Gold Blade

After years of banging away with their punk rock anthems Gold Blade rule victorious!!! When those dismissed their style as outdates while the bland ruled the airways it seems like finally bands like the Hives, Hundred Reasons and Lost Prophets can demand a place on TOTP each week. Its rebel music, something that the mainstream media is still stuggling to get to grips with and when faced with each hurdle they make themselves look like the pathetic middle class conservative they really are.

We caught with Gold Blade's John Robb to find out about the new album "Do U Believe In The Power Of Rock 'n' Roll!" and to get an introduction to the new members Brother Johnny Skullknuckles and Brother Pete G.o.r.g.e.o.u.s.

Q: You seem to have been away for what seems like an eternity. What's been happenning?
A: Its weird because people say that, but we've been away for a year at most. The hitch was that we had a single called "Hairstyle" which got on Ant & Dec and was played on daytime Radio 1 and the record label went bust all in the same week. It took us about another year to get a record deal and took us about  another year to get the record recorded but we were still out there playing gigs and everything.

What we started to notice is that as we were playing the crowd was getting younger and younger. The kids are into our type of music now, but when we started we were the only band in Britain playing this sort of stuff. Now its totally commonplace, you turn on TOTP and the Hives and bands like that are on there...so what we can say about that is that we were right all the time!!!
 

Q: You've got a new line up as well. Brother Wayne and Brother Jay have left the fold and you've brought in Brother Johnny Skullknuckles and Brother Pete G.o.r.g.e.o.u.s. Introduce us about the new band of brothers?
A: Wayne left about two and a half years ago to be a photographer because he's more into the visual side of it. Jay left about three months ago. Jay left on the Friday and by the Monday we had the band rehearsing ready to go. The band was basically a gang of mates who then tried to be in a band and now these guys come in and can actually play properly.
 

Q: The new album "Do You Believe In The Power Of Rock & Roll?" is out 24th June. Straight up rock & roll, no horns, new direction.
A: We used to take the horns out to gig and drown them out them out because we were so loud...I felt sorry for them!!! I just realised we could say the same things with less...and the songs are still the same without the twiddly bits on top. Were playing all are best cards which are fast punchy song with the sing along chorus'.

Were getting more into the faster songs and were into the energy thing. And we made it easier for us to freak out on stage. The music gets faster and faster as we get faster and faster!!!

Q: You mentioned before about the Goldblade audience getting younger and younger and you've got a band of 12 year old kids from down south that have covered "Strictly Hardcore". It wouldn't have happenned 5 years ago would it?
A: Its brilliant!!! Its a whole new generation that are coming in, but saying that I know a whole lot of 40 and 50 year olds coming in. You play a gig in a working mens club in Wales or somewhere and you get these people who have just come out for a drink....and they're like its Elvis!!!

People were into mad music in the 1720's. I'd like to listen to the music they did, but nobody taped it!!! Punk rock and hip-hop are the ultimate rebel music. Indie music's more grown up music and that kind of for when you go to university music. If you want to slam your bedroom door and play your music loud - punks rocks perfect for it!!!
 

Q: Do you think these hoardes of rock kids are into the music or the fashion?
A: I think for kids its a genuine voice. Its an outsider music. Outsider music is always the best type of music. The media don't get it and you get the Guardian saying all these bands sound the same - they sound like their mums and dads - its quite pathetic. When they review bands like Slipknot they don't get it...they'd rather you listen to the Strokes than Slipknot because the Strokes are respectable.

A lot of the bands that people accuse of jumping on the rock bandwagon have been around for years...its just now that they're getting the attention. Maybe some bands were into one style of music and then they heard this and thought its fantastic. If you do it well I don't mind if you're around for one week or a hundred years. In America no-one cares where you come from - all that matters is that if it kicks ass or not!!!

In England you have to have a press angle and in America you just seem to have a really good set of tunes. I'm into an angle as well because i'm English and I've grown up with that - but I think its pretty dull. When you decide what bands you like by the angle of the band its pretty ridiculous really isn't it.

Q: Moving away from the music slightly for a while. You're appearing in a film called "Who Was The Killa?" inspired by a track off the new album. What's the story?
A: It's a little gangster film with our songs as the sountracks. All I know is that its about two brothers who fall out and there is this criminal underworld thing going on - that's original!!! Its not like Guy Richie though - even a girl starting off up here can make a film better than Guy Richie!!!
 

Q: And Finally, tell us a little bit about the recent single "AC/DC"?
A: Its a celebration of primal three chord rock & roll. Bands like The Ramones, AC/DC and how you say something very simply...and the chords are AC/DC so its sort of an in-joke!!!

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The Album "Do U Believe In The Power Of Rock 'n' Roll!" is out 24th June
"AC/DC" is out now
For more info
www.goldblade.com
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