We caught up with Black Rooster. The West London garage punk rockers, who’ve just released their debut album “74 – 75” to find out more…
Hey Black Rooster. Welcome to Lights Go Out’s 10 Questions With feature. So first of all, let’s get the obvious out of the way please, who are Black Rooster and what’s your role in the band?
Black Rooster is a 3 piece garage/punk London based band ,delivering fast memorable catchy singalong songs with a fuzzy gritty guitar sound, hard hitting drummer and a bassist delivering groovy bass.
Andres Soler (Columbian) – drummer / Joe Cribbs (originally from Manchester) – bassist / Lucille Rees (born in London) – singer/songwriter/guitar
How did the band get together and what was the idea behind forming?
I found Andres through Gumtree. I placed an advert looking for a drummer and Joe contacted me through word of mouth from a London punk promoter called Spike (as he knew I was looking for a bassist). I wrote some songs, recorded them using Garageband at home. I laid down the drums, vocals and guitar. All I needed now was to look and to form a band. The name Black Rooster had been on my mind for some time so I went with that. Black Rooster!
You’ve just released your debut album “74 – 75”, can you tell us a bit about what people can expect from it?
In some aspect there is fast memorable unforgettable story telling ,for example Maladjusted is true life events cld be seen as quite amusing and very imagery while Demon in a Limousine could leave you with a chill.(another true life event)
Eat Shit and Die is quite in your face and its something people don”t expect. Definitely gets peoples attention.
Lyrically, what inspires you and are there any central themes running through the album?
Lyrically inspires me? Hmmmm well I guess life, situations and mood. Sometimes downstream of culture and up stream of culture causing effect on society and the individual. i.e. SOCIETY I’m sure people could relate to and CITY BREAKDOWN so true regarding what is going on in the world. Breakdown of our society and in the city and within ourselves at times.ahead of its time.
Influence wise, am I right in thinking that bands like The Slits and Ramones have made an impression on your sound? And what other artists have fuelled Black Rooster?
I would say Iggy pop he was a real wild child and dog house is homage to him. Now I wanna be your dog…Dog House, he IS the grandfather of punk. The deliverance of the songs are 1-2 minutes ,quite Ramones. GG Allin (American messed up punk, now dead) inspired me to write Eat Shit and Die there’s a cockroach in his Heart, could say the song was from beyond the grave. I like the American garage sound i.e. The Dirt Bombs and The Gories, Mick Collins front man and Jay Retard. The only thing we have in common is the gritty fuzzy distorted guitar sound. I was a toddler-in early 70s so the real punks are in their 60s now but it was the idea an ethic, DIY, being creative, writing, art. poetry, making clothes, making things etc. The same ethic that drove the dance scene in the late 80s and 90s. People messing around with cheap equipment and being inventive, new ideas.
In your own words, how would you describe the Black Rooster sound?
The Black Rooster sound is a fuzzy, gritty with a distorted guitar sound, (I use my Orange amp to get the honking sound, because the amp is small) could sound or come across as manic and fast. And I use the Telecaster guitar I think those two work great together. Telecaster guitar and the Orange amp.
For those reading who would like to check the band out, pick up the album or get along to a gig. Where are the best places on the old web for them to check out for Black Rooster info?
I think old school punks and young punks who appreciated the 70s punk American and British. You either like it or you dont and that is fine! We havent got a web page as of yet. I was reluctant to use FB but had to for promotion but all the youngsters now are using Instagram and other platforms. I would really like to use my instagram page for the band. You can find us on instagram under blackrooster1970 but ALSO on FB blackroosteruk
It’s been a crazy year and a bit, how have the band coped during the whole lockdown thing and what plans have you got as things are starting to ease?
We worked. We couldn’t get out there and do any gigs so we made an album instead, made a video and released the album on all digital platforms on 16th April 2021. We HAD to DO something. The thing is an artist has to create whether you have an audience or not. You don’t stop. I made a couple of sculptures out of dead batteries, 2 robots that are 2 feet .. Called THE ROBOTS from project sonic zero.
Now lockdown is easing we have a debut gig/party on the 17th July@ St Moritz Club, 159 Wardour Street, W1F 8WS. 1 or 2 free beers for those who come down!
How do you see the current state of the punk scene here in the UK and are there any bands that you’d recommend our readers check out?
I think the punk scene now is different to compared to the 70s.Depends what you mean by punk. The originals were the Sex Pistols, Johnny Cooper Clarke, The Dammed ,The Buzzcocks, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Fall, Poly Styrene ,Blondie, etc. I feel there isn’t a street scene like it used to be (the famous Kings Road) and venues have gone and dont exist anymore. It was about making clothes, making anything to express yourself and I don’t think it’s like that so much now. It wasn’t about being a consumer but being a creator. 1970s was a second wave of British working class art movement as well as the middle class art students. Punk is about expressing yourself and you can’t really do it that much on a corporate site. It’s a system about straight jackets! Punk was about having something to say and they fucking said it without getting unfriended, banned, censored or being ostracize.
When I went to Goner-festival a few years ago I discovered a punk band called HankWood and the Hammerheads, really like them. Check them out if not already, Giorgio Murder, saw them in Memphis too. Surfbort are good saw them at the Shackle-well arms a few years ago, Amyl and the Sniffers saw them at the Lexington, Vigara Boys at the South Bank. I like Sleaford Mods but haven’t yet seen them yet but I want to. London Local band i like is Atomic Supplex – high energy Rock and Roll band.
Huge thanks for chatting with us, just one final question before you go. If some fancy Hollywood studio came knocking and wanted to make a movie about the band, who would play each of you in the film?
I think Brad Pitt could play me as I identify as a white male….joking…(ONLY ME COULD PLAY ME)
Benicio Del could play Andre.
Christopher Eccleston could play Joe.
Check Black Rooster out here:
www.facebook.com/blackroosteruk
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