming the new ep called More Thana Friend. There's 111 copies of the record available on gold vinyl which is due for release in a couple of days but I'd be surprised if they weren't already pretty much snapped up. To get more info and to listen to the ep click here : https://drunkensailorrecords.bandcamp.com/album/more-thana-friend-ep
From the new ep, here's a song that previously went by the title Gwenys Song but now seems to be titled XxxXx. Whatever it's called it's great.....
Some of the best new punk music being released at the moment is emanating from Madrid. Accidente and Rata Negra have featured recently and today I'll be showcasing Biznaga.
Forming in 2011, Biznaga feature Alvaro Garcia (vocals/guitar), Jorge Navarro (bass/backing vocals), Pablo Garnelo (guitar/backing vocals) and Jorge Martinez (Milky) (drums). Introducing themselves in 2012 with a demo ep, they then released a self titled ep the following year before releasing debut full length Centro Dramatico Nacional (2014). You can find those releases here : https://biznaga.bandcamp.com/
Fast forward to the present day and Slovenly Records have just released their new album, it's titled Sentido del Espectaculo (Sense Of Spectacle) and it's already looking as though it'll be featuring highly in my best of 2017 list. You can find more details here : https://slovenly.bandcamp.com/album/biznaga-sentido-del-espect-culo-lp
I played the following song on last night's Just Some Punk Songs show (http://mixlr.com/just-some-punk-songs/showreel/just-some-punk-songs-230117/) and it went down well in the chatroom. From the new album, this is catchy as hell and should be checked out immediately. Una Ciudad Cualquiera (Any City) ....
¿Ves a esos tipos de la esquina? Ellos te consiguen todo lo que pidas La soledad es una hermandad El único amor posible Fosas comunes, hileras de bloques Gatos callejeros batiéndose el cobre
Una ciudad tan buena… Para morir como otra cualquiera. Una ciudad cualquiera para morir
La chusma enlatada en vagones Arrastra su cruz al amanecer Borrachos llorando entre coches Empuñan armas al revés Predadores de noche, ejecutivos de día Y la policía perdonándote la vida
Una ciudad tan buena… Para morir como otra cualquiera. Una ciudad cualquiera para morir
Do you see those guys on the corner? They will get you everything you ask for. Loneliness is a brotherhood The only possible love mass graves , rows of blocks Stray cats working hard to get by
Such a good city ... To die like any other else. Any city to die at
Canned riffraffs in wagons Drag their cross at sunrise Crying drunks between cars Gripping weapons backwards Predators at night, executives during daytime And the police sparing your life
Such a good city ... To die like any other else. Any city to die at
"Have a listen to The Liptones," I was told, "best ska band in Sweden." I've got to be honest, I don't think I've heard any Swedish ska bands so I can't really confirm whether or not The Liptones are the best but going off the evidence presented by their new single, they're certainly bloody good. Thanks for the recommendation Goran.
Formed in 1997, they appear to have released 4 albums (The Latest News, In English, The Meaning Of Life, Sidospar) plus a bunch of singles and eps. Their line up features Mo Broden (vocals, guitar), Daniel Martensson (bass), Niklas Gustavsson (trumpet), PA Wester (saxophone), Robert Eklund (drums) and Henke Bromander (Hammond organ).
The new single is actually a split ep featuring a couple of songs each by both The Liptones and Beat Bahnhof, no doubt they'll be plugging it when they visit the UK later this year to play the Rebellion Festival. I've been told they're excellent live so try and catch them. You can get more info on them here : https://www.facebook.com/Liptones/
Inspired by Bob Dylan's video for Subterranean Homesick Blues, here's a video for one of the new songs, this is Karma Comedown.....
Another interview for you today, this time around it's with Lomo Steve (Steven Horace Milton) who lives in Oxford and runs Richter Scale Records alongside a couple of the members of local hardcore punk band Girl Power.
As well as releasing music by Girl Power, Richter Scale has also featured the likes of Shitty Friends, Basic Dicks and The Must. You can find out more details here : http://richterscalerecords.limitedrun.com/
I thought the best way to start the interview was by asking Steve to introduce himself and tell us about his musical influences.....
I'm Steven Horace Milton and I run Richter Scale Records along with Oli Hewer and Agness Pike from Oxford band Girl Power. I do most things like contacting bands, ordering and dubbing the tapes etc. Oli and Agness help out with money and help choose what bands we want to release. I usually scrawl thru' bandcamp and find bands I like the sound of and then link them to both for their feedback. If all three of us like it we ask the band - which sometimes sucks because if two of us love it and the other one isn't too keen we delete the band. I started Richter Scale in 2015 by releasing the Girl Power 7". Originally it was going to be on tape but had a bit of extra cash so thought "what the hell - I'll do a 7"!". Although all the Richter releases are all punk based I didn't grow on punk. I'm an Indie/Indie-Rock kid at heart. I grew up on The Smiths, The Wedding Present and The Cure. It wasn't until I moved from Torquay to Devon I discovered bands like Killdozer, Happy Flowers, Trumans Water and Fugazi. These bands changed my life. At one point I would buy anything that came out on Sub Pop and Amphetamine Reptile. No matter how bad some of the records were I would convince myself they were brilliant because of the labels they were on. I had so much shit in my record collection - although all my friends would have said all of it was shit! I first discovered punk/hardcore in '96 when a friend made me a mixtape of all these obscure emo/hardcore bands - Native Nod, Ordination Of Aaron, Sleepytime Trio, Shotmaker etc. I was hooked. I started buying MRR and Heartattack (R.I.P) and discovered all these amazing bands like His Hero Is Gone, Uranus, Ottawa, and One Eyed God Prophecy. I've been into punk/hardcore ever since - although the new Slowdive track is amazing!
On Richter Scale's Facebook page there's a description which reads "new Oxford punk/hardcore/post-punk label." Nice, snappy and to the point but could you expand on it a little....
Sure. I guess Richter Scale is my "mid-life crisis". I couldn't afford a ferrari or a yacht so the next best thing was this record label! At first I didn't set out to have a record label as such. I released the Girl Power 7" because, not only did I believe in this band, it was also a "Thank You" to Pete because the guy has been a rock to me since my partner passed away. He would, with a friend called Ed, come up to mine once a week to see me and make sure everything was fine. We'd end up playing music on Youtube all night - which was huge help as it took my mind off things. So I guess releasing the 7" was a "Thank you for always being there." So anyway, I didn't really have any plans for Richter once the 7" came out because the actual costs in releasing a record were quite high for me. Over a period of say 3-4 weeks I noticed all these cool tape only labels in The States and thought to myself I could do that. So after much investigating I realised it was a hell of alot cheaper to release tapes than records and I could get away with releasing 50 copies at at time. As soon as I knew I wanted to make tapes I got in touch with two bands I found on Bandcamp - Shitty Friends and PSOAS. To my amazement both said yes! After that I was hooked. I ended up releasing 8 tapes within a 9 month period! Like the description on the RS Facebook page says everything I have released so far falls into the Punk/Hardcore/Post-Punk genres. And will always be that way unless The Wedding Present ask me to release a tape! When James from Kibou suggested we release the Girl Power 12" I was quite scared and excited at the same time - it felt like Richter was a 'real' label at last. Although I have a few more tape releases on the horizon I think our next 'real' release will be a 7" sometime in the summer. Not sure who it will be yet but I have a few bands in mind. There's also a Richter Scale Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdSFdtNO_xajElHIVTxLs1w) on which you'll find music from some of their bands including this one by brutal female Chicago band Mace....
If anyone who reads this thinks Richter Scale might be the ideal label to release their music, do you welcome bands getting in touch....
Yeah of course. I've had a few contact me already. All have been awful pop-punk though so I politely turned them down! It was like the only music in their collection was released on Fat Wreck Records! I'm up for anything as long as it isn't nasty pop-punk, tough guy hardcore or anything that sounds way over produced - like they spent 6 months trying to get the guitar sound and vocals right. In fact the shittier it sounds, the more likely I am to be interested. Nothing sounds better than a song that sounds like it was recorded in a toilet on a 4 track.
Tell me about Girl Power....
Girl Power are a three piece band from Oxford who are heavilly influenced by Hardcore and the Amphetamine Reptile bands from the 90s. They are the first Oxford since band Human Torches way back in the 90's to excite me. I'll let Agness (Pete) finish this off.....
"When we started the band in 2014, we were all listening to a fair bit of hardcore at the time (and even more now, there is so much great stuff about at the moment, it's difficult to keep track of it all) and wanted to do something that involved that end of the spectrum. It was never going to be straight ahead, as we've all played in a variety of bands making different sorts of horrible rackets, sludge, noise, angular hardcore and we all listen to a wide variety of all of the above and more. I think that comes through in what we do and mixes in well with the fast and furious!
The band is Oli on vox and guitar, Pete on vox and bass and Bethan on drums. We all chip in on writing and artwork.
To date, we've released a demo on CD/tape, the Girl Power 7" on Richter and the Welcome to the Gun Show 12" on Richter/Kibou/Mono Canibal/Mangel Wax.
Future plans , a variety of gigs coming up round the countryand later in the year a two week tour through Europe with our good friends The Domestics. Outside of that we have a track going onto an Anti Facist comp on Global Resistance Records, then more writing, more recording, more gigging!
Oli is also one of the main movers behind Oxford's Smash Disco shows who bring in great bands from all over the shop, we had Generacion Suicida through just last week, which was awesome and they have shows with Pretty Hurts, The Domestics and Garden Centre coming up, to name a few.
Influences. Everything from Fugazi to Gauze to Gary Numan to Nomeansno to Framtid and many more."
Just Some Punk Songs started up as somewhere I could post songs that I liked and whilst it's still pretty much that, I hope it's evolved into a place where punk fans can visit and cherry pick their way through and discover some great new music. Are there any decent new bands in the Oxford area that you think people should know about....
Not many from Oxford I'm afraid! The scene here is very small but it is slowly picking up. Apart from Girl Power and Basic Dicks (who are both on Richter Scale) I can only think of two Oxford bands - Cowley Chainsaws, who describe themselves as 'Puke Punk', and Rainbow Reservoir, who remind me of all those great bands that K Records and Kill Rock Stars released in the 90's. Oli from Girl Power is in all four bands! He's a very busy guy. I think he's trying to start up a Post-Punk band as well. Joe Briggs who lives in Oxford is in Scrap Brain and The Swell. Hopefully the scene here will pick up due to all the great bands Smash Disco are putting on. Damn! I forgot Tenth Listen! Sorry guys if you're reading this! Tenth Listen have just released a CD and are influenced by the gods that are Jawbreaker. All apart from Cowley Chainsaws and The Swell can be found on Bandcamp. There is label based in Witney, just outside Oxford, called Rad Nauseam who specialize in Power-Violence and sludgy metal. I co-released the Basic Dicks tape with him. If I had any musical talent there would be at least another ten bands I would have mentioned in this list but sadly the only talent I have is taking dodgy photos!
Thanks Steve.
Here's a song from the latest Girl Power ep, it's called Holes In The Wall....
One album that I only came across recently but which I'm enjoying immensely is Cheers by Montreal punks The SkudFux. I suppose you could label it pop punk but it's definitely not the crappy, anodyne pop punk that gives the genre a bad name. This is "rock riffed, anti-establishment, trashy, raw and catchy" to paraphrase their Bandcamp blurb. They list amongst their influences the likes of NOFX, The Flatliners, Descendents and Green Day and at their best they wouldn't look out of their depth if they were to share a stage with any of those acts. If you want to see them on stage, next month sees them embarking on their Rebels With A Cause Canadian tour. For more details check out their site... https://www.theskudfux.com/home
The line up of the band is EJ Lang (guitar/vocals), Francis Germain (bass/vocals), Dewey Tremblay (drums) and Willian de Francesco (guitar/vocals).
Cheers is their debut album, it was released last November and it's 17 snappy songs (only one of which reaches the 3 minute mark) that'll cause mass breakouts of synchronised jumping from the baseball capped kids in the pit. It's fun and it's streaming here..... https://theskudfux.bandcamp.com/album/cheers
This is the video for the first single, Alcoholic Loser.....
"They say Mary Bell was an angry child who wanted to hurt someone, and that’s what she did when she killed two innocent young boys. Razor sharp, ripping scissors, our aim is to fulfill her legacy. Think raw girl vocals, dark fuzz, post-punk, grunge and dissonance. We are angry children and we want to hurt you."
In 1968 a young girl named Mary Bell strangled to death 2 younger boys in Scotswood, Newcastle Upon Tyne. She was convicted of manslaughter and imprisoned until 1980. Since her release she's lived under a series of pseudonyms and in 1998 she collaborated on a book which detailed the abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her mother. Now she has a band named after her.
Mary Bell are a Bikini Kill influnced feminist punk band from Paris who recently followed up their 2015 s/t ep with a s/t debut album which is on Danger Records and Le Turc Mecanique. You'll find both those releases "name your price" here : https://marybellftw.bandcamp.com/
The line up is comprised of Alice Carlier (vocals), Tristan Bardre (bass), Victoria Arfi (guitar) and Gailla Montanier (drums). As with the child killer whose name they appropriated, their music rages with anger, and the song you'll see below sees that anger backed up by a wonderfully threatening bassline that is a must hear.
This is Empty Puppet.....
When I was a little girl
l was so out of my body Skinny dirty little thing Disgusting, disgusting little thing
Frustrated Out of me
When i was a little girl l was so out of me Accustomed to being loved and rejected Rejected little thing
Hurrah! Leeds' finest, Cyanide Pills, are back. Already with 2 classic albums (Cyanide Pills & Still Bored) under their belts, they've announced that lp3, Sliced And Diced, will be out on Damaged Goods in March. If the song below is any indication they'll soon be 3 for 3.
The last we heard from them was on 2015's Conservative bashing Government single, this time around they're battling the boys in blue and their stop and search policy. As you'd expect it's more of the same upbeat, catchy Buzzcocks/Briefs type of spikey pop "n" punk with lyrics about the targetting of young black men and the only people who say the tactics work being those who never get searched. All this and a brief killer riff that brings to mind Shot By Both Sides.
Phil Privilege, Alex A, Sy Pinkeye, Alarick 'The Trick' and Chris Wrist, welcome back. We've missed you.
A top 10 today selected by Tear Up vocalist Jamie Flanagan. Tear Up are the Watford based Oi! punk band that i posted in the blog yesterday. They've a debut album, Playground Politics, coming soon and you can find out more about the band here : https://www.facebook.com/tearupoi/
It's not really a surprise that Jamie's chosen a bunch of Oi songs as his top 10 but what is nice is that he's not just concentrated on the classics, he's also picked some great new music too.
Thanks Jamie, over to you.....
1) THE LAST RESORT - Violence In Our Minds
When i first started listening to oi! I was 12 13 last resort was one of the bands i listened to first along with rejects bargy cock sparrer i always loved this track it said everything i wanted to hear and i love it just as much today
2) COCKNEY REJECTS - Oi Oi Oi
Such a great track proper sing along crowd pleaser and its just a hit i been lucky enough to play with the rejects and they are top guys and now my 2 year old loves this song we sing it together .
3) ANGRY AGENDA - The Brawler
Now this track has everything its got such attitude and clever lyrics this band are possibly the best in the business
4) EAST END BADOES - Forever Proud
This is the first song i ever sang on stage with terry and made me start a band and it just says it all about the scene for me
5) ARGY BARGY - Out With The Old
I have known jon most my life great man and will help where he can this track is great the aggression in the vocals the drums the guitar just pure class
6) ARCH RIVALS - Social Hand Grenade
This is often dedicated to me the words say it all
7) B SQUADRON - Means Of Escape
We cover this song its great few words simple but says what needs to be said
8) TAKERS & USERS - Folks On The Hill... Working Class Revolt
Very catchy music great lyrics these are part of the future
9) CITIZEN KEYNE - We're Gonna Fight
I love this track is two fingers to everything wrong with todays scene
10) TEAR UP - King Of The Car Park
Although im proud of it im not shallow enough to class it as my favourite i just want u to youtube it and check it out...
Tear Up are from Watford and claim to be the worst Oi band in the country. Today's song will prove that claim to be a load of bollox. Interested in combining a fondness for drinking with a passion for making a lot of noise about the things that piss them off, this is a band that wears the term "hooligan rock n roll" like a badge of honour. Their fuck you attitude has helped make them one of the UK'S resurgent Oi music scene's top new bands.
Now lining up with Jamie on vocals (check back tomorrow for his 10 favourite songs), Charlie (guitar), Andy (drums) and Sam (bass), they've already released an ep called Fuckin Av It and they're about to unleash debut album Playground Politics. It'll be out soon on Subcultz and you can preorder it here : http://www.subcultz.com/product/tear-up-album-pre-release-order/
Given that Jamie admits to having been a bit of a scallywag growing up and spent some time at her majesty's pleasure I'm probably not going to be far wrong in guessing the album will be a gritty affair with much of his song writing based on personal experiences. Despite settling down a little now that he's got a son to look out for, he's still not adverse to getting into the odd scrape if he sees something going down that he percieves as an injustice. For overseas readers who might not know, tear up is slang for a violent struggle using physical force. Quite apt really.
To whet your appetite for the new album, this is the excellent King Of The Car Park......
On the verge of posting the excellent Underage Drinking by Bristol punks Disruptive Influence I ventured onto their Facebook page to check out a few facts and noticed they were readying to release a new single. Despite loving Underage Drinking (I urge you to check it out) I decided to wait and see what the new songs were like and I think I made the right decision.
The band originally formed way back in 1981 whilst at college in Bristol. They played their first gig as From The Ashes before changing their name to Disruptive Influence.
They reformed in 2011 with new members and now feature the son of their former singer on vocals. Their sound is unashamedly rooted in punk's golden era as you'll be able to hear if you check the name your price ep's they've posted on Bandcamp : https://disruptiveinfluenceuk.bandcamp.com/.
I'll play the flip side of the new single, Kill The Bill, on tomorrow's Just Some Punk Songs show ( https://www.facebook.com/events/1257215551090140/ ), today you get the title track. Ideal for jumping around to, this is snotty, upbeat punk at it's best. Your Country Hates You.....
Last month ex-Victim frontman Joe Zero released a Christmas song which was a scathing attack on the rape Syria in which he was asking people not to turn a blind eye but to rise up and protest, today he returns with a brand new single.
This time out he's offering up a critique on the new president of the USA, Donald Trump. Joe questions how could a great nation choose to elect someone such as Trump, how could they want to live in isolation, how could they dig their own grave? It's the time of the apocalypse, God Bless America!
I thought it was time to get out of my comfort zone and attempt another one of my rare interviews so I decided to bombard former Dr And The Crippens bassist Wayne Elliott (aka Wayne Crippenski) with a bunch of questions and he was kind enough to undergo my interrogation.
Dr And The Crippens were a hardcore punk band from my hometown of Lancaster (England) who were active in the late 80's at a time when punk seemed to be fading away though they still managed to impress John Peel enough to get invited to record a couple of well received sessions for his show. They also attracted a decent following, no doubt fans enjoyed the various costumes and props such as exploding cabbages and giant papier mache heads. So without further ado........
Though we didn't know each other back then, we both grew up around the same time in the same part of North West England. I went pretty much overnight from a young teenager who would listen to the likes of Abba or whatever else was played on the radio to a rabid punk fan thanks to being exposed to John Peel, Sounds & the NME music papers and to the local indiepndant record shop, Ear 'Ere. What was it that shaped your musical tastes and who were your favourite bands?
I liked bits of things I'd heard such as seeing The Vibrators do Automatic Lover on TOTP or The Jam doing David Watts but the real turning point was a friend giving me a C60 with tracks by The Clash, Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Lurkers and The Boys. This was around September 78 and from that point on pretty much all my pocket money went on records. .. It still does ! First band I really loved was The Jam. I thought Weller's lyrics were fantastic and coming from a council estate they had a huge impact. Seeing The Ramones in 1980 made a huge impact. To this day probably my favourite band... sheer genius their early stuff and laid down a blueprint so many adapted.
Living in Lancaster, being in a band was something I never thought would be a possibility (my complete lack of any musical ability was also always going to be an obstacle!). How did you go from music fan to band member?
I had a mate with a guitar. He had been in a couple of bands that fell apart and I was always pestering him to form another. He said buy a bass and I'll teach you how to play it and we'll form a band. So I did and he showed me a few bits and pieces but then backed out. I tried with another mate but I wasn't good enough and he joined another band instead. I hung around with them, wrote some lyrics and started planning my own Ramones style band. Eventually their drummer Ben Robinson left and we put the first Crippens line up together with Andy Fox a bloke he worked with on guitar and vocals.
We knocked up a Ramones style set and played pretty much every pub in Lancaster with a music license over the next 6 months.By now me and Ben were into US HC and wanted to expand our sound to incorporate it. Andy didn't so he left and that is when Tom Myall and Nick Palmer came in.Nick made theatre props and did pyrotechnics.We split when Ben moved to London but when an Lp offer came from Manic Ears Dave Ellesmere offered to drum on it after I bumped into him at an MDC gig at Planet X in Liverpool.
So we had half a dozen rehearsals with Dave and did Fired From The Circus.
How did the John Peel session come about? Did you get to meet him? What was it like recording a session and did it's success lead to larger sacks of fan mail and record company people camping out on your doorstep?
Well after we did the album we thought that was it but at least we got a record done. We didn't expect it to sell or for Dave to do any gigs with us. But Peel loved it. We got offered a session so Dave came back up to Lancaster and we rehearsed 12 tracks as we wanted it to be a decent length in case Strange Fruit put it out. Was great doing the session, proper studio and engineer and all that. We worked really quickly got the whole thing down live mostly in first takes. Loved it. We didn't meet Peel then but I did meet him a few months later when he did a student gig in Lancaster. Thanked him for the support, shook his hand and gave him a t shirt. His support changed everything. The session and airplay led to gigs all over Europe and press and fanzine attention. We did have a couple of other labels interested but stayed with Shane as he'd taken a punt on us in the first place.
What happens on tour stays on tour but it's been a while now, have you got any tour stories, especially if they involve big names?
nah - every body was lovely ! ha ha..
Dave's last show was in Gent in December 1991 and Green Day opened. However it was a such to do with ferry times as anything else.. There were no egos on either side. We enjoyed them and we had encountered them earlier on the tour when their clapped out old transit had broken down and they were staying at a squat we played in Germany. They were teenagers at the time .. no inkling of what was to come... really nice folks . You'll never catch me dissing them.. They paid their dues long before success happened. They did a lot of small shows prior to Dookie. Believe me if they were Dicks it would be common knowledge but you never hear anyone who's played with them dissing them. They have made a good living out of their music and fair play to 'em.. is very hard to do.
We also played with Mesuggah in their home town of Umea on that tour. Although hardly known and local they insisted on headlining. The place was packed and the gods were smiling on us that night because it was one of the best shows we ever played. They couldn't follow us, went down poorly and people drifted out of the venue. At the time we questioned there insistence at headlining an International Punk Fest. In their own town, but now I think it is exactly that sense of self belief and entitlement that has helped them become a hugely successful metal band.
It may just be because I started getting into different kinds of music (Wedding Present, Dinosaur Jr, Pixies.... ) but I always look back on the time you were active as a band as being a period when interest in punk was in danger of fading away. After the initial buzz of the late 70's and early 80's and before the revival led by the likes of Bad Religion, Rancid, Green Day etc there was a few years when nothing much seemed to be going on. Did you ever wish you'd been together a decade earlier and how much different do you think things would have been for you had had access to likes of Facebook, Youtube and Bandcamp?
Well when we first started our template was Ramones/Adicts/Eraserhead later we started to try and add stuff we'd heard on the Repo Man soundtrack, DK's , Bad Brains etc. We had no idea there was a UK scene emerging. When Malcolm in Ear Ere played me 'Peruvian Vacation' I couldn't believe it ! Here was another band in the UK who seemed like us to be trying to mix Ramones style lyrics with HC style speed and riffs. That led to me sending a tape to COR which eventually became Manic Ears. I started buying anything on COR and soon realised we were not alone. Through buying trips to Alan's and Action I picked up zines and flers and soon knew about Electro Hippies and the NW/HC scene emerging around Planet X and The Den. Jailcell Recipies formed soon after and we gigged with them loads. I loved that whole network and the tape trading, zines, flyers, DIY gigs etc. - these days the access is amazing instantly able to hear bands from all over the world. However that is a two edged sword as the cup runneth over and it is harder to interest people in something like the Pulsebeat shows. Back when Peel was the only game in town we all avidly listened live, often to a lot of rubbish, waiting for something we liked. Now we press like and move on..
Why did Dr And The Crippens split? Boss Tunage recently released the mammoth 32 track Cabaret Syle compilation, did you consider a reunion gig to coincide with that release? What did you do after Dr And The Crippens?
Dave left and the dynamic of the band changed. Tom and I couldn't agree on anything. The UK HC scene had pretty much collapsed. A lot of the venues had gone, a lot of the bands had split and many of the ones remaining re cast themselves as metal bands. I wanted to lose the cabbages and costumes, keep the humour in the lyrics and get back to a sound closer to the original 3 piece line up. I started working on songs for an album called Back To The Circus. Tom wanted to keep the costumes and cabbages, lose the humorous lyrics and write more complex songs in a No Means No, Pixies style. We wrote some decent stuff that was somewhere between these 2 views but it took time and although I like most of the demos thar came out last year I do think it is the sound if a band pulling in different directions at times. We did talk about a reunion .. All of us are on good terms these days and Tom put a lot of work into remixing the studio tracks for 'Cabaret Style'. Time and distance is the main obstacle but never say never... After we split I teamed up with Dave again. We both worked at Plastic Head for a while and did some gigs and recordings as Brainless. That ended when Dave moved to Holland. After I left Plastic Head Distribution I pretty much dropped out of the punk scene until Boss Tuneage approached me about the re issues. I was amazed there was still any interest in us. That put me back in touch with Dave and we started the Global Punk Network FB page as a resource for bands, promoters, labels etc worldwide to share their stuff. We also broadcast shows on there via Mixlr. You do your Just Some Punk Songs show once a week and I do Pulsebeat. It's good to share new music with folks and I enjoy the community spirit in the chat rooms. There are so many great bands around... I am more interested in that than any notion of revisiting my own old music.
On the subject of Pulsebeat, I know you put a lot of time and energy into searching for music to play on the show. I know how keen you are to try and introduce new bands to a wider audience, who would you say are the best of these new bands?
Where do you start ? There is such a huge amount out there. Recently the Tyrannamen lp really caught my ear after Julian from Drunken Sailor chose a track for the 2016 review shows. I really like Sievehead, Denim and Leather and Accidente too. The forthcoming coming Rata Negra lp seems excellent on first listen and Girl Power's new 12 inch is great too. From last week's show I loved the Dirty + His Fists track 'Gimme Your Money'.. great almost glam guitar opening and then noisy garage punk noise. A band will be checking out more by are Canadian ' s 'Low Levels'. Again the track in last week's show, Ultramarine, I thought was superb. Closer to home 'Pale Angels' new lp is a current fave. On the live front I can't wait to see Generacion Suicida in Oxford. There lp is also a great listen and it is brilliant to see them over here.
You can find links to those bands below and if you want to check out Wayne's Pulsebeat show he broadcasts at 9pm (Gmt) on Wednesdays
