South African DIY Punk Rock Touring with We Did This Records and The Dumpies in RaZorcake #117 / Covid-19 Lockdown and Folk Punk Tour Meltdowns in South Africa with Brett Newski and Jon Shaban

Kevin Dunn [author of Global Punk] interviews The Dumpies and Sacia [drummer of The Dumpies] interviews WDTR in RaZorcake #117 [a prolific non-profit DIY punk zine]. The article photos are from The Dumpies South African tour. Top: The Dumpies at Zoolake Bowls, Johannesburg by Christelle Duvenage. Bottom: Shaun & Conley representing We Did This Records and performing as All These Wasted Nuts [folk punk] at Pool City, PE by Pitts Holli.

We Did This Records had the amazing opportunity to be included in an article for the new issue of RaZorcake magazine. RaZorcake is a total institution in D.I.Y punk. This was all thanks to The Dumpies, a punk rock band from Texas. The article as a whole is Kevin Dunn, the author of Global Punk, interviewing The Dumpies (Joel, Mark, and Tim... minus Sacia, because she was busy working in the ER) about their various back water tours, and then Sacia, asking us some questions. Below you can read an excerpt from the article, followed by a podcast chat between Cape Town folk punk musician Jon Shaban and Brett Newski from Milwaukee.

Kevin: That's hilarious. You mentioned South Africa, which you guys just got back from a couple of weeks ago. How was that different from the rest of the tours?
Mark: It was racially the most intense place I've ever been because Apartheid only ended in 1994. You could pretty much feel it everywhere we went. They always say, "It's touchy." Before I went, I was like, "You just don't want to talk about it. That's your cop-out." After I went there and we went to the Apartheid Museum, we talked to so many people at length about it. I was like, "Wow, this is touchy, Holy shit."
Tim: That's why Shaun and Conley were great. They're very cognizant of that. They will point that out, even little things you'd see on the street. They would connect things, showing us where apartheid is still continuing, but it's more of a financial racism now. It was definitely something which seemed much more prominent than in all the other countries.
Joel: I'm still trying to wrap my head around why it felt so drastically different. Tim was talking about income inequality. It's not that dissimilar to what the situation is here, but there is a different flavor. There's something different about the situation there. It was a really intense learning experience being there.
Tim: In America, we got this picture of, "Apartheid's gone. Everything's great. Everybody loves each other. We're past that." You go there and it's still raw, and it's still very much a part of the country.

Kevin: Can you just say who those two people are that you were talking about?
Tim: Shaun and Conley from We Did This Records which is a D.I.Y collective throughout the whole country. They put out a lot of politically motivated music, playing in a couple of bands. (All These Wasted Nuts, Monday Morning Justice, Sloppy Folk, and so on.)

Kevin: I've been there many times and it's probably my least favorite country to visit because of that income inequality and the institutionalized racism. It's just so in your face and it's so hard to navigate coming from the outside. How is the D.I.Y punk scene dealing with that in South Africa, based on what you guys saw?

Joel: They're just as affected as the rest of the country. In fact, it was a big point of contention. On all these bills we're showing up on, we realized ninety percent of the bands were white. We were talking to Shaun and Conley about it and it's a very segregated scene. There's the Soweto scene and then there's the white scene. Once we realized that was happening, we tried to reach out to a bunch of bands and try to get the shows more integrated - with varying degrees of success - but it was noticeable. I can't imagine living and booking shows in a scene like that.
Tim: The openness is what's different in the U.S. In every show there'd be one or two black musicians and people would be, "Oh, there aren't enough black people here," or, "These bands are all white." In the U.S., you don't really say that. We did have a show in Soweto, but we realized that the bill was all white bands. Shaun was saying, "This really isn't that cool. We can't do this."

Kevin: You didn't play the show?
Joel: No.
...

Sacia: How did you guys get into punk?
Conley: Local ‘zines had a massive impact on exposing us to punk rock, both local and international. Me, growing up in a rural area, even I got a chance and went to my first show when I was fourteen just because of a local zine called Blunt that used to put out comps and list gig guides. It changed my life forever! It made everything I loved tangible and attainable.
Shaun: My cousin Kim was a metal head and when I got my first Walkman at the start of middle school she copied some Nirvana, Green day, and Face To Face albums for me. The chain stores Look and Listen, and CD Warehouse would also stock Epitaph and other biggish label releases. After going to some of my first local shows I learned about Croak Room Records, that was stationed in Pretoria, which used to do mail orders for some local punk records as well as some bands from Canada. Some kids at my high school were also doing distribution for Profane Existence magazine.

Sacia: how connected is the South African punk scene to the rest of Africa?
Conley: Numerous bands from the southern parts of Africa do frequent South Africa. Some festivals hosted in neighbouring countries like Mozambique and Swaziland have South Africans involved in the organizing as well. Most of the African underground scene is dominated by metal, which we aren’t that involved with so I can’t offer much more, unfortunately.
Shaun: There was a film produced called Punk In Africa that focused on some of the apartheid-era punk bands, then took a massive leap to the big names in early 2000s ska punk, and ended with a few minutes about bands in the rest of Africa. I don't know if any of those bands mentioned are still going or if new ones have popped up. I haven't heard of any since.
From my introduction to the local scene, there has been some sort of a connection with American, European, and Australian scenes. We've had numerous bands tour here on there own steam, from hardcore to crust and garage rock. Many bigger bands tour here with support from festivals like OppieKoppi or from groups like Punk Safari, who existed in the early 2000s and were all about bringing Fat Wreck Chords bands over. When i was in high school in Cape Town christian hardcore was massive and church groups were helping little local and overseas bands tour churches and high schools. We even had Underoath here. Though it's debatable weather any of that is "punk", it was probably the height of people being involved in the scene, whether that be with gig attendance or people making zines and stuff. A number of local punk bands have done European and Southeast Asia tours.

Sacia: can you explain the split between the Soweto scene and the rest of the country?

Conley: The rest of the scene had a huge jump start on the Soweto punk scene, or at least the one we are familiar with. This established scene enjoy privileges such as fully equipped venues, accessible location, and active booking agents, to name but a few . In our involvement in Soweto shows, it's amazing to see how any effort for a show or rehearsal always involves family member, neighbours, and friends regardless of the genre which is unfamiliar to the big city scenes. Racism and fear does play a role and keeping these scenes apart, but we have been actively trying to combat that by playing each other’s venues and houses.

Shaun: A few years ago some friends of ours helped start up Soweto Rock Revolution, after hearing about and chatting to folks in Soweto who were into punk and metal. This resulted in the first punk gigs at a skate park by Dube Station. The shows were a mix of acts from Soweto, Joburg, and the addition of some touring bands. There was quite a bit of publicity surrounding these shows from the get go, with numerous videos and articles being produced.

 Not long after the first handful of shows did we hear about interest in the Soweto scene from the likes of Afro-Punk, and later Red Bull Music, Vans, and Converse. For a little while we had another collaborative effort in Maboneng, a gentrified arts street in town, called Punk Fridays. Unfortunately the last few Soweto Rock Revolution shows have been a white invasion of Soweto, as the sponsors and corporate interests had made it difficult for the Soweto scene to represent itself there.
As of recently, there's been a bigger fallout between Soweto Skate Society, who manage the prominent Soweto bands, and Soweto Rock Revolution. Currently, we're finding it difficult to collaborate with the Soweto scene due to not wanting to cross battle lines and due to our shows being DIY unsponsored shows where we split the cash made at the door between the bands, with no guarantee or pre-payments.

Sacia: Is there a presence of white nationalists within the South African punk scene, like we see elsewhere like Eastern Europe?
Conley: Yes there is, but I wouldn’t say it’s proud and in the open. Most people get called out or get ostracized by the scene, so they don’t have much of a presence at shows or in bands, but every now and again a right-wing nationalist punk band would show its ugly face. In the '80s, we had quite a few bands that would wave the flag of the white nationalist party, but I’m proud to say that venues, agents, and bands are all on the same front when it comes to getting rid of this kinda trash.
Shaun: I had the unfortunate experience of playing a show once with a band from Pretoria called Chaos Christ, who i did not know at the time. They turned out to be a Christian chaos punk band who were LARPing as members of the SS. Aside from that, a globally known anarchist author (Michael Schmidt) from Johannesburg, who had books published by AK Press, and who had frequented shows, was exposed for being an undercover white nationalist and having a Stormfront account in 2015.

Sacia: What are some of the things bands and punks in the U.S. and Europe can do to help out scenes like theirs?
Conley: Just come and visit us! Folks are always welcoming and excited to do things with touring acts or fans. Download our mixtapes and open up to what we have going on down here. There's so much talent and unique and interesting expressions of art and music.
Shaun: I think that for many people overseas, there's some aversion towards the idea of a South African punk scene, outside of the resent popularity online regarding the Soweto scene. Leftover Crack, for instance, were flooded with comments like, "why are you going to white Africa?" when they came here. It's kind of a tricky thing and i think many white people in bands here, especially punk bands, struggle with being white and South African. The legacy of apartheid is still very visible and a lot is unchanged due to the post-apartheid government's devotion to neoliberal capitalism over and above societal and structural change.

Sacia: You guys have a very DIY ethos that seems to intertwine with every aspect of your life, music, and label. Where did this come from?
Conley: South Africa has a very small music scene mostly dominated by country and goslpel music punted by Sony and BMG, so the alternative scene was forced to establish itself by means of  DIY. this sprouted into zines, independent labels, and a lot of groundwork . This being intertwined with skateboarding, surfing and so on.
Shaun: While I do think we do DIY out of principle, it's also the reality of the alternative music scene in South Africa.

Copies of RaZorcake issue 117, featuring the full article, will be available at shows post pandemic. Alternatively you can book one in the comments section and we can send one to you... if things don't get better...

Strangely enough, Brett Newski was on tour here at the same time that The Dumpies were. We helped him out with one of his first shows in Johannesburg years ago, but this time, The Dumpies and Brett had a show booked the same day, in Melville, just a street apart, and we missed each other. Jon Shaban and the Shabs, as usual, did some shows with Brett, and while The Dumpies and Brett both finished their tours here, and made it back home, the Shabs finished up with Brett and went to Europe for a tour that got pulled out from under them by COVID-19

Brett Newski's podcast.

SOUTH AFRICA part one | full lockdown, tour meltdowns in S Africa, life of an artist in Cape Town

Jul 28, 2020

Jon Shaban (the SHABS) sits in to discuss the intense lockdown in Cape Town, as well as what it's like to tour and make a living as a South African indie artist. 

More on the SHABS: https://theshabs.com/

If you would like to do something to help out the South African punk and alternative scene during this pandemic please follow, stream and share our new Spotify playlist

Interview: Taryn & Pete from Let's Rage Together Podcast!

Taryn Mansfield & Pete Thoreau

Please tell us a bit about yourselves and your history with punk rock and veganism / animal rights.

Taryn&Pete: Both of us come from the South African hardcore scene, which is where we met and became friends more than 10 years ago. We've both played in a couple bands. T played guitar in Among Friends and Brainwreck. Pete played drums in Towers, Provider and Peasant. We've also organised shows, tabled literature and vegan food etc. We were both initially exposed to veganism / animal rights (liberation) through hardcore, and are both quite active.

So Let's Rage Together is on its 15th episode and going strong. What motivated the starting of this project and has the motivation changed in any way?

Taryn&Pete: We've always enjoyed having long, intense debates and critical discussions about literally anything and everything. One day Taryn's husband Brett suggested that we should start a podcast to record and solidify the conversations we were having. That's also where the name comes from; us sitting and raging together about everything. The “Let's” in the name refers to our motivation to encourage other people to engage in critical thinking and discussions, both with us directly and with each other. We wanted to create a sense of community in talking about issues of justice and the concept of total (or collective) liberation, for both human and other animals. The motivation's still the same. We had no idea what we were doing or if anyone would even be interested in what we had in mind, but we were honestly just keen to learn and challenge our own thinking, regardless of whether anyone listened or not. We're stoked to have reached this point and that we're still doing it.

So far how has the reception been and what has been the most popular episode? Also what are your personal favourites?

Taryn&Pete: We've received mostly positive feedback, more often from people overseas in places like Europe and the US than South Africa. We have had positive feedback from here too though. We're pretty sure that a lot of people really don't like our opinions though and we just don't hear from them. The most popular episodes have been Episode 5: Smash the Patriarchy; An Introduction to Feminism, Rape Culture and Toxic Masculinity, Episode 8: White Privilege, Episode 10: Anarchy! An Interview with Aragorn Eloff and Episode 11: Are All Animal Rights Activists Worth Supporting?. These are probably also our favourite episodes.

What do you think our odds are that we can escape the mess we have made of everything (namely the environment / climate, and our economic and social relations) and in turn grant animals freedom from subjugation.

Taryn&Pete: It's hard to answer this question without seeming super negative, but answering honestly, unless there is some kind of radical, drastic change, and we manage to get rid of capitalism, in our opinion, we're pretty doomed. That said, we still feel that it is worth fighting as hard as we can against that anyway. The science also points towards us as a species not being around for much longer, being the cause of environmental collapse and the sixth mass extinction, taking millions of species out with us. We should all be using less water, recycling, not flying, not reproducing, riding bicycles and going vegan, but in our opinion, while capitalism is the dominant system those things will only get us so far. While the Earth, humans and other animals are seen as commodities, labour and resources, we are digging our own graves. Capitalism relies on infinite growth on a finite planet and is simply unsustainable. Even with the best intentions, trying to find solutions within a capitalist framework will ultimately fail. We don't think that we will ever see animal (including human) liberation under capitalism. “The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house.” - Audre Lorde.

Is punk a sound or a philosophy for you?

Taryn&Pete: Both. There is a separation between the genre and ethics. In our opinion it's pretty frustrating when a “punk” band has no punk ethics or politics. What is the point of just singing about getting drunk or something?

What's new on the music horizon and what are some hopes for Let's Rage Together in the new year?

Taryn&Pete: We've actually just started a new Anarchist Vegan Feminist hardcore band called Domestic Violence with our friend Pat (Corax, Conqueror, etc.), so watch this space. As far as LRT goes, we just want to keep putting out more episodes, high quality content, and find ways to reach more people who will be interested in what we're doing.

Questions by: Shaun

*for more info and snazzy cups go to - http://www.letsragetogether.co.za

We Did This Records Presents: The Dumpies from Austin, Texas!

The Dumpies, from Austin, Texas, blend energetic Ramones style punk rock with splashes of hardcore and garage rock. Since the start of 2017 they have released four impressive records named after athletes. The latest being named after the South African runner Zola Budd. Between February 25th and March 11th 2020 (My mind can't properly process the year...) The Dumpies will be hitting up shows around South Africa. Get amped!

We will post the show dates soon! The following is a short interview with the band!

The latest album is named Zola Budd, after a South African Olympic runner. What's the story behind the name?

Dumpies: To us Dumpies, the real test of life, the rubric we measure ourselves by, is our failures. It's about fucking up, making mistakes, hurting people you love, especially when it involves your heroes. You take responsibility, you accept, you learn. The figure of Zola Budd represents how messy and tragic and complicated shit can be, and how it's important to make mistakes and keep moving. Plus she ran barefoot, which is pretty badass.

What are some of your hopes regarding touring South African, end of Feb / early March, next year?

Dumpies: Touring has always been an opportunity to interact and share artistically culturally and socially with people we would otherwise have never met. After traveling and playing music in Chile, Argentina, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia we wanted to push that to another culture and continent. South Africa in particular seems like such a deeply complex and layered place - the intense mix of so many cultures and environments and histories all interacting with each other. We mostly want to come and learn and soak things up and meet new friends and lift each other up and party together. Like Youth Bridge sang in ’Sink With Kalifornia’…..“I don’t care if you’re from North, South, East or West, I live for humanity, forget the rest.”

How is the scene in Austin, Texas?

Dumpies: The scene in Austin has issues, but is ultimately solid. The best shows still happen under bridges and in illegal spaces. There is a lot of bullshit music in Austin, because of things like SXSW. But there is still a super tightknit community of folks around—bands like Army, Mujeres Podridas, Body Pressue, and labels like ihateiskate really help keep things alive in this city. Our singer and guitarist live in Austin and our Bassist and Drummer live in Oregon, so we don't get to play locally much as we want to.

What draws you to playing in a punk band?

Dumpies: We’ve all been doing it for so long it’s basically second nature to us at this point, like blinking our eyes or taking a shit. I’m not sure any of us would know what to do if we weren’t doing this. Punk is a collage. It can be anything. It’s not how you dress or the bands you listen to or your job or lack of or anything. It’s an attitude of embracing and releasing at the same time. Be open to embrace other cultures scenes and people. Be able to release your energy and artistic output without judgement or inhibition. It’s a mindset, a thread that runs through all fabric of your life and what you do.

I get a strong Recess Records feel from the band. What do you all think of bands like Fleshies and Toys That Kill (F.Y.P)?

Dumpies: Hovercraft Records (home of the Dumpies and run by Mark and Tim) was started in the spirit of Recess Records. Todd Congelliere has been putting out loud energetic snarky music of his own and his friends unchanging to any trends and doing it really well year after year. FYP is one of our favorite bands - from the old albums like Dance My Dunce to the latest album from Toys That Kill all that stuff is inspirational and just delivers (Sacia said that the Dumpies song ‘Witch Love’ sounds like Tim ripped the bass line off of ‘Toss My Cookies’ but he disagrees) Fleshies too! That scrappy Oakland early 00’s sound that Jello put out on Alternative Tentacles and then picked up on Recess Records fits grooves and inspires us too. We were never cool enough to see The Fleshies live but the videos look like we definitely missed a spectacle, though I think Joel could give John a run for inspired lyrical gymnastics. And at a Underground Railroad to Candyland show 8 years ago in Portland, a drunken Tim ran up to Todd C. —  took off his shirt to show him his FYP tattoo on his chest — and yelled some rambling acclamations —  only to have Todd look at the ground and shirk off into a corner to avoid the maniac.

Questions by: Shaun

Depressive Repulsive by Hated Related

"Ever since their ‘Caffiene Diet’ EP in 2016, I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Durban’s Brit-indie inspired garage punk band, Hated Related. You see, I really fucking enjoy bands like The Cribs and The Libertines and it was very clear that so did Hated Related. With their latest EP, ‘Depressive Repulsive’, that’s still apparent, but with Ali Heath (HOURS, City Bowl Mizers) now joining Barron Harley and Andrew Groenewald, Hated Related have a distinctly 90’s Dischord Records influence to their sound.

‘Depressive Repulsive’ sounds like an amalgamation of 90’s emo/post hardcore and early 2000s British Indie, which are 2 of my favourite eras in rock music, so, naturally, I’m a fan."

- Bob Perfect

Depressive Repulsive was released April 16, 2019 and is now up on the We Did This Records Bandcamp page. Stay tuned for a interview with Barron Harley following this paragraph!

Tell us about the sound change on the new album and if there is a story behind the band name.

Barron: I think the sound on the new album was pretty unintentional, some of the songs were ones I'd been working on while I was in the UK, so when I got back I was super excited to get them recorded. Ali had just joined the band and I think he brought a lot of fresh energy to the whole deal. A big part of the sound I'd say comes from Andy's production, which I'm a big fan of.

As far as the name goes, our friend Lyle Greer came up with it one night at the house and I was just like "Hey! I like that". I still do.

When did the band start and how are things with the Durban scene lately?

Barron: Andy (Groenewald) and I have been playing music together since I was fourteen, but we really got going with Hated Related in around 2016. That was when my friend Clint was still playing bass for us. We started playing music together again when I moved back from the UK in 2018, that's when Ali took over on bass.

Durban's awesome. We don't have a lot of venues for alternative music but there's places popping up all the time, and the ones we do have are amazing. The scenes always changing and expanding and I think that's really cool.

I love the addition of the acoustic track at the end. What was the motivation behind that?

Barron: We almost didn't add that! It was just a little tune I had just finished as we were wrapping up recording the EP, so I showed it to Andy and we just recorded it live in the bandroom, Andy played the lead parts on there.

Outside of Hated Related how goes the "8 - 5 peasant endurance race"?

Barron: Things are good! I think we all agree that the more fun band stuff that we do, the more we want to do, and the harder the 9-5's get. But ultimately we're stoked to be able to work and still get to jam and have fun fairly often. Still though, work sucks!

Questions by: Shaun

We talked to some Goats about the newly released Blood for the Blood Goat album by Goat Throne! Here is what they had to say!

So the mighty Goat Throne has recently dropped a new 7 track album! How many Goats could or are possibly dancing on the metaphorical play head of this new record?

Goats: We reckon about 666.

Is the Goat Throne a sit spot for a specific Goat or all Goats? Are we creating a Goat hierarchy here?

Goats: We are definitely trying to bring about Goat-Apocalypse now. We need equality for all Goats, and no more people.

How many Goats could a Goat Throne throne if a Goat Throne could throne Goats?

Goats: Again, 666.

What is the composition, texture and taste of the Goat Throne? Also is it water resistant?

Goats: The throne exists in the heart of all Goats, so the texture is that of meat. (Soy/Seitan).

Is the Blood Goat a good boy/girl?

Goats: That question is redundant.

After World War 3 will Goats repopulate earth as the dominant species or do you think they will also go extinct?

Goats: We feel that world war 3 will be driven by Goats to reclaim their dominion over the earth. So Goats will win, and then we’ll get drunk.

Have you all considered having an album launch were you just play to Goats and all other humans are banned from attending?

Goats: By entering the perimeter line of any Goat Throne show you automatically reclassify as a Goat. So all our shows are to Goats only. It’s not segregation, it’s trans-speciesism.

Questions by: Shaun

★★★★★ "A Goattacular listening experience!" 

- The Dark Lord Herself

★★★★★ "Just the right amount of Goaty goodness!" 

- A Demon Possessed Bean Sprout

Get your Goat on below!

Grotesque and Inexorable by Mad God

In early November last year local Doom outfit Mad God released the cosmic horror of a second full length album. It even got an entry in Metal Hammer magazine. What follows is an interview with guitarist and vocalist Tim Harbour.

Conceptually and sonically speaking, what were the motivations for the album and do you feel that it

turned out how you wanted?

Tim: With the latest Mad God album we tried our best to create more interesting and heavier songs while still keeping the music doom at heart. We added a wider variety of influences and started blending more heavy metal and traditional metal into our sound. I feel like our latest album is definitely the best produced and most interesting of our releases, though our older album still seems to be doing better online. Conceptually the album was supposed to have darker themes and also touch on some local horror stories. Overall I think the album was a success in all those regards and we are excited to start thinking about our next one.

There is an experimental horror film also titled Mad God. Was this at all an influence on your band name?

Tim: I had never heard of the movie before I came up with the band name Mad God. The band name process is always a tough one and as a band we had been back and forth on a tonne of names. I started to think simpler and realised most of our earlier content was based on or heavily inspired by the work of H.P Lovecraft and I simply used the name Mad God as a reference to one of the deities from the Cthulhu mythos. I still need to give the Mad God movie a watch haha.

The new album art is a lot different from the previous ones which were quite brightly coloured. What was the influence behind it?

Tim: The album art directly relates to the darker themes and sound of the album. On the previous album our artist, Lyle Van’Dango, used the title of the album as inspiration for the artwork and I was very impressed with what he came up with, it was pretty much exactly what I wanted. With the latest album I gave him more direction telling him the themes of the album and mentioned I wanted some form of dark forest and supernatural elements and he just went with it. Again I was blown away with what he came up with. Lyle’s art has become as canon as the music itself and I can’t imagine doing an album without his artistic direction.

As far as I know the metal scene in Johannesburg is quite large, in comparison to our punk scene. Any bands you recommend we check out that may be of influence to you?

Tim: I have always been a huge fan of the local metal scene. I was a massive Architecture of Aggression fan when they were still around and almost never missed a gig of theirs. Bleeding Spawn is another amazing death metal act that I really enjoy though only a small bit of death metal influence is heard in our music. Juggernaut were a band that I saw before Mad God started and was so excited to hear that style of metal in this country, so that has always stuck in my mind and served as an inspiration for getting Mad God out there. After we formed I started to draw inspiration from the bands that also formed around or a bit before the same time. Ruff Majik and Goat Throne are some of the best examples along with acts such as STRAGE and Corax. More recently I have discovered the incredible MA-AT from Cape Town as well as Psykasm, both bands we played with recently on our trip to the cape. The biggest inspiration I get is from observing some of the hard working local musicians I see busting their ass to put on great shows on a regular basis.

What do we have to look forward to in the future from Mad God?

Tim: More music. We want to record and release a new album, hopefully this year. I’d love to do another music video as well as getting our older releases on vinyl. We have some tape releases coming out soon with our label Red Handed Records in the US as well as just received some digipacks from our EU label, Narcoleptica Productions. Basically just more tunes and more merch coming your way, hopefully in the not to distant future.

Questions by Sarah Lee

Mad God is:
Tim Harbour - Vocals and Guitar
Pat Stephansen - Drums
Evert Snyman - Bass

Blame Thrower (New Zealand) April - May 2019 South Africa Tour!

Blame Thrower from New Zealand are here and we have a short interview with Ciara (drums & vocals) followed by gig info and their new split tape below.

How would you describe your music?

Ciara: Blame Thrower sounds like if Bert and Ernie were members of The Descendents. Haha, but nah we are a garage punk band and we draw influences from bands like Wavves and Fidlar right to Black Flag and Dead Kennedys. Our songs are short, sharp and impassioned. Because we're a two piece the music is fairly simple - it's hard work playing and singing at the same time!

Who does what in the band?

Ciara: Luke Penrose is the guitarist and vocalist, and Ciara Bernstein (me) is the drummer and vocalist.

What do you think of south Africa so far, and how is the tour going?

Ciara: South Africa is incredible! It's so insanely different to New Zealand and I'm stoked to see what the local music scene is like. The local cultures, languages, styles and influences are very unique and I'm curious to see how these differences are expressed musically. Our first show is in Port Elizabeth, and luke and I are really excited.

How is the scene back home, and is there much of a tour circuit between Tasmania, Australia, and new Zealand?

Ciara: New Zealand's music scene is thriving and surprisingly big given that we're a population of 4 million people all up. Luke and I are both very involved with the local punk and alternative scene and it seems like every week a new band pops on the radar. Bands go to and from Australia fairly regularly, but tend to only do Melbourne and Sydney. BT recorded our most recent EP in Melbourne last year, and we played shows around there too. We've both been lucky enough to play even further abroad (I played in the States and Luke played in Europe), it's always exciting to take the NZ crew on a roadie far away!

Where can people find your music?

Ciara: All of our music is available on Bandcamp, Spotify and iTunes, but we like Bandcamp the best haha https://blame-thrower.bandcamp.com/

Questions by: Shaun

There was a bit of a hiccup with venue double bookings and so the revised show dates and locations are as follows... ↓

26th April (TONIGHT!!!) - Port Elizabeth @ Pool City
27th April - Cape Town @ Black Irish
4th May - Pretoria (location TBC)
10th May - Johannesburg @ Rumours Rock City
11th May - Soweto @ Others Concept Space

Check the international surveillance network for updates - https://www.facebook.com/BLAMETHROWERNZ/

Matt Vend's Anatronic And Interview

December last year, Durban songwriter, Matt Vend recorded his 5th album which sees him delving in lo-tech electronic music as well as his signature acoustically driven sound. He is calling the new direction Anatronic, which the songwriter describes as electronic music delivered in a very organic almost analogue way. Matt commissioned illustrator and comic book artist Tasmin Naidoo to create a piece of art that reflected the feeling and intention behind the songs.

So tell us a bit about the new album and how it differs from your previous albums, both as a solo artist and as part of a band?

Matt: The new record marked a massive shift in songwriting and production for me, I love making my own records at home because every time you plug the gear in its a learning experience. I hope to put the record out on vinyl eventually so I made it a side A and side B kind of vibe. The first half is pure guitar driven music, very stripped down, and very close to what I’ve always done. So I called it “Songs found in the earth”. The second half, I used my keyboard as the main driving instrument instead of the guitar and all the melody lines were written on a keyboard, hence I called it “songs found in the machine”. Then I just went wild and started layering sounds on top of each other. I wanted to create massive electronic soundscapes that created atmosphere. It really is very, very introspective music, however, I want to present it live eventually one day. I just know nothing about live electronic music.
Even though you could call it electro in some way there are a lot of other acoustic instruments thrown in. My inspiration came very much from bands like New Order and The Cure and other New Wave 80’s type stuff, like the origins of using synths and guitars together. I also got really into the work of Felix Laband and I think that was also a big contributing factor for trying out new things. I also ran the keyboard through various big sounding guitar effects and distortions which gave me some surprisingly great results. Some people even asked “how did you get the guitar to sound so big” and I was like "It isn’t a guitar it's a keyboard going through distortion effects" etc. Sorry for rambling, I could talk about this for hours. However I also didn’t use any Pro Tools, computers or standard recording software to achieve this, but just my trusty, Boss BR-800. To get more channels I just kept bouncing down tracks and doing a line in recording of the bounced mastered wav files to create more channels on my desk as I’m limited to only 6 channels at a time. Its a very stubborn and old school way of doing things but I never got my head around computer recording software and never really wanted to. I think this approach really made something unique come out, I’m slowly working toward my own signature sound and I think this recording is a huge step up from a production perspective compared to the previous ones. It's still very much a digital recording but I’ve taken an almost analogue approach to doing it, hence the title of the record “Anatronic” which was coined by my buddy Yusuf Laher as I told him about the madness I was attempting, we laughed and it was a joke that stuck. I was also very fortunate to receive some excellent mastering from Alejandro Rojas Carranza at Angry Monkey Studios in Mexico City, which really gave the record a nice smooth finish.

Do you have a personal favorite track from it?

Matt: Not at all, I think the record stands as a nice collection of songs so it's hard to point out a favourite...

You did a launch tour of some pretty unconventional locations outside of the usual gig circuit.
How did it go and what spots would you recommend to other musicians / bands?

Matt: The tour was life-changing in so many ways. I deliberately said that I didn’t want to tour any big cities this time, so we hit some obscure places and got amazing responses at every town. It was a very special tour for me as I took a really long break from music before planning it and I really wasn’t sure if I was even going to be able to pull it off. The album was a serious labour of love to get done and the tour seemed like a great reward for all the effort and a bit of respite from a tough year.
Mmm... not sure which towns to recommend as most touring musicians want to make a profit when they go out there on the road and this wasn’t that tour. However our biggest show was in Lesotho. It was so packed that the restaurant had to pull out more chairs and people were still standing at the back on top of that. Alliance Francaise de Maseru did a fantastic job of hosting us.
 Also, Namibia is a magical place with some of the most untouched beauty I have ever witnessed. We played in a town called Aus famous for its wild horses. However, if you do tour Africa hire a 4x4 as we spent two days travelling through the desert in my tiny Renault kwid. The roads are so bad in Namibia that we had to go roughly 15 to 30 km for almost 700km to avoid any traumatic car damage, it took us almost a full 48 hours, we lost our marbles a bit, but the experience of being in the desert with no one around for two days is priceless and somewhat spiritual, a real connection to nature, which is the heritage of Africa.
Swakopmund was also a great city to play and we met some awesome people, Rainer from Nautilus Studios is a kind-hearted gentleman who put us in touch with The Royal Bull which was probably our second busiest show of the tour. The owner Marcelle is also an awesome guy. Everyone on this trip was so supportive and great we even had an extremely memorable show in Port Nolloth of all places, a diamond fishing town on the west coast of South Africa.
There are so many people to thank, it's scary. It was probably my favourite tour so far and I’ve been on many.

You have talked a little bit online about being diagnosed with "surfer's ear"- how has it changed things for you and what advice would you give to other musicians who are dealing with a similar condition?

Matt: Yeah, roughly a year ago my hearing got really bad. I went to various specialists and none of them really seemed to know what to do, until I found Sean Overall from Wholesale Hearing. This guy is a maverick and a saint in my eyes. He is a scientist that builds his own hearing aids and ear protection for a fraction of a price of the others on the market. He assured me that my issues with hearing loss weren’t just related to noise, and that surfing was a contributing factor. From the age of about 8, there hasn’t really been a week of my life that I haven’t been in the ocean, but I had various other things going wrong from Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, Hyperacusis, Surfers Ear and Tinnitus. I’m usually not so candid about my private affairs but if I can impart what I've been through and it can help others that’s fantastic and that’s how we make a difference. Obviously, the noise didn’t help and close to 20 years of playing in loud punk bands had just taken its toll.
I had already started making Anatronic but by halfway through the recording process things just all seemed to be going wrong. I stopped going out, gave up a lot of different things including surfing and became extremely reclusive. Even the sound of birds outside became painful to hear and my life seemed to be a series of panic attacks, in between trying to get through long days in an extremely noisy office. I even wore ear protection sometimes at work! With the help of Sean, I went on a programme to try and clear the fluids trapped inside my Eustachian Tubes and I rested.
Whenever I felt the urge, I’d put down a chord or a line for the new record sometimes at the price of a setback in my recovery, however, I had to finish it come hell or high water. Finishing Anatronic became my motivation for getting better.
I urge anyone who is having hearing issues to see someone as soon as the problem arises. I noticed a sensitivity in my ears years ago but ignored it until it was too late. I’d also urge musicians to use ear protection, but ear protection that works for your ears, as our ears are all different shapes and sizes. Get custom airtight ones and work with the acoustician or audiologist making them until you get a perfect fit. Also, I hope to make it trendy to wear earplugs. It's amazing the strange kind of stigma that is still associated with it, people in the venues mock you and say, "Why are you wearing those?" etc. I also think it would be great if venues came to the party to put warnings at the door and they could even take it further and give out inexpensive hearing protection on arrival. Also, engineers should all be forced to use decibel readers and often it's just unnecessarily loud to the point where it doesn’t even sound like music anymore, the engineers themselves are predominately deaf but that still doesn’t give them the right to make others deaf. Over the last year, my hearing has improved dramatically, I’m still not 100% right and quite frankly I don’t think I ever will be. I have my bad and good days with it, but to look how far I have come in a year is amazing. All I can hope is that next year things will improve further. I’m currently looking into my first set of in-ear monitors and I’d urge any serious musician to do the same. Hearing loss, hyperacusis and tinnitus is no joke, it's crippling and the worst part is no one sees or hears your suffering. Hearing loss is also related to anxiety and depression so a lot else can start going wrong when you start losing your hearing. However a South African just invented the first inner ear transplant which is great news and brings a lot of hope to people who are going deaf or who are experiencing one of the many related illnesses associated with hearing loss.

What's the word on the follow-up album?

Matt: Yeah, I actually have finished the follow up to Anatronic. I came back from tour started tracking and just carried on. I had a Forest Gump moment and just kept running hahahah. I figured while I can, I must make as much music as possible. I have to credit it to a tiny yellow keyboard that was gathering dust at the old smelly orange studio, where we used to rehearse with Sibling Rivalry until Steve, our drummer and owner of the studio, opened his New Noise facility. The little Casio tone bank had so many awesome sounds I couldn’t resist and this album goes even deeper into the “Anatronic” sound. The record is currently being mastered by Neil Snyman (worked with Lady Smith Black Mambazo, Madala Kunene etc) and I think its the biggest sounding album I’ve ever made, I’m keen for everyone to hear it. I’m hoping it will be out soon and I should also be on tour again soon, so find me online to find out where and when.
And a huge thanks to Shaun and Conley and the We Did This crew for always supporting what I do and who I am, love you to the moon and back... x

Questions by: Shaun Richards

Stream or download Anatronic ↓


Follow up single Recorded at Sad Room Studios, engineered, mixed, mastered and produced by Matt Vend. All lyrics and words by Matt Vend ↓


Visit:
www.mattvend.com
https://www.facebook.com/mattvend031
https://twitter.com/matt_vend
https://www.instagram.com/mattvend031/

Tasmin's (cover art artist) Instagram page below:
https://www.instagram.com/tazbedevilled/

Jenny Woo live in South Africa!

"Jenny Woo is a singer/songwriter from Canada who started her acoustic oi! project in 2008... Since 

the beginning of this project, she has released 5 albums, played 500 concerts, and toured in 55 countries."

She will be performing this Saturday night, March 23 @ Emmarentia Sailing Club, Johannesburg

We had the privilege of doing a short pre-gig interview with her!

(Gig and Tour info follows towards the end.)

Tell us about the new album! Will you mostly be performing tracks from this release?

​Jenny: The new album is called Tear Down Walls, and it is my 5th full length album. It celebrates 10 years since the beginning of this project, and it is actually a double LP with one album being 15 full-band electric songs, and the other album being 15 acoustic songs. The album also includes a documentary DVD about the history of this project and the skinhead scene, as well as a book speaking to the themes of the album. The album speaks to the political values of punk in terms of bringing people together across borders, as well as the personal values of the punk scene such as breaking down our own limitations. The album features the guest vocals of Jeff Turner from Cockney Rejects, as well as Han from Evil Conduct.  I will be playing some songs from this album during my tour in South Africa, but I will also be playing a lot of material from my previous albums as well.

Why South Africa?

​Jenny: I have always been fascinated by the history of South Africa, as Apartheid always seemed like an unfathomable reality for me. Given that the album is called Tear Down Walls and the project was invented to create community, fight prejudice and cross boundaries, I have tried to tour the world as much as possible. Up until this point I have played in over 55 countries, but never in South Africa before. I met some South African punks a while ago at Rebellion festival, and since then I have been eager to explore the punk scene there and of course the intersection of punk with the political realities there. I am interested to explore the subject of tearing down walls more in the context of historical racial segregation, and to see where the country and the punk scene are now in South Africa and how they also relate to this unique history.

How has your tour been so far and what has been some of your favorite / most memorable shows?

​Jenny: The tour has been amazing so far, over 500 gigs up until this point all over the world. Every gig is special and memorable in it's own way, but I would have to say that the most memorable gigs for me up until now include playing in Yakutia, Siberia. It takes about 7 days to drive there from Moscow, and I couldn't believe that there was such an active and enthusiastic punk scene up in the Arctic. It was incredible to visit the cultural centres of Yakutsk people and to learn more about their history. I also really enjoyed playing in Bosnia and learning about Balkan history through personal narratives, and the power of the Yugo punk scene in bringing people together despite the ethnic divisions.

When and how did you fall in love with Oi music?

​Jenny: I first discovered the oi! scene in 2003. I had been a punk rocker for a few years before then, but I was immediately attracted to the skinhead scene because it spoke about personal values such as loyalty, pride and community in a way that was more relatable to me than the Live For Today/No Tomorrow ethos of the streetpunk scene. I love the skinhead scene because it brings out the best in me, it has taught me what real friendship is and should be, and it has taught me a lot about self-love despite social pressures.

What would you say to encourage people who may want to play punk rock but are hesitant due to the dominant cisgender straight white male demographic?

​Jenny: I would say that the world and everything we love is what we make it to be. We all have personal limitations, but if we don't push our limitations we are choosing to live inside of them. Punk rock is supposed to be an alternative, and for a kid like me who never fit into mainstream beauty or social standards, it saved my life. It gave me purpose and identity and belonging when I was lost. The more that we can make punk a true alternative, the more that we can make it accessible to other people looking for purpose, the more we can help the world. The best thing about music is that it crosses borders, it crosses genders, it crosses race and it is something that connects us. Good music is a window of the truth, and as long as we speak our truth we are in the right. Punk rock is about truth, and if  you have something to say this genre belongs to you. As Strummer said, the future is unwritten, but why not write our way to a better one?

Questions by Shaun Richards

Flyer by Sandy Little

Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 7 PM – 11:50 PM @ Emmarentia Sailing Club, Johannesburg

Lineup: Deadly Bites, Apocalypse Later, Groucho, Jenny Woo, Klumbsy Oxx, Dead Congress, All These Wasted Nuts.

Music kicks off at 7pm, R50 PP, Booze on sale (cash bar!!!) & Customs stalls.

All South Africa shows above

Bahiyya Khan and after HOURS [An Indie Game About BPD And Abuse]

So, i have been meaning to interview Bahiyya Khan, a Muslim game developer, and Masters drop out ("because everything is the worst"), who tutors at Wits here in Johannesburg, for months now. I have been useless though and by this point she has been interviewed so many times that it is next to impossible to ask her questions that don't amount to flagrant repetition.

That being said though,
fuck it... here we go!

after HOURS is a full-motion video (FMV) game that deals with sexual assault and borderline personality disorder (BPD). I guess we are starting with the motivation question, that is possibly compulsory? 

Bahiyya: I made the game because I felt I had to. 2 things were happening very intensely in my life at the time:

1. There was an increase in the violence against women in South Africa and loads of women that I knew were coming out to me about having being sexually abused

2. I was sick of people not understanding what it's like to live with Borderline Personally Disorder and then demonising us based on misinformation and stereotypes.

So I decided to tell a story on issues that deserve to be spoken about and not hidden away in the awful shame that is foisted upon women.

When did you finish after HOURS, who was on your development team, and where can people find it?

Bahiyya: after HOURS finished about a month ago. It all feels so hazy thinking about it now.. The team consisted of me as game designer, narrative designer, writer, director and actress. Claire Meekel as cinematographer, animator and director. Tim Flusk as programmer and Abi Meekel on sound. It's currently up on Humble Bundle but will be up on other game platforms probably in a month or 2 or 20 since I don't function so good.

If you had to gamble on a next possible hair colour what do you think future you would pick?

Bahiyya: Definitely Gerard Way's Danger Days red hair.

Favorite video games and why?

Bahiyya: I don't really play games so of the 2.7 that I have played, Butterfly Soup is my favourite. I think it's funny and moving and well written.

Is there a film you like that you would love to turn into an FMV, If you could like magic it into being?

Bahiyya: Probably Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

What sparked your love for writing?

Bahiyya: My sister taught me to read and write when I was 5 and I adored reading and I suppose I wanted to write my own stuff? I don't know, I can't remember. I started listening to Simple Plan when I was 9 and then started writing my own songs so I guess...I don't know what I'm trying to say. I just always wrote.

You have had the opportunity to travel a bunch recently to do talks and promotion for the game. I died a little inside when I watched a Whatsapp video of you up front and singing along to Chumped at a Joyce Manor show. Drop us some bands and show stories... End me!

Bahiyya: Hahaha fuck wow, I got to see some dope bands last year. I also got fucked up. I literally thought I was gonna die at Joyce Manor. I went to their show in Boston and the crowd was just mental. I got killed. I literally did. I'm typing this from the grave. My ribs felt like they were being crushed. I had to ask security to take me out of that hell pit. I'm very cool, obviously. Oh yeah I also saw Basement last year and got a mild concussion although I only went to that show to see Joyce Manor open for them so I left soon after. Oh! And I got to speak to Barry, Joyce Manor's frontman and got their setlist which was wonderful.

My standout gigs were seeing The Front Bottoms and You Me At Six. I cried so much at both shows. Seeing TFB was the highlight of my life until I saw YMAS then I had several highlights in my life. Sorry this answer is so long I just love all my bands so much. YMAS is my absolute favourite band ever and I followed them around the UK for a bit for their Take Off Your Colours anniversary tour. I got so fucking excited at the first show that I became that annoying fucker in the pit. Disgraceful times and all that.

Ever wanted to start a band?

Bahiyya: Hourly.

In your opinion is punk a sound or a state of mind?

Bahiyya: Both. I mean superficially it's an aesthetic thing and also a kind of genre (?) but I think real punk as fuck things are whatever goes against systemic oppression. For example, being kind in a world that prefers you didn't

Questions by Shaun Richards

Below is an audio interview Bahiyya did with Polygamer.

^ Polygamer #83: Bahiyya Khan of after HOURS by Ken Gagne

"Bahiyya Khan is the developer of after HOURS, a full-motion video (FMV) game about sexual assault and borderline personality disorder (BPD). Presented as an interactive film, after HOURS has received critical acclaim and awards at game conferences around the globe for its innovative storytelling and willingness to tackle difficult subjects."

DIY​-​bother? by laserchrist

laserchrist is a new London based punk band started by some kids from Durban, South Africa. They have just released their first EP and it really kicks a load of ass. "Straight outta Crofton! Leatherface and Iron Chic meet The Smashing Pumpkins and Pixies through the door of Kukundu... Featuring members/ex-members of paperjets, crash island, bat wings, lowprofile, the tubby wilsons, the trees, fruits & veggies and car boot vendors." - Some info they posted on the internet.

The EP has kick ass fuzzed out driving guitars with catchy overtunes, solid thumping drums, Bobby's holy bass lines and a laid back grungy feel while being up tempo and genitals to the wall... basically everything I personally want from melodic hardcore.

So what's the origin story and gospel of laserchrist?

Daryn: I met Charlie at the New Cross Inn, which is like a south east London version of The Winston Pub. I was trying to start a band, Batwings, but we couldn’t find a drummer. And Charlie was like, “Yeah, I’ll play drums.” Turns out he’s a pretty good guitarist too.

Charlie: I think one day Daryn and I were hanging out in a friend's shed with a couple of guitars and just started jamming. We began meeting up outside Batwings for more jams, which turned into songs.

Bobby: I met Daryn and Yusuf when I was, like, 14, and just getting into the punk scene in Durban. Daryn played in Fruits & Veggies and would let me crash on his couch. Yusuf played in one of my favorite South African punk bands, The Tubby Wilsons, and worked for a skate and music magazine that was pretty much the reason I got into punk.

Daryn: When Yusuf moved to south London I knew we had a sick drummer available – we just needed to convince him. Then Bobby popped over to London to slap the bass and BOOM, laserchrist was born.

Bobby: I’d dreamt about moving to the U.K. and jamming with Daryn. And five years later, here I am, living in a house in south London and playing punk rock in a basement with my heterosexual life partner, a cockney stoner and the dude who introduced me to punk rock and Against Me!

Yusuf: I’m just in it for the Pot Noodles and San Miguels. Takes me back to a simpler time, which, luckily, is pretty easy to escape from on the 172 bus whenever I’ve had enough.

The song “Big Smoke City” comes off to me as very nostalgic. Miss Durban?

Daryn: It’s a bit of a nostalgic tune. But it’s more about hitting the road and moving from city to city. Basically, being a rolling stone and all the people you meet along the way. I miss the weather in Durban.

Bobby: I think I miss a certain time in Durban. The punk scene in the mid 2000s was a very special time and place to experience, and I like to think that the music we play today recreates that feeling – at least for me, personally. I miss bunny chows, Swazi weed and African wildlife a shitload, though.

Yusuf: Miss Durban, what year? I was never really a big beauty pageant fan. Can you tell? P.S., I’m head of dad jokes.

Any stories from the EP recording?

Daryn: There are stories, but I can’t talk about them because kids might read this.

Bobby: Yusuf is a fucking warlock when it comes to managing the band and recording. And the fact that we did it in our basement was cool, ‘cos I could just wear a robe and make myself a sandwich whenever I wanted, and it just felt really comfortable. I think Daryn and I only had, like, seven arguments, which is a really good week for us.

Yusuf: Warlock? I’ll take that. To be honest, though, some days I feel more like Papa Smurf, trying to stop Dopey, Clumsy and Grouchy running around with scissors or sticking their fingers in fire.

Any plans to try a South African tour at some point, for old times sake?

Daryn: We’ve spoken about it. I think it has to happen.

Bobby: I wanna tour S.A. more than I wanna tour Europe! I never got to experience proper touring when I lived in S.A., and I'd love to drive around my home country in a van with my homies, playing shows with all the amazing local musicians I'm friends with. I also wanna show Charlie an elephant.

Yusuf: Bobby. King of the sexual innuendo…

So Daryn mentioned The Winston. For those who don’t know, The Winston was a hub for the mid 2000s Durban punk scene. Can you guys recall a favourite show or memory from there? Charlie, you could answer by recalling a favourite show or memory from anywhere?

Daryn: When The Nomadic Orchestra played a surprise show at two in the morning and everyone lost their shit. It was just really surprising, and such a good show.

Bobby: My favorite pub memory is ‘Gospel Night,’ when a whole bunch of Durban bands played renditions of traditional religious folk songs and everyone took it VERY seriously and dressed up like they were going to church.

Yusuf: Life Below, Peasant and God Mother a couple weeks ago. So many old faces, and all the other shows are a blur anyway.

Charlie: My favourite show. Hmm… Alice In Chains in 2013! I was RIGHT at the front. They played the most perfect set list. And Jerry Cantrell, himself, made eye contact AND threw me his pick (which I still have safely in a tin). Close second has to be King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, who I saw earlier this year. It was the most mind-blowing show I have ever witnessed. Those guys are next level.

So Bobby... Amped on any British wildlife?

Bobby: I’m a lover of all things hairy and feathered, but my current favorites are Gold Finches, Badgers and Scottish Wildcats.

Daryn: Life is wild.

Yusuf: You sound like Joe Dirt. Life’s a garden. Dig it…

If Yusuf is head of dad jokes and Bobby is King of the sexual innuendo... Then what are Daryn and Charlie?

Daryn: I think I’m the starter of arguments. The “Firestarter,” if you will. Charlie’s the voice of reason… and the roller of blunts.

Yusuf: Daryn could start an argument in an empty room. As long as he has Whatsapp…

Questions by: Shaun Richards

The Deadly Bites EP & Interview.

Johannesburg's psychedelic garage rock outfit The Deadly Bites have a new 6 track EP out that was recorded at Atomic Garden Studios and released this October. It is a follow up from a two track release early last year. We will attach / link both releases below, but first we have a short interview with vocalist and guitarist Dean Hibbert. [ cue applause ]

What sort of music does The Deadly Bites seek to create and release?

Dean: We set out to do a garage, surf, psychedelic sort of thing, but ultimately we will do whatever we want to do. It's kind of cool not trying to be a genre band and just freely associating influences. If we decide that opera is our thing I suppose we will go in that direction, but it's always gonna be groovy and badass.

What was the motivation behind starting the band?

Dean: Elio and Valentino had started up The Deadly Bites before I joined. They saw me playing guitar drunk at a party and thought that I would make a great singer. Luckily at my audition there was only a shitty sing star microphone to hide my shitty voice and I got the part. We stuck together because we share a common music taste and love for writing music together.

Best shows to date?

Dean: Best shows to date have definitely been the Psyche Night shows. The ones in Joburg, Stellenbosch (Psychedelic Jukebox) and at Endless Daze Festival. It's just great when gigs are well organized and promoted. I mean all of gigs are memorable for different reasons... Sometimes we totally tank, strings break or we have a few too many to drink, but you always gotta give it your all whether you are playing to three people or a whole crowd.

How was recording your latest release?

Dean: For this particular EP we really wanted it to have a raw, energetic, live sound to it and I knew Conley at Atomic Garden Studios would be just the right person for the job. There was still a fair amount of experimental post work done to it, but we got the sort of sound we were going for. Recording is sort of like archiving the work that you have done so that you can move on with writing new stuff. The next stop is trying to write and record a full album. There is some serious work to be done but we are all up for the challenge.

Dean with TBN you did some European and Asian tours. Do The Deadly Bites have plans for an overseas tour?

Dean: Now that we have our new EP finished and out of the way, the question of where and how to tour is at the top of our minds. Europe, America, or Australia would be insane and definitely something we are trying to figure out for the future. In the near future I think we have to do Durban and hopefully Réunion Islands. I think the band is about to undergo some changes that I can't talk about just yet, but I think we will be up and running as a gigging band by March next year.

Questions by: Shaun Richards

Interview: The Pissups from Cape Town.

The Pissups are a fairly new melodic punk band from Cape Town. A more garage rock, striped down mutant love child from the likes of Alkaline Trio, The Bouncing Souls and Hot Water Music. The type of shit that orgcore kids on punknews.org would lose their shit over if only The Pissups were based in America, played all ages shows, and were posted on the site...
They have an EP out. It is pretty good...

Why don't we start by talking a little about yourselves, tell us how the band started and how you first got into punk.

Aidan: The band started after a realisation that punk needs to take over the airwaves. What are we doing if we're not playing punk? The first album I ever got was Ixnay on the Hombre, nothing else mattered after that.

Who is the best drinker in band? And to follow that, who is the worst drinker?

Aidan: Probably Marc, he acts like Windhoek is water, but he can't handle big boy drinks. Matt's a lightweight and his eyes go small, and I am a subtle alcoholic. We're all the worst really. 

Who in the band is the most punk?

Aidan: To us, punk is more about how you perceive things, and react to certain situations, we all share a similar view point on things and hate most things equally.

Is Cape Town, like Johannesburg, an aging music scene?

Aidan: Punk will always be alive for those who keep it alive. There are still sick punk bands giving it horns in CT. It's there if you look for it. 

What's your song writing process?

Aidan: Generally a riff is written and we come together to build on that one idea. Then in like 3 hours we have a new banger. 

Previous bands or other music projects?

Aidan: Plenty. Most are unknown. Marc and I played in some terrible metal bands, as well as some young punk bands around CT. Marc probably enjoyed the most success with the Boombox Troopers. Matt's a band virgin.

Since you can't make money off music, generally the opposite, what do you guys do to like live and shit?

Aidan: We're all pretty much slaves to the system. Marc's a developer, and Matt and I are both writers. It pays for the broken drum heads and strings. 

How often do you try to play and do you have any plans to tour?

Aidan: We haven't done much gigging lately, but we get new material out pretty often. A new album is coming in January, and with that hopefully a local tour to Joburg and plenty of shows around Cape Town.

Ok. last question...

Is punk political, emotional, and does it sound however the fuck you want it to sound? Yes or No.

Aidan: Punk is punk...

Ok...  last last question. What is your favorite song on the new ep?

Aidan: We all are pretty swayed with Humdrum being our favourite. It’s got a ton of energy and is just super fun to play in general

Questions by: Shaun Richards

Marc play drums, Aidan plays guitar and sings and Matt plays bass and sings. Matt and Aidan alternate between lead and back up vocals.