“I had been smoking weed and getting drunk on and off from the age of 12 up to 17. In fact I stopped getting drunk just before my 18th birthday. Some of the times I had drinking or being stoned were fun but after a while it all got a bit monotonous for me, I didn’t enjoy the feeling of being drunk anymore and smoking weed was beginning to have an unpleasant effect on my mind.

Combine that with a back injury that put me out of riding full time for a year. I was pissed off and getting back to full health never seemed so important to me. Not being able to ride for that length of time made me realise that your body is the most important tool you will ever be given. Be kind to it because when it doesn’t work properly it can act like a cage.“

I still reckon Scott eats too much protein, but who knows. Look at the size of him!!! It’s been a long time since I used to ride with him at Derby Storm, and it’s great to see how good he still is at doing his favourite thing. Go Scott! See the Ride BMX website for the full interview.

All, lovely Mouthwash! The band have already begun writing their third album with rumours it may emerge some time early next year. Further sources suggest that the band maybe moving into a less ‘polished’ sound. Looking forward to that. Till then, an oldie.

In the middle of England, in a little part of the world called Northampton, bedlam broke out…and we caught it on camera. Featuring Guana Batz, Astro Zombies, Wigsville Spliffs, Long Tall Texans, the Hyper Jax, mojo kings, and Mad Dog cole. Persual at your leisure. Thanks to Miss Fortune.

We love Union Jack at Three Basics. I mean whats there not to love in their sonic boom blasts of energetic, spirited ska infused punk?

Union Jack formed in 1997 in the surburbs of Paris. It was a typical three piece band whose muscial influences included The Ramones, The Clash and the Damned. Lyrically these punk rock activists litter their music with issues inclusing friendship, enviromentalism, hatred, poverty and mediocrity. And musically they channel that dirty ska, ‘crackrocksteady’ vibe. Union jack refer to their musical stylings as “Bad Ska”.

Union Jack released their first album in 2001, ‘Yellin in my ear’. Subsequent musical offerings appeared, and now in 2009, we have the brand, shiny new album, ‘Tales of urban freedom’. The band worked on the record with DJ Low Cut. The new album is released on the bands own DIY label effort, Beer Records.

And although we believe it’s a good thing to support bands by buying theer cds, here is a link to downloading some Unions Jack tunes. Just make sure you go and buy them a pint to say thanks!

Click me because I link you to happiness.

Leftover Crack headlining the squeaky clean Maze in Nottingham for an intimate show. The show was one of the tightest we’ve ever seen them play. And shock, horror, they actually looked like they were having fun! We missed the opening bands but caught the last few songs of Officer Down. Photos belong to threebasics.co.uk.

Officer Down

Leftover Crack

This video of the Skints is taken from their recent live show at the shiny new, awfully cheesy looking Brum Academy. The song is called ‘Contemplations of a Modern Rudeboy’ and can be downloaded free, along with four other songs from Rebel Alliance Recordings. On the free (did we mention that already??) sampler are songs by Mouthwash, Random Hand, Babylon Whackers and Sonic Boom Six. Go Get!

January is a fucking shite month. It’s equivalent to a four week hangover. So it’s with some delight that the ‘Punk On Earth Festival’ exists. Three beautiful days of good punk rock fun to start the year with. It’s from Jan 23rd-25th and costs a measley £25. The venue is the Swinging Sporran, Birmingham.

Now to get Christmas over and done with…

The King Blues at Ynot festival covering ‘the massive dizee rascal tune’ (I feel like a Radio 1 DJ!), Bonkers.

For those who don’t know, Slow Gherkin were a ska punk band in the late 90s. They’ve split up now, but here are some photos of them. They are taken from a show at the Vic Inn, Derby, in 2000, and if memory serves correct, they were supported by Lightyear. Photos belong to www.threebasics.co.uk.

Ahhh, it’s been a while right folks? Anyway, let’s not worry about that. It’s time for more photos from t’continent. On an adventure spanning the length and bredth of France – Holland, Crack City Rocker and Messenger of Doom crawled the walls of Europe to get some photos of Graffiti. Cheers.

And here they are: