Taking their name from the sweets of the same name, ‘The Refreshers’ are a punk-rock band from Newcastle comprising of Blottie (vocals), Alvin (drums), Zak (bass) and Iggy Bog (guitar). Their name was chosen as they had collectively become “sick of trying to work out clever names” and wanted to “get on and write songs.”
Talking to them, it is instantly noticeable that there is something unique about the band in comparison to a lot of other bands around the local music scene. For most local bands you often hear that phrase that they make music because it is something they enjoy. It is their passion. Whilst this is undoubtedly true, their ambitions publicly at least are usually fairly modest. They just want to continue to do something that they love and that whatever happens happens.
For others such as The Refreshers, they admit their lofty ambitions right away. They want to make it. That’s not to say that they are oblivious to the difficulties that they may face and the probability of it actually happening but they are prepared to put the work in to make things work and are ready for the difficult choices ahead.
Although the current line-up has only been together for the last year, the band has already had to make some major decisions. In a strategic move, they recently left their record label, a move which might be construed as a step backwards. However, they are not afraid to make a move backwards as long as it helps to move them forward in the future.
Explaining their decision to leave their label they say, “We got on with the label. The problem was we had a different game plan. We didn’t want to release the material when we hadn’t built up a fan base yet. We wanted to spend the next couple of years gigging our arse off getting a fan base and then releasing material.”
“As such a label became a bit pointless, we had major label interest and didn’t pursue it. We wanted people to see us and want the material, rather than release it and hawk it about.”
“We are also hugely prolific. We write new songs on a weekly basis and every time we decided this is the song to release, we would come up with a couple of better ones and we want to release the best material possible.”
Although punk music is enjoying a kind of renaissance in the north-east, only time will tell whether the decision ultimately proves to be the right one. But for now, The Refreshers firmly believe that it is the right step for them to take.
However, if the decision proves to be the wrong one, they won’t be looking back at what might have been. When discussing whether they had any previous experiences in other bands they simply commented that it “doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where your heading” that is important.
It is this attitude that sets them apart. They are always looking to the future. They are quick to recognise the important of live shows. With their confidence in their own abilities oozing out of them they say that people should expect to “hum the songs and then watch as we destroy the venue / stage / room / ourselves at one of their performances.”
Destroying has become a key part of their vocabulary since Alvin joined the band. Recalling a gig just after he joined they say “by the 2nd song one guitar had been smashed to pieces and by the end of the set Alvin was standing to play his kit. Most of the room was singing along and everyone was grinning like Cheshire cats and wanting to repeat the whole experience again! It marked the start of a new era for the band.”
They believe that their shows help to separate them from other bands at the moment alongside “great songs, great work ethic and a cunning plan.”
But to be successful they need more than just a stage presence. Ultimately a band lives or dies by the music that they make. With it being such an important activity, they make sure that it is completed as a group. Usually they gather together for an acoustic session at Blotties in which they “throw some ideas in to the pot and then work out some lyrics and format. We then apply the two golden rules.”
“Rule 1 – If it doesn’t sound good acoustic, it doesn’t sound good full stop.” “Rule 2 – If it takes a lot of effort to make it work, it’s not right. It has to work in a natural organic way. Don’t force the song!”
Their songs cover a range of subjects and are not just based on their experiences, “We tell stories, sometimes it’s about ourselves sometimes it’s a book, a story or just a character we know and then they all get mixed up in the lyric writing process.”
One of their most popular song’s to date is called ‘Slam the door’. The song is about “one person in a relationship that thinks they have control and behaves in an unreasonable manner. Then the other partner just says enough just go, but it’s also about peoples relationships with situations. Sometimes you have to just say enough is enough.”
Their most recent song is called ‘You, Me, Us’ and is of a similar theme focusing on people feeling disenchanted and powerless before coming to the conclusion that it might not be the case. Inspiration for this song “came from the protests in London about the recession and some politician said nothing ever changed by protesting. But Tony Benn corrected him. The British people protested and changed things. I.E. woman’s suffrage, William Wilberforce organised protests to stop slavery...across the globe people have changed things...people make the difference.”
The messages that the band share with the world do not stop with their songs. They see blogs as an “extension of our songs. We like diversion and misdirection. That great love song your singing is actually about something much more sinister. We wanted to write about politics, sex, society, religion, rock and roll and history, so we deliver all of that in a catchy chorus that you need to take apart and de-construct to work the meaning out. But if it works as a catchy chorus that’s cool too.”
The Refreshers believe that the music charts are “in a state of flux. The old order of selling material is dying. You have to play live more which is a good thing. You have to embrace technology more. It means bands starting up can release and promote things without having to align to some faceless organisation.”
As for the bands immediate future, their goals begin with “world domination. We’re different, we get that, but I don’t have a problem seeing every gig as a last gig. Our mantra is ‘What would Keith Moon do?’ Play the gig like it’s your last. Energy focus. Catchy choruses and melody then watch people pick up the bits at the end.”
For last words, the band says “We’re better than you think but not as good as we want to be. After you see us you will sing the songs for days and like North Phase Magazine said ‘So catch them and be one of those people who in a few years time will be boasting that you saw them before they were big.’”