Austeros are a three piece punk band from Cheltenham and Bristol. Their new album Painted Blue is released by Specialist Subject Records on the 27th of May. Here are guitarist Jeremy's top ten punk rock influences.
The Offsrping – Ixnay On the Hombre
I was 12 years old when I bought my first punk album, and this Offspring record was it. I grew up in the Middle East (Egypt / Israel) in the 90’s, and the story of how I got into punk is both very lame and kinda romantic, I guess. The class I was in was tiny, 10 kids at most. We got to know new pupils by passing round a diary and asking them to fill in some stuff about themselves. Music was always my first question, and when a new girl wrote Offspring / Green Day / Nirvana as her favourite bands, I pretended to know what she was talking about in a bid to impress her. I went to Tower Records and picked up Ixnay, cos it had the coolest cover. Shortly after that I got into Green Day, Nirvana, No Doubt, Blink 182 etc...
Early 00’s UK skate punk
When I moved to England at 15, being in a town like Cheltenham was fucking amazing. The first punk show I went to was 4ft Fingers. Being a local band, they were the coolest thing on the planet to me. We were lucky enough to have tons of great bands passing through Cheltenham, and my friends and I went to see them all. Five Knuckle, King Prawn, Farse, Captain Everything, Lightyear etc... all became favourites, and made the transition of moving to UK a lot less painful!
REM in Wiesbaden
I don’t know if REM is punk, but to me they are. I went to see them in Wiesbaden in 2003, and to this day it remains one of the most inspiring performances I’ve ever witnessed. Michael Stipe is a hero. I’d equate his writing to Dylan’s, though most of my friends wholeheartedly disagree. I think being an REM fan is like being a Morrissey fan – when you meet a fellow enthusiast they instantly become your best friend, and when you meet someone who isn’t a fan, they really slate you.
Specialist Subject Records
My involvement in the punk scene dwindled for a few years, whilst I was busy being a hippy. I got back into it when some of my friends played me Bangers and Arteries, and I went to see them play at the Frog in Cheltenham. The music was great, and the people super friendly. I started getting into more and more bands in that scene, and they mostly happened to be on Specialist Subject Records. When we started Austeros, we really wanted to be involved with those people / shows / bands, and putting out a record on spesh sub was the ultimate dream. Haha
WOAHNOWS
The first time I saw WOAHNOWS was in a practise room in Gloucester, and I’d never seen / heard any band like them before. I was even more sold when I saw Kurt Vonnegut on their merch t-shirts. I’ve seen them tons of times since then, and every single time is just as exciting as the last. They put so much energy into their shows, and the musicianship is a cut above what most bands are doing. Get into them!
Tim produced our upcoming album by the way!
Grrrls
It’s true, punk rock, like everything else in this world in very much dominated by boys. The music I listened to growing up was almost entirely male-oriented. I’m happy to say that’s no longer the case, and girls are kicking ass in the uk punk scene. Personal Best, Fight Rosa Fight, Doe, Muncie Girls, Kamikaze Girls, Colour Me Wednesday, Shit Present, El Morgan, Kelly Kemp, Helen Chambers, Petrol Girls, No Ditching.... I could go on. Get more grrrls in your record collection!
Unknown bands
I love sharing little known bands with friends, and I love it when my friends show me bands I’d never have heard if it wasn’t for them. One band in particular that I’ve been listening to obsessively for the last few months is Van Dale. I heard them through Jake from Doe, and I’ve been telling everyone I know about them since then. No one seems to have heard of them, but everyone should hear them! Also Laika’s Orbit. and Alimony Hustle are bands I’ve been sharing with people lately.
My mate Jack
Jack is one of my heroes. I’ve known him since I’ve been in England. We went to shows together when we were teens, played in shitty bands together, grew up together... I’m including him in my punk influences because since we met he has always introduced me to the best bands. Anyone who introduces you to Neutral Milk Hotel, Bomb the Music Industry, Laura Stevenson etc... needs to be appreciated. Oh he also recently showed me Laika’s Orbit, who I mentioned above.
Chewing on Tinfoil
We played our first show with Chewing on Tinfoil, and we also did a tour with them in the early Austeros days. They are some of nicest people you could ever hope to meet, and an awesome band to boot. Their album Marrowbone Lane is a masterpiece, I can’t stress enough how much you need this album in your life.
Don’t Ask Records
That was our little label for a little while. We did some really fun stuff during its short lifespan, and more importantly made some great friends. The bands we’ve played with the most are those who were on Don’t Ask. I think we’ve done a total of 3 weekender with Happy Accidents in the last couple of years?? And there’s another one planned this summer! Also played loads of shows with Isaac, Kimberly Steaks, Haters, Young Attenborough. We consider those people dear friends, and they’ve all influenced us musically as well.
You can pre-order Austeros new album Painted Blue from Specialist Subject Records here: http://shop.specialistsubjectrecords.co.uk/
Like Austeros here: https://www.facebook.com/weareausteros/
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