A Trash Boat live gallery, shot by Adam Webb.
You define yourself as bi? Has that ever caused an issue in the wider hardcore scene?
I can’t speak for the scene, I can only speak for myself. I feel very comfortable being intimate with men and women and people across the gender spectrum, I don’t have any problems admitting that. Intimate doesn’t necessarily mean sex, it means emotional intimacy. I feel comfortable around people of various genders and identities – and also feel uncomfortable around people. It’s on a person-by-person basis.
As it should be! But you haven’t been in situations where you’ve been made to feel uncomfortable? Sometimes I get the sense hardcore is as backward thinking as rap.
Even if I sensed people were making me feel uncomfortable I’m just real confident in that respect and I would think ‘Wow, you’re a dick’. It’s easier to say I’m bisexual because people understand that. But that’s not completely accurate. To say I’m bisexual insinuates I think gender is a two way street, male or female, which is not something I necessarily agree with. But it’s hard to find a word that says you’re comfortable with people across the gender spectrum. I like who I like, that’s how I define it.
Good to hear. Let’s talk about the final song on the record – “You Know, You Know, You Know” – which is really important right?
Well, to my mother more than me. It was a really fun song to write and one of the easiest to write.
Really?
Easiest in the sense there was a lot of content to work with and the lyrics came quite thick and fast.
What’s it about?
Two years ago one of my mum’s closest friends killed himself. He left everything to my mum – which wasn’t much, but it was all of his stuff. He left a letter as well and the intro sample on that song is the opening paragraph to the letter I read. I wrote the song for the two of them – him and my mum. He was a musician and when I was young he was always keen to jump on the phone with me and ask me how my dreams of being a rockstar were going. When I got my first drumkit he was playing on it. He was a nice guy, he was really lovely.
It’s so dark how people are so nice but end up ending their life.
Even Robin Williams, he had it all.
Exactly. It’s fucked up. Last question: I heard a rumour you can get one of the band’s first EPs on Bandcamp for £999. Is that right?
That’s the other members. I’m the black sheep – the other four members used to be in a band and when they broke up they put their old EP up on Bandcamp for £1000 a joke.
Has anyone bought it?
No!
Great stuff.
Words: @ryanbassil
Photos: @adamxwebb