We managed to lure the lads from Dogtide
away from their hoards of fans for an exclusive interview with us, shortly
after their headliner show at The Chillingham Arms, Newcastle upon Tyne,
on 27th February 2002.
Based in Newcastle this lively trio consist of lead singer and guitarist
Ben, Adam on bass, and Bob on drums. Known to some of his closer friends
as 'Boob'. Both Bob and Adam hail from Newcastle, while Ben originally
comes from "Ontario, Toronto, Canada". He's staunchly proud of his
heritage and although he's lived all over the UK, as well as in South
Africa, he feels proud at being adopted as a fellow Geordie by his band
mates and fans alike.
The band was formed in March 2001 when Ben decided he wanted to form a
serious band and invited his long term friend Bob to join him.
Ben: I'd been in bands with him before and we'd done a couple of demo's
and things like that together. So he joined then band, then we met Skeet
(Adam) through an advert in Windows. We had a picture of Basil Brush on
the advert saying we wanted to start a heavy metal band. He gave us a call
and we jumped as it.
Adam: At the time I was a struggling guitarist so I
was prepared to play bass for them. We started working on the
original set about April/May that year. We played our first ever gig right
here at this pub in August/September time supporting a local band called
'Purity Jar'. We then went into the studio in the November and recorded
the EP.
This self titled EP was the release the band had been looking for to show
the world just how good their material actually is.
Ben: It's a 6 track
EP and is the same length as some other bands entire album. The actual
tracking time is actually 22 minutes and 14 seconds.
The band have quite
a wide variety of songs in their live shows so we asked them how they
decided on which ones to include on the EP.
Ben: We didn't have all of
those songs at that time though.
We probably have enough songs
at present to do a 15-track album.
Adam: When we were ready to do the EP we had about 8 songs. We decided to drop
2 of them and a lot of it had to do with the time and the money.
Bob: We only booked about 6 hours and they said … 'You can't record 6
songs in 6 hours' …but we made it! When we went in to record it the guy
who works there said that they normally have bands come in for like 2 days
and they only record 4 songs. They really didn't think we could do it with
6 songs.
Adam: He actually laughed at us.
Ben: Yeh, he went … '6 songs
in 6 hours?
Yeh right!.
Adam: It was quite a tricky little studio to work in. It was
about the size of a shoebox and by the time you get the drum kit in we
were kind of standing against the walls.
Ben : It was really weird when your amps downstairs and you can't even
get feedback off it. I kept trying to communicate to Bob but through the
glass. I think we pulled it off. I had a throat infection that day as well
so my vocals were a bit shot.
This is one band who make no bones about where their influences come from.
Adam: I'm a relatively old schooler compared to some of the influences
here. I started to get become a heavy metallier when I was 12 back in
1992. The first single I bought was Kiss. I'm 22 now.
Ben: You're just like Kiss because you're old and you can't leave the 16
year olds alone!
Ben: I'll be 21 on April the 8th. The same day that Kurt was pronounced
dead, which is nice. My influences are Strapping Young Lad, Devon
Townsend, The Wildhearts, Whatever, Tantric, Ben Harper, Fun Lovin'
Criminals, Sepultura and Pantera.
Bob: I'm 16, nearly 17 years old. My influences musically would be Metallica, Foo Fighters, Ben Harper, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin. There's a new
band that have influenced me quite a lot quite a lot and they're called
Surf.
Adam: I have to say that Incubus's new album is great. It's the first new
album in a long time that's really just blown us away. For me as a
guitarist when I joined the band and now I'm a bass player you might hear
a bit of Kirk Hammond in there it's because at the time I was really into
Metallica. But bass wise there's very few people who've had any influence.
Obviously there's Cliff Burton but he's been long dead. I think it's
because when I was 16 I really cared and I was really angry, now I'm older
I've just become complacent and in debt.
Ben: Devin Townsend, he's like my god. It's not just the fact that he's
Canadian as well. It's just the fact that he doesn't care about anything
and he plays damn good music, everything he's ever done has been great.
Bob: North East heroes - Jimmy Nail!.
Adam: Jimmy Nail! Oh he rocks man. Crocodile Shoes.
Bob: He's done so much. He did Alf Wiedersein and all those songs and
stuff. What a man.
Adam: I saw Marilyn Manson on the Big Day Out when they were supporting Metallica, which didn't really work in the hot summer shade shouting … 'we
are evil, we are evil' … it just didn't have the same effect.
Clearly frustrated by the current rock scene their music is deeply rooted
in the more traditional vein of rock.
Adam: We are just trying to put something out of a decent standard other
than all this …' I'm gonna break your arse and jump up and down on your
head and break your arms and stuff, I mean what's all that about?'
Ben: I'd like to say it's in homage to Devin Townsend, Therapy and The Wildhearts.
Adam: Yes proper bands that play really good fucking metal.
None of this limp haired stiff metal bracelets.
It soon becomes apparent that the band have no time for the likes of pop
chart rock bands such as Andrew WK or Creed.
Ben: Well that guitarist has just got his own signature model. I mean
what for? He only used 2 strings!
Bob: They are more of a Christian rock
band than a metal band.
Ben: Take Mr. Bungle. In about 10 years time Mr.
Bungle is going to be huge because it's just so different. I'm just
surprised they're not struggling to pay their bills while there's all this nu-metal about.
Although they are extremely passionate in
what they believe in, the band are in fact a bundle of mischief both on
and off stage. Indeed throughout the whole of the interview we couldn't
help noticing drummer Bob fiddling between his legs! Suddenly something
caught our eye from between Bob's legs … something was smiling up at us!
Ah! I see you have a furry thong between your legs!
Bob: Yes, I have a furry thong on as well. I tell you what though,
I really give you women credit for wearing thongs, they go right up your
crack. You got to give them credit for that.
The thong in question is thankfully being worn on the outside of his
trousers and looks a bit like a tiger's face.
Ben: I think the whole idea behind the band is just go out and have fun.
We just want to sing about everyday things and how things piss you off and
stuff. It's all about putting down how we feel about stuff.
Adam: All we want is for you to come along, pay your money, have a dance
and enjoy yourselves. At the same time you can get pissed.
Ben: We'll always make sure people enjoy it though, even if at some point
in the future we did get signed to a record label, and ended up playing
somewhere like Manchester students union, I know for a fact we'd still
give out a prize for the best dancer. It needs to be done. I think that's
what makes us unique I think. I'm Canadian and you guys are Geordies.
Bob: Plus we have hairy asses and you don't!
Adam: We're bringing hairy
asses to the masses!
Ben: One thing you can't print about us is that we have a drummer who's
taller when he's lying down than when he's standing up.
All eyes venture
down to Bob's smiley furry groin area again where he's tweaking the nose
of his thong.
Ben: I don't know what it is but he always plays doubles on the bass
drums. I think it's really good the way even when you drop a stick you
still manage to carry on playing.
Bob: It's called dedication - metaphorically.
The band are determined not to let things get them down even though right
from the start they have been on the receiving end of the cut throat ways
of music industry.
Adam: We've been finding it a real struggle to get gigs up here at the
minute.
Ben: Yeh, we've sent so many CD's to different people all over the place
and were expecting a call back. We've phoned so many places and they
haven't even listened to the damn things.
Adam: We know we are bound to be exploited a bit but we do expect to make
the minimum wage.
Ben: That's just another point though, even when you do get gigs there's
just nowhere to play because they have no stage and you're standing on the
floor. But it's good when you have a couple of friends coming up and
dancing and stuff because that's what we like to see. We like to show our
appreciation of their interest, which is pretty hard to find, but when
they do we like to give stuff out.
Next week we are going to get one of those dodgy arm things that you put
in the boot and we're going to give out one of them. But we like to do
that just to encourage people to get up and lose their inhibitions and
just to have a good time. That's basically what it's all about. One of the
problems with this place here is that there's a drum riser but nothing
else so you're basically playing on the floor. Which is kind of cool when
you see people jumping up and dancing about in front of you.
The band were left with a nasty taste in their mouths the last time they
played this particular venue.
Ben: The last time we played here and people got up to dance they were
told to go and sit down". Indeed their troubles were not confined to the
venue's management that night, they also felt ripped off by the headliner
act.
Adam: Don't mention that rip-off band Purity Jar to me.
Ben: I was really impressed with Louise. I thought she could probably
make it on her own, she was really good. I want you to put it on the
record from me that Alex is a tit, he's an absolute little shit and I
don't like him. The most important thing is if you're going to play a gig
and you're going to use your own PA system then don't charge your support
band for the PA out of the money you've made from your fans coming to
watch you.
Adam: Those are harsh words!
Ben: Hey the guys just shady, it's just so shady what he did. He invited
us to play the gig then charged us £30 to pay for the PA system he was
using for his own band. He is such a shit.
The bands problems at this particular venue continued to dog them even for
tonight's
performance.
Bob: Take this gig tonight, they screwed up all the arrangements and we
had to basically pay to buy this gig back from them. Thankfully Skeet had
some money and paid it for us.
Ben: He actually had to pay £40 of his hard earned money to buy this gig
back for us tonight. Basically you can't get a decent gig anymore. We'd
just got here and started to do the sound check when they started to
complain that the music was too loud. There's nowhere to play in Newcastle
anymore, nobody's interested any more.
Everyone's always bitching about how there's no good North East bands
coming out of Newcastle since The Wildhearts. Apart from perhaps Whatever,
a cracking good band, I went to see them a couple of times. There's
basically nothing much
happening up here but I don't want to have to move down to London just to
get gigs. I don't want to have to do that just yet. Our fans are all up
here and they want to see us succeed and that's the whole reason we
decided to start doing it.
Adam: There are people like the Northern Arts Commission up here but
unless you have a band with a couple of classic violins they just aren't
interested. They're only interested in bands if you are prog-rock.
Ben: It's true to say that Newcastle has nothing to offer, because in
order to be
rock band in Newcastle you have to call yourself prog-rock. It's like when
they pulled the gig here I had Paul my flat mate phoning up before I went
to work saying he was the manager who'd just got back from London. We had
to basically con our way into the gig. They had told us that financially
it was going to cost us £52. We paid the £40 then later we found out there
was a £12.50 booking fee, which didn't seem to fit and we were pretty
pissed. It's really hard to find somewhere for bands to play in Newcastle
and there's just no one out there to come and recognize you apart from The
Mayfair Mall and The Crack.
The band are realistic about how things
work in this industry. They realize it's going to be a long and hard
struggle but hope it will all be worth it in the end.
Ben: We've had our CD passed onto someone in EMI and we didn't even get a
reply. So as for record contracts and things I'm really not expecting a
record deal to be honest, especially being from the North East. It's going
to be the case of learn to drive, buy a van and gig about all up and down
the country and just try and make it. As for the North East I just think
there are too few resources up here to help bands especially. When it
comes down to you can't even book a gig in a pub without having problems
with them saying you are too loud or you didn't pay your deposit on time
or whatever. There's just no support.
Adam: I went to Generator and asked for a book with just four numbers in
for us to try and they said they couldn’t do that, as it would put them
out of a job. Bands are just left dangling in the wind. All we want is the
chance to get out there and play some music. We've met all these Northern
scouts who've said … 'oh you're not cultural enough for our liking'. Screw
them.
The band feel the closure of the legendary Mayfair nightclub in Newcastle
a few years ago led to a rapid downhill spiral for the rock scene locally.
Smaller clubs that sprung up afterwards pale in comparison as far as they
are concerned.
Adam: Look at Cuba, it's just a youth club. I remember when you used to
go to the original Mayfair and you'd be pushed up against a wall and
searched by a group of gorillas. Now you walk into Cuba and it's full of
14 year old girls walking around. It's just been ever since they closed
the original Mayfair things have gone downhill.
Ben: I was actually there the last night of the Mayfair. I got in and had
my photo taken for the papers and stuff.
Adam: That was a real rock club, it was really cool because it wasn't
full of children running about the place saying …everybody look at me! I
crave attention.
Ben: That's why the Mayfair was so good because there weren't any kiddies
there.
Adam: I stopped going into Cuba because I was starting to feel
like a granddad in there. That's basically why rock music is so shit at the minute. I mean how many times can you listen to songs expressing the
emotion of kicking someone's head in? It's just all going down the tube.
I've been in bands since I was 16 and this is the first one that's
actually got the status. I remember making the mistake of going into Cuba
this
one time and this fat boy with a goatee beard and a pony tail in his hair
came over and put his arm around me and started saying I was his good mate
from Dogtide. I don't know anyone of that description so …
Ben: It's all a bit kind of scary at times but as long as the fans have a
good time that's what really matters. Whether it goes anywhere or not I
don't know but I hope it does.
Indeed against all odds the band have actually caused more of a stir among
the local music scene and have amassed a hard core of fans.
Ben: I think that apart from the rest of the things that come along with
being in a band, whether that be The Wildhearts or Whatever and stuff,
there aren't that many Newcastle bands about.
It's a case of being in a band that you know you probably
won't get recognized very easily. I've been surprised at the success we've
had so far. Just the fact that we've sold out of all our CD's already. I
thought we'd sold about 2 but now I've found out they've all gone. Paul my
flat mate even had to sell his copy because someone was after it. It's
interesting when all we are trying to do is play something a bit different
to all this nu-metal shit that is going around.
Adam openly admits what he thinks fans will
get out of the new EP.
Fulfillment and joy beyond their wildest dreams. I'd like to
dedicate it to all the females in the room. I only did it for all the
girls. Oh and all those heavy guitar bits.
Ben: We must remember to
thank Paul for all his help with the band. He has been really good to us
and is such a good mate. He's kind of our part time manager at the minute
and helps sort out all our gigs and stuff cos we're at Uni. He's a good
lad and he's really helped us out a lot. It's really nice to have some
support. Perhaps it's because he wants us to pay him the rent?.
Finishing off the interview we asked if there was anything they'd like to
say to all their fans and future fans out there.
Adam: We're spiritual Buddhists and we've come to make your lives
better.
Bob: This is Ben and he's posh dog. That's because he sounds posh when he
talks. I'm dwarf dog for obvious reasons, and Adam's bread dog because
he's the richest of us all and because he paid for the gig tonight.
Adam: Well I wouldn't say that the bands fans are fanatics because if
you were you'd probably need help, but sometimes when you go into a record
shop and your looking at the CD's and think … well maybe it will shit, at
best it will be good … Just buy it because you'll be helping 3 student
Geordie lads pay the rent and perhaps have a couple of beers.
You played to a packed room here tonight.
Ben: With that kind of fan core thing we have going it's just a case of
saying please turn up, have a good time when you're here and keep coming
back and showing your support. We're going to do our best to ensure we
have a good live show. This has always been a dream of ours since we were
little kids and now we're getting close to it. We just want to share it
with other people and let them be a part of it all as well and have a good
time. That's the main thing.
Bob: I would like to ask if they dig thongs? Do they like thongs, that’s
the important question.
Would you like to describe your thong to
them?
Bob: Well it's very, very furry and it's got googly eyes and stuff
and if I put it over my knob they'll know if I get a hard-on because the
nose will extend!.
If you'd like to inspect Bob's furry thong in person then he can be
contacted either via the website, or in person if you'd like to pop along
to one of their gigs and give him a cheap thrill. He would like to point
out however that he is not obsessed with his knob, but rather his furry
thong and how it looks while covering his knob!
Go see the band if you get a chance. They sound great, they are full of
enthusiasm, plus there's not that many bands that would actually encourage
you to stroke to crotch of their drummer!
