This is an interview with Hull’s pop-punksters with trumpets, Scarper that I conducted with them at Barton’s Youth4ia Festival on 31/8/97 which Sam and I went along to. The interview occurred with us all crammed into their car.
HH: To start can you introduce yourselves ?
Mac (MC): Hello, I’m Mac. Oh and I’m the singer and rhythm guitarist.
Russell (R ): I’m Russell and I’m the so-called lead guitarist.
Kirstie (K): I’m Kirstie and I play trumpet.
Martin (MA): I’m Martin and I play drums and sometimes sing.
Micha’s Stand In while he pukes up (MI): I’m Micha, but I’m not really.
HH: In disguise! (laughter) Ok so gives us a little bit of background,
when did you start ?
MC: Started back in err..
R: October ’94.
MC: October ’94 aye. We’ve had a couple of line up changes since then, the old rock ‘n’ roll drummer thing, but it’s only been the drummers that have changed. Oh and we drafted in young Kirstie for the extra trumpet about Christmas time.
K: It’s about a year ago now.
MC: A year ago ? Fucking hell I’ve got no idea.
MA: It was October/November.
MC: It is about a year ago…
R: Is it ?
MC: Hey the current line up has been going for about a year and it’s the best yet.
ALL: Wha-hey!
MC: It was when Matt joined and they played their first gig together.
ALL: Ah!
MA: Virgins.
MC: It’s gone downhill ever since. (laughter).
HH: OK, You’ve got a new single out on Resolve Records how did that come about ?
MC: Through knowing Paul from Lithium Joe, being the swell kind of guy that he is, put up the money for the kind of pressing and stuff and we recorded it and he put it out and it’s great. It’s got them on too which is a bit of a bonus.
HH: Selling jolly well I believe ?
MC: Aye.
R: It’s nearly all gone.
MC: Aye it’s nearly gone just about around the world and cleared.
HH: Good, good, good. So what stuff have you had out before that ?
MC: A couple of demo tapes.
R: 3 demos, a few compilation tracks: there was Totally Wired 7", Totally Wired CD, Carry On Sabbing MC and some other benefit tapes that they never bothered to send us.
MC: There was one that went out in Italy somewhere, but we never heard back.
R: Oh-aye and one in Turkey somewhere. We were big in Turkey at one point.
HH: Big in Turkey, so not Big in Japan ?
R: Oh no big in Turkey.
MC: Definitely big in Turkey which is where we had the best question in the world ever…
ALL: Whay!!! (Micha himself arrives)
HH: How are you feeling Micha ?
MI: Shit! (Laughter)
HH: Well after just having a night out on the tiles with Funbug and he feel 20 times worse for it. (Beep! - the car horn)
ALL: Whoa.
K: Steady…
R: Who was that ? (laughter)
MA: It’s this wheel.
HH: Have you got any tours or gigs lined up then ?
MC: We’ve got a gig coming up with Skimmer and Lithium Joe at the Adelphi (Hull) and oh I don’t know whether we should tell this to the general public yet but there’s a possibility of a gig with Snuff, which we’re quite excited about. But that’s very much a "If-maybe-but" kind of thing. But that’s about it for now.
MA: We’re trying to line up some 3 or 4 date tours down south.
MC: Yeah, we’re looking to sort of the East Anglia area, in particular the people from Real Overdose - Wolfie and stuff like that. But we've not actually got that all sorted yet because we’re dead lazy. (laughter)
HH: You’ve got a song called Perfect Day on your single so tell me what’s your worst Monday been ?
MC: Worst Monday waking up and finding out that I’m having to go to work. R: Err… Waking up and getting another one of those packages of Britpop CDs through you how you get all excited when you get a parcel and then when you get it out it’s Don and Cecil and stuff like that.
HH: Oh yeah.
MA: Going to work but not for 2 hours like some people, but for a whole day.
MC: Hey three quarters of an hour. (Beep!)
ALL: Wha-hey! (Beep! Beep!) (laughter)
R: Get more out.
MC: It’s me arse.
HH: It must be said that Mac’s job is a School Crossing Patrol.
MC: Hey no, I’m a Lolli-punk man.
K: Last Monday trying to organise 6 shit bands to play a music festival in Pearson’s Park (Hull). (laughter)
MI: Have err… Having a hangover!
MA: Today!
HH: On a Sunday.
MA: His worst Monday is a Sunday!
MI: Yeah, Sunday is my worst Monday. (laughter)
HH: Until you realise that Funbug are staying another night and it’s going to be Monday as well. (Laughter)
R: He canne take it.
HH: OK, so what’s the fixation with coffee ?
MC: I drink lots. Blends in really.
R: It’s as easy as that. Could be sex ?
MC: It really is. It just keeps me going.
R: Could be beer ?
MC: Drink it.
R: Could be drugs but it’s coffee.
MC: I should like to point out at this point that there was one rather snide comment made in a fanzine about Douwe Egberts being a bit posh and actually we don’t drink Douwe Egberts…
HH: Cos you can’t afford it.
MA: He’d like to.
MC: It sounds better than Nescafe or…
K: Maxwell House.
HH: Or Mellow Birds.
R: Oh you couldn’t do it with Mellow Birds it would be argh.
MC: No Frills coffee, but that’s just not very catchy is it. (Laughter) It doesn’t scan well when you read it in a song and it tastes shit too.
R: It doesn’t taste like coffee it tastes like straw - quite nice straw though.
MC: Are you a cow ?
K: How do you know what straw tastes like ?
R: It’s like Barley Cup.
MC: Barley Cup ?
R: You must know Barley Cup.
MA: Barley Cup ? What the hell is Barley Cup ?
R: My Auntie is a health freak and she drank it all the time and hot water.
HH: It tastes like chicory.
R: Yeah.
MC: She’s a freak.
MA: How do you know ?
R: You’ll know Rick from working in that Health shop.
HH: Ha, Ha I know these things.
MC: Chicory coffee is alright.
R: It’s caffeine free.
K: What’s the point in that then ?
MC: That’s bang out of order.
HH: So what’s the worst venue you’ve played in to date ?
MC: Oh Axe and bloody Cleaver in Boston.
R: With naked women on the walls.
HH: It’s a heavy metal venue.
MC: Very much a heavy metal venue.
R: It was pretty shit.
K: Dr Browns.
MC: That was OK it’s just that there was nobody there.
R: Roger Me or something. (laughter)
K: Dr Browns. No Mac liked that one he found some nice Spanish ladies there that wanted him to stay there for a party in Huddersfield.
HH: Did he stay ?
MC: No, No.
MA: That’s what he says.
HH: So did you stay then Mac ?
MC: No I didn’t stay.
HH: So with Matt moving to Leeds does that mean that you’re going to get loads of gigs there ?
MA: Aye, at the Cockpit.
R: I cockpit.
MC: Cockpit to you an’ all. (Laughter)
MA: We might have some lined up at the Cockpit in the future hopefully.
R: Leeds is a hovel though, isn’t it ?
MA: Bollocks.
R: They eat gruel all day long. (laughter).
MA: What they’re all inbred and have buck teeth ?
R: No because you’re going to the posh part, Horsforth.
MC: And he’s going to be drinking Douwe Egberts. (laughter)
HH: So what’s the next recording that you’re going to do ?
MC: Ah the next one, the lead track will be a song called About Nothing which we played today and I’m sure you thoroughly enjoyed it.
MI: Hey, we haven’t actually decided that!
MA: Well we kind of played it today.
R: And 3 more tracks.
MA: Probably the new one we played today.
K: But a bit better than we played it today.
R: It’s when we get the money to record it.
MC: That will be out on Resolve again and it’s a case of Paul being the charming lovely fella that he is
R: And rich.
MC: And barmy, he’s putting up the money to press it again so he must have a great deal of faith in us. But he’s going to be putting it out so it’s just a case of us getting it recorded which is looking like being… dare I say November-ish.
HH: So who’s you’re favourite band at the moment then ?
MC: At the moment err. Fuck be backwards.
K: Never heard of them.
MC: They’re on Fat Wreck. (Beep!)
ALL: Wha-hey.
MC: Excuse me. I’ve been away from punk music for a week until today.
K: He’s been away in the Lake District listening to lakes. (laughter)
MC: I can’t think.
R: My favourite band at the moment happens to be a truly a young band called Annalise actually Rick since you prompted me who have a very good CD out on Pigdog Records.
HH: Really, of course Russell!
R: No, no. He’s a nice bloke and he’s skint and he needs your money. But the records are good. But apart from Annalise I like Promise Ring.
MC: Dr Bison. (laughter) Dr Bison fuckin’ rock.
HH: Oh yes, ex-members of the Abs.
MC: Aye, Abs and Leatherface and they’re fuckin’ ace.
R: They’re Welsh like.
MC: They’re not all Welsh.
R: Two thirds Welsh then.
K: Oo-ah Shades Apart I like them and the very fine compilation I got for my birthday. The new Samiam.
MA: Err well I’ll break the mould here I suppose - Jeff Buckley and the new Teenage Fanclub album.
HH: Micha ?
ALL: Blaah! (sounds of puking are mimicked).
MA: Spice Girls. (laughter)
MI: Watch yourselves. Err what have I bought…
R: Sicko ?!
MI: Who ?
K: Nausea ?! (laughter)
MC: Sick On The Bus.
MI: I’ll be sick on you in a minute.
HH: What a fine track from the Hollywood Brats!
MI: I’ll just be lazy and say…
MC: He likes the theme tune from the X-Files.
MI: I’ll just be lazy and say my all time favourite band that I’m not really listening to, too much at the moment but I like Faith No More.
ALL: Groan.
R: Emphasise that groan in big letters.
MC: Bass player’s banned.
HH: So what’s the worst band dispute you’ve had ?
R: You just witnessed it about Faith No More.
K: In this line up ?
MI: Every time we’ve changed a drummer.
MA: A we have vocal fights.
MC: We have fights about who’s singing out of tune. Which is usually all of us.
MA: It’s you.
K: It’s you.
MI: Or whose playing out of tune as in today. Playing the wrong chords.
MC: I didn’t dispute it.
HH: So you don’t want to kill each other when you drive up and down to gigs ?
R: Oh no, we’re a friendly little pack of people.
MA: We’re a good little band.
HH: So what’s the turn on trumpets, what makes them special in a band ?
R: It gives us the horn. (laughter)
K: I’ve got the horn quite a lot but Russell gets it sometimes.
R: That was poor, I admit on record that that was very poor indeed.
MI: Yeah, well you’ve got the horn cos you’ve been doing that cyber sex on the Internet.
K: I’m not talking in interviews about cyber sex, thank you very much.
HH: Are you into cyber sex then ?
K: Ooh-aye, it’s very good.
R: Ooh-aye, I was watching.
HH: A bit of voyeurism then eh Russ ?
K: Cyber voyeurism.
R: Ooh-aye, Lesbian love. (laughter)
K: My girlfriend in Kingston, Ontario.
R: Hey Squirl if you’re reading… (laughter)
MC: Squirl ? What kind of name is that ?
K: Squirl that’s what she was called, she’s 22.
R: What kind of name’s Mac !
MC: What kind of name’s Russell!
R: What kind of name is cunt ! (laughter) … Contour!
MA: This is the worst dispute we’ve ever had. It’s breaking down.
HH: So Russell I know you’ve been playing with the Internet recently, what’s your favourite web site ?
R: Err..
K: It’s that stars in the nude thing.
R: Oh-aye there’s this thing called Strikers Fakes. You get Wynona Ryder naked and like Princess Leia. Punk Page is quite good and Southern’s site is pretty cool.
K: I like pages with pussy cats on them. (laughter)
HH: Sorry, are those the feline creatures ?
K: Yes feline creatures like Gypsy and Tugger.
MC: Tugger ha, ha.
MI: The Police have just accosted Funbug.
ALL: Wha-hey.
R: Funbug in arrest scandal. (laughter)
HH: They’re carting them off, before they have time to place. (laughter) OK I’m running out of questions now so tell me you profound philosophy on life ?
MC: Err…. That’s was it, no er… Do as you would be done by.
R: Trust nothing including this. (laughter)
K: Drink quick.
MA: Be drunk and be drunk.
MI: No, what ever you do don’t drink. (laughter) (Beep! Beep!)
Jason Funbug: Is that your car ? I thought it was me guitar when I was tuning it up!
R: Oh his guitar’s gone now. (laughter)
HH: OK well that’s it, any final words ?
MC: Thanks, cheers, ta. We’ve got records and things and you can write to us a PO BOX 43, Hull, HU1 1AA.
And hey damn gives us a call on 01482 494073.
HH: Are you after your own TV show ?
MC: Aye what ever you like.
K: We’ll do anything us.
MC: Aye give us gigs, gigs, gigs, gigs.
MA: We’ll strip naked - no problem.
R: Ta Rick I’ve already bribed you to plug my stuff. Go and buy fanzines and records and go to records and shit like that cos it’s good.
K: That’s it thanks, I haven’t really got any final words, I’m lost for words.
MC: Have you got anything to sell ? Even on the Internet ?
K: No I’ve got me body to sell on the Internet.
MA: Your body to sell later ?
K: No on the Internet.
MA: Oh, buy the single, please.
MI: Cheers Rick. I’m just watching a couple of Barton kids run round covered in mud cos they’ve just been jumping around and that.
HH: What cos this is Glastonbury !
ALL: It’s Bartonbury!! (laughter)
HH: OK cheers guys.