Ambition Demolition is a band which is in my age
and here have the drummer Alan answered some
questions from me. He is a fast answering
guy….and he answers many questions in one some
times….june-2019
Please tell me a little bit history of the
group? You have been along a while or? I´m 56
and you seems to be in the same age or, Please
tell me a little about every member in the group
right now, age, family, work, interests and
something bad about everyone? Earlier bands?
Other bands on the side? I can hear much
different influences but mostly good old English
punk from 77-81 and that sort of more attitude
punk? Favorites from the past? Ambition
Demolition are you satisfied with the name? How
did it came up? You weren’t afraid that some
other band would be named like this? Which is
the best bandname you know?
-We got together April 2016, Buff the bass
player, Alan the guitarist and me AL the drummer.
Both Buff & Alan do the vocals, but mainly Alan.
Me and Alan write the music and lyrics, although
we'd like Buff to write more than the 1 or 2
that he has!! It's good that different song's
come from different angles. We have a song
called 'Rag To Riches' which is about the shroud
of Turin, we have a song called 'Ticking Boxes'
which is about having all the supposed right up
to date stuff and keeping up with the neighbours!!
We have a song called 'Black Dog' which tackles
depression. So we really do have variety!! Our
sound isn't based on anyone in particular, but
as we're all in our mid 50's and grew up with a
lot of '78/'79 Punk stuff, I guess it shows in
our sound?? We've been told we sound like
various band's, but the notable one's are The
Lurkers, 999 and U.K. Subs, all of which we've
played gig's with!! And indeed, we're playing
with 999 this Thursday 27th June!! On a personal
note, I'm single, Buff has a girlfriend and Alan
is married. Actually, Alan's wife, Vix, also
does our merchandise stall at our gig's, she
does us proud!! None of us have any children,
which means we're free to do a lot more gig's
than otherwise!! Work is a dull subject, We'd
rather talk music!! We've all been in and out of
band's in the past, but nothing as good as we're
doing now!! I guess we all came along together
at the right time to do Ambo-Dembo?!!!!! (That's
a nick-name for us if you hadn't already worked
it out?!!!) Only Alan had other band's on the
side, but he was doing them before Ambo-Dembo,
but now just concentrates on this band. The name
Ambition Demolition came out the blue, I checked
Google, YouTube and Facebook to see if anyone
had that name already, and nobody did!! I asked
Alan & Buff if they liked that name, they did,
so Ambition Demolition was born!! The name came
shortly after we started rehearsing, I made up a
Facebook page with it on so no one else could
take it!!!! I made a rough copy of our logo,
Alan & Buff liked that too, so we quickly got
that properly designed!! The wrecking ball crane
is called Melvin!!!! And without being too
modest, it's gotta be one of the best band
name's around at the mo?? We've had a lot of
good comments about it, so it seems well liked
by many people!!?!
What´s
the best thing with playing live?
The
worst place to play?
-We love playing live, no matter how many people
turn up to see us!! It's a fantastic adrenaline
rush, and to hear people clap and cheer you is
just humbling to say the least!! I don't think
there is a "worst place" to play, as they're all
an adventure!?!?! We could do with less steps
and stairs though as we can't afford roadies!!
We're a D.I.Y. Punk ethic band, we try and do
everything off our own backs, and any money we
get from t-shirts, CD's etc etc, gets put back
into the band!! We'd love to send stuff out all
over the world, but we just can't afford it,
there wouldn't be any money left to make more
t-shirts, CD's etc etc!!!!!!!
How is
to play this sort of music in England right now?
Which types of bands do you have concerts
together with?
- The Punk scene is very healthy in the UK
right now, and our town where were based,
Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, has regular
Punk/Rock/Alternative gig's, but it's nice to
play all over, and indeed,
You´re playing on rebellion this year…is it the
first time? Which band this year do you look
most foreward to see?
-YES! we're playing Rebellion again!!!! And for
anyone interested, we're on at 1.30pm on the
Arena Stage Thursday 1st August!!!!! We played
Rebellion 2 year's ago, and it's very nice to be
asked back!!!! This year I'm looking forward to
seeing The Stranglers and The Skids, and also a
favourite of all 3 of us is Dirt Box Disco!!
Another band we've played with, so check them
out if you haven't already??!!
What does punk mean to you, is it only a word or
is it a lifestyle?
-To us, Punk means culture, attitude, lifestyle
and a phenomenal array of music that you just
don't seem to get with other musical cultures??!!
You can see someone with a pink Mohican, studded
jacket and boots, someone in a kilt, or someone
in a suit!!!! The variety is endless!!
What
shall a young guy do today to shock their
parents as the way we did when we were young?
They have already seen everything
?
-Yea, I guess not many parents are too shocked
by their kids as they've seen a lot of it when
THEY were kid's??!!!!! I guess a more shocking
thing would be if the kid's didn't show an
interest in music in any shape or form?? Life
without music would be just,.... well, let's not
go THERE!!!!!!!!
How is
it to live in England right now? Politically?
Brexit? Fascists?
-Living in the UK with this brexit mess is just
mind numbing!!!! The politicians have really
fucked it all up, no matter which way people
voted!! One of the worst thing's, is that it's
given the green light to fascist bigots to be
more abusive to anyone who isn't British, and
that includes people who aren't even from
Europe!!!! It's very sad and bloody shameful,
and yet these bigots had forefathers who fought
in the Second World War to stop people with
views like that!!?!!
What do you know about Sweden? Have you been
here sometime? Good bands from Sweden?
-None of us have been to Sweden, that I know
of??!!, I know where it is on a map, and I used
to have a friend from Scotland who lived there,
so he told me various things!! I've seen Disfear
and Dischange from Sweden, but that was in the
early 90's, but!! last month we played with
Zooparty!!!!!!!
Best political band/artist?
- Best political band?? I think that all 3 of us
would say SUBHUMANS!!!!
Your
favorite recordcover alltime? Who does your
recordcovers? And do you have any good
recordstores in your hometown?
-There's just too many record cover's, but Never
Mind The Bollocks is sublime!!!
Alan does most if the artwork for our
CD's/T-shirts, he used to be a professional
printer!!
Badlands is the only independent record store in
Cheltenham!!
How does your audience look like? Which people
do you miss on your concerts? Which is the
biggest band you ever have played together with?
-I like the fact that Punk will always welcome
everybody, and indeed, we would welcome anyone
who cares to come and watch us, come one - come
all!!!! Our audience isn't always full of Punk's,
so that's good that other people like what we do!!
I guess the biggest band's we've played with
would be U K Subs and Subhumans, although we've
played with some fantastic other band's, too
many to mention really!!
Please
rank your five favoriterecords, five
favoriteconcerts and five most important things
in life?
- Naming 5 favourite band's/records would be a
tad difficult as there's SO many, and most of
them would be one's that were obvious!! But I'll
mention Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned as
one of our faves!!!!
5 most important things in life?? Breathing,
swearing, drinking, more swearing and playing in
Ambition Demolition!!!!
Is it boring with interviews? Is it much
interviews?
-Nope, interviews aren't boring, it's nice that
people, like yourself!!, bother to ask for an
interview!! We've never had a peculiar interview,
unless you'd like to count yours
Peter??!!!!!!!!!
If you could choose five bands from the past and
the history and nowadays and both dead and
living bands to have a concert together with
your band. Which five have you been chosen?
- To have played with The Sex Pistols would've
been sublime, but we're lucky to have played
with who we have, and of course if you count
Rebellion, then we've played with some damn good
band's!!!!
Which is the most odd question you ever have got
in an interview?
- Not had the most odd question yet, but we've
not been asked about anything or band's from
Sweden!!!!!!!!!!
Which is
the question you want to have but you never get.
Please ask it and answer it?
- Truly don't know what question we'd like to be
asked?? I guess it's all good that people ask
questions, whether we've been asked them already
or not??!! Its nice that people are interested!!!!
Futureplans for the band?
- Well, we have many songs that me and Alan have
written, so hopefully in a few months we'll
record another album?!! Also, we're going to
keep gigging, and hopefully play abroad with
anyone who'll have us??!!!!!
Wisdomword?
- Quite simply; MUSIC.
Something to add?
- OK, there you go Peter, Cherz mate, thank you
on behalf of all of us, AL
!!
If there's anything else, then please ask, and
please put these in the fanzine for people to
see/get in contact with us for anything, you can
always have a look at our Facebook page, @AmbitionDemolition
and our website
www.ambitiondemolition.com
Pheewwww, I need to rest my fingers now!!
