Razorblade are doing it in german!!!

RAZORBLADE - "DIE JUNGS / HART WIE STAHL" ("Bandworm Records"; 7"):

Yeahr, here it is, the newest 7" single of the just great and already legendary RAZORBLADE from the Netherlands. It's late, and I'm tired after the last damn good active days, so I think, that I'll keep it short this time, haha;-). I was (and I am still) a very, very big fan of the whole dutch Oi!, Streetpunk & Hardcore music scene, there had been (and there are still) so many great bands, so yeahr, fuck England, hail to the Netherlands!!! And RAZORBLADE had been there right from the beginning, ah, I mean, they were (and still they are) one of my absolute favorite bands, and so I was really excited about this strictly limited collectors 7" in black vinyl (there are only 250 copies existing). They are singing here two songs completly in german, and it sounds great!!! RAZORBLADE play their very own, unique, and outstanding style of Underground Bootboy musick, or, like they declared it with their last full length album: Music 4 Maniacs!!! A very hard way of damn good Oi! Oi! music, inspired by hard hitting Streetrock and good old Hardcore stuff. If you need some other bandnames, then here they are: CONDEMNED 84, SHEER TERROR, TROOPERS and (a little bit early or earlier) BÖHSE ONKELZ. But they are playing it in their totally own way of style, dominated by Wouters just pure harsh and aggressive gruff vocals and the incredible sharp and hard forward pushing guitar work, and yes, they damn know how to play their instruments!!! And the german language is truly making the songs even more brutal, than you know it in any case from RAZORBLADE. Just brilliant!!! We get two songs, one brand new track called "DIE JUNGS" and the german version of the hymne "HARD ALS STAAL", named "HART WIE STAHL" this time. (Not only are the lyrics and vocals delivered in german, but also the song was worked over a little bit in a whole, so it's not only some sort of 'german rip off' track.) The songs are pounding hard and ultra brutal in your head, and you start your all alone one man moshpit in your living room. Damn great!!! When it comes to the lyrics we get two cool hymns of the band for the band as well as their (especially german) fans, very authentic and done with a lot of style!!! Then we do also get a very hard and dirty production sound, as well as a nice looking artwork, and especially the frontcover is bringing some memories to my mind, good old boozing past, haha, but you know: "Let the past be the past!!!". (To the backcover: But the guys should really get a new van for their next tour, haha;-).) So, what shall I say more, to get this 7" is not just an advice, it's your damn fucking duty. So get it!!! Now!!! It's limited to 250 copies, like all the "Bandworm Records" collectors series vinyl releases, so you should better be quick with getting it!!! Ah, and you also get the official MP3 Download Code to this 7" when you buy it, what is also a sweet and nice little thing. I hope RAZORBLADE will also soon be back with a new full length record. Fantastic band!!! Cheers & Oi! (10 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/razorblade)

Boobs!!! Boots!!! Booze!!! 'MD Punx' - Zine No. # 03

"MAGDEBURG PUNX" Oi! / Punk Fanzine Issue No. # 03

(Fee = ca. 2,00 Euro)

Yeahr, here it is, the current issue of Jan's sympathic and high quality print fanzine from the german city of Magdeburg, it's dealing with the whole Oi! Punk thing, so for some good and especially logical reasons it carries the name of "MAGDEBURG PUNX". So, enough words said to the introduction, now let's start with the review of this issue: Jan starts with some good words to the introduction of respectively in or to this issue, and he's also telling us the reasons why the CD Sampler (announced in issue no. # 02) did not come to happen, but about this kid stuff (so typical for the german scene) he's giving us some more informations on some pages behind. Then we get interviews with BLUTIGER OSTEN (german Punk, and a damn good and interesting interview, if you ask me; you can translate the bandname with BLOODY EAST or GORY EAST), with the Finnish Oi! band THE HOIST (good band, very nice intrview, definitely), with the now long defunct german Punkrock band CIRCUS OF HATE (very interesting stuff that these band has to tell, a very-nice-to-read-thing, good job), with Mark from "Bandworm Records" and the once active and now for a long, long time defunct "Pride" print fanzine (nice stuff, but I would have wished, that we would get some more deeper going informations), and with the german crap band HEIMATFRONT (stupid jackasses, this whole patriotic stuff sems to become more and more nothing but a cheap cloak to hide all these nationalistic and xenophobic ideology crap behind it... don't really know why the hell you have to interview acts such like that...). To the interviews we get a story to the reunion (or however you like to call it...) of the PROLLIGANS, some band introductions of SMART ATTITUDE (Skinhead Rock) and VERGOIDUNG (Oi! - Punk stuff or something like that), then we do get a Tattoo Special (an interview with Pudolf of the PROLLIGANS about his tattoos) and the third part of the historical Magdeburg city and region special (very good stuff!!!). Then we do get a big bunch of gig reports, and very well and funded done reviews of fanzines and records (excellent job!!!). Beside all this content we do get also some stuff more, and you should really get this issue, because it's nothing less than a Must-Read!!! It all comes in a good black / white (partial cut and paste) lay out, that looks fuckin' good, all is written in very good tonguing and all in german language, and comes with nice grey contrasts and good photo quality, ah, and also a very nice cover artwork, haha;-). Nothing left to say, but just: Get it!!! One of the best (german) fanzine around, for sure!!!

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/magdeburgpunx_fanzine)

(Contact: http://www.mdpfanzine.de/)

And a very big THANX to Jan for sending me a copy of this issue!!! Oi!

Young dutch Oi! band on "Rebellion Records"

THE BRUISEHEADS - "WASTING AWAY" ("Rebellion Records"; CD):

Here we have a young new Oi! band from the netherlands, released on Wouters / RAZORBLADE's own record label "Rebellion Records". THE BRUISEHEADS come from the city of Tilburg. They are playing pretty much the traditional and classical way of Oi! Oi! music, all very british and with a strong 1980's spirit in it. If you like acts like CONDEMNED 84 and THE 4 SKINS you won't do anything wrong with buying this record and supporting this young band. Some hard hitting guitar work, gruff and pissed off vocals, rumbling drums, and grisly bass playing, all done in a very militant and very rigid way. The lyrics are also that way, and they deal with issues like the Skinhead Way of Life, friendship, broken trust, scene stuff, streetfights and gangfighting, blended with some little "A Clockwork Orange" notes to it. Nothing new, but pretty okay. It's all done in a good way, they know how to play and how to write songs, and if they keep on working focussed on a more individual identity they could become more than just an pretty good old school brickwall Oi! band, a nice debut they settled together here that can be something like a solid basement if they keep up working and playing. If you like some good old british brickwall Oi!, then give this young band a try (instead of just listening again and again to some old fat guys from Britain who are just trying to recatch their fame of yesterday, but embarassing themselves and their classical works more and more, again and again). The production sound is pretty ood, and the old school artwork looks pretty nice and reminds me a lot of the old "Rock-O-Rama" record releases, it's comparable to the latest RAZORBLADE release. Solid and good done work!!! (7 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/bruiseheads)

Here they are, the reviews of the MOUTHGUARD records!!!

MOUTHGUARD - "ONE MORE ROUND" ("Bandworm Records"; 10"):

It was the first release that I got to hear from this australian roughnecks, and damn, it really knocked me out of my sneakers, and yeahr, it was pretty clear to me, that I would have to do an interview with this awesome four piece from Down Under. And yes, the interview you can read on this blog in the entry below. And yes: Read it!!! From the southernmost continent of the western society are coming a lot of fine acts these days across the oceans and all the borders to us, especially from out of the Oi! / Streetpunk & Hardcore genre, so keep your eyes and also your ears open these days, and start your journey to the continent down under calmly with the guys of MOUTHGUARD. I think the first time I've read something about this band was in an earlier issue of the "IN THE STREETS OF HAMBURG" fanzine, done by the "St. Pauli Skinheads" (bah, St. Pauli, disgusting... but it's truly damn good print zine!!!), yes, I'm pretty sure about it. But however, I ordered this beautiful 10" (black vinyl, very nice format / size, great looking artwork, screen printing and an awesome cover design, done by the 'old' german Oi! Punk warhorse 'Paradise' of "Bandworm Records") right when it came out, and I don't know how many rounds this great six tracks had run on my record player, so damn good is this band!!! They are melting Old School Hardcore, fast and hard, yet diverse and melodic, with angry and pissed off, yet thirsty and very Sing-A-Long serviceable Oi! / Streetpunk into one pure gladiatorial and defiant and deep-rooted and very well-versed and stand-alone style of music that you can maybe perfectly describe as Oi! Core, and you have to hear and enjoy it!!! Very gutsy vocals, loud and bold crew shouts, sharp and edged guitar playing, and a fuckin' tight rhythmsection marking the music, and that is totally perfect with me!!! They aren't really comparable to other bands, but maybe if you blend european Streetpunk (think about the dutch and belgian Streetpunk acts) with some strong old school U.S. Hardcore from the Boston area, yeahr, I think that's a pretty good description of the very unique MOUTHGUARD way of sound. And if you like what the australian acts like TOE TO TOE and BULLDOG SPIRIT are doing, you should also risk an ear, surely!!! Great band, and great music!!! All coming in a great format and artwork (like I've said before) and a perfct raw and dirty production sound, but it's a pity that the good lyrics aren't printed, but okay, that don't minimizes the enormous quality of this record and band!!! It's strictly limited to 250 copies, so be quick or be dead, ah, be quick or be a goon!!! Get it!!! (10 of 10 points)

MOUTHGUARD & THE AGITATORS - "SPLIT: WORLD CUP FINAL" ("Aggro 2007"; 10"):

And here is the split of MOUTHGUARD with the belgian Hooligan Streetpunks from THE AGITATORS!!! It's also coming as a strictly limited 10" release, in mint green vinyl and also again in a cool artwork, I think on the band's (read: MOUTHGUARD's) own record label, and both sides deliver us the songs of the bands in a very good fitting production sound. That's the way it's meant to be, if you ask me. So, now to the music: On side A MOUTHGUARD, Down Under's Oi! Core Heavyweight Champions deliver us three songs, two new ("Tuzemsky Rum" & "Green and White") and a song that was with another name also on the "One More Round" release (reviewed before) to find, here it's named "In The Pub" and is played featuring FRANKY 'BOY' FLAME of London's SUPERYOB, who is mostly doing the lead vocals and also some piano work in the background. MOUTHGUARD give us three very fast and sharp songs between harsh Old Tyme Hardcore and catchy Sing-A-Long Oi! / Streetpunk in their own way of sound, let us call it Oi! Core, and be sure, that we do it for some good reasons!!! I think on the one hand these songs are more Hardcore than their "One More Round" 10", but deliver us also even more and even stronger catchy Sing-A-Longs, just great, without getting boring or anything else like this. Great band!!! The only thing that I don't really like are the guest vocals of FRANKY 'BOY' FLAME, because they don't really fit to this song with it's strong Hardcore spirit, but okay, it's also not that bad at all, I can calmly assure this to you. MOUTHGUARD do totally rule, and that's what their side is doing. Now to the THE AGITATORS side. I was not really familiar with them, even they are around for quite a while or so. Hm, but I can't really tell you why... Very good Sreetpunk, more a little bit more 'modern' (or maybe american...) than the whole british stuff, and also more melodic than the british forefathers of this style of music. Combine the dutch way of Streetpunk with the U.S. style from Boston to some parts of the Westcoast. Yes, maybe you can describe their way of Streetpunk pretty good that way. Strong and powerful and hard, yet melodic and catchy and just energizing Streetpunk, dominated by charismatic vocals, full crew shouts, and great melodies. I like it very, very much!!! All played very well, very good chaining up songwriting, so what shall I say more. We get three songs of them, too. Two studio recordings ("Red & White" and "Streams Of Whiskey"), and also a just great live recorded song ("Hooligan"), and all are very, very good songs, for sure, but especially "Hooligan" is a fuckin' larger than life hymne!!! So you get a complete just great package here, but again: Why are the lyrics not printed?!? Damn!!! ;-) You have to call this great 10"your own!!! (9 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/mouthguard)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/theagitators)

(Just to give you some news about MOUTHGUARD, they are also featured with a pretty good article in the "Oi! THE PRINT" fanzine, so give it a read!!!)

Oi! Core from Wombat City, Down Under

Here it is guys, the interview with the great MOUTHGUARD from Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. They are a great band, surely, melting Oi! and old school Hardcore together to one outstanding genuine underground music cocktail. Brilliant stuff!!! So there's no need to say more at this point, so now let's go to the interview. Here it comes:

*** MOUTHGUARD *** - Oi! Core Champs from Australia ***

(01.) First of all guys, I want to send an honest and big THANX to you for doing this interview!!! Great!!! Everything alright in the MOUTHGUARD camp these days?!? First of all... uhm, maybe second or third at all... guys, I think you are still something like 'Newcomers' here in Germany for maybe the majority of the interested music lovers, so, I can't spare you the maybe annoying question for your bandhistory so far. So introduce the readers and me to your bandhistory right up to this day, and please introduce yourself (in the band and maybe even outside the band, age, hobbys, jobs, former bands you've played in, etc.) to us, too.

Okay Andy thanks to you for waiting to interview us, we wish you all the best. MOUTHGUARD have been around for about 11 years in one form or another. The current line up has been together for about 5 - 6 years. So the band now is:

We've all known each other for many from going out seeing bands. We used to go watch Ian, our drummer, play with the INSANE HOMBRES, a pioneering Hardcore band in Brisbane. Darrin (The Vicar) used to come and watch early versions of MOUTHGUARD play and played in various Punk bands along the way. The Big Monkey (Viktor) was originally a two tone Rude Boy and featured Otto in his Skateboarding comic strip in "Slam Magazine" well before the band was going. Back then Otto wasn't a bad ramp skater and somewhat resembled Emilio Estevez in the movie "Repo Man".

The band formed in September 1998. Otto and Viktor had been to the Hardcore Superbowl in Sydney and saw so many great bands - TOE TO TOE, VICIOUS CIRCLE and THE ROCKS. Then a week later we went out and saw some bands in Brisbane. We were bitterly disappointed as the local batch was lazy and a little lacklustre and we thought we could do better. Then one night we were out a show and this kid walked up to us and said: "When are you guys playing?". So we thought we'd give it a go and formed MOUTHGUARD. Eight weeks of writing and rehearsing and we were up and playing our first show.

MOUTHGUARD have enjoyed a great 11 years, just reading this bio brings back a lot of great memories of shows and friends we have met in our travels.
When they came back to Brisbane the scene seemed a bit lacking. So they got the first line up of MOUTHGUARD together.

All four have enjoyed the music scene for some 20 odd years since we were all teenagers so that oughta give you an idea of our ages. We all still have a passion for Punk, Oi!, Hardcore music both in Australia and across the world. We started the band to enjoy watching other bands and have a few beers - 11 years later we are still enjoying it.

(02.) To be honest, I only own your truly great "One More Round" 10" released on the congenial german label "Bandworm Records". Are there more releases of you?!? On which labels came the stuff out, are there still copys around?!? Oh, are you satisfied with the record put out by "Bandworm Records" and the work of them, and will there be more releases of you coming from this label?!? Ah, I think there's also a new split record of you out, with the guys from THE AGITATORS. It's a shame that I don't own this piece, but on my next mailorder list it will be on top, I swear. Can you also tell us something about this split, how did it come to happen, why and how did you choose your split-partners, etc.?!?

Here is a full list of our releases...

'MouthGuard" (self-titled) - 13 track CD (Self Released 1999)

'Siege Mentality / Drunk Again' - 7" Clear Vinyl (Self Released 1999)

'Born Out Of Disgust' - 16 track CD (Stout Records 2000)

'Carry On MouthGuard' - 8 track CD (Self Released 2003) (This was given away at a gig and featured all covers including COCK SPARRER, COCKNEY REJECTS, PETER AND THE TEST TUBE BABIES, JOHNNY THUNDERS, GG ALLIN, etc.)

'Split EP' with HARDxTIMES - 7" red and black vinyl (Narayan Records, France, 2004)

'House Of Stoush' - 20 track CD (Round 3 Records, 2004)

MOUTHGUARD / DRONGOS FOR EUROPE 'Split CD' (Bullpit Records, 2005)

'Killed By MouthGuard' - 12 track CD (Self Released 2006)

'One More Round' - 6 track 10" (released on Bandworm Records, 2009)

The "Bandworm" release is great, the final product looks good, the guys from "Bandworm"have been a great to deal with. Hopefully there could be another release with them. We need to pull our fingers out and start writing some new material and record.

Our split releases have come around through playing with bands and becoming friends. We have split with the DRONGOS FOR EUROPE from the U.K. who we played with in Birmingham in 2006.

That year we also became friends with our belgian beer buddies THE AGITATORS. They helped with organising some shows for us in Belgium. We have a great time when we meet up it's a regular party and I think we a very like minded and the split came about due to this friendship. There are three songs from each band and the release has a distinct football flavour to it with THE AGITATORS paying tribute to the "Royal Antwerp Football Club" with their tune "Red & White". Meanwhile MOUTHGUARD pay tribute to Prague football team "Bohemians 1905" in their song "Green & White". This Czech team was the first international soccer team to tour Australia way back in 1927. Special guest player for MOUTHGUARD squad is London's FRANKY FLAME who provides some fancy footwork in the way of guest lyrics, vocals and keyboards to pay tribute to his team "WestHam United".

(03.) Let's get to your record, respectively your music: I think you guys are playing just a great Old Tyme Hardcore with a very strong Oi! background, very tough and fast, but also melodic and hymnal with a lot of intense Sing-A-Long parts in the songs. A very little bit you remind me off the also from Down Under roaring BULLDOG SPIRIT, a truly great band, too. Do you know them?!? Would you somehow agree?!? In general: What are your influences, and from where do you get your inspirations?!?

Yes, we know BULLDOG SPIRIT, they are friends of ours. So the band has long history of listening to Punk, Oi! and Hardcore from across the world. Each one of us influenced by the different styles of music and so it comes in the music the different influences so I don't think you get one particular style but perhaps a unique sound that's ours.

To list all the bands that have influenced us would be take another page so I won't go into all of them. So definitely bands like AGNOSTIC FRONT, THE BUSINESS, COCK SPARRER, VANILLA MUFFINS, THE AGITATORS, SICK OF IT ALL, and Australian bands TOE TO TOE, VICIOUS CIRCLE, ROSE TATTOO. We were also inspired by touring Europe and experiencing some of the great European bands.

We have tried to add more singalong parts in our music to try and involve the audience, if the audience can identify with a song then it makes it more enjoyable for us and the crowd.

(04.) It's a little bit pity, but your lyrics are not printed in the inlay of your "Bandworm Records" 10", so please tell us something about your lyrics and the contents that you deal with in them, and from where do you get your lyrical inspirations?!?

As a band MOUTHGUARD write about a veriety of subjects. We have some political songs, but we try and be fairly subtle, we tend to write lots of positive personal messages, some humour and some drinking songs. There's enough bullshit in this world and we just want try and give our audiences a good time, perhaps take their minds off any shit they're going through.

I think "One More Round" is lyrical upbeat and positive - a celebration of what we like doing. Some songs were inspired by our visit to Europe in 2006. The song "Tram 22" is a tribute to our favourite pub 'Ujezd' in Prague and our adventures there. "She Is A Hooligan" is one for the football fans. "Drink All Night" is another one of our Drinking Songs. "Eye For An Eye" is abit of a different song for us. It was written by a good friend of ours, Hap Hathaway (ex-BLOWHARD). Hap's lyrics tell a tale of revenge - imagine a JOHNNY CASH song from the perspective of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. Hap did a Rockabilly version of this song whereas we give it the MOUTHGUARD treatment.

If we have any kind of band philosophy then it's to be positive, keep things fun and celebrate our scene. We try making it a positive experience for everyone involved in the scene.

We have written some politically motivated songs usually about something that is happening in Australia. Some are personally motivated about a current situation that one of us may be enduring or have gone through.

(05.) If I heard and understood it right, then you are showing in your song "Drink All Night" a great lyrical "Fuck off!!!" Middlefinger to the Right Wing Fascist Scumbags, the true Subhuman Scum. I don't know much about it, but how is the White Power scene in Australia, are there a lot of problems caused by the supporters of the White Supremacy Movement and do they have an notable influence on politics (local, regional, national, ...)?!? And how is their musi scene in Australia?!? I know about this Blood & Honour Viking Rock band of the name BLOOD RED EAGLE, and I think this Blood & Honour R.A.C. band FORTRESS also comes from Down Under, and there is also this NS (Black) Metal band of the name of SPEAR OF LONGINUS, do you know them?!? How strong is this subhuman scumbag music scene in your land?!? Give us something like an 'insight view'.

There's a small contingent that keeps to themselves. There's no room in our scene for that shit so if it rears its ugly head it usually gets put back in its box fairly quickly. Their scene is very small and they are more popular overseas than locally. I think at a global level when the Fscist, White Power is showing an increase generally Australia follows but doesn't last long. It was pretty big in the 1980's but not so much now. There're still shows being organised very infrequently though.

So yeah, it is a fuck off, the song is about the good times we have with our friends at the bars in Brisbane and around he world. So it's a statement to say don't bring your bullshit into our circle and if you do we won't stand for it.

As a band we has often played benefit shows for green and social justice cause and are presently recording a THE OPPRESSED song for an upcoming Anti-Fascist CD compilation.

(06.) What I think is really interesting is the 'Ultras est. 1998' slogan in your logo. What is the deeper meaning behind this, which ones Ultras are you?!? Of an australian soccer team?!? Can you maybe tell us a little bit of the australian soccer world?!? When I think about Australia and Sports, I always think first of Rugby. Are you into that sport, what's your opinion of it?!?

Our bass player is of Czech origin and a football fan has embraced this style. We really became fans of the Prague team "Bohemians 1905" after the MOUTHGUARD tour visited there in 2006. We met many Bohemian Ultras and many were also into the music scene and fans of music we liked such as SKA, Punk, Hardcore, Reggae, and Oi!. We found it strange and a little confusing that a Czech club had a Kangaroo as their logo. Afterwards we read about how the Bohemians toured Australia back in 1927. They were the first international football team to tour Australia and the tour received a lot of media in Australia and the then Czechoslovakia. After the tour the team were given ral Kangaroos to take back to Prague and they then adopted the Kangaroo as their emblem. I found this story fascinating and it gave me an interesting connection between the two countries.

In 2006 we went to a couple of games with friends and found the terrace had a great vibe and the fans were great so we were hooked.

We have now adopted the club's "Om Pa Pa" song "Zelenobili" ("Green & White") as our introduction when we play a gig. Our australian audience is now accustomed that when they hear this tune we were about to start our show. Ha ha ha... many of them are confused about what it means... they think it's some crazy polka song.

I think the Berlin band THE RUCKERS also support the "Bohemians 1905".

Ha ha ha... some people do play football in Australia! Th Socceroos even made it to the last World Cup in Germany. Australian soccer hs a competition known as the A-League which has teams from all the main capitals in Australia, major regional centres. The Ultras Style Fans are slowly gaining momentum and is nowhere near as popular crowd as European soccer. One of the best games we witness this year was when our home team the "Brisbane Roar" played a friendly against Glasgow Celtic F.C. We tend to have an interest in the European Anti-Fascist Football Clubs, like "Bohemains 1905" and "St. Pauli".

Rugby League and Australian Rules Football are the two codes that are followed by the masses. We sometimes watch these games but generally prefer soccer.

(07.) Next I wanted to ask you, if you are into Boxing, Kick Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts and other (great) stuff like this, because of your bandname and the coverartwork of your "One More Round" record?!?

Yeah, a "Mouthguard" is worn by players of contact sports like Boxing, Ice Hockey and Rugby. We like the tough imagery of this name.

We are also fans of Australian Hardcore band TOE TO TOE and "Toe To Toe" is also a boxing term. We were looking for a name and one night we were on our way to see TOE TO TOE play a gig and the name was suggested. It seemed to suit and it gave us a connection to one of our favourite Australian bands. We went on to play with TOE TO TOE several times.

Darrin is our Martial Arts man, the rest of us enjoy a watching the Boxing. We wanted to capture the Australian Fighting Spirit that is now and historical.

Paradise from "Bandworm Records" came up with the album design and he has captured the Australian flavour very well. The album title is a play on words, "One More Round" can have a boxing meaning or another round of drinks at the pub.

(08.) Today there are a lot of really good bands that come from Down Under beside you, just to name the great BULLDOG SPIRIT, MARCHING ORDERS, TOE TO TOE, R*U*S*T, LEGIONS and not to mention THE CORPS. Do you know the listed bands?!? I think so;-). What do you think of them and which bands do you think are something like a must-know when it comes to australian music?!? And how is the scene in Australia in general?!? Some notable Fanzines and stuff like this?!? Give us some 'payable informations'.

So I think you named all the biggies, and yes, these guys are friends and generally we will play on the same bills. Other bands worth mentioning from the Hardcore side of things: TOE TO TOE, MINDSNARE and VICIOUS CIRCLE are also still playing and still as good as they always were. We also like SPITFIRE LIAR and PRIDE OF PLACE and the great PROVOKE who do Old School New York Hardcore very well.

From the Punk / Oi! side of things there's BASTARD SQUAD, BLOWHARD, STRANGLEHOLD, SLICK 46. We love MARCHING ORDERS and BULLDOG SPIRIT from Melbourne, and R*U*S*T and THE CORPS from Sydney. We also like a lot of Celtic Punk bands like THE GO SET, THE CURRENCY, CATGUT MARY, JACK FLASH and SYDNEY TRASH.

Australia has good healthy Punk, Oi! and Hardcore scene, that is generally well supported. Locally we have a crew Punkfest organising shows for the Punk and Oi!. Greg from AGAINST does a good job organising the Hardcore shows with "Resist Records" of Sydney.

We generally try to mix our gig lines up and it's not uncommon to see us play along side a Hardcore band, SKA band, even Rock & Roll and Rockabilly bands.

"Thirty Roo" is a new Fanzine that has just started up in Melbourne.

(09.) Coming to a close, please tell us something about the life in Australia in general (work, jobs, family, politics, social environment, holidays, culture, etc.)!!! I'm a big Australia fan, and so this would be really damn interesting. At least to me;-).

Australia is a huge continent, that takes about four hours to fly from one side to the other. We have a two hour difference between East Coast and West Coast. From where we live Sydney is 1.000 km away and Melbourne is 2.500 km. We have driven several times to Sydney to do gigs but these days most bands tend to fly. Bands support each other when band travel - I am sure something similar happens in Europe when bands travel. MOUTHGUARD and PLAN OF ATTACK have hosted MARCHING ORDERS and R*U*S*T when they've travelled up here. Doug from BULLDOG SPIRIT hosted Viktor when he went to Melbourne to do his Skinhead Reggae, SKA, Sould and Oi! DJing.

As a country we have beautiful beaches, large deserts and awesome forests. In some parts you can go down the beach and walk for miles without seeing another person. We have Rainforests in North Queensland that meet the beaches. We also have the majority of the worlds most deadliest enemies from Spiders, Snakes, Sharks, Crocs.

Australia has reasonable employment that took a downturn during the global recession. Because of the mines and metals industry in Australia employment is good.

It has a great social environment and the Punk / Oi! music scene is welcoming the international guests. We have personally hosted BEERZONE and the U.K. SUBS in our home.

(10.) So guys, that's all from me now. The last words shall be yours!!! Once again a big THANX to you for doing this interview!!! The best greetings from germany, Andy. Oi!

Okay, thanks Andy, hope we have given you some good material.

Stay positive and we wish you all the best. So a big Cheers! and Oi! from Australia.

Yeahr, that it was, the interview that I have done with the sympathic guys of the great australian band MOUTHGUARD, and you should really do yourself a huge, huge favour and try this awesome band out, great stuff!!! During the last year more and more fantastic bands found their way from Australia to us, just to name the fantastic SLICK 46, or great acts like PLAN OF ATTACK (with- I guess- Viktor o MOUTHGUARD), R*U*S*T, and many more. Good to see that the most southern continent of the west is delivering us one great band after another!!! And yes, but still MOUTHGUARD are pretty much outstanding, so damn, get known to this band!!!

The reviews to the "One More Round" 10" and the Split 10" with THE AGITATORS will follow soon.

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/mouthguard)

Necomer Oi! / Streetpunk from the Netherlands

THE PATRONS - "PRIDE & DIGNITY" ("Support Your Scene Records" / "Mother Fucking Sounds"; CD):

Here we do have a young and new Streetpunk band from the Netherlands, it's their debut and I've never heard anything from or about the labels that are dropping it out on the market in some kind of a coproduction thing. How-ever, like I said, it's a very new and young band, and yes, if you look at the bandpictures then you'll see that also the guys in the band are damn young. What I've first noticed was the very cool artwork of this record, colours, motifs, pictures, lyrics, it all flows very good in together, looks good. Ah, okay, enough said to this issues, now to the music. We do get some very fast and catchy, surely melodic and quick played Streetpunk, dominated by the edged guitar work and the piercing vocals. The bass playing is not that henpecking as it could be (because there's only one guitar player in the band), but some fast and tight stuff, and the drums do their best in giving the songs a through and through tight and hard backbone. It's a not to postualting style of Streetpunk music that these young guys are spitting out, it's truly a more easy sound, but okay, that don't have to be something bad at all, as long as it's not becoming some too simple and too trashy snot, and this is not the case here at all. It's maybe a little bit comparable with the old english or british Streetpunk music and acts (from BLITZ to the old THE EXPLOITED stuff). Like I said, the most songs are played fast, and that's a little bit of the major problem of this record, because a lot of the songs sound not totally the same way, but they surely sound (sometimes even very) often some kind of equal, they could definitive work a (sometimes bigger) little bit more at their songwriting abilities. But this record is not a bad thing, don't get me wrong, it's just nothing too fancy or too new or too exciting stuff, but at the end of the day some good and solid work. (Okay, you surely have to decide for yourself, if you still need some "just" solid Streetpunk these days...) We get seven songs at all, six songs are as far as possible good songs, and with "Bootboy Rock 'n' Roll" they have created a really hymn, a damn good track (that's also breaking out of the fast paced songs standard, it's more mid paced and also some kind of harder played then the other songs) that'll really rock you out of your boots!!! Cool stuff!!! So, the bottom line is, don't expect anything too brilliant or what-so-ever stuff, but if you are looking out for some new Streetpunk bands, then THE PATRONS could be something for you and so you should take a listen to this guys. Like I said, the artwork looks really great, the dirty and snotty sound is a beauty, and we do also get all the lyrics (also nothing too special, more the typical Streetpunk commonplace topics, but done in a nice and authentic way, so after all that's okay, all good and fine with me). Solid Streetpunk, surely nothing more, but also surely nothing less. Ah, but "hard hitting Oi!", like the labels do propagate it... Nah, I don't think so, so better forget about it. But okay, like I've already said, if you are still searching for some solid Streetpunk music, putted out by a young newcomer band, then take a fair listen to and try THE PATRONS. (6 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/patronsgouda)

Iron Cross & Keyside Strike - 7" Split on "Koi Records"

IRON CROSS & KEYSIDE STRIKE - "SPLIT / KOI RECORDS SPLIT VOL. 5" ("Koi Records"; 7"):

Yeahr, that's cool, after their "comeback" album the mighty IRON CROSS are already back again with a fine split 7" on the very sympathic label "Koi Records" (you know, that are the guys who are also putting out the delicious releases of the great S.S.S.P.) with the british KEYSIDE STRIKE. So you can say that this fine 7" is a new representation of the old "american - british friendship" idea. From IRON CROSS we do get the both tracks "Pride & Freedom" and "I Don't Love You Anymore". Great songs, hymnal '77 Punkrock influenced American Oi! of the championsleague class, but it's a little bit pity that after something like nearly two decades of releasing nothing new we do get on this collectors 7" release just two tracks that are also already released on their "comeback" record (and of course "I Don't Love You Anymore" is also a very old song from the first days of the band, like you all should know). I mean, if you ask me, then there could have been a little bit more to it, I hope you understand what I mean. Okay, but this changes nothing when it comes to the songs as songs, the quality of the music, they are really just great songs that you really need to know!!! Also great lyrics, and this time the lyrics are also printed. Great!!! IRON CROSS do get 10 out of 10 points, no other action is possible. Then there are coming KEYSIDE STRIKE that are delivering us some Hardcore the raw and fast and noisy old school way of sound. It's good stuff that they are bringing us here to hear, but they work a little bit too frantically what averts that the songs really flow free and develop their full potential, but if they keep on working on this point then they could become also even better, after they are already a truly good band, maybe a little bit comparable to legendary SLAPSHOT from Boston. We do get also some good lyrics from them, and one guy in the band looks damn akin like Burt Reynolds, so how could you go wrong after all, haha. KEYSIDE STRIKE do get 8 out of 10 points. On top both bands deliver us there songs (we do get two from each band) in a very good production sound, then the artwork just looks awesome and damn fantastic, and the vinyl comes coloured in a purple / red / black splatter look. It rocks!!! It rules!!! I don't know something about any kinds of limitations, but I could bet that it's strictly limited, so if you have the chance to get it, then damn, just get it!!! (9 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/ironcrossthefellas)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/keysidestrikehc)

7" Vinyl Single on "Headache Records"

THE WRETCHED ONES - "RUT / LADY BOSS" ("Headache Records"; 7"):

Yeahr, that's a nice piece of Streetrock & Roll music from the godfathers of dirty, noisy and hard hitting, fast forward driving New Jersey Streetrock, THE WRETCHED ONES. On this little black vinyl 7" we do get the two terrific hymns "Rut" and "Lady Boss". Okay, both tracks are also on the latest full length record of THE WRETCHED ONES, but that doesn't really matter at this point of play, because this is truly through and through a sweet little collectors gem. Classical black vinyl 7" with a big middle hole, so that you need to have an 45 adapter to play it on your phonograph. Then we do get a very cool black / white artwork, one to each single track, and yes, especially the cover to the "Lady Boss" side rules okay, and damn, I should have become a Porn Actor instead of a Teacher, haha. Then both songs come in a very good production sound, very dirty and very pithy, and then there's also a little sheet of a cardboard with some bandpictures and the very fine and cool lyrics on it. What shall I say more, you need to have this great piece of music on a little, yet large vinyl format, so fuckin' get it!!! And, by the way, this is fucking goddamn Streetrock at it's very, very best!!! First class timeless Street Music, full of sharp and fast and dirty guitar playing, gaudy and gnarled bass lines, massive and stunning and burly drumming, rough and beefy vocals, and all damn raw and loud and sharp and hard hitting. Truly their own creation of musick, and they are keeping on perfecting it. I don't know anything about any kind of limitations to this Single, but, okay, let me put it this way: It should be wise to get it as soon as possible. You need a final upshot? Okay, here we go: Just a great piece of music!!! And, like I said: Get it!!! (10 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.wretchedones.com/)

(Contact: http://www.headacherecords.com/)

Metal / Metalcore Bash in Goslar Rock City, Saturday the 13th of March 2010

13th of March 2010 - Goslar was calling!!!

Metal / Metalcore Gig with MEINE STUNDE NULL, LORAINE, FOREVER IT SHALL BE and GORILLA MONSOON

It all took place in the Youthcentre B6 in Goslar Rock City, hosted by the guys of the G.M.S. society.

Starting point was eight p.m., fee was 8,00 Euro.

It was not planned to go to the concert, of course I was pretty much excited and curious because of the possible chance of seeing MEINE STUNDE NULL so soon again after they turned out to be a damn good band last saturday at the "KuMo NIGHT" in the city of Wernigerode, but I wasn't sure at all if I should and / or would go to this concert. After spending a beautiful day and evening in the city of Hildeheim with some swimming and a lot of relaxing (sauna rules totally okay!!!) and joy with a perfect female gem I went later that evening spontaneously to the concert to see some bands, hear some music, and meet some friends of mine. So I pushed some musical alarm in the stereo of my car to get in the right mood, and on my way I was.

Arrived at the Youthcentre in Goslar City, said well behaved "Hello!" to a lot of folks- some of them I haven't seen for some months or so-, and greeted the G.M.S. society guys, uhm, and what shall I say, MEINE STUNDE NULL had already finished their set. Okay, a little bit pity, but okay, what shall I say, the priorities were set in a total different way that day. So I decided to do some smalltalk (maybe the standard went suddenly that deep that even cheaptalk would not be a befittingly description of the conversations, haha), get a nice tasting alcohol free wheat beer to drink (of course alcohol free, man, I was driving that night), become a foto model for the regional "Trend!" magazine (yeahr, that's not a problem thing at all for a king like me, haha), became greeted by some of my pupils, and finally met the rest of the crew, yeahr, and the mates of 'Peino', 'Tobilicious' and 'Zottel' were already alcohol fueled and fired up to make it a nice round gig evening. Perfect circumstances, haha!!!

Soon the next- and for us the first- band of the evening was ready to tear down the stage. LORAINE from the city of Seesen loaded, locked and fired their guns, and so they started their set. I've seen them last year in Seesen... and my expectations had been that deep-down-low because of this gig, so I just thought: "Hopefully they will not play that long at all." But damn, did they have become good!!! Bonecrushing Death Metal, very powerful and well-versed, with a lot of fine Mosh parts, some Breakdown parts, and full of harshness, yet also fantastic melodies and a lot of just great refrains to sing a long to. They got some good reactions from the crowd... but it's Goslar and a lot of the Metal guys here... okay, they are just bloody boring, to say it this way, especially as long as they are not totally fueled up with alcohol. I enjoyed the LORAINE gig very much and moved more towards the stage, and if there hadn't been my pupils banging their heads I would have started some violent dancing... but you know, I just couldn't mosh them away, haha. Great gig of LORAINE, very good band. They have also a new (or first?) record out on the market, as well as some shirts (but okay, the usual Metal shirt motif crap), and if you like some harsh, yet meldoic Death Metal between some good old school and some fine new school stuff, then you should really give this guys a try. Nice shot!!!

After LORAINE 'Zottel' and I decided to go to my car and listen to some fine Hooligan / Soccer Thug Rock & Roll music and speaked about some more or less serious topics... and laughed about a lot of dull trash. Moved back, embraced and greeted a former girlfirend of mine, and then moved back to the stage, because it was time for FOREVER IT SHALL BE. First of all, the band was for the Metal crowd here in Goslar much too much modern... and I think too good and too extreme!!! Brilliant band!!! They unleashed a merciless inferno of modern Death Core, somewhere between ALL SHALL PERISH and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, but also already very stand-alone. At the beginning I had to become familiar to their fast, hard, extreme and goddamn technical style of music, they had tons of breaks and riffs settled together in their songs that it was just amazing, and it all worked out because of some fantastic songwriting. Not just first class musicians, but also first class songwriters. Just great!!! The singer also put on a very good show, as well as the whole performance of this band was just and simply great!!! It was a little bit empty infront of the stage, but okay, like I said, the band simply overcharged the usual Metal guy from Goslar, hm, but, if you ask me, that's totally perfect and speaks a lot for the quality of this band. I was blown away from that musical inferno that nearly pulverized the Youthcentre. Like I said: Great!!! They also have a new record put out, and you should really check these guys out. Just great!!!

After FOREVER IT SHALL BE 'Zottel', 'Peino' and myself went back to my car, talking some funny trash, drinking some stuff, and listened to some good old Redneck Country & Roll stuff (REBEL SON rules okay!!!), and watched 'Zottel' spreading the word by bonding "Eintracht Braunschweig" propaganda. Moved back to the concert room, heard 'Tobilicius' talking something about onanism (damn, "where the hell am I here, and how did I ended here?" I was asking myself, haha), and saw the headliner GORILLA MONSOON. But damn, was this some boring and dul crap!!! First I thought to myself: "Is this some bullshit!!!" Then I was suddenly getting tired, and then I was becoming angry and pissed off by this crap and this totally stub band, and as the "ultra cool" singer (what a wacko!!!) began to propagate smoking weed I really started to feel the need to knock this "jumping jacks" down the stage and put them in the ground. (And that wouldn't have been a problem, I can tell you!!!) And, oh yes, the music really sucked, goddamn dull and boring, somewhere between (boring and bad) DOWN and some Stoner Rock garbage, songs that just refused to end, stupid lyrics, blunt vocals, and everything just sounded the same and total equal, I guess this guys never heared of interesting songwriting or so. Bah, and then they also played that fuckin' long!!! I was getting pissed off and angry more and more!!! Ah, but the Goslar Metal crowd was giving their best in shaking their heads... and I always had known that this just couldn't be healthy at all, haha. During that gig I decided to compensate my frustrated irksomeness with a little shopping walk and I took the new demo CD of MEINE STUNDE NULL with me (great CD)!!!. Puh, somehow this GORILLA MONSOON crap finally came to it's end, and I was never before that happy to see and hear Mister Giese abandon a concert, haha.

After that I collected the crew and we all went to Goslar City to go to some bars, and it was funny as usual, haha, but that's another story, haha!!!

German Folk from the german city of Göttingen

GEPLÄRR - "MITTERNACHT" ("D.I.Y."; CD):

And MARY'S BARD and also Fiedler Knauf (for) the second time. The two Folk warhores from Göttingen, haha;-), with their band GEPLÄRR. They are playing something that you can maybe call German Folk music (if this genre isn't already existing, I don't have a clue about this...), it's a mixture of Irish Folk music with a lot of medieval and Rennaissance like spirit and notes in it and all sung in german. Very soulful, very meditative, and very empathetic. But, hm, it's not really knocking me of my feet, I've been missing something to it, maybe more energy or so, and somehow it's also a little to gothic-like for me (from the atmospehric side of the songs). But okay, it's also one thing, very, very interesting, especially for a guy like me who is (beside of much, much more, and even much, much more important things) a studied philologist in German philology and literature, because they have poems of the epoch of the german Romanticism (okay, more or less, haha;-)....) set to muic, from Goethe to Hebbel, all very poetical, emotional, and full of atmosphere. Very interesting to listen to and also very good done, without any kind of a doubt, but I really somehow dislike this medieval or what-so-ever spirit that tramps the songs. But it's still very interesting to listen to and truly good done at all, so you can and should give it a fair try, forsooth!!! Nice artwork (comparable to the MARY'S BARD record reviewed before), good lyrics, fits all. It's really a damn pity that I just didn't find the time to go to see and hear them live when they were playing in Goslar last year. (7 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/geplaerr)

Irish Folk from Göttingen

MARY'S BARD - "ON THE STAKE" ("D.I.Y."; CD):

Here we do have MARY'S BARD from Göttingen, but, hm, I don't really know if this is just something like a one man "project" or a "true" (at least a two men or so) band. The singer and guitar player is no one else than MARY'S BARD himself (a very sympathic and communicative guy, by the way), but there is also his crony Fiedler Knauf with who MARY'S BARD is also playing the live concerts, and then there is also a young woman who is doing also her parts to make the songs and the music a nice journey into some other kinds of worlds... So, you see, I don't really have a clue... But I guess that at the end of the day this all is really not that much important at all, right?!? So now to the music and the record: From MARY'S BARD we do get beautiful, soulful, yet powerful, and truly good done Irish Folk music the traditional way administered to us. All played on an accoustic guitar, supported by a very fine nice fiddle and some other traditional Irish Folk instruments, too, made round by some fine and good female vocals, and characterized by a strong, dirty, and whisey and beer soaked voice. Beautiful music to sit and think, to lay down and dream, to caress your girl and spend a wonderful time together with her, or to stand and shout, to drink and dance. That's how I like it!!! If you are into Irish Folk music, then you need to give MARY'S BARD a fair try, urgently!!! And do yourself a favor, and check MARY'S BARD also live, they are really damn good, and there is also a not so small political standpoint to it that you will get much, much better live. Hm, if I remember it correctly, then they do also cover a bunch of IRA battle songs, like it or not, but that's a statement of one of a kind, if you ask me!!! I also like this, haha!!! This CD comes with a little info writ, in a more DVD like case, as a CD-R, in a nice artwork, and with very well fitting lyrics (not printed, but you get them while you listen to the songs). Now I'll drink a good chilled Guinness, yeahr, that's what I'm about to do right now. Delicious!!! Like the music!!! (8 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/marysbard)

You've fucked with me... that was suicide!!!

ALLEGED BRICKS - "PLACE YOUR BLAME" ("Street Anthem Records"; CD):

Damn, is that a really great band!!! You maybe know them also already from their split CD with THE BARONS, and here we do have their current (and also first?!?) full length album. They're playing a rough and tough mixture of American Oi!, Old School Hardcore, and some dirty and nice rockin' and hard and boneshakin' rollin' marks. The guitar work is fuckin' great, hard, dirty, rough, loud, and very well skillful, it drives the songs without any mercy forward and pushes them to their strong rockin' climax'. Then we do also get first class vocals, smart, hard, and charisatic as fuck, and a power- and skillful rhythmsection that will damn sure cruch your bones. If you like bands like (for example) the BLUE COLLAR CRIMINALS, LAST LAUGH, the mighty BONECRUSHER, THE 86'ED, and THE BARONS, and if you can imagine a with Hardcore and some dirty Rock & Roll fueled mixture of them, then you will find here a little big gem, but of course, the ALLEGED BRICKS do play a very self-contained style of music. Damn good American Oi!, pretty much the East Coast way, that you should urgently listen to!!! They have also very good lyrics settled together, that cover a big distance of several different interesting topics, and it all in a truly very good way. Then we do also get a very gnarled and dirty sound, that suits the music perfectly, and a very nice and flossy artwork. Great job!!! Get it!!! Ah, and of course, it's about time that the follow up album will finally see the light of the day. Cheers & Oi! (9 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/allegedbricks)

Here's what you've been looking for - THE BROADSIDERS reviews - American Oi! from Texas

THE BROADSIDERS - "AGAINST THE WORLD" ("D.I.Y."; CD):

Yeahr, here it is, the current CD of the great and sympathic THE BROADSIDERS from Dallas, Texas / U.S.A., the record that finally caused the interview you can read a little bit below on this blog. And what shall I say, I mean, if you read the interview you should get a good impression of how much I like this band!!! So, okay, now to this record. The line-up has changed a little bit since the last record "TAKE BACK THE STREETS". And yes, also this record was a fucking great piece of music, but "AGAINST THE WORLD" truly is completly over the top!!! They play a very outstanding and stand-alone style of music, mixing hard and dirty, very, very well-versed American Oi!, dustdry and without any kind of clichè crap. Really outstanding is the great guitar work!!! No matter if you take the very tight and beautiful interesting, very well-versed rhythm guitar work, or the breath-taking guitar leads and the very passionated guitar solo work, it's a fuckin' brilliant thing that the guitar playing is marking the music of THE BROADSIDERS very strong, and that for some damn good reasons!!! Then there are Austins fuckin' strong and rough vocals, and damn, they fit the dirty and 100% authentic music perfectly!!! Great!!! All backed up by the strong and variable and versed rhythmsection, so that you won't find any blank space in the songs. That's how it's meant to be!!! They are mixing their dirty and hard Oi! the american way with a huge impact of Southern Rock (more MOLLY HATCHET than LYNYRD SKYNYRD... you know the "BEATIN' THE ODDS" LP of MOLLY HATCHET? Then you should know what I mean!), some good old classic Rock & Roll music inspirations, and also a big Country impact on top of it, they have nearly perfected it. And what shall I say, it's not only a very stand-alone unique style, but also all done in a fuckin' brilliant way and of huge, huge quality!!! Like I said: Great!!! Then we do also get a simple pure beauty of production sound, done the analog way, vey real and earthed, and also a very nice artwork and very, very good 100% real life lyrics, dealing with a lot of different interesting topics and also 100% free of any clichè garbage crap. Just pure and solid gold... fuck gold, but platinum!!! Ah, and they deliver us also a very strong cover of "Harder They Come" of JIMMY CLIFF in their own way of music. What shall I say more, just get it!!! One of the very best bands I've heard in recent years!!! Support them!!! Get it!!! Cheers & Oi! (10 of 10 points)

THE BROADSIDERS / AIRES & GRACES - "SPLIT" ("Longshot Music" / "Contra Records"; 7"):

Yeahr, and here it is, the split 7" of THE BROADSIDERS with the young (?) American Oi! band AIRES & GRACES, that's also mentioned in the interview with THE BROADSIDERS below this review. On Side A we do get two new tracks of THE BROADSIDERS to hear, the one is named "Don't You Know Who We Are?" (very strong lyrics against defamation and backstabbing, if I got it right) and "Underground Treason" (a rebellious song about and also against the downfall of the scene down in Dallas, once again: If I understood it correct). Both songs are fuckin' great supplies of truly stunning, hard hitting Bootboy music that you should not miss. Strong music between 100% real American Oi! music, and some strong shots of Southern Rock, Rock & Roll and Country music (listen to the guitar leads), dominated by the rough and full vocals and the diverse and versed guitar work, backed up by the beefy rhythmsection and some cool crew shouts to back up the vocals. Once again: They done it, they hit the nail perfectly on the head, 100% pure gold, get it!!! They get again 10 out of 10 points, there's no other action thinkable at this point!!! Then on Side B we get two songs of AIRES & GRACES to hear. I heard a lot of very positive things about this band, and so I was very excited what they would deliver us here. And what shall I say, they are playing a very, dirty, down to earth, punky and raw, yet melodic American Oi!, very much reduced to the necessaries: Dirty and good paced guitar work, very nice flippant and cheeky vocals, a stinted and fast bass playing, and rumbling drums. Nice shot, but somehow the songs are coming too fast to their ending, I've been missing a little bit more to it, even I can't say it more precise at this point. But it's still a through and through good thing to listen to the band, and I'm looking forward to hear more of this band. Ah, we get one own song, "Damage Done" (very good lyrics, with a strong critical of society standpoint, at least if I'm interpreting it correct) and also a cover song of the DEAD BOYS called "Sonic Reducer" (cool stuff, truly). Nice shot guys!!! They get 8 out of 10 points!!! Then we do also get a very nice artwork, good lyrics (like I said), and also both bands deliver us our songs in a very good production sound quality (and yes, once again THE BROADSIDERS went to record in the "Manor Analogue Studios", good thing!!!), so that there's no need to say more at this point, but just: Get it!!! Cheers & Oi! (9 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/thebroadsiders)

(Contact: http://www.thebroadsiders.com/)

(Contact: http://www.airesandgraces.com/)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/newtraditionalsband)

(Uh, it seems like AIRES & GRACES are now already a defunct band, they seem now to carry the name of THE NEW TRADITIONALS and play some very different stuff and are just talking about AIRES & GRACES in the way of some back catalog stuff. It's a pity, but maybe AIRES & GRACES are also still existing, would be great!!!)

New Jersey Streetrock & Roll

THE WRETCHED ONES - "MAKE IT HAPPEN" ("Headache Records"; CD):

Yeahr, here it is, the still newest masterpiece of the New Jersey Legends of THE WRETCHED ONES, called "Make It Happen". Damn, they are finally back, and they are setting the standards new. They haven't changed their style, and if you ask me, they are one of the bands where there is definitely no reason t all to do something like that. Of course they are on of the very few bands who once set the tone on a style of their own, so it's a damn good thing that they stick to their style of music, perfecting it. And that's what they are doing here on this record. They're roaring out their typical New Jersey style Streetrock & Roll- call it Old School, call it timeless-, based on the dirty and strong, forward driving guitar work, the just great and mighty voice of the lead singer, the dirty buzzing bass, and the stunning drumming. And the just great refrains truly drive the songs over any top. Fuckin'great!!! They have ennobled their streetpunky Streetrock & Roll with some cool old school style Hardcore influences, and also- again- some heavy rockin' marks. Then there are also first class and damn cool lyric, a very nice artwork, and a nice dirty sound. Damn, I love this band!!! Just outstanding!!! You should really get it!!! And that's not an advice, that's an order!!! (10 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.wretchedones.com/)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/headacherecords)

No Shit tolerating SKINHEADS!!!

CRUCIAL CHANGE - "33" ("Dim Records"; CD):

Here is the new CRUCIAL CHANGE full length album, you could also say that Seattles Finest are fuckin' back!!! We get 13 tracks of hard hitting, very heavy played, rigoros, genuine, and damn angry American Oi! on a very high level and of very good and strong quality. The guitar playing as well as the powerful vocals are marking the music of CRUCIAL CHANGE very strong, and that for some good reasons, if you ask me. Very heavy, hard, and charismatic, the vocals as well as the guitar work, just excellent done!!! Then we do also get a demolishing rhythmsection, that really gives the songs a beefy backbone, and very loud and and cool crew shouts. Great stuff so far, but sometimes the drumming could be at least a little bit more variable, but okay, it's not that disruptive at all. It's a very strong mixture of CONDEMNED 84, the YOUTH DEFENSE LEAGUE, the 'long gone' RED; WHITE & BLUE, the very early BÖHSE ONKELZ, and a very, very little bit of Old Tyme Hardcore the early CRO-MAGS style. And it will crush your fuckin' face!!! They wobble between haevy mid tempo and merciless up tempo parts and songs, and they are doing a very good job. Then we do also get great lyrics. Very much patriotic and surely also conservative, angry and right wing, but without any NS garbage, racist trash, fascist dirt, or anything else of this subhuman scumbag ideology, so there's everything alright with me, and the lyrics are fuckin' good and carry a lot of class pride, and with songs like "Pride In Yourself", "Patriotic Price", "N.A.U.", "Skin", "Born Free", "Stay Out" and "Society's Shame" they do really hit the nail and speak the truth. Sometimes they also have some viking like pagan lyrics that are well done, too. Beside the very good lyrics and the even better music we still do get also a very gorgeous artwork and a gaudy, dirty, and hard production sound that's really suiting the music very well. Ah, and on top we do also get the whole and complete "American Made" album as a free bonus on this CD, including their cover of the legendary STARS & STRIPES ("Proud, Strong & Free"). CRUCIAL CHANGE also deliver a cover of the BÖHSE ONKELZ classic "Stolz", and if there would not be this absolut crap opener tack "We're Back" (goddamn boring, too slow, too long, and so total dull that it's causing bitter boredom, and this paranoid lyrics also making it not better... this evil reds, behind every corner they wait with their evil plans...) they would maybe get the best note possible, but also so it's still just a great record that you should call your own. Cheers & Oi! (9 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/crucialchange)

Booze, Sex & Breakin' Necks!!! Victory through Tradition - The BROADSIDERS from Dallas / Texas / U.S.A.

Here you get the interview with the great THE BROADSIDERS!!! A fantastic and very unique and stand - alone American Oi! from the city of Dallas in Texas. It was the first interview that I've chosen to try to do, and damn, it worked pretty, pretty well. Austin send the answers very quick to me, and it all went very well without any kind of complications. And what shall I say, I'm fuckin' proud to present you this also very, very fine interview with this just brilliant and outshining band. They were and still are one of my three absolut favorite bands, yes, and so I'm very happy and proud that I can give it and present it to you for your enjoyment, and do yourself a huge, huge favor and check this band out. Great band, gerat music, great lyrics!!! And also a very big THANX to Austin for doing this interview!!! And yeahr, I truly think that it's a very good and interesting interview, of course!!! Ah, and if it all work out like it should we should be able to see THE BROADSIDERS live on stage here in germoney this summer. I hope it will work!!! So, but now enough introduction words, so here comes the interview!!!

THE BROADSIDERS - American Oi! Rock & Roll from Dallas, Texas / U.S.A.

(01.) Hey guys, first of all a big THANX for doing the interview!!! Everything alright in the THE BROADSIDERS camp these days?!? Please introduce yourself to the readers, who you are, what are you doing (in and apart the band), hobbys, etc., some really 'classified stuff' about you;-).

I (Austin) sing and play rhythm and catch all the bullshit, Dan plays the git-fiddle, Jonathan plays Tony Danza (you know, The Boss) and sometimes bass, and Caleb plays drums. Hobbies: Dan saves lives, Jonathan collects and works on scooters, Caleb has a food fetish, and I devote my free time to the band so I don't do anything else, hahahaha.

(02.) First of all, tell the readers and me please your bandhistory to this day. I know, it's the total standard question to kick off an interview, but as you are still a young band that comes not 'from the german neighborhood around' I think, that it is still interesting to the readers and me. Also because there had been some changes in the bandcast, so it would be great if you could also refer to this changes.

We started a few years ago with a guy named Compton (singing on the first album), along with a different bass player (Snappy). They left. I won't go into why, although Snappy spontaneously combusted. Then a good friend of ours Jordan learned how to play bass and filled in for Snappy. He got knocked on the head a little to hard one day and got married. Jonathan took over a little over a year ago and has actually survived.

(03.) These days your new record "AGAINST THE WORLD" came out. It's a very fine piece of great American Oi! music. I think I can spare me the question if you are satisfied with it, or?!? My honest congratulations!!!

Well, we were worried that the transition to a new singer would throw people off and they may not like it, so I'm glad to see that atleast you do, hahahaha.

(04.) Before I show an more precise interest in this masterpiece, let us go for a moments back in your history. Your first release I know of was the admirable "TAKE BACK THE STREETS" record. Had there been any earlier release, and if so, will this material maybe see the light of the day sometime?!?

Nope, that's the first one. And we won't release anything that we are not absolutely proud of. That's why the CD'S only have seven songs (that and the fact tht we pay for everything, so we can't afford any more, hahahahaha). We have a live CD that we are mixing down now, but that won't be out for a while. We also have a split coming out with AIRES & GRACES on "Longshot". The only thing that was never released was so embarassing that we had to burn down the studio just to make sure it never saw daylight. It gives me chills just thinking about it.

We have plenty of songs that have never been recorded though. Songs about soccer mostly. There's even one with just an acoustic guitar, hahaha, but you'll never hear that one. There are plenty of covers that have never been recorded, too: "Kickstart My Heart", anything by SLADE, some other stuff I don't care to remember. All butchered terrible.

(05.) Your "TAKE BACK THE STREETS" record was originally an D.I.Y. release done by your own hands - like your new "AGAINST THE WORLD" record too, or am I wrong?!?- and it was released later through the german label "Dim Records" and- I think so- solely on LP, right?!? How came the contact to "Dim Records" about and who took over the distribution in the U.S.A., or did "Dim Records" the whole job?!? If so, what the hell is going on with all the U.S. Oi! / Streetpunk labels like- only for example- "G.M.M. Records", "Taang!" or "T.K.O.", are they all deaf these days?!? Will there be an LP version of your "AGAINSTH THE WORLD" record, too, maybe again on "Dim Records"?!?

Yep, both albums wee paid for and distributed by us. "Dim" liked the songs off of "TAKE BACK THE STREETS" and purchased copies of the CD to carry in their mailorder. "Dim" asked us if we were interested in releasing it on vinyl which we were. So, "Dim" released it as a 12" and has distributed it to various distros in France, Italy, Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic, along with selling it in their own mailorder shop online. They are also selling it through Interpunk.com here in the U.S. They did a good job on the LP, so hopefully it is still selling well. As for distribution of the "TAKE BACK THE STREETS" CD we handled that in the U.S. and worked with several Skinhead mailorders in Mexiko and Europe.

I don't know what is going on with U.S. labels, they could be broke, or they could just not like our music. The economy over here is terrible right now, the worst recession since the 80's (and may grow to be the worst recession since World War II), so that could have a lot to do with it.

Doing our own releases, we get less distribution and pay more out of pocket, but we also get the control of our own stuff, so it has its benefits. Don't get me wrong, we'd love to and would be willing to work with a label, but it's just the way it has worked out so far and I'm trying to be optimistic, hahahaha.

(06.) Your both records are true analog recordings and are done in the "Manor Studios" with the same producer duo, and the production sound of both records is just pure gold!!! Very good work!!! I think so warm and old school recording sound is important to you, right?!? (What is a good thing!!!) Can you tell us something about the studio, where is it based, who are the guys running it (maybe even friends of you...) and do you know of any more recommendable bands that have recorded or are recording there?!?

Thanks, we pay out the ass to get that analog sound! He still gives us a break on the price because he knows we are broke, but when we first heard his recordings, we were sold. I love that warm analog sound. It's an amazing thing to hear the rell-to-reel rev up and hear your music on fat tape as it should be heard. I wish we didn't have to put it on CD, hahahahaha. They are based in a little town called Fate about an hour east of Dallas. A guy named Stephen King runs the studio. Not that Stephen King that writes books about lamps attacking people. He's an old Englishman. An Arsenal fan, but we forgave him for that. (Hahahahaha, just kidding Arsenal fans!!!) He does mostly Gosel and Country music, hahahaha, so imagine that awkward situation when we first met him: Four Skinheads walking in to a traditional analog studio run by an English guy who hasn't seen a Skinhead since the 70's and records religious music out in the middle of nowhere. He loves our music though so it worked out.

(07.) One last question to your "TAKE BACK THE STREETS" record, to the two tracks "Mid City Martyrs" and "Downtown", my two absolut favorites!!! I think the "Mid City Martyrs" are your crew, right?!? Maybe oneor two words to them, and what the hell is that 'Mid City'?!? To "Downtown": How is the Skinhead / Oi! scene in Dallas, Texas these days, the lyrics draw a maybe not-so-good-at-all picture, or did I get an (totally) wrong impression from it?!?

Those are probably my favorites, too. "Mid City Martyrs" is not a crew, it's just a description of what it's like being stuck between two worlds and no one gives a fuck about you. The actual city parts comes from the area in between Dallas and Fort Worth (cheapest place to live). "Downtown" is not jut a nostalgic song, it's more of a 'What-the-hell-just-happened' kind of thing. One day we looked around and saw that the city had run us out of everywhere, the Punks and Skinheads stopped giving a damn, and we were stuck with guitars in hand outside of a shut down bar. You could literally see a tumbleweed rolling down Commerce Street (where we used to play shows). Keep in mind this is an a city where even on a weekday night they would have to shut down the streets to try to quell the chaos.

(08.) Now to the "AGAINST THE WORLD" masterpiece: Like I already said, it's just an honestly great piece of music, maybe the new breed of American Oi! at it's best. What I liked at you right from the beginning was your stand-alone style, you perfectly integrated influences from Southern Rock, good old Rock & Roll and some Country elements, all combinated with an honest and true Skinhead attitude and Working Class background. And all this has grown on and has become even stronger. Especially the mentioned influences from Southern Rock to Rock & Roll and Country. Was this a planned development, or was this something like an organic evolution or natural expansion to your music, maybe due to your musical affectations?!?

We are going to use your description of our albums on our website, hahahaha. I couldn't have said it better by myself. We listen to a lot of Southern Rock and Country. HANK, MERLE, MOLLY HATCHET, etc. Especially Dan, he is a catalog of music trivia, he listens to a lot of stuff and knows how to play every damn song. So yeah, I guess it just naturally injected itself into our music. You can't escape it being from the South, especially in such a muisc oriented state such as Texas.

(09.) One of my personal favorites is the great "Big Boy" song. A big fuck off to all this fake ass scum using Skinhead just as an trend for some weeks or as a cheap excuse for their failures. Did I understood it right?!? Is this just a big fuck off to the majority of this scum, or is it a big fuck off to a specific person that you know?!? Here we have in this days a lot of guys like this, being a big hard and so strong as possible tattooed Skinhead fo maybe some months or so, and then jumping the next around the border coming trend. (Here in Germany it is definitely this whole Psychobilly and 'I-want-to-be-like-Elvis!' crap.) It makes me sick!!!

Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. Not anyone specific. Just those tough guys who come and go, and think that being a Skinhead or Rockabilly or whatever gives them power over everyone else. They've got someting to prove, they're compensating for a shortcoming and try to bully people. But there's always someone outthere that is bigger and meaner.

(10.) Some words to your "Victory (F.C. Dallas)" song, your hometown soccer club!!! How is the situation for soccer and soccer fans in th U.S.A.?!? I think the U.S. american Soccer is getting stronger and stronger, your national soccer team even defeated the reigning european soccer champion Italy at the Confederations Cup in South Africa, and also a victory over Brazil was possible. The MLS is also getting better known in Germany and Europe, okay, primarily the L.A. Galaxy, because of David Beckham (no need to say somthing about him... once a great soccer player, now nothing more than a cheap joke and a wanna-be-popstar with an ugly b***h as wife... okay, something said to him, hahaha) and Landon Donovan. So how is the situation for soccer in the U.S.A. and does the F.C. Dallas is playing a good role in the MLS?!? What do you think of the L.A. Galaxy, something to say about them (I've heard, that they are not the best team in the MLS...). And can you tell us something about the F.C. DALLAS SUPPORTERS CREW?!? Oh, is there Hooliganism existing in the MLS?!?

Definitely!!! U.S. soccer is exploding. The talent pool here has been growing since Pele played in New York (not MLS, but it was the precursor to that). So now all of the youth that fell in love with soccer but never took it to the professional level trained the next generation, and now we have a growing industry. Youth soccer here has been big, and that's where the talent is nurtured. Now they are starting to see careers in soccer, and train harder and longr, well past the age of 18 where U.S. soccer normally stops. I played since I was 4, but I never saw a career playing so I stopped when I was 17. I wish I wouldn't have done that, hahahahahaha. I've been thinking about training hard for the next two years and trying out for F.C. Dallas. But I have a terrible temper when I play, so they would eject me from a match pretty quickly. Instead of rolling on the ground injured, I would retaliate, and at the pro level, you just can't do that.

L.A. Galaxy is one of the worst MLS teams. They ust get a lot of publicity because of Beckham and Donovan. I hate them both, although like you said Beckham used to be respectable. I don't blame the Riot Squad for jumping the barricade to confront him. F.C. Dallas is not doing well this year, so let's not talk about that, hahahahaha!!! We have some of the best talents in the MLS, but we either trade them all away, or never get them all to play as a tam. Although last night we wipped Kansas City's ass 6 : 0. The supporters crews here re not like they are in Europe. Not yet at least. They are all very middle class and passive. They have no passion, but they are very hesitant towards any confronatation. You can probably blam it on the guns. Everyone has one, so it's pretty serious when you fuck with someone. You better mean it.

There's no Hooliganism like you guys experience, but we have gotten into plenty of shit ourselves, although I shouldn't say much more so that I don't incriminate anyone. The MLS is not expecting the violent side of soccer since they are wanting American Football type of fans, you know, face-painted fat guys yelling two word chants at the field. So I think the violent side may blindside them pretty soon. You saw that with West Ham fans and Columbus Crew fans. You could see that at an F.C. Dallas and Houston Dynamo match every time (it's the biggest rivalry in the MLS). Their crew is enormous down there so we are always outnumbered, hahaha. But the Skinheads in Houston and in Dallas do not fuck with each other, regardless of the outcome of the game. Our two cities hate each other, especially the soccer fans, but we would have no scene in Texas if we can't protect each other. I don't think I would call any of what is going on right now in the MLS Hooliganism, but I am willing to bet that it surfaces when the league gets bigger. You can already feel the tension in the air at a match. Too much shit talking not to take offense to it, you know what I mean? So shit just goes downhill quickly. They made a mistake putting the visiting supporters group next to our section.

(11.) Are you also interested in soccer outside the U.S.A., maybe especially in soccer in Europe and Germany?!? What are your favorite clubs, if you have some?!? And do you know the great HSV from the beautiful city of Hamburg in good old Germany?!? (It's 'my' team, 'my' club, so don't saysomething wrong, and if you don't know something about the mighty HSV, then get informed, hahahahaha;-)!!!!)

I strictly only pay attention to U.S. soccer, although I realize that European soccer is phenomenal. The other guys like some EPL teams, but we won't get into it, hahahaha. Too much rivalry. Did HSV finished 5th last season?!? (Right!!! Hoopefully this season will be even better!!!)

(12.) Now, before we are coming slowly to the end of this interview, let us for some moments get back to music: What do you guys listen to at home, and what were your influences back in the days when you started playing music and today?!? Some good band or record informations?!?

Back in the day, mine was AC/DC and TEMPLARS. Now I have been listening to the VEROS and the CLICHÈS a lot. PERKELE, AIRES & GRACES. I know Jonathan is obsessed with SLADE. I think that's the only band he listens to, hahahaha. Dan I'm sure is listening to some of the wall Metal right now. Caleb, probably some Underground Reggae or SKA that I've never heard of.

(13.) What do you think of the current American Oi! scene?!? A lot of really strong and good new bands and some good labels, all of them carrying on the great American Oi! tradition. What are your favorite bands (old and especially new) when it comes to American Oi! and what bands do you think are a must-know?!?

Like I said, AIRES & GRACES is probably my favorite new band in the American scene. They are just bringing something so simple and pure into it. BRASSKNUCKLE BOYS, LOST CITY SOULS, RAT CITY RIOT, SOUTHPAW MANNERS, NUTS & BOLTS, THE BRIDGEBURNERS, WORLD POLICE, ALTERNATE ACTION (Canadian, but close enough). Shit there's a lot. That's off the top of my head. A special shoutout to the greatest American band/bands: DOG COMPANY, STAGGERS, RIOT SQUAD. Always my favorite, and I hope Joe keeps carrying on forever, hahahahahaha. "Longshot", "Street Anthem","Oi! The Boat" are all good labels.

(14.) Do you know Oi! / Streetpunk bands from Europe and Germany, and what bands would you call your favorites?!?

VEROS, PERKELE, CLICHÈS, GLORY BOYS, SOCIAL COMBAT, THE RUCKERS, ON THE JOB.

(15.) Coming to a close, the final question: Can you tell us something about the living / life in Texas, U.S.A. in general (work, jobs, politics, social environment, etc.)?!? I think this is a really interesting point- at least to me, so it would be great, if you could give the readers and me some informations about it.

Texas is an interesting place. The weather changes evry five minutes. There's plenty of work in the Dallas area, especially in construction. We haven't been hit too hard by the recession, so people from all over the country move here for work, so we are not so isolated culturally as other states. Oddly enough. near where I live, there is a huge Vietnamese population because of that. No matter where you go in Texas, you know it is Texas. The minute you step over that state line, it's an odd chilly feeling that comes over you. You just want to get back as soon as possible. Plus Texans wear their statehood on their sleeve (or in our case in tattoos), and other states don't like that, they think it's cocky. But I think they are just jealous that their state doesn't look cool enough to put on a belt buckle, hahahahaha.

(16.)So, that's all from me guys!!! Once again, a big and honest THANX for doing this interview, and the last words remain to you!!! Keep the faith!!! Stay rude, stay rebel!!! Cheers & Oi! - The bets Greetings from Germany, Andy!!!

Man we need to go to Germany!!!

Yeahr, that's all, I hope you enjoyed the interview, and make sure that you will support this damn good band!!! Buy their records!!! Oi!

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/thebroadsiders)

(Contact: http://www.thebroadsiders.com/)

The reviews to the records (the "AGAINST THE WORLD" CD and the split 7" with AIRES & GRACES) will follow soon in the next days.