Two minutes later
Come on, do anything.
We first started, I guess, 16 years of age, until I heard Anarchy in the UK,
and we all sat together and went, you know, we could do that type of music.
We all were from a background where there wasn't really indie music then,
but we were, I was a Bowie freak, where quite a lot of punks were sort of in the music first,
and then after Anarchy, we decided we'll form our own band,
and punk was more than just music, I mean, you were taking on basically a lifestyle and a look,
which kind of suited Belfast very, very good, and I didn't imagine at 17 in 2015 you would still be involved in some way,
you know, like punk to me has changed my life, it was a whole lifestyle, it took on,
I wouldn't be married to the person I married,
my life would have been completely different without that one moment when I first heard Anarchy in the UK,
but the thing about punk, once you took it on, it was for life almost, it's not just a music, as I said,
it's not just clothes, it's like an attitude that you take on about everything,
which has been the best thing I ever did, you know, it's given me so much happiness,
and still continues to give me so much happiness.
There's no drug, there's no drink, there's no woman that makes you feel as nervous beforehand,
and then as almost high when you're on stage, and then when you come off stage, you get this rush
that lasts right through till you're sitting in a van the next day, maybe on a seven-hour journey,
and you're going, what the hell am I here for, you know, why am I doing this?
And then you go on stage, and it all happens again, you get the high, and you get the amazing high afterwards,
and you just repeat this, so, you know, I think for almost 28 years,
you know, I was going out on an off-lot, I was drinking an off-lot, trying to get a feeling back
that I could never get until I went on stage again.
Music
Of course, electric tuners is what changed everything.
In the early days, there weren't electric tuners.
Coming from Belfast, too, also added a whole different dimension to punk.
If one country was more suited to punk, it was Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s.
One thing punked on for Belfast and Northern Ireland, it brought communities together
with a common hatred by all other sides, but it did sort of break barriers down here.
It's one of the main things I'm proud about here is that people from various sides
who would never have met each other, if it wasn't for that, came together.
And we also had a very non-political view of things, you know, we were against everything,
which is very easy, but, you know, we were against all politics here,
and everything all against sectarianism, and those views did filter through.
This week we're going to Toulouse on Friday, then we're doing a Strummerfest festival
just outside Toulouse on Saturday.
I think out of any bands from Northern Ireland, we grew up during the troubles here,
and it used to break my heart that English bands wouldn't come and play here because of that there.
I mean, as far as the sort of terrorism that's going about at the minute,
you could be anywhere in the world, you could be in any major capital city and be a target.
So it doesn't worry us in any way whatsoever.
You know, I have no qualms to say about going to Toulouse.
I'd played Paris twice in the three weeks leading up to the atrocity last week,
but even if we'd been playing the next day, you'd have gone.
I mean, you know, that's number one, we enjoy playing so much.
At our age, unless I lost a limb, I wouldn't cancel a gig,
but coming from Belfast, you're not going to cancel gigs because of something like that.
