Punk Globe: Favorite road trip music? 

Stephen: My favorite road trip music is songs compiled by myself on my mp3! Player. My experience of touring in vans is that we end up listening to music that has been compiled quickly and conveniently by the driver. Possibly compilation CDs etc. I get it, I understand. But if I hear one more 70’s glam rock cd I will go insane. The same Mark Bolan, Slade, and Sweet records. Don’t get me wrong. I love all of those bands and artists. Just listening to them for 2 weeks or more can be a nightmare. The same can apply to the obvious punk-rock comp CDs or classic albums. So I set about a mission to find lots of old and obscure 70’s UK, Belgium, French, etc glam bands and obscure 70’s punk bands from all around the world. It’s just incredible what’s out there. A continuously growing list of unheard-of artists is being added to my mp3 playlist. In some ways I’m literally going backwards in time exploring old bands. 

Punk Globe: What is your dream project?

Stephen: My dream project I think whilst still being a musician if it’s possible would be to be a musical scout for promoters. In my opinion, they play it safe far too often and put the same bands on the bill. They very rarely explore what’s actually going on out there. I’m guessing so far along the way they are tipped off about bands rather than getting out there themselves or hiring someone to do it.  I see great bands all the time and most can’t get on the first rung of the ladder to get heard. I won’t go into it but in my opinion, the punk rock festival lineups here are becoming tedious. The only real exception to this is Rebellion. I know I will get some shit for this but I’m cool with that. I for one can say this. Many years ago while being in a band called Holy Racket I was asked if I wanted to play a great punk rock festival. I had played it 3 times in a row. To the horror and shock of my bandmates, I turned it down because I thought it was only right to give another local band a chance of being heard. I also thought I was being part of that so-predictable boring list of bands. Don’t get me wrong. If I was given this job I wouldn’t just put anyone on the bill. They would have to be good but there has to be new blood.

Punk Globe: Favorite local venues you like to play shows? 

Stephen: There’s a local pub close to me called The Museum Vaults. I’ve only played there once but attended many gigs there. It’s so small you are literally standing right in front of the band. There’s nowhere to hide for the punters. It’s chaotic and brilliant. The only way I can describe the place when it gets crazy with the dancers is it’s like watching people scramble for their luggage whilst their airplane is going into a crash landing situation. People running around with their hands in the air. It’s just brilliant. The gigs are normally on a Sunday. Another great venue in my city of Sunderland is the Peacock. The bar downstairs is also beautiful.  When I was a young punk rocker I avoided it as it was like something from the wild west. Now it’s totally transformed and punk friendly. Another great venue that has been going for years is Trillians in Newcastle. The list of bands who have played at this legendary venue consists of The Damned, UK Subs, DOA, etc.

Punk Globe: Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?

Stephen: The most memorable time I was inspired was when I was told a story about a family member. I just had to write a song about it. My uncle once told me a story about a relative who fought in ww1. He was part of a team called the Machine Gun Corps. Otherwise known as the suicide squad. Apparently being part of a small team carrying a large machine gun, tripod, and Ammunition you were considered one of the biggest threats to the enemy. In this case, the machine gun corps had to be taken out by the enemy as they were considered to be that much of a threat. This is obviously why the MGC team had the nickname the Suicide Squad. One night while sleeping the dreaded poisonous gas came through their trench. The next morning they were found and all presumed dead. Their bodies were placed on a cart for the dead pulled by a horse. Someone noticed a  very slight movement in the eye of my grandad’s brother. He was still alive. He returned home shortly after. Sadly his life was cut short after returning home due to his being poisoned by the gas. I was told you could still smell the chemicals from the gas coming out of his skin weeks later while he sat at home. What really made it quite emotional was reading the love letters from him to his sweetheart back home. I’ve still got them in a metal box along with his photos and military insignia. I wrote a song about this on our first album called MGC.