Drongos For Europe Interview

Hi, how are you?

Good thanks

How would you personally describe the band?

we're a punk rock band, in the same way the Stooges, Pistols, Clash, and Heartbreakers were punk - we live and breath it - and remember kids there ain't no Oi in punk - that's for kids or bands who's Mom's or Wives won't let them be a punk - and as for straight edge that's more wussy than emo!

How’d you come up with the name?

Our origional bass playe Swainy came up with it - but the band never wanted to have a generic name like all the others - we never wanted to be like anyone else.

If you were stranded on a desert island (and somehow had a music player available) what is the one album you'd want with you.

can only answer for myself so I think it would be the Clash's first and best album. but tomorrow it could be the Stooges or Ruts.

How has the punk scene changed since you first started? Is it better/worse or just the same?

The punk scene seems to come and go in cycles, I'm told by bigger promoters that there's a bit of a slump at the moment, in the punk underground scene I think it's still pretty good for some bands - depending on the promoters of gigs - if people know about the show they will come out. The bands today are better than even back in 77 - some great new and younger bands around like Dead Class, Global Parasite, Wild Youth ,Ram Man, Anti Social Burn Outs -I could go on forever -
there's some brilliant bands here in Birmingham coming along all the time like D'Corner Bois, Detrimentals, Self Inflicted, Dead Offenders Wild Youth from Lichfield, Dirty Mindz, we go to see these bands and it makes us realise that we can't slack off cos the punks have all these great bands to go see now - far better than a lot of old bastartds who have come back on the scene as they think they can make some money out of it - WRONG! The're's more of a DIY attitude with everyone, more of a punk family, it's safer now, more girls at shows particularly our gigs - so it's mostly positive.
The real punk bands on the scene will keep it going and always will because punk is an attitude that will be picked up by each new generation of rebels. Oh yeah also the Restars are probably one of the best bands ever to come out of punk and they're happening here and now.

Whats your favourite song to play live/favourite place to play live?

we'd all have different songs I guess, I love playing "Don't wanna be like You!" best venue's in England anywhere in Brum, the KVU in Berlin, AU in Frankfurt, anywhere in the North East, the Derby Vic, Tijuana in Mexico,The Arena Vienna, A' La Miroiterie in Paris - all these place cos of the people

What kind of dance will you do when maggie dies?

the pogo of course!

Tell the readers five facts about the band / band members they will not already know

er - Danny our drummer is Colin from GBH's cousin. Dave Ohmsy used to play with Micky from Dead Wretched in Sister Automatic, also played in Suicide Blondes back in the eighties. Tommy used to be a really good football player. and me (Dek) I draw comics when I have time - though not had much recently.

You're prime minister for a day...what do you do?

Get our troops out of the Middle East, death penalty for peadophiles and believe me I'd execute the scum if no one else would do it - real penalties for career criminals, you have to understand the victims of crime are generally the poor and working class so to make a living out of their suffering would not be acceptable, cut tax's, pull out of the EU as it's totally corrupt with unelected people making decisions that effect us, have speed camera's out side schools only, throw Tony Blair and Maggie Thatcher in the Tower of London - I could go on but won't!

Plans, gigs and releases for the rest of 2008?

we're on tour with the Adicts in September, have loads of gigs coming up including the annual XMas bash at the Birmingham Barfly 20th Dec with our mates GBH and Contempt, going back over to Europe a couple of times - think we have Greece, Italy and Berlin lined up this year, we're writing a new album for a 2009 release. Also in 2009 we're hoping to tour in Japan for the first time - we're just working the details out with people over there. We'll generally be playing all over the UK so please come out and have fun with us.

Any extra comments?

thanks for having us over for tea Liz xxxx