1. Tell us about the band - members, history, discography?
1998 - The original Mispelt Line up, Steve (lead guitars), Phil (drums) and Dunk (vocals & bass guitar). Deeply unsatisfied with the covers/tribute band type bollocks that was the local music scene so devised a cunning plan to change the face of music forever. It quickly became apparent that this plan was not going to work so we formed The Mispelt instead. The main aim was to play our own material, the only bands that we were able to agree on that we really wanted to emulate was Snuff, Green Day, The Offspring, The Ramones & Motorhead. So we wrote a selection of 3 minute 'buzzsaw' no - frills songs and started gigging. The 'Say Goodbye' Cd was recorded in 1999 with this line up, it was originally entitled 'Outraged of Kent', for some reason (best known to Phil) the artwork for the CD had 'Outraged of Norfolk' on it (presumably not wanting to offend the good people of Kent). Due to some deeply tragic personal reasons Phil took a break from the band - to devote more time at home, this was in September 1999, by December Steve and I realised he wasn't coming back.
With Phil gone, Steve and I decided to keep the band going, we took to practicing and writing new material, in a shed with the aid of a drum machine. Following a chance conversation with Andre, he happened to mention that he used to play drums (what he didn't mention was that it had been 6 years ago and with his school band!). Undeterred Andre joined us as the sticksman for the Mk 2 line up, right from the get go he was just 'helping us out till we got another drummer' 1 e.p. (same shit different day), airplay on The John Peel show and upteen gigs later...
By now Andre was living and working in London and unfortunately able to devote less and less time to the band, so we needed to get ourselves yet another drummer (our support slot with S.L.F. at The Roadmender 2000 was his last gig), luckily Hils was available and was looking for a band, with her own kit, transport, phenomenal ability and with no plans to move - we now believed we had the definitive line up...what could possibly go wrong? It was with Hils that we started to get more attention as a band, this line up saw us play at 100 club with Menace and UK Subs, our 1st TV appearance and our 1st record 'deal' with Frozenorth Records (the only record we went on however was "What Would Mummy Say" a comp album featuring Eastfield and Greenland Whale Fishers to name but two..). However once again what has lovingly come to be known as 'the Curse of The Mispelt' struck us...Things had changed dramatically for Hils on a personal front, so with Hils having boarded a one way flight to Berlin to be with her new beau and with gigs waiting - what were we to do?
Enter Timmi, he didn't want to join initially but Steve talked him round. This line up saw some of our best new material and the consolidation of the older stuff into the way it sounds today ($punkA and North of Watford), various zines were giving us rave reviews, interviews and airplay on the Lock Up (Radio 1) and Hardcore Street Sounds (Total Rock), a host of gigs under our belt including Jb's, Carling Academy, Also the Continental and CBGB's in NY. Things started to go wrong on a personal front between band members. Sadly saw the end of this line up of the band.
So along came Kev, our 5th and final drummer - his 1st gig with us was at Wasted 2004. With each change of drummers The Mispelts' sound has changed and developed and to his credit Kev has taken the best of what has been done before enhanced it and made it his own. His style (an amalgamation of Marky Ramone / Keith Moon / Clem Burke) has given us the power and edge, couple this with Steve's riff - tastic delivery is what makes us sound like we do today. Me? I just enjoy listening to them two fuckers and try to keep up! This Line-up has seen our best ep to date (Drive It Like You Stole It), gigs galore up and down the country and a brief sortie into the Netherlands, more good reviews and radio bits we are well happy. We celebrate 10 years of The Mispelt next year. Doesn't time time fly when you're having fun?
Discography:
Outraged of Norfolk / Say Goodbye Recorded at the Lodge Northampton 1999 -with Phil on Drums - Available thru peoplesound.com
'Same Shit - Different Day' Recorded at 'The Lodge' studios 2001 - with Andre on drums
(Available thru peoplesound.com)
'The Good, The Sad And The Paranoid' Recorded at Orchard Road Studios 2002 - with Hils on drums
(Available thru isound.com)
'$punkA' Recorded at BECK studios 2002 - with timmi on drums
(Available thru betarecords.com)
'North Of Watford' Recorded at Puretones Studios 2003 - with Timmi on drums
(Available thru betarecords.com)
Drive it like you stole it Recorded at React Studios 2005 Buckingham - with Kev on drums
(available thru CDBaby and iTunes and at gigs)
2. Tell us about some of your best gigs to date and what made them so?
CBGB - for obvious reasons - r.i.p. Hilly
Continental NYC - 1st time I had ever played abroad, and the last time I ever intend to play when jet lagged
Scum - Netherlands - because they were fucking mental
Sawyers Kettering UK - with [Spunge] - just one of those nights where everything was right
3. Describe your fellow band members in 5 degrading and slanderous words apiece?
Steve - definition of the word 'cunt'
Kev - girlie haired, garlick allergied bollock
Me - baldilocks, fat, useless knob jockey
4. Edwin Oxygen keep fish in his skull and enjoys smoking dead people fingers. He is currently running for a place on the committee of the local Fish Bending Club - Codpieces! The question is - if you had to drink a fish-based liquid what would you prefer and is corrugated iron really as erotic as I think it is?
Ah...the quintessential dichotomy. Speaking allegorically of course.
5. Tell us about your personal influences in life and music and about any people you consider to be total losers in life?
My personal influences are: Women, beer, things that piss me off (a vast and ever expanding list - ironically beer and women are also in this list but for different reasons, I mean a bad pint can't get to you the same way as an ex-wife - or can it? Discuss.)
Total losers? Liars, cheats, thieves. Anyone who whinges and whines about anything and everything yet lacks the strength of character or personality to make any changes - no matter how small to do anything about it, you know the type "this is an outrage...somebody ought to do something" its never them is it?
6. What is your favourite Mispelt song - and why?
Its a toss up between one of our brand new ones (Better Off Dead) because its a reworking of the first song that I ever wrote but what's depressing is that its truer now than it was then....or Say Goodbye because a) its based on a message left on an answerphone b) John Peel liked it
7. Most embarrassing CD in your collection please?
All my cds are carefully chosen. I love each and every one of them. If we were talking about vinyl - that would be a different story and I would have to say Samhain Initium because it is utter utter utter shite.
8. Barbara Bus-station has set up her own Keith Chegwin Hate Campaign. It involves people swapping various items, dancing around in the nude to inane pop hits and then swallowing several boxes of drawing pins so as to shred ther own bowels during excretion. Is this going too far against a man who is a pisshead and fun-time fellar?
The best I can wish cheggers is an early death.
9. Joys and gripes about todays punk scene please?
The punk scene is both a joy and a gripe simultaneously. On the whole I think things are getting better. Much, much more d.i.y. and co-operation between bands and fans now than there has been in the last 10 years. Bands are now genuinely supporting each other - which is fantastic. My main gripes with the scene were already expressed by the Dead Kennedys back in 88 "punks not dead but it deserves to die when it becomes another stale cartoon, a closed minded self-centered social club - ideas don't matter its who you know...if the musics got boring its because of the people who want everyone to sound the same, who drive the bright people out of our so-called scene - till all thats left is just a meaningless fad!"
Ironic that they fell out over money though isn't it?
10. What are The Mispelts main ambitions and how do you plan to achieve them?
Done most of them - really want to get out to eastern europe to play not achieved that yet. Want to go back to the states to play again. Would love to be able to do the Mispelt thing full time.
11. Kitchen Sink Porn - unhinged or another dream venture from the tainted mind of Peter Purvis?
Peter Purvis a name synonomous with kitchen sink porn. Another dream venture in the making I suspect.
12. Finally tell us why we should check out The Mispelt and convince us all you are worthy of our time!
CHECK US OUT BECAUSE WE FUCKING ROCK AND WE BELIEVE IN EVERYTHING WE SAY AND EVERYTHING WE DO! REMEMBER PUNK IS A STATE OF MIND IT IS NOT A LABEL!
