The new enjoi video finally has a name and it’s – “BAG OF SUCK“.
The movie is being put together as you read this and should appear in your local skate shop during the first half of 2006. The word on the street is March but whether enjoi even know where that street is depends if it will remain true.
View the trailer for this movie on this page, it sucks bags.
Does exactly what is says on the tin.
Contact alasdaircouch@gmail.com for more info.
Crossfire are about to start a series of limited edition skateboard decks in 2006 with various artists and bands starting with the first run of decks with London’s much talked about spazz punk band Test Icicles.
The decks will be available from the www.caughtinthecrossfire.com website and also at various skateparks around the UK for competition prizes.
Test Icicles just released their debut album “For Screening Purposes Only” via Domino Records and are hotly tipped to be one of the bands that will explode alongside their music in 2006. Look out for copies up for grabs on this very site plus an interview over Xmas. Test Icicles will be special guests on Crossfire’s None More Punk Radio Show in January and will feature all 3 band members picking their favourite tracks for the show hosted by Zac Slack and James Sherry.
Les Savy Fav
Thunderbirds Are Now!
The Garage, London
30.11.05
Thunderbirds Are Now! are buddies of Les Savy Fav who also happen to have their debut album ‘Justamustache‘ recently released via the Fav’s own label French Kiss. And true friends help each other out right? Les Savy Fav have done the right thing and have brought Thunderbirds over to the UK for the first time and right from the start of their set it’s immediately obvious we’re in the company of greatness. They are rocking and wild, yet slick, tight and melodic and manage to walk the difficult line between quirky post-hardcore and commercial rock without compromising either aspect of their sound. This is a band you’re going to be hearing a lot about next year and the buzz starts right here. Besides, any friend of Les Savy Favs’ is a friend of ours. Such is the greatness of the mighty Les Savy Fav, anything they touch turns to gold so the Thunderbirds future is in good hands and watch them go!
Les Savy Fav have been deconstructing rock for nearly ten years now. Sounding like a spiky collision between the angular dance rock of Gang Of Four and the scratchy white noise anger of Fugazi, they are led by the gloriously unhinged frontman Tim Harrington, who, it wouldn’t be unfair to say, has the wild crazy eyes and unkempt appearance of a hobo and borderline schitsophrenic. We’re sure he’s a lovely well balanced individual offstage, but put him in front of a crowd and he turns into a twitching, mischievous imp dead set on causing confusion and disorder around him as the band provide the brilliant soundtrack to his insanity. At one point he grabs a video camera from someone in the front row and swings it above his head, then he’s got his big belly out, climbing around the stage, sinking his teeth into the P.A. system, itching to cause that little bit more chaos and constantly pushing the boundaries. He also has a great voice, injecting addictive vocal melodies into every riff and rhythm and allowing tracks like ‘We’ll Make A Lover Out Of You‘ and ‘Rome (Upside Down)‘ to creep into your subconscious and stick!
Yet, considering how amazing Les Savy Fav are tonight, you’re still left with the feeling that they were holding something back. Past tours have seen them reach amazing new levels of musical insanity but tonight it was almost as if they didn’t want to embarrass Weird War by blowing them right off the stage, which they could have easily done and quite frankly, did.
Weird War feature Ian Svenonius from classic Dischord Records bands Nation Of Ulysses and The Make Up although Weird War aren’t a patch on his former visionary bands. Weird War play clean and funky rock n’roll that is just way too clean and not rock n’roll enough. While Ian’s past bands have been abrasive and harsh, Weird War’s white man funk just isn’t particularly good. Or funky.
Predictably, the crowd thins considerable during Weird War’s headline set. Maybe next time they won’t be foolish enough to allow Les Savy Fav on before them!
James Sherry
Test Icicles
London – Brixton Academy
16/11/05
The sense of occasion is oddly lacking inside the Brixton Academy tonight.
It’s the second date of Alkaline Trio’s first full UK tour since 2003, of which every date has sold out… except for tonight. Granted, punk bands rarely sound great at the Academy, but the Trio’s recent ‘Crimson’ album has arguably won them more fans than ever before. Still, there’s no point in dwelling on the matter, although doing so would probably be more entertaining than the mediocre art-rock of openers Sunshine.
It’s left to Mike Park (the founder of Asian Man Records, who released the Trio’s first two albums) to really get things started, with only the help of his acoustic guitar and a short but intriguing Plea For Peace documentary played on a projector. Although unknown to most of the crowd, his excellent folk-pop songs still incite a mass singalong from the devoted few at the front. He’d probably sound better in a small club or bar, but nevertheless manages to create a certain intimacy in the Academy’s cavernous confines – an achievement in itself.
London-based trio Test Icicles stick out like a sore thumb on this bill, with their hyperactive stage presence and blasts of feedback laden art-punk chaos that just about pass for songs. Occasional applause is largely drowned out by boos and cries of “Get off!“, but to their credit, the band don’t seem bothered, and instead concentrate on sounding increasingly louder and weirder. Good strategy!
The venue is respectably full by the time Alkaline Trio hit the stage, but as Matt Skiba and co. blast into the opening ‘Back To Hell’, our fears are confirmed: the sound is terrible. Worst affected is Dan Andriano’s bass, which is little more than an indistinct rumble for the first few songs, thankfully improving slightly thereafter. The crowd go nuts from the start, but the band themselves seem somewhat lost on the Academy’s spacious stage.
It’s understandable that ‘Crimson‘ material dominates the Trio’s set, but it’s debatable as to whether it measures up to old favourites like ‘Clavicle‘, ‘My Friend Peter’ and – let’s be honest here – the entirety of the brilliant ‘Maybe I’ll Catch Fire‘ album. Suffice to say that most of these don’t get played tonight; a likely bone of contention among the band’s long-term fans.
Still, an encore of ‘Time To Waste‘ and the classic ‘Radio‘ ensures that most of us leave Brixton happy. It certainly wasn’t a vintage Alkaline Trio gig, but the faults lie more with the venue than the band. Maybe two nights at the Astoria next time, eh guys?
Alex Gosman
It has come to our attention that a young man from the Brighton area, James Cheetham, is about to release a new video, Cheese on Tape, that highlights the local talent of this seaside resort. Brighton has been at the forefront of British skateboarding thanks to the passion of the locals that skate the Level skatepark on a daily basis for the over the last 20 years or so.
Without the Level, Brighton’s scene would be a little stuck for advantageous training grounds, but having said that, this new video shows us what the land of rock candy and nightlife has to offer. To watch the trailer go here:
And to order a copy contact here:
This year’s Skater of the Year prize from Thrasher Magazine was definitely a toss up between several varying skaters- Not one like another… Would it be Daewon Song with his awesome tech-wizardry? Or perhaps the well respected skills of newcomer Brent Atchley? Perhaps the powerhouse moves of Chris Cole had the masses in awe..?
Well, it was Chris and the reasons were simple: 360 flip Wallenburg, racking up more points single handedly that an entire previous team during the King of the Road competion, winning $32,000 in a day and putting out amazing footage throughout the year!
Perhaps Chris can take this moment of glory to thank his sponsors and not his stylist! Read the Crossfire interview with Chris Cole this year here.
All That Remains are a band considered by some to be metal’s ugly duckling. The band that got left behind whilst many of their peers shot to rapid success, leaving the Massachusetts quintet to go it alone with their slowly-but-surely route to the big time.
Having just completed a summer-long stint on the new and crushing Sounds of the Underground tour alongside the likes of Lamb of God, Clutch and GWAR – things are at last looking up. Former Shadows Fall vocalist and current ATR front man Phil Labonte took some time out from the band’s recent UK stint as main support to new kids on the block Trivium, to tell our own metal maestro Ryan Bird how things stand for both himself and the band in 2005…
Hey, what’s up?
What’s shaking, man! I’m fine!
How does it feel to be back in the UK?
It’s still almost unbelievable. We’re one of the luckiest bands around to have been on the tours that we have in recent times. When we came through with Killswitch is was cool, but this tour is definitely shaping up to be just as good. The Killswitch tour wasn’t as long as this one is, but every show was sold out. Now it seems Trivium have just blown up the same way that Killswitch have, so we feel spoiled to be back on such a run. It’s amazing to see that there’s kids who actually know our stuff as well! Yesterday there was like a couple of dozen kids hanging out outside our bus, and that just never happens in the States.
Last time you were over here you were with Killswitch Engage playing middle sized venues. How do you feel about playing some smaller club shows such as this this time around?
I guess it’s pretty cool to actually be able to see the fans for a change! Sounds of the Underground was averaging about 4000 or so every day so it’s almost like a breath of fresh air. I don’t want anyone to think we’re too big for our boots or anything like that, though. It may be the heavy metal dream to play some big ass shows but we like to keep it intimate as well.
Does playing different sized venues every night make things difficult? Presumably you’ve got to change it up quite a lot.
Sure, it can be tough, but it’s something you just have to deal with. I guess the way to describe it is that it’s real work, it’s not just all partying. There’s a lot of stuff you’ve got to figure out. You need to know how you’re gonna do this, how you’re gonna do that, if you can’t do this then what are you gonna do instead etc. It’s not all just sitting around playing video games!
Of course, you guys are no longer strangers to the bigger sized venues as you just spent the summer on Sounds of the Underground. How did it go?
Simply amazing. Practically every show people knew who we were, and I’m not talking just a handful – I’m talking hundreds. It was the chance of a lifetime.
How does it feel for you guys to see that so many people want to come out and see an underground metal show in this day and age?
It was weird, because it’s a scene I’ve been a part of for a long time and seen go almost unnoticed for so many years. It’s surreal for me because I was someone who helped kick start this whole movement a long time ago, and all the guys I was playing with back then are now in these bands that are getting gigantic. To be in a band that is now considered to be on the rise is awesome.
In the past couple of years, it seems that type of music went from being a dirty word to being more than acceptable. What do you think triggered that?
I dunno! I have absolutely no idea! Why should I?! There’s no real reason I can pinpoint. I’m just thankful I’m going to be able to experience just a little bit of which the bands I admired as kid experienced. Bands like Metallica in ’91 and At The Gates – stuff like that. Thank god I can actually do this for a living, and hopefully continue to do it for another 10 to 15 years.
Obviously you were once a member of Shadows Fall. Is it tough to see them succeeding and doing so well?
Not at all. Those guys have got BIG coat tails! If it wasn’t for bands like them and Killswitch Engage, there’s no way I’d be able to do this. Everybody in Shadows Fall has always been cool to me, they’ve always been my friends, and there’s no ill feeling at all. I’m the biggest cheerleader in the world, and I want nothing but the best for the guys in Shadows Fall and any other bands out there that I consider friends.
Do you think that eventually the scene will totally collapse on itself and disappear into the undergrounds again?
I don’t think it COULD happen, I know it’s GONNA happen! That’s just the way music goes. I’m not foolish enough to think that I’m going to be doing this forever. I know that one day I’m not gonna be in a band anymore. How many bands do you know that stay relevant and stand out for years after they’re gone? To think it’s going to carry on forever is not realistic.
It’s been a good 18 months or so since you released This Darkened Heart. Any plans to start work on a new one?
Yup, we’re already talking about that one. Adam D from Killswitch is going to be producing again, because if something isn’t broken then don’t fix it! We’ll start writing around December and then head into the studio in March, so hopefully we can get the record out before the summer is over next year.
What kind of ideas are being tossed around for that right now? Anything that may surprise people?
Vocally it’ll probably see a bit more melody with the vocals, but at the same time there’ll be some more death metal growling going on. Our drummer is a massive death metal buff so whenever I’m around him I usually end up listening to stuff like Cannibal Corpse! Musically, I can’t really say just yet. As far as writing the riffs and such that’s still primarily done by myself and Oli (lead guitars), but this time I think it may be more of a band effort. I think we’re at the stage now where we know where this band is going, and we know that the sound this band has is pretty much where we’re going to stay. It’ll be different, but you’ll still be able to tell it’s an All That Remains record.
And after the album is done?
We’ll come back here, and hopefully we’ll be in a position by then that we can come through and do a headline tour of our own. The way this tour is going, it’s pretty much a given that we’ll at least pull a few people in. Whether the album is out or not by the time we come back doesn’t really matter so much, because I’m sure the second it’s done it’ll be all over the internet anyway. GO CYBERSPACE!
‘This Darkened Heart‘ is available now through Prosthetic Records.
See www.prostheticrecords.com for more information.
The first time I saw Jak was whilst skating through the City of London many moons ago. Straight away you could tell that skateboarding was coming naturally to this youth, and it didn’t matter if it was stairs, manual pads or ledges- Jak was on it.
Obviously oblivious to lazy fun skating can procure, Jak strived to progress and went straight for the sponsorship counter. Needless to say, this caused a small wave of mockery and head turning among other amateurs and bitter folk.
However, the proof was in the pudding: Jak knew how to skate. So, after a little introspection and hair on his chin, the young squire gained his recognition and left the bighead at home. Today, Jak is busy getting things done notably for The Harmony’s debut video, and more importantly enjoying himself. With skills like these, Jak deserves everything he’s got.
Interview and intro by Ralph Lloyd Davis & pics were taken by Andy Hulbert
Full name?
Jak Pietryga.
Origins?
I’m British/Polish, and I think I’ve got a bit of Irish in there (Laughs).
How long have you been skating?
I’ve kinda lost count… I think it’s coming up to 7 or 8 years.
How did you get into it?
My brother got me into it. He got a board for his birthday and I thought it looked cool so I started trying to skate. I didn’t even bother trying to ollie for the first 3 months, just riding around on my Santa Cruz fish board was fun enough for me. In fact, I’m gutted! I gave away that board years ago, it would be a good collectable now… (Laughs)
The first time you were spotted was in London ripping up Shell and SB. Who were you skating with back then?
Pretty much the exact same bunch of people I skate with today, give or take a few. Always had Morph filming back then with his handy cam! (Laughs) Ahh… The good old days! I don’t think I really stopped filming since back then – No wonder my shins are so battered and brittle!
Who dropped off your tape in Cide? Was it done on purpose to be 10 minutes of sick footy?
I think I dropped it off in there. I think I dropped off about 4 before they sponsored me! (Laughs!) Looking back, I was really sponsorship hungry, like most kids I suppose. I definitely don’t think its the right way to go though, it doesn’t help matters (Laughs). Yeah, so one day Morph just decided to make an edit of all the best footage he had filmed of me and put it onto a tape to give in to Cide, and seeing he has been filming me for so long it jus turned out to be really long I suppose.
What’s the atmosphere like for a young buck trying to come up nowadays?
(Laughs out loud!) Buck’s a funny word! I don’t know really…? I’ve always just skated and things are just seeming to fall into place now, apart from when I was that kid handing in all those tapes into Cide! So I guess the atmosphere is good, just really relaxed at the moment.
Who sponsored you first? How was that?
There were a few others before but not worth mentioning for several reasons like giving me clothes for a comp then not hearing from them again after the comp, and getting me to film a full section for a video and then not even bother producing the decks and then buggering off to Spain… But yeah, Cide were the first sponsor to properly sort me out and not just long me off, and I am very grateful!
Since you’ve been sponsored and have started stockpiling the footage and media coverage- how has skateboarding changed for you?
Nothing’s really changed in my eyes. I try harder to get footage nowadays but it feels more like a good will gesture for sorting me out so well than because I have to. I like it this way, I think it actually helps me to get things done.
Do you think the level of skating is going to rise again now that kids have all these street plazas to go to?
Yeah, definitely! But, I think the level of skating is constantly rising but having these street plazas popping up everywhere can’t do any harm. I suppose at the same time though all these new kids starting skating will get used to perfect blocks and stairs etc… So it may not help them when coming to skate a real obscure street spot and it’s those spots that are the most fun to skate-You can get wild on them! (Laughs)
Do you skate parks or transition at all?
Yeah, I enjoy going to skate the occasional park now and again. I find it good fun to TRY and get my tranny skillz on! But yeah, tranny is good fun. I would love to try and skate a proper bowl, but I would probably end up breaking a hip or something…
Name a spot in London that was great but no longer exists?
Ahhh! It’s got to be the one and only Shell Centre. I suppose it technically still exists but it’s no fun anymore. You can’t just go there and have a fun little nibble on the 3. I have fond memories of going there straight from a party, sessioning Shell all by myself, just me an my tunes. It was so much fun, well it was for me anyway (Laughs).
Who’s the rattiest skater out there?
Mike Hulbert from Leytonstone. What a stinker! (Laughs!)
What do you parents think of your skating? Do they support you?
Yeah, they really fucking support me. They were like my sponsorship for like 6 years till I got on The Harmony.
You went to Sweden with The Harmony- How was it? See any fit birds?
Sweden was amazing! I never knew before then how good Sweden is for skating. There seemed to be something for everyone out there: stairs, blocks, rails, hubbas, banks, and then there was Pontus’ mad bowl which was amazingly hard to skate, but good fun. All the people I met out there were sound as fuck as well, especially Victor, the guy who gave me Tom, Danny and Adam a place to live for the week. He was a complete nutter and you would never hear him stop laughing, such a funny guy, he was amazing. I did a lot of new things when I was on that tour too: Before the trip I had never flown, I had never met any of The Harmony lads and I had never shouted ‘You have a sweaty bum hole!!!’ at girls before. I have done since though (Sly laughter). Yeah, and the gash was top class!
You got to skate one of Pontus’ little bowl initiatives- How was that? What’s Pontus really like?
I wouldn’t say I got to skate Pontus’ bowl, more like I got to drop in, try a trick, fail and then sit and watch the rest of the session (Laughs). That thing is so hard to skate, but Tom and Paul jus made it look easy. Anything that was done on that was respected, and then you had Paul doing it switch, which was insane! Watching Pontus skate it was unreal: Sessioning the over vert bit that everyone else just left alone. He was a cool guy as well, a little strange but definitely a cool guy. I was just glad he didn’t run about butt naked. Fuck that! (Laughs out loud).
Would you be willing to build an entire spot if needs be?
I would like to say yes but I think I’m just too lazy- Too lazy to do it like the Swedish do it, anyway… They have 2 amazing skate spots that they just made themselves, and they’re proper legit skate spots as well, not one of these launch ramps from Argos jobs.
Where else has skateboarding taken you?
I went Barcelona in the summer with all my mates for a little skate trip and to finish filming for Morph’s video ‘Routes‘. That place is seriously amazing, like you see skate spots from Barca in videos and you think, ‘Fuck me, it can’t be that perfect?!’ but it really is! With the obvious exception of the bus station: those ledges are truly fucked… It was so much fun though; getting plastered at night, going skating during the day and getting plastered again the following night, we were blessed.
The last day out there was shit though. I was skating MACBA, then went to get my bag to go round to the 4 and couldn’t find it. Realising some sly Spaniard must of stole it, I then went on to the British Embassy to try and get a temporary passport so I could get home. We only had 4 hours until our coach left to take us to the airport! I just about got there in time after a 5 mile hike to get the temporary passport- It was a proper mission. On top of that, the thief also nabbed my I-pod and phone that was also in my bag, and then went on to run up an £800 phone bill!!! It took the piss out of my life.
What is your take on turning professional? When’s the right time? If The Harmony wanted to turn you pro for X-mas, would you accept the offer?
I think it depends on the skater and how they feel about the situation. I’m really stoked on The Harmony, and I’m definitely on for being with them for the long run so I would probably say yes if they offered it. Whether or not I think I deserve it is another matter.
Who haven’t the media caught onto yet, but will very soon?
A lot of the people I skate with on a daily basis like Alex Greaves, Joe Saville, and Daniel Tomlinson. They are all really good skaters but have had no coverage apart from sections from the ‘Routes’ DVD. If you’ve seen these guys sections from ‘Routes’ you will see what I mean: a lot of talent there.
What was the most fun aspect of filming for the new Harmony DVD?
Just meeting new people and skating new spots. I hardly ever get out of London, so when I do I’m always really stoked (Laughs). The premiere’s gonna be amazing as well. I can’t wait for that!
Who in your eyes has the best part?
I haven’t actually seen the DVD yet so I couldn’t say, but I’m looking forward to seeing Danijel’s and Tom’s, Danny’s, Paul’s… In fact, all of it! (Laughs)
What is your fave trick you are most proud of on the DVD and why?
I don’t know… You know, it’s probably the tre flip manny in Sweden. I didn’t think I was gonna do that.
Joe Gavin just joined the team, will you teach him a thing or two-or vice versa?
Definitely vice versa that guys fookin’ amazing!
If you could serve up an ASBO to one of the following characters, which would it be and why? New Era cats, Girls denim dogs or I-pod wearing mongs?
Well I wear New Era hats and I own an I-pod so I will have to go for the girls denim dogs, whatever that means (Laughs!).
If you are sporting an I-pod or similar music machine, what tunes have you got blaring?
All kinds of tunes- I’m into everything. A lot of my tunes are from skate videos, it gets me pumped to skate. But yeah, groups I’m most into at the minute are Badly Drawn Boy, Belle and Sebastian, Taskforce, Fischerspooner, Regina Spektor etc… The Jump Off by Stroder featuring Ragsie is a good tune.
Has skateboarding made you more aware or receptive music, art or fashion wise i.e. listening to groups you probably wouldn’t have heard of before, or taken interest in a certain artist…?
Yeah, definitely! It’s like I said; a lot of the bands I listen to, I heard one of their songs from a skate video, then got the rest of their album. Skateboarding also got me into graffiti due to most of the skaters in my area doing graff. Graffiti artists like Seen and Cope 2 who were like the originators, and then there’s all the London heads who amaze me the way they seem to have been everywhere. They kill it.
If Dist.One (David Earl Dixon) is your fave artist, who would be in second if you had to find a replacement for your board graphics?
Some nudist artist, could be quite funny.
If the Harmony was a band, who’d play what?
(Laughs out loud) I think Eddie would be the front man, Danny would be guitarist, Veran would be the bass player, Danijel would be the drummer, Adam would do the backing vocals, Tom would play the bongo’s, Joe would play the keyboard, Dave would be the manager, Mondon would be the producer and I’ll be there doing my bit with the triangle!
What is cooking generally?
Fish fingers- you can’t beat deep fried fish fingers. Morph showed me the way!
Can you cook a good Pie?
(Laughs out loud) I never cooked pie.
What’s your favourite pie?
Cannabis pie.
Who ate all the pies?
Morph.
Last words
My fingers hurt.
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
23/11/2005
Watch the video on this page exclusively filmed and edited for this interview by Russell Cowling, Dane Crook, David Dixon and Paul Silvester. The music on this video comes from www.myspace.com/onceasuperhero
Contact: onceasuperhero@fsmail.net for more info.
By Tim Cundle
www.booksurge.com
There have been innumerable attempts to write the definitive punk rock record, and a fair number to sum up the spirit of punk on celluloid. Far fewer attempts, however, have been made to sum up the spirit of the punk movement in a fictional novel.
Tim Cundle, editor of underground punk fanzine Mass Movement and veteran of numerous punk and hardcore bands, has thrown his hat into the ring to do just this with his debut novel Compression. It tells the tale of Flanagan, who having forged a successful music career in the US with the band he started with his mates as a teenager, returns to his hometown for his high school reunion. The familiar surroundings bring back some long-suppressed memories surrounding his involvement in the death of a homeless man as a teenager. His return coincides with the re-opening of the police investigation into the incident and. well, if I say any more I’ll ruin it for you!
Originally self-published (under the nom de plume Martin Crisis), the fact that Compression has been picked up by a commercial publishers demonstrates it’s quality. Immensely readable, with authentic characterizations informed by Cundle’s background in the scene, it is a compelling read. It is somewhat on the short side, and could perhaps have been improved somewhat with a little more fleshing out, but then that could have detracted from it’s impact. The Ramones never wrote any fifteen minute epics, after all.
Compression is a riveting and original read, just the right size to fit into a Christmas stocking for the be-mohawked one in your life. As for Cundle, I await his next work with great interest. Good stuff!
Eddie Thomas