Kill Your Scene

Last week I had the pleasure to have a little chat with singer-songwriter Frank Turner who is currently using his tour break to promote his new album “Tape Deck Heart” like there’s no tomorrow. It’s his fifth studio album and it will appear in your favourite record store on the 22nd of April.

 
“Tape Deck Heart”, produced by Rich Costey, who also produced bands like Muse, The Mars Volta, Nine Inch Nails, The Shins and System of a Down, is probably Frank Turner’s most personal album so far. When asked why it’s more personal than the others, he said, “it’s a break up record and unlike many other artists, I didn’t think about who will be listening to my songs, I just wrote and played what I liked”. He probably hasn’t worried about the “target group” too much before, but never to this extend. So it will be very exciting to see whether people like “Tape Deck Heart” or not. Frank doesn’t have one particular favourite song. They are all his “babies”, which he mainly wrote on the road. Where else? He is basically touring non-stop.

 
The most recent tour with his band the Sleeping Souls and the Dropkick Murphys in Europe was great, because they have a great connection with each other, the folk/punk troubadour reports. It was the second time that they toured together and it’s actually not over yet. By the end of this week, Frank is going to continue his road trip with gigs in the US and China, before he comes to Australia for the fourth time, together again with his mates from the Dropkick Murphys. Frank told me that he is looking forward to his trips to all the different countries: “It’s a great opportunity to catch up with people. I have friends in all the countries.” Of course, he gets to see a bit more than just the stages in the various places but more important than sightseeing for him is meeting old friends. “I have a soft spot for Australia”, was his answer when I asked him whether he’s looking forward to flying down under. Reasons for that are the people here, who are always very nice and friendly, and the beautiful and sunny country. “It’s not like waiting in a car park somewhere in rainy Czech Republic. Don’t get me wrong, I like the Czech Republic, but places like that or England for example are rather depressing in comparison”.

 
After the gigs in Australia, two shows in New Zealand, Frank will tick off a few more concerts in the UK before traveling around Europe and also playing at some festivals like the Hurricane Festival in Germany. “Playing in Germany is the killer, the audience is just awesome”. Frank always gets a bit excited when starting to play on festivals, especially in Germany. “It’s also great for making new friends. People that normally don’t listen to my music can see me live. And it’s good for hanging out with other bands. At the end of the festival season I usually get pretty sick of it though”.

 
Well, when Frank takes a break of music, he likes keeping himself busy with another big passion, which to my surprise is: “Catching up on History”. That sounds funny somehow. Frank studied History and he actually never stopped as there is so much to learn. If he hadn’t become a successful singer, he probably would have ended up as a lecturer. “Haha, yes, I would have tried at least”.

 
One highlight in Frank Turner’s career certainly was his performance at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012. However, he was quite modest about it: “It was surreal. A good thing from a professional point of view, because it reached so many people that don’t know me. It was interesting but I don’t see it as the biggest thing that has ever happened in my career. The biggest thing will still have to happen, right?!” A very memorable event however seemed to have been a concert he went to as an audience member. When I asked him about his best concert he has seen so far, he told me that it was from his favourite band the Weakerthans. “It’s probably cheating because I wasn’t in the audience for the entire time – I ended up on stage”. The gig was in Hamburg and Frank Turner had the honour to write the set list for his friends from the Weakerthans. “It was a great concert because they played everything I wanted to see”. Of course – and towards the end of the show, they asked him on stage to play guitar to one of their songs. “I cried at the end of the night”.

 
Referring to his first years as singer of Million Dead, I wondered if he never missed playing in a band. Ok, he has his band the Sleeping Souls, but that’s more like a band around him as solo artist. “I did for a while, but now I have the best of both worlds”, he responded. He has his project, where he is the “boss” but where he also can play in a band.

 
Coming to the end of our little talk, I wanted to know what Frank Turner would do if he could rule the world for a week. Hm, it was probably not the right question for him. Or maybe it was… “I would abolish as many rules as possible, make people free”. It turned out that he hates the idea of governments, i.e. a few people making the rules and laws for the rest of the population. Freedom for everyone is what Frank believes in. Therefore he would hate to be superior to others, albeit for just a week. At last, I asked him if he could see himself making music forever or if he has an alternative in mind for later. Of course, like most musicians would do, he answered that he liked to keep going for as long as he can. But it would be realistic to have a plan B. “Maybe I end up as History teacher then”.
Come and see Frank Turner live on the following gigs, if you don’t have a ticket yet!

• 28 Mar 13 – Byron Bay – Blues Fest (FB)
• 30 Mar 13 -Caloundra – Kings Beach Tavern (FB)
• 31 Mar 13 – Newcastle (w/ Dropkicks) – Panthers (FB)
• 01 Apr 13 – Sydney (w/ Dropkicks) – Big Top (FB)
• 02 Apr 13 – Melbourne (w/ Dropkicks) – Festival Hall (FB)
• 03 Apr 13 – Adelaide (w/ Dropkicks) – Thebarton (FB)
• 04 Apr 13 – Perth – Amplifier (FB)

Their humble beginnings start off as most bands do – playing in another band then joining as friends. Bassist Chris Aitkenhead fondly recalls his recruitment process into Sheffield’s newest wave-makers, A Season Of Secrets, which included more than a few bribery drinks. “I was pretty much honoured to be asked to join as I knew who the band were [and] they had gained a decent local following. I then met up with them later that night, they got me blind drunk, played me “Crooks” and I accepted their offer to join.”

Since they began in early 2011 their fan base has expanded rapidly and every show they play gets closer and closer to selling out. With the crowd comes the craziness, and we all know you don’t need to be Motley Crue to have some wild nights, especially when you’re in a Brimingham club called Uprawr. “We got to Birmingham just expecting to go to sleep, but then the bands we were on tour with we’re like ‘right, we’re gunna uprawr!’” guitarist Adam Wilcock so joyously tells, “So off we went and it was literally mental. People were stripping off, getting waxed to win an Xbox 360. Some of us were up on the bars dancing with girls who model in Front Magazine, so as you can imagine that was pretty sweet! We’re deffo gunna be going there again at the end of October!”

Sometimes even family members end up having a crazy night and Chris recalls when his dad got caught in a pit that was going mental while guest vocalist Brad Harkness ended up in a bust up. But even when things aren’t getting out of hand, every show has its high points and “every single one has been amazing and crazy” says Chris. The fans seem to always pull through for them, even if they don’t share that same loyalty for other bands on the bill. There was a certain festival Adam remembers when “there wasn’t really a crowd with the last few bands leading up to us (which is awful to note). But then as it was coming to us playing I walked backstage to tune my guitar, came back out and it was full to the brim with people. [I] was pretty overwhelmed as I didn’t expect that many people to come down to see us play.” Having such loyal and passionate fans is not only an incredible feeling but will only aide the six-piece in accelerating to international levels. Win, win.

The fans have more than enough to be excited about with the recent release of both a music video and an EP. With almost a year between this EP, Crooks, and the last, Young & Naïve, they definitely kept audiences hungry. Well worth the wait, Crooks is one of the best releases in years, both independent and major. Of course, great music doesn’t come easy. “The [writing and recording] process for me personally was frustrating [and] tiring but one that was challenging in a good way” Adam explains, “We scrapped so many ideas and songs that we all thought just weren’t suitable for the EP, hence why it took over a year to come together. Overall now though we’re happy with Crooks and hopefully it can take us to the next step!”

A Season of Secrets is also unique in the fact that its two vocalists are brothers. Imagine how painstaking the writing process is for a band, and then imagine adding in the relationship of literal brothers who both sing. If it were my sister and I, I promise you that neither of us would make it out alive. Yet Adam says that they keep it band focused and nothing too out of the ordinary. “Being in a band is all about expressing yourself, so expressing your ideas to 5 other lads, 1 [being] your brother is going to bring up opinions. So, as you can imagine, sometimes they fight over stuff but in the end it’s all for the good of the band and to make the best music we can.” Chris adds in that no matter what, having the two brothers on the same team is a huge advantage. “Vocally, I think it’s great having so many options and with the two having different sounds, but also the style they have, the back and forth toying, I think is made more special with the two being brothers.” Well said, sir, couldn’t agree more!

As far as progressing as a band on this EP, Adam explains that they put a lot more thought and consideration into Crooks. “When we wrote Young & Naive we were just starting out as A Season Of Secrets, so literally the first idea/song that came to us we’d keep and think it was amazing! We listened to a lot of pop punk then too, so that explains why it’s not really like Crooks. None the less it’s got us this far!”

A masterful blend of punk, pop-punk, rock and hardcore is the result of the band’s eclectic influences and preferences. Chris explains that “as a band we all listen to very similar music like Your Demise and local lads While She Sleeps but everyone seems to have their own influences and tastes, which is great in fusing a distinct sound.” Chris himself loves bands such as Trapped Under Ice, 50 Lions and Trash Talk while Adam can be found rocking out to The Story So Far, Lower Than Atlantis, Bring Me The Horizon and You Me At Six. When asked which band they would force to get back together Chris and Adam both picked local acts Basement and Sea Of Lions, respectively, showing just how loyal they are to their local scenes. Both also named While She Sleeps as influential and inspirational and Adam went on to explain that “with them being from Sheffield as well, and speaking to them personally, it just makes me want to knuckle down and push this band as far as it can go like they did.”

Also recently released was the band’s music video for the title track off their EP Crooks. “It was our first time filming a music video,” says Adam, “and it was safe to say it was tiring but really enjoyable. The scene at the end was good fun as well, was pretty cool to get all our mates down and have some fun. Overall we’re super pleased with the outcome as it looks professional as hell, so thank you to Dead Skull Films for filming that.” While Adam may have had some fun, it seems as though Chris may not have. “[It] was so tiring and I started to hate Crooks [after] having to play it for an entire day, over and over again. It was a quality day though; all our mates came down and had a fight in a warehouse. I particularly didn’t enjoy the fight scene, I took such a fucking beating, I got dunk slammed to the floor, covered in glass and rubbish and it wasn’t even in the bloody video!”

Lucky for us the guys have even bigger plans for the next year, which include making their way to our shores. With some behind-the-scenes talks already in the works here in Australia, the guys have started construing ways to make it out here. Adam shared that he would be willing to consider prostitution, drug dealing, selling chocolate, brewing moonshine, making shoes and starting a farm, but working overtime is probably his most viable option. “I think we’d all do anything to come over to Aus. I mean how could a band from a place called Sheffield who nobody has heard of overseas turn down the opportunity to come play some shows in Aus! Seriously though I could work as many hours as possible to come over, my work would be good to me like that”. Aside from presenting us with their self-described energetic, sweaty, and out-of-control shows, they also plan to write some new material, release another music video (hopefully without the dunk slams and glass, solely for Chris’ sake) and lock in some brag-worthy support slots.

In the meantime, keep your eyes fully locked on these guys because you will definitely be hearing more of them in the near future. And while we wait for them to make it over our way, Chris and Adam offer some down-time advice. “Make sure wherever you are that you go out and support live music” offers Adam, “You might not think bands appreciate it but seriously they do. We as a band don’t always get the time to talk to our fans after a show but if we could say anything to them it would be a massive thank you. They keep us going and keep us alive and we have the most amazing fans for such a small local band, so again thank you!” While Chris isn’t a man of so many words, you can’t say he isn’t full of fantastic ideas, especially when his last words of advice are “Give us a listen, buy some merch or a cd and get us the fuck to Australia”.

For a free download of their prior EP, Young & Naïve, or to get a hold of their latest and greatest EP, Crooks, be sure to visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aseasonofsecrets or BigCartel at http://aseasonofsecrets.bigcartel.com/

Meanwhile, on the Internet… I got to have a chat to Dick Lucas from the punk hardcore band hailing from the UK, Subhumans. These guys are frikin old school, yes that’s right, even before Green Days time. Their first demo was released in 1981 and they’ve just gotten worse since. Some people might even call this band anarcho-punk, but I think that sounds shit to be honest. Just before Dick joined the band they were known as the Stupid Humans and Dick came from Mental. Check these guys out if you haven’t, it’s worth the time.

So what been happening in the world of Subhumans the last couple of months?

We zipped round Belgium, Holland and Germany in July, stopping off at our drummer Trotsky’s place to create a couple of new songs [he lives in Germany so we don't get to practice much!]- ended up at the Rebellion punk fest in Blackpool, which was a blast, and are now sleeping [bar me] after flying for 17 hours to get to Perth for the start of this tour!

How would you say your sound has changed from “The Day the Country Died” to “Internal Riot”?

Well, we took longer over recording it, 2 days longer, and it’s a 24track computer-aided recording, not an 8-track, which makes it sound a lot better- as to what the music sounds like, it’s much the same, if a tad more complex at points! Whether it’s as good or not I leave to your subjective viewpoint rather than mine!

You guys have been around for some time now. How would you say the UK punk scene has changed over the past 20 – 30 years?

There’s a LOT less violence at gigs, hooray! It used to be a real problem at punk shows in general, some bands would almost lap up the idea of causing trouble, which didn’t help, and there was a lot of factionalism based on haircuts, and a lot of idiots who couldn’t drink without venting their fuckedupness on whoever was nearest- all that has disappeared as the idiots ‘grew out’ of the scene and most people realised that being our own enemy was exactly how the state likes it, we’re no threat if we’re all in-fighting apart from that, there’s not that much difference, still a lot of variety of outlooks and music, and punk remains the one scene that anyone can be part of, there’s no hierarchies or unwritten ‘rules’.

If I invaded your CD/MP3 player right now, what would I find that’s been played recently?

The new Citizen Fish CD, Dancing On Spikes! Ha yes, it’s a not-well-disguised plug for me and Phil’s existence in said band, but it’s true!

I found your bio on Fat Wreck Chords. Do you know Mike and what are your ties with this label?

We know him from regular appearances at Subhumans and CitFish gigs in San Francisco, and during one of those he asked Citizen Fish to release ‘Life Size’ on his ‘Honest Dons’ label, and at another he asked Subhumans if we’d like to do a live album, one of his ‘Live in a Dive’ releases, and we said yes! Since then he co-released the CitFish/LOC split as well. We’re not over there very often so don’t see him much, but he’s a lovely chap…

If someone gave you four rings, seven thousand dollars and a leg of lamb, what would you do and how would you do it?

The reason this interview is 6 weeks late is this bloody question! You have indeed vexed me proper! The obvious answer is put ‘em on eBay, spend it, give it back [being a veggie]! but I could….send the leg with a ring attached to Condoleeeza Rice asking her to marry me, or it, and suffer the er consequences if she didn’t reply via national TV news reports. Then put the other three rings on eBay and spend the $$ on solicitors.

What will you expect to see in Australia? Have you heard of Drop Bears before?

Drop Bears? No. Are they sweets or cartoons or drugs? Should I expect to see lots of them or just the two in existence? Should I have googled this before answering?

What is your take on Australian politics/politicians? How do you think we could improve our system?

The little I know gives me a picture of a system trying to be as American as possible, eg joining in with overseas wars, dismantling free health care, glossing over historical truths, using covert racism to justify oppression via laws on immigration- the best improvement would be to become more independently-minded instead of following the western world model.

While we’re on politics. How do you think religion plays a part in world issues?

You can’t get to be President if you don’t mention god a lot, and if you question the dubious morals of the Christian far right they won’t give you their support- or millions of dollars. But with their backing you can continue the war on terror, eg against the Taliban, whose religious outlook is medieval in its treatment of anyone who desecrates their holy book, who commits adultery, who – is a woman. The Taliban were raised to power by the CIA in the 80s to fight the Russians out of Afghanistan, a vital area for the pipelining of oil and gas. Saddam Hussein used to control a lot of oil reserves, now the US army fight for continued control in Iraq against divided versions of Muslims who also fight each other, due to a largely fictionalised difference of opinion over who is top dog god in their religion. The war in Northern Ireland was at least 50% a religious one. Catholic priests inform the uninformed that condoms are sinful, as AIDS ravages over-populated underfed parts of Africa. Religion infects every area of politics, it seems, mostly screwing things up even more.

If you were to go on tour for the rest of your life and never go home again, what three things would you pack, and why?

A phone,
a back-up phone,
enough money for gas to get to the first gig.
[everything else follows, assuming we get paid for the gigs!]

So where are you off to after Australia?

New Zealand! And Singapore, and Indonesia, all for the first time! Then back home to recover, hopefully without malaria, hohoho .

What advice do you have for the kids? It doesn’t have to be music related.

Look after your teeth! Dentists cost a fuckin’ fortune [are there any DIY 'pay-no-more-than' dentists yet?].

Check the Subhumans out here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Subhumans-UK/137812882953527