1) The band have been going some time now - how and did you get together in
the first place?
Pike were formed in 1990, by myself and life-long friend Jez ‘Fingers’ Pike,
at a time when there was very little quality material being produced.
We hoped to fill the void.
What has been the highlight and lowest point in the bands
history so far?
I can’t describe any of our experiences as high
or low as such. All the gigs and the recordings have contributed to what
Pike are now. We’ve been buzzing for 14 years.
You have played with some great bands such as Glen Matlock,
Penetration and UK Subs. Which has been the best gig you have played, and
what bands would you love to tour with?
Supporting the UK Subs in Preston in 1995 was great. It felt like the
whole town had turned out at a time when punk wasn’t as fashionable
as it is now. I would love to tour with New Model Army or the Angelic
Upstarts.
What releases have you had out and what Pike song best sums
up the band?
We’ve had numerous tapes and four CD’s. The
most recent ‘Bears Paw’ which now features the best of the other
two albums ‘Now! Pike!’, and ‘Ten Years Living the Dream’.
All the tracks sum up the band as we continue to keep our songs relevant
and up-to-date.
Do you do any covers, if so what and why?
Previously we did covers as it helped to get more gigs
mixing them with our own material. Nowadays we now again do ‘Another
girl another planet’ by the ‘Only Ones’ but with a lot
more power. It is a great song and stood out back in the early days.
If you could take a vocalist, guitarist(s), bassist and
drummer from different bands to make your perfect band who would you choose
(canbe deceased)?
I would like to state this is the choice of Mick Pike
and doesn’t necessarily represent the other members.
Vocals and guitar – Joe Strummer (Clash),
Bass – JJ Burnel (Stranglers),
Guitar – Ed Kuepper (Saints)
Drums Topper Headon – (Clash).
There may be better musicians about, but a combination of the first two albums
of all their respective bands would fucking rock.
Why did you choose the name Pike and do you still think it
suits the band?
The name comes from the cast of ‘Dads Army’,
the irrepressible Frank Pike. It happened on a drunken night, you would have
to have been there. It probably never suited us but “we don’t
care.”
Describe punk at the beginning of the 21st century.
Punk at present seems to be commercial, fashionable and
name-dropped by just about everybody. Fashion-wise, punk’s influence
is every where, but it was never about the clothes and the hair anyway, it’s
about what’s inside, and the posers can fuck off to the new, ‘next
big thing’.
Plans, gigs and releases planned for 2004.
Recording a new CD before the end of the year , ready
for release sometime in the winter and to keep gigging on the road to nowhere.
Any final comments?
Be a 21st Century Punk, the worlds still knee deep in
shit and apathy won’t get us out of it. 1977 changed my world, there
aren’t many of us left who know what ‘punk’ means. Live
your dreams!
Check out the web-site for news and gig information.
http://pikemusic.users.btopenworld.com/
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