Were you about in the mid-to-late ’80s punk scene, supergluing patches on your tattered trousers, tramping the streets in para-boots to the soundtrack of underproduced cassette demos… Read more “Rob ‘Mid’ Middleton ( DEVIATED INSTINCT, BAIT, SPINEWRENCH, HAAVAT ) talks illustration, Norse mythology, 1980s recording studios, Norwegian Black Metal, budget distortion pedals, and cats.”
Category: Punk
Katri Chapman of crust-punk bands HAAVAT and RAKKAUS talks moving from Finland to the UK, pregnant gigs, freedom, ADHD, and upcycling.
We thrive on inspirational tales, and who doesn’t like a good old D-beat love story? Katri Chapman ( née Kankkunen! ) of the superb crust punk outfit HAAVAT… Read more “Katri Chapman of crust-punk bands HAAVAT and RAKKAUS talks moving from Finland to the UK, pregnant gigs, freedom, ADHD, and upcycling.”
Rat of THE APOSTLES, UNBORN and hardline vegan sXe band STATEMENT on the old days, new projects, going from one extreme to another, and bidding farewell to England.
It is our pleasure to chat with Patrick ‘Rat’ Poole, known primarily for STATEMENT and UNBORN, two underground vegan thrash/punk acts that would chime with the US… Read more “Rat of THE APOSTLES, UNBORN and hardline vegan sXe band STATEMENT on the old days, new projects, going from one extreme to another, and bidding farewell to England.”
Kaos of CHAOS UK, THE WAZZUKS and FEAR OF THE KNOWN on; punk rock, hot sauce, the WURZELS, drugs, Br*x*t, Bristol now and then, his upcoming book, and Clive, his cat.
Chaos UK were / are a rather noisy punk band from Bristol who, alongside Disorder and perhaps Amebix, were proponents of the now world-famous ‘crust punk’ scene,… Read more “Kaos of CHAOS UK, THE WAZZUKS and FEAR OF THE KNOWN on; punk rock, hot sauce, the WURZELS, drugs, Br*x*t, Bristol now and then, his upcoming book, and Clive, his cat.”
UNSUNG HEROES: The firepower of Algy Ward’s TANK – a shell by shell review.
Straddling first wave punk and NWOBHM like the boss he is, Algy Ward confounded the press and scene-police in the ’80s with his pre-crossover project TANK, a… Read more “UNSUNG HEROES: The firepower of Algy Ward’s TANK – a shell by shell review.”
Jon of SEVEN CROWNS on UK 80s Punk, US 80s Hardcore, touring the world, Mexican cartels, collaborating with Stig, and living in a town with the wrong sort of hippies.
UK punk band Seven Crowns sound like a cross between Poison Idea, Cosmic Psychos and GBH, which is a pretty good spread when you think about it,… Read more “Jon of SEVEN CROWNS on UK 80s Punk, US 80s Hardcore, touring the world, Mexican cartels, collaborating with Stig, and living in a town with the wrong sort of hippies.”
Jim Brooks of UK’82 punk band THE EJECTED on the old days, the Young Tribes of England, his new book ‘WHEN I’M DEAD AND GONE’, and what his parents really think of his band….
‘Big Jim’ Brooks formed the Ejected in 1980, and the band released three great EPs, and two albums, the first of which, A Touch Of Class, I… Read more “Jim Brooks of UK’82 punk band THE EJECTED on the old days, the Young Tribes of England, his new book ‘WHEN I’M DEAD AND GONE’, and what his parents really think of his band….”
GEORGE FLETCHER and STIG MILLER talk post-AMEBIX band ZYGOTE
Continuing our exploration of the 1980s English West Country punk scene we are honoured to have both Stig Miller and George Fletcher here for a chat about… Read more “GEORGE FLETCHER and STIG MILLER talk post-AMEBIX band ZYGOTE”
BRIDGET WISHART ( HAWKWIND ) talks iconic 80s festival punk band THE HIPPY SLAGS!
Bridget Wishart sang for the Hippy Slags from 1987-1990, before joining Hawkwind. ‘Who…’, you say? Yes the Hippy Slags, a group of youths from Bath in Somerset… Read more “BRIDGET WISHART ( HAWKWIND ) talks iconic 80s festival punk band THE HIPPY SLAGS!”
TONY WAKEFORD of CRISIS and SOL INVICTUS sticks the boot into 2020.
Neofolk, the European musical genre of dark, romantic melancholic folk, has been around since the 80s, and Tony Wakeford is prolific across many of its interconnected bands… Read more “TONY WAKEFORD of CRISIS and SOL INVICTUS sticks the boot into 2020.”
New SEPTIC DEATH Live Video Emerges ( 1986)…..and the St Anger Snare Sound.
A very rare video popped up a couple of months ago – Septic Death playing live at the Farm in San Francisco, in 1986. Up until now,… Read more “New SEPTIC DEATH Live Video Emerges ( 1986)…..and the St Anger Snare Sound.”
ANTIGEN on the Central European crust punk scene, vocal melodies, and latest album ‘Dust and Ashes’.
Who doesn’t love a bit of d-beat? Boom cha, …ba cha! boom cha,….ba cha! German / Czech Republic act ANTIGEN have been going for nearly two decades,… Read more “ANTIGEN on the Central European crust punk scene, vocal melodies, and latest album ‘Dust and Ashes’.”
Farewell Tim Smith of THE CARDIACS
Yesterday I had a text from an old mate to tell me that Tim Smith, lead singer and genius composer for English nutcases The Cardiacs had sadly… Read more “Farewell Tim Smith of THE CARDIACS”
WHITE NOISE – The most offensive anti-racist song ever written?
My first lesson in the contradictions of colonial racism was at the age of fourteen with Irish punk band STIFF LITTLE FINGERS’s first album Inflammable Material, and… Read more “WHITE NOISE – The most offensive anti-racist song ever written?”
BRETWALDAS – ‘Kingdom of Killers EP’ – first release on OLDMANSMETTLE.
Five tracks of gravelly voiced traditional heavy metal by veteran crust-doomers BRETWALDAS OF HEATHEN DOOM. First release in 10 years! Recorded in March / April 2020 (… Read more “BRETWALDAS – ‘Kingdom of Killers EP’ – first release on OLDMANSMETTLE.”
Steve Allen of UK punk band DISORDER on the old days, the years between, and his new band FEAR OF THE KNOWN.
Steve Allen was the driving force behind Bristol 80s punk legends DISORDER, a band he played guitar in for a little over a decade, culminating in a… Read more “Steve Allen of UK punk band DISORDER on the old days, the years between, and his new band FEAR OF THE KNOWN.”
Black Metal, True Metal, Hardcore Punk – three Birmingham gig promoters talk shop.
What’s it like being a gig promoter in the hardcore punk, true metal and black metal scenes these days? Maybe you fancy the job yourself? Or perhaps… Read more “Black Metal, True Metal, Hardcore Punk – three Birmingham gig promoters talk shop.”
VOIVOD and GWAR live at K.Ks STEELMILL, Wolverhampton Dec 2nd 2019
I rather like VOIVOD, so was pleased to hear they were playing another gig in the UK – and a local one at that! Alas, I must… Read more “VOIVOD and GWAR live at K.Ks STEELMILL, Wolverhampton Dec 2nd 2019”
PETE NASH ( DOOM, EXTREME NOISE TERROR ) talks Crust Punk, three stringed basses, his secret eco-project CORVUS, haunted battlefields, and the hermit life.
What do crust punk superstars do when they are done with it all? They tramp off to the southwest and become a hermit, that’s what. Pete Nash,… Read more “PETE NASH ( DOOM, EXTREME NOISE TERROR ) talks Crust Punk, three stringed basses, his secret eco-project CORVUS, haunted battlefields, and the hermit life.”
STIG MILLER ( AMEBIX ) talks the old days, new projects, and raising energy through the riff.
The Amebix albums Arise ( 1985) and Monolith ( 1987) were two important recordings in my youth that, among other artists of that decade, steered me on… Read more “STIG MILLER ( AMEBIX ) talks the old days, new projects, and raising energy through the riff.”
Old Man's Mettle 