If there was going to be one band that I’d be overjoyed to see reformed that was always going to be the ‘Violators’ and now they have it’s a dream come true. Despite only ever releasing two singles and a 12″ EP this was a band who were worthy of so much more. I thought it was actually criminal they never got to write an album but now they’re back I hope this does happen. Many associate the Violators with the ‘Oi!’ tag but their style of Punk music was much more than that – Check out some of their numbers like ‘Gangland’, ‘Summer Of ’81’ and ‘Live Fast Die Young’ for proof of that. After catching up with Cess I decided to drop him a line with an interview and here it is.
Street Voice: First off are you going to reform the Violators and if so who’s going to be in the band?
Cess: Yeah, let me explain. I know there’s been much speculation concerning this issue. About three years ago, I was contacted by Ian Glasper regarding a book he planned to write about U.K punk called Burning Britain, and by Mark Brennan about the re-release of The Violators’ back catalogue on the No Future Years. I was invited to contribute on both of these projects. To cut a long story short, I supposed the experience got my creative juices flowing again. I’ve been writing new material ever since. I’m intending to combined both new and old material for some planned forthcoming gigs. I’ve asked the people who performed on ‘Everything’s in a State of Decay’ to do these gigs with me as The Violators. So a version of The Violators exists again. We’ll be performing the old stuff together with the new material. You’ll be able to hear the likes of Gangland; Live Fast; Die Young, Fucked Up, Government Stinks & Life on the Red Line performed for the first time in fuckin’ years.
Street Voice. So what have you gotten up to since the demise of the Violators to the current day?
Cess: Well, I got older. A little wiser hopefully! Seriously though, after the band imploded, I realised that the opportunities in Derbyshire were limited. So I moved to London and squatted with some mates that had moved down there before me. We had a great time, just living for the moment for quite a few years. Eventually, I got my act together, enrolled at university, got a job. I even became a father, even though that wasn’t part of my scheme of things. I was always of the opinion that the world was such a fucked up place it would be unwise & unfair to bring a child into it. Yet, there you go, I have a cock between my legs, so the potential was always there, wasn’t it? Anyway, fatherhood has made me appreciate things in life that I once would have overlooked. Don’t ask me what though!
Street Voice: You were always seen as an Oi! Band by the likes of Bushell so were you happy with the tag or did it hinder you?
Cess: Were we? Well, if that’s true it was all down to the mainstream music journalists of the day having no imagination. I can’t recall Bushell ever referring to us as Oi! In a review of our first single for No Future, Gangland, he said the track sounded like street-level Joy Division. It doesn’t get much better that that, does it?
Street Voice: Talking of Oi! Bands what do you think of the majority of them wanting to associate themselves to the Far Right?
Cess: It’s a bit of a misconception to believe the majority of those bands back then wanted to politically align themselves with the far-right. I’m not surprised that people hold that view, however. That was how the media portrayed us. They tried to demonise us by turning us into ‘vicious, little monsters’. Nothing’s changed, has it? The Mass Media today blames young hoodies for most of our social evils. Of course, the extreme right was hanging around our movement. They’re innate opportunists who saw the Punk/Skin movement as a potential recruitment pool. That’s the price ya have to pay for living in a society. Yet, in my experience; they didn’t have too much luck in that area.
Note: I was on about many of today’s Oi! bands who can’t wait to stick their right arms in the air. They choose to forget their roots and instead try and re-write the history of Oi! to suit their own twisted ideas.
Street Voice: In the good old days of Punk did you ever get much hassle from the Far Right because of your lyrics like Summer of 81?
Cess: I don’t remember any at all pertaining to the band. Crass, having a far greater anarchist profile, were the main punk band I recall being targeted by the Far Right. At a number of Crass/Poison Girls’ gigs supporters of the far right were outside the gigs with the intention of beating the shit out of any “lefty, punk bastard” they found wandering alone. In fact, it happened to me at one of Crass’ Manchester gigs!
Street Voice: I read you consider yourself a Marxist so did you have those opinions back then?
Cess: I think Marx’s writings should appeal to all most punks ‘cos the social model he describes is extremely anarchistic. In fact, many contemporary anarchist writers are mere plagiaries of Marx. One thing’s certain, Marx would have been horrified by Soviet Communism, &; that’s without including the Stalinist purges. Nevertheless all areas of his philosophical theory has been criticised & you can’t argue with the fact that society has changed from the one he empirically studied. So, it goes to say, I’m not expecting an imminent proletariat revolution. Yet Marx, a guy absolutely dedicated, through his work & by his actions, to the overthrow of the Bourgeoisie is what appeals to me! He’s still the voice of the oppressed.
Street Voice: Did any of the Violators share the same political beliefs as yourself?
Cess: We were all individuals and each of us held our own political beliefs.
Street Voice: Are there any plans to re-release some of the old Studio material and maybe some Demo’s/Live Material on CD format?
Cess: If I can get my hands on any of it, I’ll consider doing it.
Street Voice: Last year Nidge mentioned to me that you were going to do some stuff with Blitz so did you two do any recordings together?
Cess: I saw Nidge quite regularly since I moved back to Derbyshire. In fact, we’d discussed the possibility of me becoming Blitz’s vocalist on, what has become, his final U.S tour. I turned his offer down ‘cos of other commitments. However, we had agreed to collaborate on new material after the tour.
Street Voice: Talking of Nidge it was sad to hear of his death so is there anything you’d like to say regards that tragic accident?
Cess: I was told and obviously, I don’t know if it’s altogether true, there had been a party to celebrate the last few gigs of the tour, during which Nidge was knocked down & killed on a freeway. Although his death is tragic, I admire Nidge for still being out there playing live gigs, pursuing something for which he had real passion. Even from the early days of The Rhythm (his punk band prior to The Blitz), you could tell performing live was a life-affirming act for him & dying in the pursuit of that is an example of a life well spent. Most people die without discovering any life-affirming quality to life. I guess, that’s where real tragedy lies.
Street Voice: Do you still see any of the ex members of the Violators about and have any of them shown interest in reforming the band?
Cess: I see them all from time to time & it’s always good to see them. We share a unique history of which we’re all pretty proud. I see the Violators, at the moment, as a project to make the snail-paced existence of living in Derbyshire a bit more exciting.
Street Voice: I presume you won’t be covering any Taboo songs?
Cess: Ha! Ha! All our tracks are Taboo.
Street Voice: So how did you feel about Crass and the bands that followed them at the time like Conflict etc?!!
Cess: I first heard Crass & the Poison Girls back in ’79 &; thought this is the dogs’ bollocks. For me, they injected something vital into the movement that had become lost, or had never really existed, I don’t know? They just restored ya faith in punk & epitomized the true punk ethics. Yeah, there’s a lot of Crass’ influence in the early Violators’ recordings. Government Stinks is very much inspired by Crass. Nevertheless, we stole the drum beat from Joy Divisions’ Love Will Tear Us Apart for it too, a fusion of Crass & Joy Division. I didn’t really get to hear many of the other crass type bands. I mean, why have imitations, if ya can have the real thing? Seems pointless to me.
Street Voice: Did you share any stages with any Crass bands?
Cess: We didn’t, unfortunately as I would have enjoyed that alot.
Street Voice: Apart from the band do you still get along to gigs to see bands play and if so any bands you’d like to recommend?
Cess: The Transplants’ first album is hellish. I haven’t become bored with it since the first time I listened to it. Crass had that effect on me in the past
Street Voice: Are you a pipe n slippers man or are you still up for getting a few beers down your throat?
Cess: Of course, I still like to get about & enjoy myself, yet sometimes that means I’m smoking a pipe & perhaps wearing slippers.
Street Voice: Anything you’d like to add?
Cess: Yeah, one of the reasons I didn’t go on the Blitz tour was ‘cos I’ve been busy getting a Violators’ Website developed, which is now on line. I believe internet technology has given every band the real opportunity to tell music comp. to fuck off. Our website is our record label that we own & control. Just think about it today’s’ technology may help multi-national record labels become a thing of the past. That a very satisfying thought ‘cos record companies completely stifle originality & talent. They’ve got the single aim to sell the band like prostitutes & it’s inevitable that the band will be pressured to compromises their talent in the companies need for cash over content. I’ve always thought punk’s do it yourself attitude was at it rotten core. I remember thinking well done when The Buzzcocks released their first E.P, Spiral Scratch, on their own New Hormone. I hope you’re all drawing a parallel between that & what we are doing now. Check out the site & see what ya think, anyway. There’s new material downloads, free music downloads, free Violators’ Scrapbook to download, merchandise for sale, picture gallery from back in the day.
Thanks to Cess for doing the interview. I hope you out there enjoyed it? Here’s hoping some one put’s them back in the studio so an album can finally be recorded. If you’ve never heard this great band you must give them a listen as they were one of the best things to come out the early eighties. In fact the Violators were one of the best Punk bands that ever did the rounds. Nuff said!
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