The Terraces – Uber Rock Interview Exclusive
Written by Johnny H
Sunday, 22 September 2013 03:00
The backstage of any venue is never a great place to catch up with a band for a chat, it’s normally either so small you can barely take a breath or so noisy you can’t think, so the idea to catch up with Australian bruisers The Terraces in the backstage bar at this year’s Rebellion Festival in Blackpool had all the makings of an interview that was bound to fail. First the guys (through no fault of their own and all the fault of a local air show) were late getting on site so we missed our Sunday morning sunrise slot, then we kept missing each other as bands, and mobile signals kept crashing around us, then finally just as The Bronx had finished ripping the Empress Ballroom apart I finally caught up with the band I’d been raving about ever since I first got to hear their barnstorming self-titled debut album back in April of 2012. And it wasn’t just one of them either, nah all four of the buggers turned up mob handed to truly put Dom Daley’s dictaphone to the test, as singer Gary Buckley, guitarist Dean Tsolondres, drummer Henry Hollingsworth and bass giant Steven ‘Kingy’ King all wanted a piece of the action, telling me how well they thought their latest EP ‘Extra Time’ had turned out plus how much of a blast their then ongoing Punks Of Mother England tour was with Electric River.
So sit back relax and enjoy the almost one hour of conversation I had with one of the most genuine bunch of guys you’ll find anywhere on the planet, but first we kick off just behind the main stage as Fucked Up are unleashing all hell just a few feet away from us and I begin my conversation as three of the four Terraces are chatting with Lee from Infa Riot about their warmly received set earlier that afternoon.
Dean, my thanks to you and the rest of the guys for finally making it along for a chat, albeit a few are distracted right now (laughing).
Dean Tsolondres (DT): Johnny thank you, you’ve supported us from the start and we really appreciate it.
It’s been a long time coming this interview, but I must admit that ever since I did hear your debut album I’ve been a huge fan of what you guys do, then when I realised Gary Buckley was actually Gary Gene from Horse (London) that sealed the deal for me.
Gary Buckley (GB) (hearing his name mentioned suddenly chips in): Actually I want to thank you for getting it right about my career to date, I was not the singer in One Way System, which you guys correctly pointed out, I played the bass in One Way System which I put together in school with Gav and a guy called Bob Grant on drums and that is how I started out in this business. It’s amazing how because we are a punk band everyone wants to keep riding on that One Way System link, but they keep getting it wrong and you guys didn’t, so thank you.
Henry Hollingsworth (HH): Johnny can you put in that this interview took as long to get started as the recording of ‘Extra Time’ took. (laughing) So you liked the EP then? We are really proud of it because we basically did it all live, one take each and then we overdubbed a couple of guitars and stuff, then the label said “that sounds awesome why don’t you release it as an EP and do another tour?” and all that from something we felt like took us 10 minutes to record.
Henry before I started the interview you mentioned the current UK tour with Electric River, how’s that been going?
HH: Oh it’s been awesome, we played Electric River’s home town in Ashford Kent the other night and it was a sweaty little venue which suited us perfectly.
DT: How does it go? “It doesn’t matter, where you play or how you play, it’s who you touch.” It’s what your message is and how you the people react to that message.
I then go on to tell the guys who have managed to actually achieve what Dean is talking about at Rebellion this year and the oh so familiar name of Walter Lure crops up….
DT: Well you know we played with Walter in Camden last night, and that was pretty damn awesome you know.
So how did you feel your show today went in the Arena?
DT: Well we’d be crazy to say we didn’t enjoy every minute of that (laughing) what an opportunity to play in front of quite so many people who have been touched by what we do, it’s just amazing. And playing to working class people who look forward to hearing some live music is an honour it really is.
HH: We’re obviously not that well known over here just yet, but it’s just so humbling to walk out on stage and see so many people singing our songs, and then the crowd grew as we kept going so by the time we played ‘Complete Control’ the place was packed out. That simply reinforces why it is so important for us to get over here and play to you guys.
DT: It’s not only that though, it’s the honour to be playing on a festival line up with so many bands who have helped change the face of music as we know it today, and not just change music but change people’s lives. The Damned, Cock Sparrer, GBH, Sham, you know, these guys paved the way for us to do what we do, and it’s an honour for us to be playing to so many people who appreciate just good rock music you know….
HH: And to have ….played Rebellion Festival 2013 is a pretty big thing to have on your resume eh? So when we go back to Australia it’ll fell like we’re the biggest band in the fucking world. I mean not a lot of bands make it to these parts from Australia, so it’s huge achievement for us to have played it twice in a year.
I saw Rust here last year they were pretty cool, I just want someone to bring The Corps over now, they are great.
DT: Both bands are awesome.
At this point Lee from Infa Riot has disappeared from our huddle so I finally get all four members of The Terraces full attention.
So between the debut album and the ‘Extra Time’ EP you’ve added this man (pointing) ‘Kingy’ on the bass, was he the only man destined for the job?
GB: Well we did want to try out a few younger people, but Steve had already played in Head Inc. with me and Dean, and in Australia he is one of the great bass players, but we kept saying “can we deal with the pony tail?” (Everyone breaks into hysterics at this point)
GT; He looks naughty though, which works.
GB: Yeah but in his favour he’s assertive, and coming from Australia he’s got that Rose Tattoo connection which a lot of the punk rock kids like you know. We just couldn’t lose having him in the band.
You covered ‘Limo Life’ with Head Inc. now you’ve done ‘Complete Control’ on ‘Extra Time’ whose idea was that, and why that song?
DT: I did…
GB: I saw The Clash in Lancaster University in 1979, and that changed my life. I was down the front but that blew me away. I actually saw them a few years later at Blackburn King George’s Hall I think I paid £35 for a ticket off a tout and that was like the ‘Cut The Crap’ line up, but it was still The Clash. So when we put The Terraces together I just wanted it to capture that honesty you know. Just get out there and tell the truth. And of course one of our main influences is The Clash, and when we first came to the UK for the Rebellion Xmas show we had it ready to play then, but we just ran out of time. Which then made it harder to watch Street Dogs follow us and play ‘Guns Of Brixton’ and ‘Into The Valley’ you know.
DT: But it’s not just about doing a cover version, it’s about paying homage to a great band.
GB: Yeah, and it’s not about just being into The Clash, we love The Small Faces, we love Cock Sparrer, the list just goes on and on you know.
One thing that came over very strongly for me listening to your debut record was the Heavy Metal Kids and particularly Gary Holton in your voice Gary, was that intentional?
GD: Umm, yeah I guess there’s a bit of Gary Holton in there, Ian Hunter as well. I fucking love Mott The Hoople, but the thing with people like Gary and Ian was that they were punks before punk even existed as a musical term. Ian Hunter was born in Oldham for fucks sake and he’s got the best cockney accent of all time. And for me that is the only way to sing, I just can’t help that.
HH: I told him to sing Australian (laughing) because that makes us sound like an international act when we play here, but he just can’t do it. (laughing)
There’s a real working class honesty and simplicity to the lyrics of The Terraces…..(and before I can finish the question)
GB: And that’s no bullshit Johnny, I mean beans on toast for a fucking Ritzy meal, I were telling the boys, Fleetwood just up the road is where I’m from and if you had HP Sauce and pepper on the dinner table you were living fast and going places. And like Steve was in Rose Tattoo for 15 years and working hard is in our blood you know.
And I cannot ignore Steve any longer. Steve I saw you a few times in Rose Tattoo back in the day, so it was then a bit of a surprise to see you in Head Inc. touring the UK with these guys. How did that all come about?
Steve King (SK): Oh that was around the time of Pete falling ill, and playing with these guys and with The Almighty was a blast. They were a fucking great band The Almighty. I remember when they came to Australia first, they were playing some small club called Springfield where the musicians all used to hang out and they had some little A frame down the front on a Tuesday night saying “THE ALMIGHTY” and me and my mate Chubby are like “what the fuck is this? Who are The Almighty?” You know as soon as I saw the first song I just fell in love with the band. Great stuff.
I’d waited 20 odd years to see Rose Tattoo, and when I finally did that was how I felt, but kind of in reverse, if that makes sense? (laughing)
GB: I saw them at Reading in the early eighties, with three mates who were Quo fans, and on the way to that show my cousin sold me two Cock Sparrer singles, and he kept saying to me “oh you’ll love this band, they are a bit 12 bar but I’m positive you’ll dig them”, and then in a blink of an eye I’d discovered Rose Tattoo at Reading which was a bit like seeing The Pistols in St Martin’s College I guess, that performance is renowned worldwide. Then many years later I go to see them in Melbourne and got backstage and like Kingy is there, and it was so mind-blowing to finally meet Angry Anderson, and that’s after having played with everyone from GBH to Suicidal Tendencies you know. But there was always one band that was missing from my collection and that was Rose Tattoo, then finally we got the chance to support them in Sydney, and that was it…and I’ll never forgive Kingy for getting us that show. (laughing)
HH: I have to room with him….it’s okay for you fuckers. (Again the group erupts in fits of laughter)
So, with Kingy now finally in the ranks is it now your intention to go back to Australia and start writing the second album?
DT: Oh yes, and Kingy is going to be very much involved, he’s an important part of the band you know. We want to make this one even more memorable than the stuff we’ve done so far. The blueprint is already there though.
HH: Yup we’ve got a few song skeletons already. It’s like he’ll ring me up in the middle of the night (pointing at Gary) and he’ll start singing me these songs that have suddenly come into his head you know.
GB: And sometimes that is hard you know, coz I don’t want to be telling lies, so if it sounds like I am then we ditch that shit, you know there are a lot of bands on these types of festivals, and they might be great bands but it’s just words over riffs. For me Head Inc. was a bit like that and I don’t want to go down that route again, I just wanna tell it like it is, and if that involves me getting my head back to the days in Fleetwood then so be it.
DT: I suppose it’s where you go next after you’ve learned your craft and that is you have to honest.
HH: Can I ask you a question Johnny? When you are listening to the debut album and you listen to ‘The Internationals’ and ‘Union’, did you notice the difference in the production values of those songs?
No I didn’t actually. But I prefer ‘The Internationals’ as a song.
HH: Oh well, there are two producers on there, and I was wondering if the one guitar or multiple guitar sound worked best…oh well you’ve just answered my question (laughing)
GB: (laughing) yeah he doesn’t give a rat’s arse so let’s move on.
SK: I just wanted to say that I preferred ‘The Internationals’ too. (the band once again roar with laughter)
Gary then went on to explain how ‘Union’ was recorded before the album but was the catalyst that brought the band together….before Kingy pitched back in with the following.
SK: You know I think the music and the sound is secondary to the lyrics in this band.
Steve that is so spot on, when I listen to The Terraces I’m the kid kicking the football with you.
SK: Plus the great thing is with my Australian accent when I have to sing these lyrics as backing vocals, I suddenly become some little cockney pickpocket you know (laughing)
HH: And Gary’s been telling us so much about this place because it influences so many of our songs and he’s pointing out the exact places that he’s been singing about all those miles away in Australia.
GB: Well the song ‘Billy is about my granddad, and he met my grandma, at The Tower Ballroom, and that song is all about them going dancing, getting the number 14 bus from Fleetwood.
DT: And as you say Johnny ’25 Years’ and its references to football and The Likely Lads.
GB: I was just at the merch stall and this punk girl was talking to me and she said “I’ve seen you twice now, but I just wanted to thank you because I didn’t know what The Likely Lads was until I heard your song, but I went away and watched a few episodes and loved it, now I can talk with my mam and da about what The Likely Lads was, and that means a lot.” I mean I was just dumbstruck by this little girl. But I thought if I do nothing else in my life I’m connecting with people, and that is an immense buzz. Especially now that she understands all we had back in them days was The Likely Lads, Match Of The Day and Top Of The fucking Pops. You’d get washed and brushed up and wait for Top Of The Pops to see who was number one, and it was normally Slade. (laughing)
One of the best bands the UK has ever produced.
GB: I saw Slade here, the first band I ever saw, and my mam had to bring me because I had to be accompanied by an adult. In this very place, and today is actually the anniversary of my mam’s death, so…
SK: John have you heard that band from Italy, Giuda?
Yeah ‘Racey Roller’ is a fine slice of ‘70s influenced punk rock.
SK: Fuck me they are good.
I then go on to tell the guys how we played ‘Number 10’ by Giuda closely followed by ‘The Hustler’ by The Terraces on one of the recent editions of The Uber Rock Radio Show, to which the guys react as follows.
DT: That is awesome mate, thank you.
HH: Fucking hell where are the royalties? (to which Kingy lets out a wild shriek of laughter)
SK: Fucking hell he’s gold this kid ‘en he. (laughing)
GB: They just look like Rose Tattoo around the time of the second album though. Well in Australia that was like the skinheads and the sharpies, the beginning of The Rosey Tatts, like my wife is Australian and she came through with all of that, going to venues like Bombay Rock, which was a very scary place you know.
At this point boys I hope you don’t mind, but I want to ask Gary a question specifically about his past and his time singing for Horse (London), and that question is why didn’t you guys become megastars?
GB: Someone asked me this the other day, and to be honest I’m not so sure I have an answer for you, but if I talk you through it, let’s see if we can find one eh. (laughing) So after One Way System fell apart for me, I met up with Damon the bass player in Horse (London) where we drew up our plan which took about 20 minutes to do, which was this. The Cult at the time were perhaps a bit dodgy, Zodiac Mindwarp were right up there, grebo was all over the place, and Damon had a concept and work ethic for a band called Horse, as in Horsepower you know like Motorhead, and I was coming from the punk thing with One Way System. So there we were in The Ship in Wardour Street deciding what we were going to do was; dress in black, all the equipment would be black, we’d have loads of dry ice, hit ‘em really hard and get the fuck out of there quick.
We then started playing places like Walthamstow, Islington and then of course the Marquee, but having had a punk rock past it was pretty easy to get people sniffing around us, and like Chris Watts came on board, a couple of people from Kerrang and then we started getting some good reviews. There was so much glam going around at the time and it was just that thing of black, dry ice and bang! Then we supported this band called Tattooed Love Boys, at the Marquee which was sold out, because they were doing really well. They were fucking awful actually, and I don’t mind you printing that comment either. (laughing) We just did our thing and it was like “follow that!” But we’d played only something like seven songs and that was all we knew, so we had to play as an encore that song ‘Cocaine’ which we’d already done. Then Kerrang and the rest the week after all said what balls we had to do what we did, and Derek Oliver he came out and said “I’ve just seen the future of British heavy metal.”
So following that there was just like bidding wars all of a sudden, but we weren’t ready. We’d done our homework and all of sudden we were like the best thing out there, that’s why we did the mini album, because we just didn’t have any other songs. So as the momentum grew we started rushing the songs and then The Almighty started to overtake us, being signed to Polydor also meant they were getting more money being spent on them than we were, and we I guess just got caught out. The reviews started to turn against us, we sacked our management which was stupid because John Bentham was the guy who had been so successful with One Way System, and yeah it just got too big too quick, and we weren’t allowed to live and breathe as a unit. So there was no bad or good or whatever it was just too much too soon, and you know what it’s like in England journalists don’t like being caught on the hop so any chance they can take to knock you back down they will take it. So, to answer your question it was really just that it all happened too quickly for us.
We then go on to talk about how the mainstream press could be so vindictive when it wanted to be and had the monopoly of music fans attention, and why now it has all changed with the underground press and the internet being so much more important to bands starting up. Gary Buckley once again picks up the thread and runs with it.
GB: You know I was saying to Dean earlier, this feels like home, it’s where we belong. I’m allowed to grow older and get fatter without having worry about what some journalist thinks of how I look.
DT: the thing is you can never lie about yourself
GB: After the Horse ((London) thing I went to live in New York with Circus Of Power, hung out there for a year, got back to the UK then set my sights on Australia, where I then met Dean, and felt that for once in my life I wanted to do something that I could do, you know. Then Head Inc. was like the start of me and Dean going where we wanted to go with songs like ‘Empire’.
DT: But Johnny it’s like you said about connecting with our album, it’s all about that. You need to connect with something in life, be it art, football whatever, to let your spirit grow. That’s key though the spirit does have to grow.
GB: It’s like when I sing ‘Britannia’ I do miss this gaff you know. In fact what we are going to do next, because we don’t start gigging for another few days, is we’re going to go up to Fleetwood, and I’m going to take these guys all around the places I have written about in The Terraces music.
DT: You know the next album is really going to surprise everyone, even us (laughing)
Which I suppose is as good a quote as any to end this interview with guys, thank you so much for your time today, it’s been a real pleasure.
DT: Thank you mate, it’s awesome that you guys get the band.
GB: Nice to meet you Johnny, it’s been a real pleasure, you guys keep doing what you do, it’s great.
As I sit here transcribing this interview I cannot help but think how lucky I have been this past weekend at Rebellion 2013 interviewing He Who Cannot Be Named, Cock Sparrer and finally The Terraces. You know the one thing that all of them have in common is that they all genuinely appreciate the positive reviews – not just Uber Rock, but all the music webzines give them – so in turn in our own small way what we think is if you have discovered one or any of these bands thanks to us, then we are doing our job properly.
Here’s to all the staff and bands and fans at Rebellion 2013 and we will see you all again next year. Until then check out The Terraces via the links below and let them know we sent you over.
https://www.facebook.com/TheTerracesRock
