MM - Ok, lets start with something easy and break you
in gently. When was the band formed and where do you all hail from? Andy: The band formed on Xmas day 2000. I shit you not. We’re half
English, half Welsh, and we came from our parents’ insides.
MM - Rumour has it that you've lost Adz your
drummer. That's a bit careless of you, can't you remember where you left
him? No seriously, would you like to introduce us to the band and tell us
what's happened to the madman behind the drums. Paul: Chris sings and plays guitar, Andy clangs the bass and sings, and I
play guitar (better than Chris). Chris: Adz had other commitments and knew that he had to solely
concentrate on the band so he called it a day. Andy: Yeah, his garden allotment business was taking off with branches
opening all over North Wales, the bastard’s making more money than us!
MM - Have you found a suitable replacement to
take his place yet? Does he/she have a name and when will we get a chance
to meet them? Chris: We’ve been playing with a guy called Jan Beck, he’s a fantastic
musician and a brilliant person. We’re not in a rush to replace Adz, we’re
just gonna keep playing until the time is right. Andy: Jan is approachable at all the current dates, but unfortunately he’s
mute so conversation can be difficult. Paul: And he likes driving the bus as well. Which is nice.
MM - The band have released a number of
singles in the past and you're about to release your debut album. Come on
then, tell us all about it. What's it called, when's it out, what songs
are going to be on it etc… Chris: It’s called Now Or Ever… kind of a picture of our lives so far, the
different emotions we had to deal with to give it the diversity it has.
Out on 29th July. Buy it to see what’s on it, it kicks ass. Andy: In other worlds it’s about drugs an girls an mental dispositions,
the usual shenanigans, and it fuckin rocks like a frustrated baboon. Paul: It’s produced by Greg Haver and contains 12 lovely gems of artistic
beauty, or 12 bangin Rock tunes, depending on your point of view.
MM - For the uninitiated, how would you best
describe your music and who do you think it would most appeal to? Paul: I don’t know, I hate being asked this question. Just buy it, it’s
good. Andy: Hard rock, with catchy tunes and massive singalong riffs, a variety
of different styles of elements, it’s a good drug album Chris: I think it’d appeal to anyone who enjoys a good tune… distorted
guitars and is emotionally unstable (ha ha). Can’t really describe it, the
songs are too different – something for everyone.
MM - I have to ask, what was the idea behind
all that cling film on the TripleX Sun video? Very naughty, verging on
outright kinky if you ask me! Chris: That’s how we dress when we go out for a night on the town. People
always say they want to see more of us… maybe we took it the wrong way. Andy: Yeah, we’re trying to win over perverts. Paul: It was to hide our tits.
MM -How can the readers keep up to date with what you
are all up to? Do you respond to personnel emails yourself of does your
record company deal with all that?
Paul: The record company is staffed by monkeys, they can’t use computers
so I do it myself. The website
www.rellies.com is
updated all the time. Andy: We deal with personal emails, we like getting them – for a bunch of cunts we’re pretty approachable and friendly really.
MM -Has anyone in the band ever had a
stalker or freaky fan yet? Have you ever been given anything dodgy by a
fan before? Andy: We toured with AntiProduct, so of course we have weird stalker fans.
People seem to enjoy making up email addresses and posting to us, very
strange, why don’t they just say who they are? Paul: Andy gets all the freaky fans. Bass players always do.
MM - What bands did you grow up with and how
have they inspired you in creating the style of music you perform now? Paul: Loads of AC/DC, they steered me down the Heavy Rock Road. Andy: Therapy, Lee Harvey Oswald Band, Led Zep, they all made me fall head
over heels into Rock. Chris: I grew up listening to Queen, Dire Straits, The Eagles, Chuck Berry
and The Wildhearts. I think they all have their small parts to play in our
music, it’s what I’ve been accustomed to, so their styles are a basis for
our music. Andy: Yeah I think you can hear our influences through the songs to an
extent.
MM - At what age did you decide you wanted to be a musician/performer? Who
did you want to be when you were younger? Who was your idol? Chris: I was 10 years old when I bought my first guitar – a Strat copy –
that’s when I decided I wanted to be a performer like my idol, Brian May.
It was his hair that did it for me. Paul: In 1988 I bought “Blow Up Your Video” by ‘DC. From that point on I
wanted to jump around stages like Angus Young. Andy: I was a late starter, probably around 16 – Angus Young and Steve
Harris were my idols. And by the way, Slash made me stand the way I do,
not Peter fuckin Hook as everyone keeps saying.
MM - What has been the response from the
music media in general with regards to the band and its music? Andy: Everyone seems to love us at the moment with a couple of exceptions. Chris: The press have been very receptive to our music and I think they
mostly enjoy it. Paul: It’s all good. And who can blame them? We fuckin ROCK!
MM - Triple-X Sun is probably my all time
favourite Relatives songs as its just bursting with energy and fun. What
is your favourite song so far and why?
Paul: “Everybody’s Cynical” – it just Rocks like an utrer-great-big-fuckin-big-clanging-pounding riff-monster. It’s been my
favourite since we first played it together. Andy: Dunno really, it’s usually the newest one that becomes my fave.
Going through the recorded stuff it would have to be a tossup between
Advocate, Big Soles or Now or Ever. Chris: Yeah, my problem is I get bored with things too quickly and always
look forward to what’s next rather than what we’ve done before, but I love
playing them all.
MM - What was the last CD that you bought and
what is the most embarrassing disc in your collection? Chris: The last album I bought was QOTSA’s 1st album. Don’t really have
that many CDs, about 5 or 6 in all. Andy: I am the Money single by Therapy. Most embarrassing is a collection
of Levellers hits, I’m ashamed of that but it’s a part of my past and I’m
coming to terms with that. The Therapy helps ho ho. Paul: The last CD I bought was The Best Of Duran Duran. For my mum’s
birthday. Honest.
MM - What type of music do you personally hate to listen to? Paul: Reggae. What a crock of shit. Makes me sick. Should be banned, I
tell ya. Andy: Jangly Indie shit, monotonous “I’m too fuckin cool to try” shoe
gazing shite, it makes me sick if I’m stuck listening to that fuckin
dross! Chris: I don’t really hate any type of music, if it’s good, it’s good; but
if it’s bad then I’d least like to listen to Country and Western. Bad
Country is shit. Extra shit.
MM - What was the very first concert that you
ever attended and did you ever think one day you would be the one standing
on the stage in front of all those crowds of cheering people?
Chris: First gig: Bush and 3 Colours Red in Manchester. 2500 people going
hysterical, I thought, “I have to do that!” Paul: Headswim a few years back. They were crap and didn’t really inspire
me to get onstage. Andy: A school dinner hour gig, I think they were called Nil Extremezi, I
fuckin loved it and thought, “I want a bit of that”. I nicked the singer’s
shades and wore them for years after that.
MM - Which famous person would you most like to be stuck in a lift with and
what would you do with them? Andy: Jenna Jameson, oh fuck, the things she could teach me, ha ha. Paul: Shakira. We’d play Monopoly. Chris: Mila Jovovich. I’d start rubbing my head then pretend to faint. I’m
sure she’s the right woman for me so she’d come to my aid, give me the
kiss of life and fall head over heels in love with me. I just need the
chance…
MM
- What song is
guaranteed to get you up on the dance floor and what song would you use to
seduce a potential mate with? Chris: A few beers and I’d dance to anything. I enjoy it, specially if
there’s women dancing cos they mistake me for Ricky Martin on a regular
basis. I’d seduce a potential mate with “Peaceful and Easy Feeling” by The
Eagles to relax her, then whack on “Suck On My Chocolate Salty Balls” by
Chef. Paul: “Back In Black” is my fave tune ever, seduction wise it would be
“What do you do for money, honey” by AC/DC!!
Andy: Anything by A would get me up, good time drinking tunes. Seduction
tune. Hmm. Nine Inch Nails and a collection of chemicals, depraved drug
music. Or am I giving away too much here?
MM - Which do you prefer, the actual
creation of making a new release, or the glitzy rock n roll lifestyle that
follows when you hit the road with it? Chris: Both elements are so different. Creating has its rewards – when you
listen back to something that’s just been recorded that started in your
brain, that’s great - and playing live, the rewards come from the people
that you play to – seeing the audiences getting into it is really
enjoyable. Andy: Yeah it’s a different buzz live, playing storming gigs and getting
out meeting people and getting in a lot of trouble, I fuckin love it. Paul: I like both but I think performing has just got the edge.
MM - What are your best qualities and what
are your worse traits? Chris: You tell me… Andy: Loyalty and honesty, always the best approach in dealing with
people. Worst traits – getting too messed up. And picking my nose. Paul: I make good big spliffs.
MM - If you were to win the lottery this weekend, would you (a) dump the
band that day and go and live the life of Riley, or (b) plough most of it
into the band to ensure they had the best possible chance of success? Andy: Got no choice cos I have no interest in doing anything apart from
this, I could be rich but I’d be bored to fuck. I think I’d plough the
cash into the band but that’d also fuck us up coz all we would do would be
to convert the money into drugs. Chris: I enjoy being in a band more than anything. If I could be in a band
with a lottery win, that’d be even better. Paul: If I won enough, I could employ a stand-in look-alike.
MM - Are any of your regular cyber surfers and if so do you tend to hunt
around the web for different sites or do you tend to check out the same
old favourites? Andy: Surfing’s an ace way of passing the time, I search out all sorts of
sites – wherever the links take me – music and porn rule LOL Chris: I only really go online to check my email. Paul: I play online chess a lot. Yawn.
MM - What does your typical weekend consist
of? Are your sociable creatures or home bunnies? Andy: If we ain’t gigging then it’s press stuff or practicing in the day,
then drugs and town at night, out to see bands or just do the clubbing and
getting fucked up thing. Chris: Yeah if we’re not gigging we’re meeting mates in town or in
someone’s house. Beer’s always involved somewhere, I’d say we were pretty
sociable people. Paul: If I’ve got loads of cash I’ll hit the bars, otherwise I just slob
around the house.
MM - What is your long-term aim, what do you
personally hope to achieve? Andy: To reach as many people as possible, and to experience as much as
possible. You only have one chance at this life so doesn’t it make sense
to experience everything you can with what little time you have? Chris: everything I possibly can, experience as much as possible in my
lifetime so I can go to my grave smiling with no regrets. Paul: I’d like a big pile of cash, and my own island. Plus world
domination for the band. Not too much to ask, is it…
MM - Lastly, is there any thoughts you would
like to share with all the readers out there? Andy: Winners take drugs, losers deserve it. We fuckin Rock. If you ain’t
seen us then you don’t know what you’re missing out on. We fuckin rule! Paul: Don’t cross the streams…
New single Everybody’s Cynical (SPANKCDS03) is out on July 22nd. The debut
album, Now Or Ever (SPANKCD03) is released on 29th July. Both are
distributed through Shellshock and should be in all good record shops. And
some shit ones too, no doubt.
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unless otherwise stated.
MM
- What song is
guaranteed to get you up on the dance floor and what song would you use to
seduce a potential mate with?
