Random Hand: Interview

Random Hand

Random Hand

Interview

Date: Aug 16 2010

Genre: Punk / Ska Punk

Label: Bomber Music

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With their third album due for release in October, and a host of tour dates set for later this year, Random Hand are without a doubt one of the UK’s most interesting punk collectives of 2010. Since their formation in 2002, the success of previous albums, Change of Plan and Inhale/Exhale have kept the band on the touring radar. 2010 has been a somewhat eventful year for Random Hand, with line-up changes following the departure of drummer, Joe; therefore Sound-Revolution believed that now would be a great time to catch up.

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S-R: Your third album’s due to be released in late autumn, what can we
expect; anything out of the ordinary?

RH: “Seething is Believing” is going to be the most honest Hand album to
date. we’ve not tried to achieve anything or write anything that is
not completely us. Any boundaries that are pushed we have already
hammered at for several years. It’s in essence a punk album, more so
than either of our other two and we hope that translates through to
the listener how it was intended!

S-R: With ex-drummer Joe leaving the band, how did this affect routines?
Did everything fall into place straight away, or did it take a while
for everything to settle down?

RH: We’d been the same band for seven years so none of us knew if we could
continue with a line up change, it’s been a far from smooth six months
following his departure. We’ve had injuries sustained by a stand in
drummer, matt mangling his hand by dropping a cab on it, the van
braking several times and all this culminating in us losing a European
tour and countless other shows. For a band that has only missed two
gigs out of over 500 that really hit us hard. Routines where
completely thrown out the window and we had the hardest time we’ve
been through. It wasn’t a smooth ride bringing Sean in, although from
the first moment we played together we knew it was going to work, he
had a lot of other musical commitments he had to consider heavily, but
we like to think he made the right choice… in fact we know he did

S-R: Random Hand and other bands including The Skints left Rebel Alliance
Recordings recently; can you tell us anything about why you left the
label or would that be strictly confidential?

RH: All that I really want to say on the matter is that we’re all very
much still friends. And the reasons for things not working with the
label where not the fault of Sonic Boom Six

S-R: With Crime In Stereo and Rx Bandits being forced to drop out of
Reading & Leeds Festivals this year, we’ve noticed that you’ve grabbed
a spot on the brilliant Lock-Up Stage. How did you get the place in
the line-up, and what do you expect from a gig as big as Reading &
Leeds?

RH: We’re regularly played on the Lock Up Show by Mike and I can only
assume they know who they are going to ask if bands drop out. This
coming through for us couldn’t have come at a better time after the
year we’ve had, and all things being well it should totally kick off.
The first time we played it we had no idea what to expect and it was
totally amazing even in Leeds when people had to walk through mud for
over an hour to get to our set on the Sunday the tent was full, so
with the better slot this time round I would expect the same if not
better!

S-R: Random Hand have appeared at many great events in 2010 including
Slam Dunk, Rebellion Festival, and you have a tour arranged for
October: What do you think your favourite gig has been from the past
year and why?

RH: Slam Dunk and Rebellion where definitely two highlights for me, Slam
Dunk because its where it really felt like it all clicked back in to
place for me, Random Hand where well and truly back and firing on all
cylinders. Rebellion because it was our first time on the main stage
and it was the most nervous I have been for a long time, possibly our
biggest show to date, it all came together nicely and really went off.

S-R: Finally, what are your top 5 records at the moment?
Cancer Bats – Hail Destroyer
The Arteries – Blood Sweat and Beers
Skindred – Roots Rock Riot
Jon Boden – Songs From The Floodplain
Millencolin – Pennybridge Pioneers

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~ Article by James Murray

Listen to: Scum Triumphant, Anger Management, I, Human, Anthropology

For Fans of: Capdown, Sonic Boom Six, The Skints, Mouthwash

 

Slam Dunk Festival 2010 @ Leeds Uni

Slam Dunk Festival 2010

Slam Dunk Festival 2010

Venue: Leeds University

Location: Leeds

Date: May 30 2010

Sponsors: Big Cheese, Punktastic, Heineken

Rating: 4.4/5

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Slam Dunk Festival has been showcasing the finest and newest talent from the international punk scene since back in 2006. The event has grown each year, and 2010 brought the introduction of a Hatfield (South) venue to run alongside the original location at Leeds University. Reports suggest that the Hatfield festival didn’t run without error, however, clearly the organisers of Slam Dunk North had the day all worked out. The line-up, boasting the likes of New Found Glory, and a one off re-union gig from Capdown, was evidently yet another improvement on the previous year. With so many bands playing on a total of eight stages, Slam Dunk 2010 was destined to be a great value day out.

Opening the Vans (Off The Wall) Stage were reggae-punk four piece, The Skints. Following the release of their debut album, Live. Breathe. Build. Believe. on Rebel Alliance Recordings, The Skints have gathered a loyal following. It’s no surprise really, as the reggae band offer something completely different to the majority of emerging bands across the UK. Each time The Skints perform it seems they have matured more as a band, attract more fans and output a more attractive sound. The debut album was being sold by the band at Slam Dunk Festival, however, not through Rebel Alliance Recordings. Leaving the record label to distribute independently — it seems the band are feeling as optimistic about their music as the critics are.

The second band on the Atticus Stage was indie rock band Moneen. It may be easy to mistake this band for a post-hardcore band similar to the likes of Alexisonfire following the release of The Switcheroo Series: Alexisonfire vs. Moneen released back in 2005; however, the only similarity between the two bands is their location. Moneen played a set including their best known hits, such as Hold That Sound, and a variety of their older tracks. The Canadians were certainly animated on-stage; at one point lead singer, Kenny Bridges, appeared to face plant the stage floor. A later statement from the band announced that the singer had injured his shoulder… the European tour will continue as scheduled.

Demonstrators of some of the heaviest punk in the UK, Leeds based Random Hand, never fail to attract some of the most manic fans around, and Slam Dunk North was no exception. Sonic Boom Six’ somewhat forlorn acknowledgement of the punk-metal group offering ‘the biggest pit of the day’ gives an idea of what was happening down in the crowd. A spontaneous human pyramid one of the many antics displayed. Random Hand went on to play many of their tracks from their latest album: Inhale/Exhale, including the likes of Anger Management and I,Human.

Long-Island, melodic hardcore group, Crime in Stereo played a part in the Relentless Stage line-up. The venue for the line-up (named Mine), wasn’t the best… to be blatantly honest, it was probably the least feasible stage of the festival — a bunker surrounded by one small set of stairs and paths alongside it – with small horizontal holes to observe through. For the unlucky late-comers at the back, a quick glimpse of their favourite band might be caught once every few seconds. Disregarding the stage, Crime in Stereo played an excellent set filled with many familiar tracks such as Small Skeletal and Drug Wolf. The majority of the crowd seemed somewhat uninterested or unaccustomed to the band’s sound; however, many of the previously unacquainted will certainly be seeking their music in the near future.

The owners of the well-known British punk label, Rebel Alliance, are of course, Sonic Boom Six. Whenever SB6 play in the north of England the fans seem arrive in their numbers. Leeds is evidently an area that contains a large amount of Sonic Boom Six fans, and this was clear from the crowd size, practically filling the Vans Stage hall. As always, the female fronted Manchester group put on a great, intense show. The crowd were certainly enthusiastic; and the band acknowledged the crowd’s efforts, something along the lines of: “you’re better than Hatfield, and that’s not easy to beat…”

Following Sonic Boom Six were eclectic punk group Rx Bandits, creators of some of the most original punk around. As a result of their Californian abodes, UK shows are somewhat of a rarity, therefore many were excited to see this band play live. The odd riff patterns and overall style of Rx Bandits is certainly an acquired taste; and for this reason more people seemed to have trouble adjusting to the sound in comparison to the raw, familiar sounds of Britain’s core punk bands. While many undoubtedly became indulged in the various heavy punk and hardcore bands across the festival, those in the presence of Rx Bandits lapped up the mellow, exquisite vibes and left with a very memorable performance.

Sub-headlining one of the many stages was Ragga-metal group, Skindred. Similarly to Rx Bandits, Skindred offer a very unique sound. The Skindred set consisted of a wide range of songs and genres. “Is anybody in here racist?” lead singer Benji Webbe asked the Leeds crowd; followed by, “I’m talking about music racism”. For the narrow-minded fan the bassline/dubstep interludes amongst reggae metal set list may have come as a slight shock, however, Skindred certainly stole the award for the most diverse on-stage. Webbe is undoubtedly a great front man, crowd involvement, humour and great music: the perfect combination.

The headliner that Sound-Revolution chose to finish off the festival with was Capdown. A one off re-union was too good to turn down, and while New Found Glory and The Rocket Summer quite possibly put on great shows; such an opportunity could only be turned down by a fool. The Vans room was packed from front to back with fans eagerly awaiting the arrival of their favourite ska-punk band, and the day couldn’t have been completed with a band more worthy. Playing a selection of familiar songs, particularly from critically acclaimed record Civil Disobedience, Capdown displayed one of the most exciting shows of the past year. This was really one not to miss; the crowd excitement could be sensed from one side of the room to the other. On-stage security had a tough time with a few individuals, finding it practically impossible to keep fans off the stage, and it was no surprise — the die-hard fans simply overjoyed to be in the same humid room as their ska-punk idols.

~ Article by James Murray

Select the links below to view video clips of various acts across the day including the likes of Capdown and Skindred:

The Skints – Roanna’s Song

Rx Bandits – My Lonesome Only Friend

Skindred – Rat Race

Capdown – Ska Wars