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Written by Admin
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Thursday, 09 November 2006 |
Interview with Local Melbourne band Marching Orders.
You can check out their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/marchingorders. And buy their EP 'Last Drinks' and the 7inch split with Alternate Action through www.deadsetmusic.net
* First off we had better do the 'Who are you guys' and 'How did the band form' etc... I would tell people to just see your bio in the 'band profile' section, but you haven't got round to doing that yet....
Phil:
Al or Chris can probably best answer this...
Ben: someone else can do this one...
Al: We first formed around 2002,a while back and went through 2 line ups that just didn't work mostly due to lack of interest and musical differences.I was ready to call it a day when chris and ben said they were interested in doing an oi band.And i guess it all started from there,we haven't looked back since!!
Chris: I'm Chris and i play drums. I'm not sure how the band started originally( you’d have to ask al.) but the current line up started with me joining then it was just me and al for a while then we got Ben cause i was playin in another band with him. and we jammed for a couple of months. then we got Ander on bass cause i had gone to school with him and we had been in a few bands together. Then we played a couple of shows and me and Ben met Phil when we were out on the piss and the rest is history.
* We also better do the 'describe your sound' for someone who may not have heard you?
Phil: We're just a straight up oi! band. I hope you can hear that plus the Aussie sound that also influences us. We don't try to mix it up, we don't try to reinvent the sound. We're a meat and potatoes band.
Al: I guess we take influence from many different genres,its mostly oi and rock n roll for me,bands like rose tattoo,cock sparrer,the business etc are some of my main influences.
Ben: pretty straight up oi!/streetpunk with an aussie rock influence.
Chris: Classic Oi! With a bit of aussie pub rock |
 Phil - guitar
* Ben and Phil also play in the reformed Bulldog Spirit (aka BDS
cover band) How is that working out with both bands being popular amongst the same crowd, and hence playing a lot of shows together?
Phil: Hopefully we won't play too many shows together. Though both bands do play music that the same people tend to like, Bulldog Spirit have much more of a hardcore influence so the sound is pretty different. I love playing in both bands. But I'm getting too old to do two sets in one night. Hahaha.
Al: its good to have another band around that has the guts to be openly skinhead.Everyone likes oi etc but very few people have the balls to play it.BDS are bringing back angry hardcore ,forget the fringe and make up crowd. Looking foward to playing more shows with them in the future.
Ben: its workin out pretty well, but hoping to get away from playing too many of the same gigs.
Chris: I think it’s great cause everyone can enjoy both bands, but I think we wont do as many together in future cause Phils getting too old.
* Your first EP release 'Last Drinks' has been a huge success here and overseas. Did you think it would go down as well as it has?
Phil: We had no fuckin' idea. It's been a total surprise. We were really happy with the way it came out but we didn't think other people would like it as much as they have.
Al: I wasn't sure what would happen but we are well pleased with the response.If you don't have a copy get one asap as it will sell out soon!!
Ben: not at all. thought we'd sell a few copies to people around melbourne.
Chris: Not at all, I’m really stoked people like it. I thought it would take forever to sell them all.
* Give us a quick run down of the tracks and what inspired the
lyrics.
Phil: I didn't write the lyrics (Al and Ben usually do so they can answer best) but I can give you an idea of what I reckon they're about.
Ben: who knows whats goin on in al's brain.
Chris: As for lyrics youd have to talk to al
Misplaced Loyalty
Al: Its about putting your faith and support into people who don't deserve it.And also about calling people to step up and have a good time at shows etc,forget all the political drivel.
Phil: I think this is kinda about people who blindly follow or look up to fuckheads. It's a wakeup call I guess
Things are Gonna go off
Al: Its simply a song about having fun with your mates and ignoring people that judge you purely on appearance,a common occurance in the oi/punk scene.
Phil: You know when ya at the pub or a gig and you can just feel in the room that shit is gonna hit the fan? That's what this song means to me.
Marching Orders
Al: Just about being drunk and makeing a menace of yourself..we all do it!
Phil: Just a story of the Aussie night out I reckon. We can all relate to this.
Australian Made
Al: Being proud of being an aussie no matter who you are.
Phil: I think it's about all the things that make being Aussie so great. People forget how fuckin' lucky we are to live in this country.
Parasite
Al: a song about a guy i once new who was a friend until he turned to drugs and ripped off and betrayed his friends repeatly..scum of the earth.
Phil: Fuckin' scumbag cunts!
Last Drinks
Al: Getting as drunk as possible all night and still going strong in the morning
Phil: Drinkin ya life away. I hate when last drinks get called. I always end up begging for just one more...
* Also out is a split 7" with Alternate Action from Canada how has that release been recieved?
Phil:Again we've been really surprised. I'm a vinyl junkie so it's been the best thing to have a 7" out. Mike at Longshot is a great guy and Alternate Action are an awesome band. We thought most people wouldn't get into a vinyl release but we've been surprised to even see kids buying it. They might get a surprise when they realize that it doesn't fit into the cd player.
Ben: not sure. phil would know.
Chris: Pretty well I think, I’m not really sure how its goin overseas but we’ve had good feedback.
* There was a review done by some zine
(http://www.longshotmusic.com/images/reviews/eXd-LS733review.jpg)
that seemed to be way off track and thing nihilistic is about hating chaos punks. Does it annoy you when people just totally miss the point by a country mile? (ha maybe it is about hating chaos punks though)
Phil:Yeah that was strange. But I guess if ya gonna put shit out there then it's gonna be open to interpretation so ya have to just deal with it. That said, I have no idea how that guy got the idea that Nihilistic was about hating Chaos punks... Kinda makes me think that he really didn't even bother to listen to it or read the lyrics. Maybe he's got us mixed up with some other band.
Al: Yeah that pissed me off as half the crowd at gigs are punks and i'm an ex punk..the guy just fell into the old trap of calling anyone with a shaved head an extremist,narrow minded thinking.
Ben: not really annoying. more funny than anything. still dont get the chaos punk hating reference.
i know nobody likes chaos punks, maybe it should've been about that.
Chris: I suppose it annoys me a bit but by the same token I don’t take it to heart, i mean you can put your point across but its up to people to interperate it how they want.
* You have a couple of tracks coming up on the new Streetrock
Sampler from Rebellion Records with bands the like of Bakers Dozen, Strongarm and the Bullies and Razorblade, how did this come about?
Phil:Wouter at Rebellion is a fuckin champion.. He's been selling our cd on his website and has helped us sell it in the states etc. He's a fuckin' top bloke and I'm a big fan of his band Razorblade. We are fuckin' stoked to be on a release on his label particularly with bands that we love like Razorblade, Bakers Dozen and top Aussie band the Corps. Plus heaps more.
Ben: ask phil hes the business man.
Chris: We sent a copy of our our e.p to them and they liked it and wanted to put out something with us, which we were more than happy to do.
* Is there plans for a full length release anytime soon? If there is what info can you give us?
Phil:Though we'd love to do a full length I think we'll probably do another MCD next. We can't really afford to record a whole album and I think it's easier for punters to only have to shell out a few bucks for an EP rather than $15 or $20 for an album. It would probably help us to release something in Europe or the US if it was full length but we're more keen on getting shit out in Australia and touring interstate and shit. Hopefully next year we'll do a full length. We've been writing new songs n shit so hopefully a new release isn't too far away.
Al: we will have another ep soonish and eventually a full length album.
Ben: nothing planned so far. just been busy working on new material at the moment.
Chris: Not in the near future, but we are writing stuff at the moment and keen to record again.
* Who is the main songwriter behind the band or do you all chip in?
Phil:Al and Ben usually come up with an idea for a riff or the lyrics and then we all chip in and pound it into shape.
Al: I wrote the early stuff i guess ,but with this line up i'd say its a team effort more than anything and ben has written some awesome tunes more recently too.
Ben: it all depends on the song. but mostly its a team effort, we all give ideas and work from that.
Chris: Ben and Al usually come to practise with an initial idea but then we all work on it. So I spose we all chip in.
* What/who are your main influences?
Phil:I think we all have different influences but for me it would be: Cock Sparrer (greatest band ever), 4 Skins, Last Resort, The Strike, Combat 84, Condemned 84, The Business, Blitz, AC/DC, Coloured Balls, Rose Tattoo
Al: Rose tattoo,cock sparrer,business,last resort,the elite and heaps of 3 chord punk rock from the 80's.
Ben: mostly cock sparrer, the business, 4skins as well as rose tattoo and the angels.
Chris: Mainly OI, but we listen a lot of different stuff. Two of the biggest would be Cocksparrer and Rose Tattoo.
* The Aussie scene is pretty healthy at the moment, what bands are you really enjoying playing with?
Phil:The Corps, Charter 77, Slick 46, The Worst, The Beefeaters, looking forward to playing with AVO and the Blurters in Sydney.
Al: The beefeaters,slick 46,charter 77,bulldog spirit...would be great to see some new oi on the scene though...its not hard to play guys!!
Ben: the beefeaters, slick 46, charter 77,
Chris: The scene is great at he moment, Slick 46, Bulldog Spirit, The Beefeaters, Distorted Truth and Charter 77
* You recently played the 'Wasted Australia' festival where you
would have been seen by many interstaters who otherwise may not have heard of you, have you had much feedback from the show?
Phil:Yeah we've had people from all over Australia emailing us asking when we're gonna come play where they live.
Al: Everyone had a great day,the show went down a treat...that was probably the best show we've done as far as crowd response goes,its always good when people get to know the words to your songs.Great day all round.
Ben: we got a sydney show, and offers of brisbane and newcastle which is cool.
Chris: Yeah, people offered to help us tour, so that is something we really want to do.
* Have you played many shows outside of Melbourne? If so how was the reaction in other states?
Phil:We've only played in Adelaide and it was pretty cool. It was before we had release anything so no one new who we were but we got good reception. We'd love to go back soon. We're playing in Sydney for the first time on November 24 and we can't wait!
Al: Only adelaide,nsw show coming up too,24th nov.
Ben: so far only played two shows in adelaide, and that was about a year ago.
seemed to make a fairly good impression.
Chris: Only 2 shows in Adelaide, we were received pretty well, I think it was great playin a different scene and state
* What future gigs are coming up for the band?
Phil:The two big show for us are Sydney on November 24th at the Landsdown Hotel with Run For Cover, The Corps, AVO and the Blurters. And then the next night we're playing at the Arthouse in Melbourne with Anti Nowhere League, Slick 46 and some dodgy band called Bulldog Spirit. Hahaha. That will probably be the last gig for the year as we're gonna concentrate on writing new songs.
Ben: got a sydney show next month with the corps, avo, run for cover and the blurters.
then the melbourne anti-nowhere league support which should be fun.
Chris: Our last 2 shows of the year are a gig in Sydney (with The Blurters, A.V.O, The Corps and Run For Cover.) and a show with Anti-Nowhere Leauge .
* Do you notice that Marching Orders have a pretty loyal set of
followers or do you also see lots of new faces at your shows?
Phil:It's a bit of both. We have a crew of guys (Trav mainly) that come to every gig and are standing at the front singing every word. Then there are a bunch that come to most shows and then those that see us cause they came to see one of the other bands on the bill.
Al: We have a couple of people that are at every show which is fuckin awesome,otherwise our crowd seems to vary and change a lot.
Ben: a couple of new faces here and there but mostly just the loyal few.
which is good.
Chris: We have a loyal following which is really good, but we also get a few new faces,
* You are generally described as a 'skinhead band', do you think that influences the type of shows you play or the type of people who come to see you?
Phil:Yeah I think it definitely influences both things. We have a pretty good following from punks and skins and even a few mods and psychobillies. Remember, not everyone in the band is a skinhead. But then neither were all the Business or the 4 Skins or Cock Sparrer. We don't get too many crusties to our gigs though. I guess some people are too influenced by the media and believe that all skinheads are like what they've seen on telly or in movies.
Al: Not really,we get a big range of people at our shows,from all walks of life and backgrounds.And we are open to playing just about any show.
Ben: not really, we've played with alot of different bands with different crowds, and
they all seem to enjoy it.
Chris: I don’t think it changes anything, we play lots of different gigs and lots of different people come to our shows.
* The Internet (and gayspace in particular!) is a pretty big part of people's lives these days. How do you see it as a medium for
reaching the masses? Is it a positive, are there negatives?
Phil:I think it's a great way to find out about stuff going on interstate and in other parts of the world. I'm always looking for new bands and shit and have come across some great stuff on the internet. I think myspace is fuckin' gay but it's is a great way to communicate with people and let heaps of people know that a gig is on or something. I think the problem comes when people stop going out and spend their whole lives on the net on message boards and gayspace. Particularly if the talk shit and act tough yet you'd never see them at the pub and if you did they'd be quiet as a mouse.
Al: Its great for promoting the band,people you'll never meet on the other side of the world can listen to you at the touch of a button.
Ben: i think its really positive. thats how mike from longshot heard us, and we got a 7" out of it.
so i can't complain.
Chris: As gay as it is it has been a huge positive for the band, so I think it’s a really useful thing it helps people check out what’s going on in different scenes around the world. I got on to bands that I never would have heard if it wasn’t for it.
* Anything else you would like to add, or questions you would like to answer that I haven't asked?
Phil:Nah, just thanks heaps for all you support Fiona. And thanks to all the skins and punks who come to our shows and buy our cds. See yas at the pub.
Al: lets see some more street punk and pub rock style bands on the scene!! Cheers to all,thanks fiona. AL
Ben: is ander gay?? haha nah just joking, but seriously??
Chris: Thanks for the interview. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 12 November 2006 )
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