Big Sister is watching, but are you?

Punk rock has been lurking in the shadows way too long and Strange Bones, with their defiant, thought-provoking lyrics and electrifying live performances, are part of its resurgence.Their gigs are guaranteed carnage. Bobby is a vision of controlled chaos, thrashing around on stage and manically jumping into the crowd. When asked where this comes from, he says, “I have no idea really. It’s just great fun and is even more fun when the crowd is just as much a part of the show as us.” This is something the band achieve well, with fans grabbing the microphone at their sets, yelling along to tracks as the band beckons them to get involved. When performing, each member of the band appears in a trance-like state, completely giving themselves to the crowd. How do they achieve this level of intensity? In Bobby's words, “I feel odd before we play like I’m coming off an E. There is a lot of pacing, a lot of air punching. It is exciting, but the wait, it gets me agitated. I just want to get up and play!”Strange Bones have been up and down the country playing for a couple of years now, including impressive support slots for Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Cabbage, but they continue to play local shows and have witnessed their hometown scene change: “The last few years, we have seen it grow. Since the opening of Bootleg Social, as well as the hard work of Milo and Skelly, Blackpool is getting closer to securing its spot on the touring circuit.” After playing in sweaty venues and festivals across the UK and Europe, has there been a stand-out gig? “It has to be Manchester at Night People, or maybe even Koko with Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. Both were absolute carnage! We love it when we can see the crowd turn into animals – madhouse!”“Punk has always been strong, and there has always been a mob, but bands like Slaves and Idles are using their platform to reach out to people who might not have been into punk before. I’m happy to be a part of this.” The underground music scene is thriving, and Bobby thinks, “it’s fucking brilliant. Right now I’m listening to Ho99o9, Avalanche Party, False Heads, Calva Louise, Bad Brains, Cerebral Ballzy and Bad Breeding.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJnk2p4t-oA Their more recent tracks, Blind Faith No Future and Snakepit, boast strong lyrics, Bobby is the man responsible: “I mainly write the songs, but the lads have their moments. Sometimes I will sit down on Logic and play stuff over a beat I made and construct a song that way; other times we write while we jam in our practice room. Over the years I have learnt there is no formula for songwriting as ideas come when you least expect. There are over 1000 voice memos on my phone. Any idea in the shower is a good idea.”On the surface, the lyrics identify politics and anger at the current government, but there are other, less distinguishable themes, such as “detachment, lust and sincerity”, according to Bobby. Further rebellion and fuck-you attitude come from their use of balaclavas and wartime gas masks within their live sets, videos and artwork: “the gas mask is a symbol for the toxicity of the state-run media, although the masks are from the Cold War. The balaclavas are a ‘fuck you’ to Theresa May and the Snoopers' Charter.” Strange Bones certainly inspire those young and old to stand for what they believe in, using music as well as art to be heard. For Bobby, this mentality comes from their upbringing: “Our mum is an amazing artist and the best photographer I know. We were surrounded by art growing up and were encouraged to try things, take risks and pursue our passions.”A lovable attribute of Strange Bones is that their whole vibe feels DIY, built through hard work on and off stage: “Yes, we all work. I tattoo out of Lynx Roux, Spud is a tree surgeon, Jack does building work, and Will is a spray paint artist. It makes it a lot harder when there is no money tree to support the band, but if you put the graft in, anything is possible. We have released all our music and toured so far with little to no money, but nothing will stop us!” He admits that being brothers in a band can present challenges at times, too; however, this is very short-lived: “We hate each other 10% of the time, but because we are brothers this is temporary sibling hatred which lasts about 15 minutes.”Their onslaught on the music scene shows no signs of abating, with plenty in the pipeline: “We are doing a lot of recording. We have some big things planned which will be announced in the next few months. In September we head back to Germany, and in October we do a UK tour.” Strange Bones upcoming UK tour:THU 4 OCT / Stereo / GlasgowSAT 6 OCT 2018 / Clwb Ifor Bach / CardiffSUN 7 OCT 2018 / Cavern Club / ExeterTUE 9 OCT 2018 / The Old Blue Last / LondonWED 10 OCT 2018 / The Sugarmill / Stoke on TrentFRI 12 October 2018 / The Deaf Institute / Manchester Stay in touch with Strange Bones:WebsiteFacebookInstagramTwitter Cover image by Sophie Droysen