places and have fun. Then we noticed that people were really coming to shows for us and wanted to hear our songs. That was a turning point for us because we noticed that the band could get bigger. That was right while we were recording Break the Routine. We worked a lot on the sound for that record and knew that in order to keep up with the recording we could no longer play shows hungover or too drunk.
How did you record your first demo?
Sid: We had no real idea and were just looking for any studio.
Jack: We live in Ryde on the Isle of Wight and there are not many studios to choose from. I think we got a recommendation from a friend. We recorded a demo with some songs there but we don’t like them anymore because they are so bad. No one should hear them. For the next recording session, we booked the studio that we used up to our new album Graveyard Island.
Where did you record the new album?
Jack: We recorded it with Tim Armstrong in Los Angeles, but the pre-production at the old studio.
How long did it take to record the album?
Sid: It took us twelve days. We toured in America in December 2018 for five shows and then we stayed to record the album. We had it finished just before Christmas, so basically it was ready ten months prior to its release.
With all the time you’re spending on tour, do you still have day jobs?
Sid: Where we live is a very seasonal place. Work is predominantly in the summer in hotels and restaurants and tourist businesses. For us there is a lack of a real career opportunities and we don’t have the time to keep up the touring and apply for one of the few jobs you can do full time. So basically, we decided that, at our age, we’ll see how far we can get. We’ve been playing 80–100 shows annually in the last two years.
So, you’re able to live of that?
Sid: No, it’s not that good yet, but we’re working on that. We are busting our balls.
Jack: We’re in a position where we can either keep going or we stop and become a weekend band. We decided to keep going. Luckily, we don’t have that high costs of living at the moment and get supported by our parents. They understand what we’re doing.
Sid: Though the first time we left the country for a festival, we had to trick them. Another friend of us told his mum that my parents had already agreed, which in turn made her agree. Then we went to our parents and told them that his mother had said yes, knowing they will also say yes. That worked quite well. Then when we came home we told them, well you already said yes the last time and we were good to go. That was how it all began.
Do you think that your young age had an influence on your success so far or was it a problem?
Sid: It was both. Back at the start a lot of people supported us, because there were not many young bands playing classical oi. But of course, there were also people laughing at us. I guess many people are stuck in a time zone and they don’t realize that this is not the 80s anymore.
Now we sometimes come into the situation that bands refuse to play before a band that is at least ten years younger than them. But that rarely happens. For us it was definitely a good thing. But we still had a lot of disappointments, too. I remember we once flew to Milan to play in front of six people. You have had to take it in stride.
How did that show work financially for you?
Jack: Luckily the promoter paid for the flights, so we came out alright. We had quite a few promoters that booked us for shows and paid the flights even though they knew that we wouldn’t draw a big crowd. They just loved the music and that’s why they brought us out there.
Do you have a plan for the future?
Sid: Well, if you call doing a new album every few years and then go on tour is a plan, then yes, we have one.
Jack: As soon as we have enough songs, we’ll go back to the studio.
So, are you able to write new songs on tour?
Jack: That’s definitely harder than doing it at home. There we have all the time we need, on tour it’s always stressful.
Sid: And if we got free time we prefer it to lay down and don’t do anything. Being on tour is really mentally draining. But every now and then we pick up the instruments and try to write something new.
When people see that your new album was released on Hellcat Records, I guess they assume that you’re living the life of rock stars in a big night liner? What’s your ride like on this tour?
Sid: We wish – our van isn’t even as big as a sprinter. It’s more like a post office van. We don’t have a backline with us this time, because it wouldn’t fit in the van. It’s that small.
Jack: We’re definitely not a night liner band. But we’ve already gotten lots of abuse about being sell-outs. They even called us a boy band.
Sid: Some say now that we just wanna be a copy of Rancid, because Tim Armstrong co-wrote a few songs on the new album. But in the end, those are all our songs, Tim just helped us out. Everything on this album was done the way we wanted it. Nothing changed from how we did the last album.
What’s the most important thing for you to have on tour?
Sid: Tea, British tea.
Jack: Nobody seems to know how to make it right besides us apparently.
Sid: Add sugar and milk and that’s it.
So, you have to bring it along?
Sid: Yes, but in many places, especially the USA, they don’t have kettles and we can’t make it.
Jack: We’re rock’n’roll, aren’t we? What we need on tour is tea and a good night’s sleep.
What’s the worst experience you have had on tour so far?
Sid: Being in a police chase in Greece was the worst and funniest experience so far. The promoter for the show had two bars. We went into one of the bars to have a drink and then head into the hotel. But then we saw him doing shots of whisky and he was supposed to drive us. He said it was alright and since we were pretty hammered as well, we didn’t make him stop. He stumbled into the car, pulls out of the car park and instantly hits a taxi. He was trying to drive away, but people tried to stop him. What made matters worse was that on the other side of the street were two police cars. He eventually got away and the police immediately followed him. He took ages to pull over and when he got arrested he gave us 20 euros and said: “Thanks for coming.” That was the last time we saw him. We don’t know what happened. But that show was one of the best we’ve ever played.
Jack: The worst experience financially was one time in Germany when we missed the bus call for the airport and decided to take a taxi. The thing was I set an alarm on my phone, but had to charge it in the bathroom and didn’t hear it in the morning. We missed the bus call by about four hours. The airport was hours away, but we still decided to take a taxi, which cost us about 650 Euro. Luckily, we had enough money, but of course it would have made a lot more sense to just book another flight from another airport.
Sid: That was the worst decision we ever made.
Are you thinking of getting a management involved?
Jack: Right now, we are semi-managed by Lars Frederiksen. It’s not like a fulltime thing, but he gives us advice and helps us get gigs here and there.
Sid: He’s our guardian angel. But we still manage ourselves and make the decisions.
What do you do if you have a disagreement in the band?
Jack: It’s a group thing. We decide it all together democratically and we’ve never had any strong disagreements. We all come to a good conclusion in the end.
Sid: If you’re in a band that tours a lot you get to know each other really well and you learn that you have to give each other space.
Jack: If that’s possible. We sleep so weird sometimes on the road and