1. Ok, lets start like most interviews do, please introduce us to your Band and tell us a little of your history?

Well, The Band started as Weak Peaks back in 1992. They played Punk Rock and did a few gigs, mostly with friends as audience. The Line-up changed many times and after a while the band changed the name to Convicted. In ’95 Fredje (Guitars) joined the Band. Oliver (Bass) and Myself - Steven - (Drums) are Band members since the year 2000. In 2002 we recorded our first Album and Pure Impact Records released it in 2004.

2. Why the transition from Punk to Oi!?

When I joined the Band most of the songs on the album were already written so I didn’t play drums when the Band played Punk. But I guess the Band wrote new songs and the style just became Oi!. We prefer to live our lives the Skinhead way.

3. And you’re happier with the Skinhead way of life rather than Dirty Punks?

Yes my friend! We like playing Oi!, we like the style very much, we listen to a lot of the bands and we go to gigs as much as we can.

4. Belgium, Holland and Germany all have a strong Skinhead contingent, what about your area are there many gigs, Bands etc?

When De Kastelien was still open there were gigs every month. A pity the bar is closed now. The Live and Loud Crew organised Gigs in the past, and we have heard that they will start again with the organising soon.

No, there aren’t many Bands here, most the kids listen to rap and that kind of crap. We have great Bands like Headcase and Lions Pride, Oliver and me also play in Les Vilains. The scene is small but strong.

5. What about crossing the Stream, have you ever played the UK, if not, would you like to?

We never played in the UK so far, but we would like to come over, if somebody can help us please let me know!

6. You’ve recently released an album on Pure Impact Records, tell us a little about that?

Well we actually recorded the album in September 2002, but the release wasn’t until early this year because the CD was remastered in the USA. We are very happy with the deal with Pure Impact, we think the Album has a good sound, thanks to Peter.

7. Are you happy with the way its turned out and the service Peter and P.I.R. provides?

Yes, Peter is a great guy and Pure Impact is one of the best Skinhead Labels in the world. We are really happy with the chance Peter gave us.

8. Anything new planned for the not too distant future?

We are rehearsing every weekend and we’re writing new songs. We also do some covers (Section.5, Combat.84) We really want to get on stage soon!!!.

9. And we can Keep  up to date with all your news and info on your webpage?

Yes, our Webmaster is the guy who plays the keyboard on a few of the songs on our album. If there’s news we’ll let you know. http://users.pandora.be/convicted/frames1.htm

10. A Mailing address?

Euh…By Mail??? You can write me at:-

Steven Nys

Desselgem-Dries 66,

8792 Desselgem,

Vlaanderen,

Belgium.

11. A final Message for your Skinhead Brothers here in the UK?

I want to thank you for your time and support! I also want to greet Macca the British Bootboy who got in touch with us (Cheers Mate!!!) and last but not least Hail to all the Skins Over there! We hope to play for you one day!!

Cheers

Steven on behalf of Convicted.

1.      No need for an introduction really, so we'll get right down to business then shall we? The Gonads have been a bit quiet lately, what have you been up to over the last 12 months or so?

We’ve been as busy as fuck, mate. We haven’t stopped. What with the bookie’s, internet poker, lap-dancing, pubs, clubs and whoring we’ve barely had a minute to ourselves. But in those rare moments of peace and tranquility we have written and recorded a new album called Old Boots No Panties. Now if I could only get round to laying down the vocals it’d be out by May. We have done a couple of low-key word-of-mouth gigs in Kent just to test out new numbers.

 2.      You've had a couple of pretty major line-up changes, so who's in and who's out?

People come, people go. If they can’t keep up with the drinking and Roger Moore-ing we can’t be expected to carry them. Me and Clyde are the core of the band and have been since 1994. Andre is a good reliable member although he does seem to have trouble getting to rehearsals. At the moment, we have Tim Machin on drums while Dan Deviant is at college, and Curry House Lizzie on Joanna.

3.      What happened to Paul Divine? Are the reports of his demise being greatly exaggerated?

Tragically no-one knows and even more tragically no-one cares. The man was a cad, a round-dodger, a joke-stealer, a weasel, a low-life, a turn-coat, a capitalist, a poltroon, a metrosexual and almost certainly an Angelic Upstarts fan. He couldn’t have fallen any lower if he had been caught playing the pink oboe with Rebecca Loos’s squiggly-cocked boar. His sole contribution to the world-renowned Gonads oeuvre was Stop That Drumming, arguably the worst song ever to bear our name. If he is alive, he wants shooting.

 4. One of the Band, Andre Schlesenbagel, lives in the US doesn't he, surely that doesn't make recording or Gigging very easy?

Well see, we hired him cos we thought his surname was Schwarzenegger and now we ain’t got the heart to sack him. I don’t even know what a synth-guitar is. I think he’s made it up and plays the xylophone. He has written a couple of class songs, mind

5. Talking of Gigs, I hear you're playing a 'Secret' Gig with the Rejects soon, is that right? what Can you tell us about that?

I’m writing Jeff’s biography write now; that will be published in August next year and we’re planning a special event around its release that will see the Gonads and the Rejects share a bill, but it will be more than just a gig. We’re talking rock’n’roll burlesque show in all its grizzly glory. There won’t be no trouble though cos security will be handled by the ICF, Charlton B-Mob, the SAS, the UDA, Tucker’s Ruckers, and Emily Bishop off Coronation Street.

6. Any other Gigs or Festival appearances lined up? A World Tour of Wales perhaps?

Hate festivals. We will get round to playing, yes, even Wales as long as we get to bang Catherine Zeta. Or Charlotte Church. Or a sheep. We’re not fussy. Even you might look attractive in a certain light.

 7. And that'd be to promote a New release I Spose?

Old Boots, New Panties will be out in 2005, honest. We’ve recorded most of it, with guest guitar appearances from Mickey Geggus and Micky B from Cock Sparrer. Guest vocalist Watford Jon sings England My Land. Tracks will include Rise Up London Boys, Rob A Bank, Nadia and Revolution Now.

8. So when is the long-awaited New Album coming out and on what Label?

Erh, dunno and dunno.

9. So you're saying there's no truth whatsoever in the rumour of a "Vasectomies: Gonads Unreleased Cuts" Compilation appearing on BlackOuT MuSiC then?

Just as soon as a shed-load of cash gets dropped off at a certain South London pub.

10. Why go Virgin when you can get a BlackOuT?

I said to Richard Branson only yesterday, “Dickie old chum, I like yer beard and all that, but £100K? You’re pulling my plonker, pal. It’ll be seven figures on paper and a drink under the table, know what I mean?” Cos we’ve got BMG waiting in the wings, y’know. Yeah. Simon Cowell knows we’ve got the X-Factor but we’ll give you a call if BMG can’t stump up the £1million advance; payment in leeks is unacceptable.

11. I did hear you were planning a 'St Georges Day' Single this Year is that right?

No. Just a St George’s Day event, maybe.

12. So everything I've heard or have been told about The Gonads (sack the 'reliable sources') is completely fictitious, serves me right for believing unsubstantiated rumours. How else can I find out all the Facts, the News, the Info from your Stable?

Cash opens many doors in South London, always has done. You drop a pony here and a monkey there my son and there ain’t nothing you can’t find out. But keep it schtumm OK? Sweet

13. And if anyone wants to contact you to hear from the horses mouth?

They can email waistrel@the-gonads.co.uk or garry.bushell@people.co.uk

14. What else do you wanna tell us about to finish this shit off good and proper?

A good motto to live by is: always try not to get killed.

Vote UKIP.

Gal.

OFFENSIVE WEAPON – A brief history (I982 – 1985)

 Influenced by the Street Punk of SHAM69, The CLASH, SLAUGHTER & THE DOGS, UK.SUBS, and MENACE and inspired by the emerging Oi! Style of ANGELIC UPSTARTS, COCKNEY REJECTS, 4SKINS, EXPLOITED, The BUSINESS, and LAST RESORT, OFFENSIVE WEAPON were formed, late  in 1981, initially as SOCIAL DISEASE, Like so many Bands at the time by 4 bored teenagers sat in a pub  looking for a laugh.

A few line-up changes  and, as a founder member said years later, “There were so many bands called Social Disease or something similar about at the time and they were all shit so we didn’t want to get lumped in with those”, a name change later OFFENSIVE WEAPON were unleashed upon the unsuspecting Pub Rock loving public of Rural Mid-Wales, playing local Pubs, Clubs and even Youth Clubs OFFENSIVE WEAPON soon began picking up a small but loyal local following of Punks, Skins and Pub Brawlers who would stick by them and fight side by side with them til the bitter end.

Having played a few local and exchanged gigs with the likes of DYING CULT (Whose Guitarist was later to join OW), SOLDIER DOLLS, CONDEMNED, DEAD ON ARRIVAL (later known as FOREIGN LEGION), Yr ANREFN, DIRECT ACTION, Winner of “Battle of the Bands” Welsh Heat FACE TO FACE, and FEAR OF FLYING (then fronted by T.PAU’s  Carol Dekker) amongst others, OFFENSIVE WEAPON were now straining at the leash to get out and about playing gigs further and farther afield and were soon sharing Stages with such Bands as The OPPRESSED, SOCIETIES REJECTS, FATAL BLOW, MUTILATED JELLIES, DEAD ON ARRIVAL, THE ACCURSED, PICTURE FRAME SEDUCTION, DIRECT ACTION, DEVOID, Yr ANREFN, ENGLISH DOGS, BRUTAL ATTACK, The BLACKOUT, WIPE OUT, The ANTHILL MOB, The CHOIR BOYS, THERMAL UNDIES, ONSLAUGHT, CHAOS, VARUKERS, The SAMPLES, DISTORTED, DISTORTION, SKINGRAFT, CLOCKWORK SOLDIERS, 16.GUNS, CONDEMNED.84, VICIOUS RUMOURS, DEADLOSS, RESISTANCE.77, INTENSIVE CARE, CLASSIFIED PROTEST, The EXPLOITED, POISON JUSTICE, 3D.SCREAM and many many others up and down the country but somehow never got to play London for some reason.

Although OFFENSIVE WEAPON could never have been described as an overtly political Band they were fiercely Patriotic never afraid to fly the Union Flag or wear it on their shirts or speak out against ‘positive discrimination’ and ‘politically correctness’ they often attacked or ridiculed the Unpatriotic/ Commie attitude of other so called ‘Street Punk’ Bands and they soon found themselves being accused of being a British Movement or National Front Band, which was totally untrue but not helped by the fact that another Band, also called OFFENSIVE WEAPON (from N.Ireland) were emerging and making a name for themselves at the NF’s ‘Rock against Communism’ Festivals.

As the rumours and lies spread so did the greatly exaggerated reports of OFFENSIVE WEAPON’s drunken antics and the unruly behaviour of their now quite substantial following, smashing gigs, abusing locals etc etc and Gigs which were drying up were becoming very few and far between and those that were booked were often cancelled without reason or explanation, many a time the lads finished work jumped in the van raced up to Liverpool or down to Cardiff or Swansea only to be told on arrival that the gig was off or that the venues committee or the local authorities had banned them from playing. Somebody really had the knives out for OFFENSIVE WEAPON and to this day we still don’t know why.

The rot had really began to set in by the end of 1984, the lads were pissed off with the lack of gigs and, even though they had attracted brief attention from RIOT CITY RECORDS, ROT RECORDS and Roddy Moreno’s (OPPRESSED) OI! RECORDS, absence of a record deal and the strain of all the rumours and lies was taking its toll and OFFENSIVE WEAPON agreed that they’d play a couple more gigs and see how it goes before calling it a day. The fatal blow came in 1985 when there only 2 gigs of the year, the “Combat Armageddon” Festival in their hometown of Presteigne, while the 2^nd, at the Wyeside Arts Centre in Builth Wells with CHAOS, 16.GUNS, The SKREWS, and DEAD LOSS erupted in violence, the latter turned into a full scale riot and ended as a siege situation the likes of which had never been seen before or since in Mid Wales and even though OFFENSIVE WEAPON never got the chance to play that night they still got the blame in the local press as local hacks saw their chance to hammer the final nails into the coffin of OFFENSIVE WEAPON.

Although OFFENSIVE WEAPON never had the luxury of having made an official release during their existence, they did make several demos only one of which survives to this day. Including almost all of OFFENSIVE WEAPON’s entire repertoire this Demo was recorded in one 18 Hour session through a homemade 4 track mixer, its wild and woolly, raw and raucous but was definitely the best recording OFFENSIVE WEAPON ever made capturing their sound and attitude just the way it was meant to be heard and  although the name of OFFENSIVE WEAPON might be confined to Street Punk history you may still be able to get to hear the original Patriotic Alcoholics as 18 songs from that marathon recording session have now been tidied up ant transferred to Cd for posterities sake and has now been released on CD for the first time as the “Standing Proud” Album and is available now thru BlackOuT MuSiC (BM-005)

Contact workingclassoi62@yahoo.co.uk for details.

1. Hi Sab, How's it going, all's well I hope?
Well lets see my truck blew up again and they want $800 to fix it and I got a dog that had 11 puppies so now I got 12 pit bulls running round my house pooping everywhere. I'm in debt, my dad died,  arsenal are in second place, and yeah I'm fine

2. So, with Iron Cross on ice at the moment, I've heard you've a couple of Side projects on the go, tell us a little about them?

AHA! iron cross is not on ice! We're off to California in March and then a bunch of East Coast shows after that! Having said that yes I do have side projects- my other band the Royal Americans and I also play solo acoustic gigs too.

3. I take it The Articulate Rednecks and The Royal Americans are basically You with what ever mates you can drag in off the street to play a gig, or are they genuine serious bands?
Ok Articulate Rednecks and Royal Americans are the same band. We just changed the name, Royal Americans was better that's all. And it's a serious band. We play out all the time and I got myself the best musicians I could. These guys are scary good!

4. Do you ever play gigs under those names or are they Just Studio projects?
No, we play out all the time. It keeps us busy and is a whole lot of fun. We had a road trip down to North Carolina recently and had a blast. That's what I want, shit hot musicians,  another show to play in another town and a way to get there!

5. I believe 'Sab Grey & The Royal Americans' have recently released a Debut Album, tell us a little bit about that?
It's called "third right on the left" its on Skinflint Records. Well its just stuff that i've written over the years and something I needed to do. I'm real happy with it and it's different but it's all the same. It kicks ass. I guess you would call it skinhead rockabilly

6. Its certainly very different from Iron Cross, how well has it been received?
So far everyone has loved it. It's a great album and really it's not such a big stretch. Some folks get scared when they see something described by a "label" that maybe they think they don't like. But it's real accessible, its not Tibetan nose flute or anything. Its just straight up rockabilly played by old time skinheads and punk rock ska players. And we push the envelope. You don't get anywhere if you don't push the envelope. Well you don't get anywhere good.

7. What about the hardcore of Iron Cross fans, have they been positive about it or did you sense any disappointment with the CD?
Well there's always one twat that wants to hear "crucified" 10 times on an album 25 years after you wrote it but other than him its been nothing but great. We play out to punks and skins all the time and they really dig it. Maybe things are different over there but over here folks have pretty wide ears, I mean every kid with a Mohawk here has a bunch of Johnny cash in his record collection. I've had some real nice words from folks over there too!

8. If you could do anything different with the Recording, what would it be?
World wide distribution, a huge advertising budget and a massive PR campaign so I could tour and play all the time and be rich enough to buy two season tickets for arsenal.

9. Do you have any thing else planned? More releases? gigs or anything?
Yeah there's a lot more coming this is gonna be a good year! I have another tow albums in my head right now. There's an iron cross one coming out later this year. More gigs. We need to get back over to Europe cause I love playing over there.

 
10. You also made a Guest appearance on Murderers Row debut Album, how did that come about?
Riley asked me so I went up to Albany recorded it and then we went to a bar and I played a solo show. Then we got trashed. It was a great weekend and I was honored that they asked me. Murderer's Row is a great band.

11. Do you crop up anywhere else where we might not be expecting you?
Yeah I did a solo acoustic version of one of the songs (ship of sorrow) from the royal Americans CD for a compilation of old punks playing solo. I know Kevin seconds is on it and so is Joey Shithead from DOA and a bunch of others. When it comes out I'm not too sure.

12. And of course, I got to ask about Iron Cross, is it true they are no-more, or can we expect to see them again anytime soon?
Like I said I.C. is back and we're on the road and playing out!!!!! Way too much fun to stop!

13. If someone wanted to contact you regarding Iron Cross or anything else we've talked about here, how can they do it?
Email me at yourearebel1@aol.com or sab grey P.O. Box 25819 Baltimore, MD. 21224 USA
Order "Third Right On The Left"  from Skinflint Records, America's first Oi! label, since 1981!
price:
US- $10 + $3 s+h
UK and Eur. $10 + $6 s+h
Rest of world $10 + $8 s+h
if you are in the US armed Forces and ordering from a US APO/FPO anywhere in the world, postage is free.

mail to: sab grey po box 25819
Baltimore, MD. 21224
USA
checks, money orders payable to SKINFLINT RECORDS
cash sent in tight little wads please.

14. You don't have a website at the moment?
Yes we do! thanks to you I got the idea and it's;. www.Freewebs.com/ironcross-theband

15. Right thanks for this, anything else you wanna add just to finish this off right now?
Hey thanks and I just want to say Chelsea are shit. The boys from Highbury will be champions! (again!)

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