Army of Flying Robots are hailing from UK - one of those more aggresive and brutal bands. Samuel asked me to ask them couple of questions for his zine and here is the result. I was too lazy to get something more interesting, but you know how those interviews are done...too much time wasted in front of the computer waiting for answers...
introduction: who you are, where you are coming from and why you decided to play in the band? have you ever played in a band before AOFR?
ANDY: Hi and thanks for the interview! Andy - Guitar/voice, Henry - Voice, Luke - Drums, Simon - Guitar, Craig, Bass.
our zine is only for people from east part of europe and local kids who probably never ever heard about AOFR? can you try to describe me how do you sound and where your inspirations is coming from? which bands? life situations influencing your lyrics...
ANDY: Our sound has changed a bit. We have many influences, not all confined to hardcore punk! For me personally it's stuff like Rorschach, Shank, Hard to Swallow, Unruh, His Hero Is Gone, Neurosis, Discordance Axis, Black Flag, Void, Bad Brains, Dystopia etc. As for lyrics, Henry mainly deals with that side of things. There's quite a dystopic view of our world at times. Just some of the ridiculous lengths people go to to screw each other over in the name of profit, power and greed.
HENRY: Someone described the lyrics once as something like 'specific examples of how fucked up the world is at the moment' which is I think is pretty close to the mark. There aren't really any answers/alternatives offered, I don't think I've got it in me to be that optimistic.
what do you think about present UK HC scene? are the bands supporting each other or its more local based as anywhere else? what are yours favourite uk hc bands?
ANDY: I'd say it's healthier than it has been for a long time. Lots of bands, labels and enthusiastic kids. Scenes can be a bit segregated at times but there's still a lot of good people with a good spirit. As for good uk bands right now I'd say Brain Dead (thrash/powerviolence) and Hangover Heartattack (thrash/grind) from Leicester, The Horror, Burning The Prospect, Patient Zero, Red County War Ensemble, Geriatric Unit (new band with members of Heresy/John Holmes/Hard To Swallow!) and loads more besides.
london is a full of cctv cameras, well living there is getting me sometimes pretty paranoid. Asking myself, what im doing and specialy where im doing things hehe...what do you think about your/ours Big Brother. do you feel safer BB watching you?
ANDY: We actually had a song which kind of dealt with this on the Jinn split 10". I mean CCTV has it's benefits - helping to catch people who assault/rape other people etc but there is so much of it around that it's hard to walk around a city without being on CCTV which is worrying. It sucks that we've got to the stage where we are being constantly checked and monitored.
HENRY: I can't remember the actual statistics, but when you realise the relative amounts of cctv operators who aren't police but belong to external agencies with no vested interest in crime prevention, then it doesn't really make me feel especially safe, no. If it's used properly, then yes, sure it can be a good thing. But when you've got things happening like people getting banned from travelling to mainland europe for 6 years because of facial recognition software mix-ups and mistaken identity then I'm not reassured by it being everywhere at all.
are there any interesing bands from europe you enjoy playing with?
ANDY: Well last summer we toured with PERTH EXPRESS from Germany. They are an awesome band and awesome people. We had a lot of fun with them and I suggest anyone who likes heavy hardcore to check them out because they will blow you away. We've played a few times with Kaospilot over the years and they are always good. Trainwreck from Germany were awesome, kind of a mix of Envy and His Hero Is Gone, totally heavy and pissed off yet quite emotive stuff. We always play with SL-27 in Belgium, again good people and they play really good fastcore/thrash/screamo stuff.
what is making you angry in your daily life apart of your bosses at work? and how do you deal with stupid people or situations which are making you unconfortable?!
Andy: Walking down the street on a saturday night is pretty fucking disgusting to be honest. I mean I drink and get drunk and act stupid and all that too but I hate English City centres at the weekend, it's all fights (or threats of) and vomit. Turning on the news or reading the papers can be pretty depressing too. There is so much bad stuff going on the world, it's like people are pre programmed for self destruction.
inspirations in life? Forget about band with this question and try to tell me what or who is the infinitive inspiration for you?
Andy - I know this is a pretty cheesy answer but my girlfriend is an amazing person and inspires me no end on a daily basis. She is a very kind, loving and generous person but also will not take shit from anyone. She doesn't really have anything to do with the punk/hardcore scene and that kind of keeps me grounded sometimes. It helps me to step back from it all and see how silly a lot of it is. Don't get me wrong I'm very much into certain aspects of punk/hardcore - community, DIY, counterculture etc but there's a lot of stuff that is really silly and good step back from. My friends also influence me and I guess just life ingeneral you know? Just living day to day, and all the situations and people I encounter, good books, films....
when you look back 10 years ago do you think that anything changed within hard core punk scene? do you think that there is something what is making this subculture different from the rest of mainstream or it is the same shit but based in underground? whats your feelings about to be part of something/group/subculture? isnt it just playing cool with your mates? You might find this question pretty stupit/boring but if there is something what you really like on hardcore punk scene, share it with us. The top five or ten of hardcore punk scene?
Andy - I would say that I have been 'involved' in HC for about 10 years - before that I was going to gigs and stuff but I was more into metal in my mid to late teens. From when I first started to get involved in hardcore I guess the scene in this country has grown a lot. There are loads more bands, labels, zines, promoters and kids who are into it! The scene was alot smaller in the late nineties and not as fragmented as it is now. Beatdown metal bands would play with emo bands and punk bands on the same bill. Now it's more segregated, like you have crust kids, crucial hardcore kids, screamo kids etc. A few years ago obviously people were more into certain styles than others but because the scene was smaller then bills were more varied and people just went to whatever gigs were on. There were more all dayers with very mixed bills.
I think that had quite a big influence on me to be honest. I don't just listen to hardcore. I like all sorts of music. I mean I listen to mainly underground stuff but all sorts of random shit rather than just one particular style. These days there are definitely very separate scenes that really do not mix at all, which I think is a shame.
As for top 5 of Hardcore, that's a tricky one but I'll try. In no particular order:
Festivals - when they're done right festivals or all dayers can be
really amazing things. I'm thinking Trashfest
(holland), Chopfest (an all day festival that some friends
organised in Nottingam last year that was incredible) and numerous
fests that I've been to at the 1 in 12 club in Bradford.
A good festival is just fun! Loads of friends, loads of bands, beer,
distros, mosh, good food, good times! They're like a celebration
of the essence of what hardcore/diy/punk whatever is all about.
Bands - there's nothing like seeing a new band for the first time
that totally blows you away.
Touring in Europe - we've been over on a couple
of short tours and a longer tour with our friends Perth Express from Germany.
We got treated amazingly and got to play at some amazing squats/venues.
European punks are really organised and totally have their shit together.
It's an amazing network.
Community - It's great being able togo to another
town, play a gig and be welcomed into someone's house
and being made to feel almost like part of the family for the night. Making
contact with people from all over the place who are always willing to help you
out without any of it being to do with money. People outside of Punk/HC don't
really get it but it's great.
Records - I am a vinyl junkie.
Imagine that you are fucking angry about your goverment/MP/PM , you open the window there are thousands of people watching you and the cunts you are angry most of and you would have the opportunity to shout anything you want: what would you shout on them!
Andy - Let me see. How about Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP (Far right British National Party). I think I would choose to hurl a brick at him rather than abuse, or perhaps the contents of my cat's litter tray. Sometimes actions speak louder than words....
what are your favourite cover songs?
Andy - We used to do a spazz cover (badly) years ago, also me and the drummer would play this really short DS-13 cover (destroy) between songs sometimes, or if someone brok a string or something. More recently we covered 'Nervous Breadown' by Black Flag and 'I don't wanna hear it' by Minor Threat at a house party. There was talk of doing a set of covers including Unruh, Poison Idea and Hard To Swallow at one point. We never bothered to learn any of those songs though. To be honest I'm not a huge fan of covers, they're often rubbish or it can be a bit too much of a chep trick by bands to get people to dance. Like they will watch the whole set with their arms folded than suddenly the band busts out a lame version of a chain of strength song and all the crucial kids go fucking apeshit. Having said that BRAIN DEAD (awesome Uk fastcore) do some great integrity covers. I always have time for them.
army of flying robots - why? how did you come with the name? whos idea it was to name the band like it is? who are the flying robots? people in sociaty? followers of the man kind? tell me more about your name please!
Andy - It was Henry and Chris - who used to be our secod snger years ago - that came up with the name. I'd love to be able to give you some deep and philosophical answer but I think what it boils down to is that it sounded like some 50's B-movie title and was the best of a bad bunch.
SLOVENSKA VERZIA
nazdar dabli! prosim Vas predstavte sa, kto ste, odkial ste, a preco ste sa rozhodli hrat v kapele? hravali ste uz predtym v nejakej inej kapele?
andy: Vdaka za rozhovor. Volam sa Andy a hram na gitare a spievam, Henry len
spieva, Luke hra na bicie, Simon na gitaru a Craig na basu.
nas zin je len pre ludi z Ceska a Slovenska a pravdepodobne o Vas nikdy
nepoculi. mohol by si sa pokusit priblizit a opisat co hrate? odkial beriete
inspiraciu na tvorenie skladieb a textov? ake kapely radi pocuvate?
londyn je plny cctv kamier, zit tu je niekedy pekna paranoja. pytam sa sam seba, co robim a hlavne kde robim nejake veci...? co si myslis o britskom Velkom bratovi? citis sa bezpecnejsie so cctv za zadkom?
ktore kapely z Europy sa ti pacia? su tam nejake kapely, s ktorymi mate druzbu?
andy: minule leto sme hrali s Perth Express z Nemecka. Su to uzasny ludia co hraju vymakanu muziku. Zazili sme s nimi vela srandy. Vy co mate radi heavy hardcore mali by ste si ich vypocut - odjebu Vam hlavu! Parkrat sme hrali s Kaospilot a tiez su velmi dobry. Trainwreck z Nemecka boli super, taky mix Envy a His Hero is Gone, uplne tazke i nasrane a zaroven emotivne. Z Belgicka radi hrame s SL-27, znovu, su to super ludia a hraju velmi dobry fastcore/trash/screamo.
co Vas v zivote robi nasranymi, okrem Vasich bosov v praci? a ako sa staviate k situaciam, ked Vas niekto strasne nasere? situaciam, ktore Vam nie su zrovna dvakrat prijemne?
inspiracia v zivote? nemyslim tym inspiracia pre kapelu, ale v osobnom zivote. kde cerpas inspiraciu pre zivot?
ak sa pozries 10 rokov dozadu, vidis zmeny v hardcore punkovej komunite? myslis si, ze je v tejto kulture nieco co sa odlisuje od toho hlavneho smeru? alebo je to to iste hovno len obalene v inom pozlatku, v mensom a v podzemi? ake su tvoje pocity byt sucastou niecoho, nejakej skupiny, kontrakultury? nie je to len hranie sa na spravnakov? mozno, ze ti pride tato otazka hlupa/nudna, ale ak je tam vazne nieco co naozaj milujes na hard core punku co je ine, podel sa o to s nami. mozno tvojich 5 najlepsich veci na hc punkovej scene?
predstav si, ze uplne nasrany na svojho premiera ci inych tutmakov z parlamentu. Otvoris okno a je tam tisicka ludi, ktori ta pozoruju a specialne tie svine, na ktore si nasrany a mal by si moznost, bez toho ze by ta zatkli alebo nejakou formou postihli, zakricat hoci co co ta napadne. Co by to bolo a preco?
ake su tvoje oblubene cover songy?
army of flying robots? preco? ako ste k tomu menu prisli?
http://www.armyofflyingrobots.co.uk
andy: Nas zvuk sa v poslednej dobe velmi zmenil. Vela veci ci kapiel nas ovplyvnilo
, ktore nemusia byt hned hard core ci punk. Pre mna osobne su to kapely ako
Rorscharch, Shank, Hard to Swallow, Unruh, His hero is gone, Neurosis,
Discordance Axis, Blag Flag, Void, Bad Brains, Dystopia atd. Co sa tyka textov,
Henry nas spevak je ten ktory ich pise. V sucasnosti je vela tem, o ktorych sa da pisat. Uz len ako dlho sa dokazu ludia nicit pre uspech, peniaze a chamtivost
ti neda poriadne vecer spat.
andy: Povedal by som, ze je to momentalne velmi zdrave oproti tomu co tu bolo
par rokov dozadu. Vela kapiel zacalo hravat, labely a vela entuziastickych deciek. Scena je sem a tam segregovana na mensie, ale stale je tu dostatok deciek so zdravou davkou nadsenia. Co sa tyka kapiel z UK, skus si pozriet: Brain Dead (thrash/powerviolence) a Hangover Heartattack (thrash/grind) z Leicester, The Horror, Burning The Prospect, Patient Zero, Red County War Ensemble, Geriatric Unit (nova kapela ludi z Heresy/John Holmes/Hard To Swallow!) no a vela dalsich okolo.
andy: Mame o tomto probleme pesnicku na nasom splite Jinn 10". Myslim si, ze cctv ma svoje plus - pomahat chytat zlocincov, ktory napadaju inych, znasilnuju atd, ale na druhej strane je pekne tazke sa prechadzat po centre bez toho, aby ta neustale niekto nesledoval. To je niekedy pekne desive. Zacina to byt pruser, ked si denno denne neustale monitorovany a prehliadany.
henry: Nepamatam si presne statistiky, ale ked si pomyslis kolko cctv operatorov je zamestnanych externymi agenturami a nie su to zamestnanci policie / statnej spravy, ktory nie su zrovna zainteresovany v prevencii boja proti zlocinu, nenechava ma to na ulici s pocitom bezpecnosti. Ak je cctv pouzivana rozumne a k dopadnutiu zlocincov, tak si myslim, ze je to dobra vec. Ale pokial sa deju veci ako ked ta nepustia na uzemie zapadnej europy len preto, ze nejaky software alebo uradnik poplietol identitu, neviem - neviem.
andy: prechadzat sa v sobotu v noci je uplne hrozne. teda ja pijem a niekedy sa opijem, robim blbosti, ale nenavidim anglicke centra cez vikend. Je to sama grcanic, bitky, vyhrazanie sa atd. Citat noviny a pozerat televizne spravy je tiez niekedy pekne depresivne. Dnes sa deje vo svete tolko zla, ze mi to pripada akoby sme boli naprogramovany na sebaznicenie.
andy: toto mozno bude zniet trosku klisovito, ale moja frajerka je mojou inspiraciou v zivote. Je to uzasna osoba, ktora ma kazdy den niecim inspiruje. Je mila, milujuca a stedra bytost, ale nikdy si nenecha kydat na hlavu. Nie je zo sceny a to ma nechava nohami pevne na zemy.
Pomaha mi nechavat si zdravy odstup od hard core punkovej sceny a vidiet ako je tato scena niekedy naivna. Nechap ma v zlom, vela veci v tejto scene mam rad - komunita, DIY, proti kultura atd, ale je tu aj vela veci, ktore su uplne smiesne a od ktorych je lepsie si zanechat odstup. Moji kamarati maju na mna tak isto vplyv ako zivot sam o sebe. Zit si zivot zo dna na den, prezivat situacie a spolunazivanie s dalsimi ludmi, dobre knihy, filmy...
andy: mohol by som povedat, ze som mal prsty v hc punkovej komunite nejakych tych 10 rokov, ale pred tym som bol skor metalista ako punkac. Od chvile kedy som to zacal nejako vnimat a zapajat sa, si mylsim, ze tato scena velmi vyrastla a zmohutnela. Je tu stokrat viac kapiel, labelov, zinov, promoterov a deciek, ktore su uplne pohltene do sceny. na konci 90tych rokoch ta scena bola velmi mala a nie az tak rozstiepena. Beatdown metal kapely hravali s emo kapelami a punkacmi na tych istych koncertoch. Dnes je to viac oddelene. Mavas cisto len crust koncerty, punk, hardcore atd. V minulosti ti ludia pocuvali to svoje, ale chodili podporovat druhe styli a koncerty inych zanrov, pretoze scena bola velmi mala. Bolo omnoho viac celodennych koncertov s roznorodymi kapelami ako dnes.
Myslim, ze toto malo na mna velky vplyv. Nepocuvam len hardcore. Milujem rozne druhy hudobnych zanrov. Myslim tym, ze pocuvam najviac ten podzemny styl viac ako hlavny prud. Dnes jednoznacne su tie sceny separovane a nespajaju sa ako volakedy. To je dost smutna vec.
No a co sa tyka mojich 5 najoblubenejsich veci na hardcore? Tazko povedat, ale skusim to. Bez poradia:
Festivali: ak su robene spravne a spravnymi ludmi mozu byt festivali to najlepsie co mozeme mat. Ci su to uz male festaky alebo celodenne koncerty. Mylsim na festaky tipu Trashfest / Holandsko /, Chopfest / Nottinghamsky cellodeny festival robeny mojimi kamaratmi - uplne super atmosfera /. Festival robeny v 1 in 12 club-e v Bradforde. Dobry festival je jednoducho dobra zabava! Vela kamosov, mrdne muziky a kapiel, pivo, distra, mosh, dobry kamosi - dobre casy! Je to ako mala oslava vsetkeho co hardcore punk ponuka.
Kapely: nie je nic lepsie ako ked ta odrovna nova kapela.
Cestovanie po Europe: uz sme presli zopar kratkych EU turne a zopar dlhsich s nasimi kamosmi Perth Express z Nemecka. Vzdy sa o nas postarali na vysokej urovni a hrali sme na strasne vela zaujmavych miestach a squatoch. Europsky punkaci su velmi dobre organizovany a vedia presne co maju robit. Je to jednoducho uplne vymakana siet ludi.
Komunita: je to super ist do cudzieho mesta, zahrat si koncert a byt vitany a ubytovany u niekoho cudzieho v jeho dome. Zaroven ta pohostia a su radi, ze spoznavaju novych ludi. Privitaju ta s otvorenou narucou, kde sa na jednu noc citis ako sucast rodiny. Nove kontakty s ludmi z celeho sveta, ktory su vzdy ochotny pomoct ak je treba bez toho aby v tom hrali nejaku ulohu peniaze. Ludia mimo scenu to moc nechapu, ale to je na tom to super.
Nahravky: som jednoducho vinylovi zavislak.
andy: tak sa na to pozrime...co takto Nick Griffin, lider BNP /Britska Narodna Strana/. Myslim si, ze by som si namiesto slov zvolil tehlu a smaril by som mu ju rovno medzi oci. Niekedy akcia rozprava hlasnejsie ako slova.
andy: zvykli sme hrat Spazz /hrozne sme to hrali/ roky dozadu. Bubenik a ja sme zvykli hravat kratke DS13 coveri specialne vtedy ak nam prdla struna, alebo pocas brejku. Momentalne hravame cover od Black Flag - Nervous Breakdown a I dont wanna hear it od Minor Threat. Chceli sme robit covery od Unruh, Poison Idea a Hard to Swallow. Nikdy sme sa ale k tomu nedostali. Nie som velmi velky fanusik coverov. Je to dost lacny trik donutit decka, aby zacali tancovat a vacsinou su hrozne zahrane. Je to ako ked celu dobu decka cakaju so zalozenymi rukami len na nejaky cover od ich oblubenej kapely - az vtedy sa zacnu hybat. Povacsine potom sa idu uplne zblaznit a saleju ako opice. Taky Brain Dead, super fastcorova kapela z UK, hraju vymakany cover od Integrity. Vzdy si na nich najdem cas.
andy: boli to Henry a Chris - ten zvykol byt nasim druhym spevakom roky dozadu. Oni prisli s tymto menom. Rad by som ti poskytol rozumne dovody preco toto meno kapely, ale myslim si, ze to bolo skor preto, lebo to znelo skor ako hrozny Bckovy film z 50tych rokov a bol asi po ruke v tej dobe. Nic viac.
