Hope Show 52 – What does punk rock mean to you?
A year of shows but not in a calendar
1. Crystal Grenade – Shape Of Things
2. King Champion SOunds – Orbit Macht Frei
3. Chumbawamba – THe Land of Do What You’re told
4. The Shorts – Bring Me the Skinned and Mutilated Corpse of Bear Gryllis
5. Erase Today – Managing Director of Earth PLC
6. Pleasure Cell – New Age
7. Flies On You – Slashing IT DOwn
8. Freebooters – St Pauli
9. Jon Langford – Living A Lie
10. Decadence Within – Backbitter
11. Membranes – THe Universe Explained
12. Mexican Pets – Subside
13. Paranoid Visions – Outsider Artist
14. Menshevik – Security
15. Joe Solo – Madrid
16. Hard Skin – You Still Here?
Tonights show features people who are in the new issue of the Hope Zine . The same question was asked of a number of contributors. What does punk rock mean to you. Carol Hodge plays with Steve Ignorant in Spice OF Life, she also has a couple of other bands on the go. One is her alter ego- Crystal Grenade, a departure from her other sound but an enthralling voice
King Champion Sounds are like the regular band on the show these days. I keep playing them, I have a good excuse this week as Ajay has contributed to the zine. GW Sok was a great vocalist for the Ex and it is nice to hear him on record once more
One of these days I will play tubthumping by Chumbawamba. It really was a good song, amazing how much it sold and how it transformed things for the band. BOff Whalley, from the band, is still doing things, his latest is a play called the wrong ‘un. He’s a child of punk and it is stuck fast in his belly.
I’ve been playing Stay Clean Jolene a fair bit recently. They are on Just Say No To Government Music records (well their 7″ was a split release on the label). Label originator is Andy Higgins, formerly of Erase Today. Punk has “been an ever present reference point which I have used to help me navigate and negotiate my way through life”
Whilst none of the playing members of the pleasure cell are featured in the zine they are a huge reference point for me and their non playing band member has written a piece. This is their new age 7″ that was self released, if only it had better production to break through that echo-y sound. This was one class band
Flies On You should be know to regular listeners to this show. Doug and Andy have both written pieces and have been great supporters of this show and the zine. Slashing it down is a great sing along number from them
The freebooters are sadly no longer. Sing along punk oi sound from all corners of Ireland, conor can now be found on the floor, literally
Jon Langford is a legend in my house. I have a postcard he sent many moons ago before a three johns gig i was travelling to in Leeds pinned proudly to my heart. The man can do no wrong I tell you
Ian Glasper has written some great books on punk rock. For anyone interested in the history of our movement you should seek these out. Before writing books Ian played guitar in decadence Within who visited Ireland twice. Punk to him is that we are all equal. Here here
Membranes kick started so much of it off for me. We helped put them on in Dublin way back. They showed that anyone can be in a band, anyone can play what they like and treat each other well. They are back again and will be over in Ireland in May. I can’t wait. “Punk rock means making your own art and music on your own terms, whatever that looks and sounds like”
We’ve come back to Ireland for the next two songs. Mexican Pets are one of those classic Irish bands that seemed to be ignored. Tehy got some gigs in the Uk but not enough exposure for the many great songs they had.
Paranoid Visions have a new liease of life and I’m delighted to see this. They seem to be playing so many great gigs. Trips to the UK and Amsterdam are on the horizon, not before playing with Outcasts and Goldblade next week in Dublin.
Before that Goldblade gig Menshevik will be over with Killswitch Engine. Seems like a pleasant way to spend Wednesday Evening. Steve, from Menshevik, is known to me as Steve Pod as he played over here with Vanilla Pod. I asked him for some words on punk rock and his point that “if I lived without it my life would have definitely been much sadder, duller and uninspiring” is well made.
I seem to be always able to place Joe Solo in somewhere which is a bonus for me and hopefully you. His new album, No Pasaran is out now and available for you to check out. “Find a way”
I finish tonight with Hard skin, there’s others who have contributed to the zine but I wanted to give the last word to Fat Bob and his two mates. “Punk is still everything to me”. You still here?