Refuse/All Interview

02/06/2006

Alex - Vocals
Shea - Bass
Gary - Guitar
Charlie - Drums

we started in may 2005. Alex's band, Sorb had recently split and Riot/Clone were about to split due to the singer leaving the country. We all wanted to carry on playing and so we formed the new band. I suppose we sound similar to fast 80's style punk.

When we first started we did a few Riot/Clone songs in the set as we didn't have enough refuse/all material, however over the months we've got rid of all the old songs and our set is all refuse/all now. We wont be playing any riot/clone songs in the future.

I think some people know of the connection and the / was put in to link the two, it seemed like a good idea at the time but really we have had to start all over again, but we don't mind. We have played with some good bands as Refuse/All including supports with Conflict, Gbh, Abrasive Wheels, Angelic Upstarts etc so we can't complain.

Big thankyou has to go to the Lost Cherrees for giving us our first gig and Liberty for probably doing the most gigs with us than anyone else, and they still talk to us, amazing, both lovely people.

The album should be out at the end of this month. We all have our favourites but there isn't one that stands out any better than the others really.

There are many different issues, the title track is "Have a happy holiday in Guantanamo Bay", "Shoot to Kill" about the shooting in Stockwell, "Violent Times" about the fear the media creates to justify the disappearance of our civil liberties, that have been struggled for over centuries, the usual cheery little pop numbers. Usually one of the band comes up with a beautiful tune and then everyone else takes turns in trying to destroy it, we think we've managed it well with the album. A big love has to go out to our desperately missed ex-guitarist Sean "Slash" O'Connor, who wrote most of the good bits then buggered off to Australia.

Not sure where the album will be available yet but definitely from our site www.refuse-all.tk and at our gigs.

D-restricted is the label and it's run by Mark s the bassist from Liberty. We would have released it ourselves if no one had been interested. D-restricted is virtually a diy label anyway.

We try to do as many gigs as possible at the moment just to get the name known in the punk scene. We just like playing, doesn't matter where as long as people turn up. We get the gigs from contacts we have, sending out demo's and loads of e-mailing.

Favourite places to play are anywhere that feeds, waters and occassionally pays us, but the Grosvenor is usually good and a gig down the Lord Cecil in Hackney was memorable, people danced.

If people want to sort a gig to celebrate 30 years of punk that's fine. It's hard work sorting any gig so if someone goes to the effort then they shouldn't be slagged of for it. After all you don't have to go if you don't want to. The only thing I think is sad is the lack of British punk bands that are played anywhere, apart from the late 70s and new wave type stuff.

There is a tendency amongst the younger generation to favour American bands, some of which are great, but so are many of the British bands around. There is also a tendency to write the anarcho contribution out of punk history, which is sad as a lot of the anti gobalisation movement today can be traced back to the issues and influences of these bands.

To do more gigs, write some new songs and hopefully sell some albums. A split single with someone like the Arctic Monkeys would be handy too, but probably not likely.

Thanx to everyone that has come to our gigs or given us gigs and thanx for the interview.

The supposed safe limit for amounts of alcoholic units consumed per week was completely arbitrary and simply made up by a committee in the fifties.