Please give a brief history of the band, including current line up.
OK the current line-up is:
Andrew Griswold – Drums & Vocals
Adam “The Beast” Sims – Guitar
Dan Bastard – Guitar
Wasp Boy – Bass
We started in March 2000 with a totally different line-up of which I am the
only bastard still standing. The original plan was to be the hardest, fastest,
loudest punk rock’n’roll band on Planet Earth and we’ve stayed true to that.
We take influence from Motörhead, AC/DC, KISS, Zeke, Dwarves, Gang Green
etc. We want to create kick-ass rock music that can be enjoyed by all. We play
200+ gigs a year and have released three singles with more on the way.
Discography.
Dirty Wee Demo – demo tape, December 2000
Split EP with Dogshit Sandwich – Weird Records 7”, July 2002
Split EP with Miuku – Rock ‘N’ Roll Records 7”, October 2002
No Respect ‘Til Belfast EP – Ruptured Ambitions 7”, March 2003
We have two new CD EPs recorded and ready to go. Hellride will be out in December
and Midnight Scene in March 2004. 16 tracks of nasty rock’n’roll to keep you
up at night!
You must be one of the hardest gigging smaller bands, how
do you manage
to keep going? Which has been the worst and best gig you have played and who
was it with?
We love touring. If you lived in Northern Ireland, you
would too. It’s healthy to get out and see new places and new faces. Sure,
we lose loads of cash but it’s always worth it. The best gigs we’ve played
were in Germany last month – the scene over there is amazing. In the UK,
Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Kircaldy, Porth, Torquay and Birmingham are always good.
We’ve supported some amazing bands – SLF, The Exploited, Zeke, Nashville
Pussy, Poison Idea, Agnostic Front, Electric Frankenstein, Hanson Brothers,
Groovie Ghoulies, Rockbitch etc – and played some great venues. We don’t
play Belfast much anymore but when we do it’s always a riot.
You have had quite a few line-up changes, how has that come
about?
Yes we’ve been through about 25 members. It’s a pain in
the ass but there ya go. Most of the fuckers quit cos they couldn’t handle
the crazy pace. We’ve replaced all the other original members – including
two key songwriters and a very popular singer/frontman – and went from strength
to strength. If we can do that, we can do anything. I’ve always respected
bands like Napalm Death and Iron Maiden, where the music and philosophies
of the band are bigger than the individual personalities and line-up changes
don’t seem to matter.
Drummer and vocalist are quite a hard mix, which do you prefer
doing and
which other musicians do you admire?
Our old singer left and we had to continue so I took over
vocals. I’d never sung before so I had no idea how it would go, but I gave
it a shot and it worked out. I love the drums but I’d never go back to being ‘just
the drummer’. Drummers get treated like shit, yet without us you’d be fucked!
I only know a few other drummer/vocalists – Snuff, Stupids, Hard-Ons, Zoetrope… I
guess most bands don’t want their frontman at the back of the stage. Musicians
I admire would be Dave Lombardo, Donny Paycheck and Phil Rudd for the drums
and Chris Doherty, Marky Felchtone and Lemmy for the vox.
Describe your sound and the main theme to the lyrics?
A reviewer once called us “AC/DC meets the Ramones in
a Belfast brawl” and who am I to argue? There are also elements of thrash
metal, cock rock and pop punk. Most of our lyrics are about horror movies,
girls and partying – there are enough political bands out there without us
adding to the gloom.
What is the favourite song (and what band is it by) of each
member of the
band?
Andrew: Motörhead – Rock ‘N’ Roll
Simsie: Megadeth – In My Darkest Hour
Dan: Green Day – Only Of You
Wasp: The Fish Brothers – Super Sushi Medley
With you playing all over UK & Eire, how do you see the scene differing
from region to region?
N. Ireland – awesome girls, lazy bands, volatile scene,
too much post-rock
Scotland – healthy scene, loyal fans, heavy drinking, late nights
England – lots of motorway, too many cliques, too much ska
Wales – young girls, random violence, low-slung jeans
Eire – not enough places to play, worst roads in Europe, too much crust
Plans, gigs and releases planned for 2003/2004.
Well, there are the CD EPs I mentioned earlier – Hellride
(Dec 03) and Midnight Scene (March 04). A split 7” with Eastfield is also
in the works. Apart from that, it’s the usual round of non-stop touring,
sleeping in gutters, eating from bins etc. We’ll hopefully record an album
in late 2004.
Any final comments?
Thanks for the interview and keep up the good work with
the site. Everybody come to a gig or buy a record. The Dangerfields will
kick your ass!
The Dangerfields
PO Box 1343
Belfast BT15 4HX
N. Ireland, UK
www.thedangerfields.com
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