Can you give me a brief history of the band?
Steve: The band started in '96 with just Alan (on guitar and vox), Tom and Brandy. Si joined a bit after that. I did a couple of shows when I was on Uni breaks then joined properly when I finished Uni ('98). Then Alan gave up guitar to concentrate on vox. 
Phil: I started playing with them in August '99, the only time I'd seen them before that was at the Sk8 & Ride in Bristol supporting Citizen Fish.  Since then, it's all been downhill *grin, wink* 
Steve: And are most recent addition is James on Trumpet who joined us last December. 

How do you describe the music that you play? 
Phil: Punky ska with metal bits sticking out 
Steve: I'd agree with that. 

Where did your name come from? 
Phil: No idea, ask Al... 
Steve: We like to keep people guessing. 

How did you get on Household Name Records? 
Phil: After we'd recorded the album, we sent a few CDR copies out to certain labels, had a response from three and decided to go with HHN. 
Steve: I think Lil and Kafren had seen us live a few times as well. 

Did it feel at bit strange when you first got on the same record label as some of the UK's leading ska/punk bands such as Lightyear, Capdown and Adequate 7?
Alan: it was a little hard to believe and still is a lot of ways, but makes me smile 
Phil: It took about two weeks for it to properly sink in for me; since then I've had this big grin on my mush.  Big ups to Lil, Kafren and everyone else at HHN. 
Steve: I think it's really gonna hit me once the record is out. 

You get a lot of good reviews, how does that feel? 
Alan: I haven't read a review for a long time but it's always good when we do 
Phil: I almost never see a review that anyone writes about us, honourable exceptions being Rhythm&Booze, Pro-Tection, Weekender and Fracture.  How does it make me feel?  If people like us enough to say so in print that's fine, if they think we suck that's okay too, everyone's going to have a different opinion: as long as people get something out of the shows and the music, hopefully have a good time, that's what matters to me. 

How is your new album 'Nothing To Say' different from 'Crash Helmet Hoopla' + why should we buy it? 
Alan: this album has a lot more heaviness and heart and soul in it 
Phil: I think the music has a heavier feel to it, the brass is better integrated into the overall sound and it hangs together as a whole much better.  You should buy it for all of the above reasons, plus it's a good album in its' own right- I think we can hold our own with most bands around now. 

Which is the best gig you've ever played + the best band you've played with? 
Alan:  my favourite gig was with either with the mad caddies in Birmingham , with spankboy in Taunton or , last week with the slackers. 
Phil:  Best gig? Either the Mad Caddies & Farse last year, with King Prawn in May or The Slackers last week.  Best band? Too many great bands we've played with to pick one out. 
Steve: Gig: With the Caddies in Brum. Band: Hmmm (thinks long and hard) probably the Mad Caddies or Capdown 

Which bands have influenced your music?
Alan: any musician that puts there heart into the music , from Lauren hill , to the suicide machines. 
Phil: Everything I hear; Melvins, Autechre, Bach, Brahms, Mahler, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Nomeansno, J*R, Big Black, Pixies, Victims Family, Tomahawk, Aphex Twin, Fantomas, DJ Shadow, MC 900ft Jesus, Depth Charge, The Pharcyde- how many spare pages do you have? 
Steve: The Suicide Machines, The Vandals, John Spencer Blues Explosion, Rocket from the Crypt, Mad Caddies, New Bomb Turks, Capdown, King Prawn. 

What's the strangest thing that's happened to you on tour? 
Alan: getting the royal treatment in huddersfield with 2 meals and a 3 hotel rooms , also in ispwich they where really nice to us. 
Phil: Getting fed & put up for the night by Mick from Blank Generation in Ipswich: top man, and his missus is an angel. 
Steve: Yeah breakfast at Mick's place was great. Reading the guardian and drinking earl grey. How punk rock are we. 

Why do you think the punk/ska scenes grown so much lately? 
Phil: Everything has its' time and place, punk and ska seem to be popular in cycles, now is one of those times. 
Alan: kids are bored 

What do you think are the best bands in the scene at the moment? 
Phil: I'm loath to start trying to pin the tail on that particular donkey. 
Alan: Mr zippy , four foot fingers, Capdown, Lightyear , 5 knuckle , and so on 

What do you think of the Mp3 sharing and CD burning  (copying CD's)? 
Alan: it's the best thing that has ever happened to music and to me ever I get to listen to so many bands then choose to buy the albums that have more than 2 good songs on them which isn't many 
Phil: I think you can only justify it if the record's deleted and not available any other way; anything else is theft, and I'm as guilty of this as the next person. 
Steve: It is good because you get to hear a lot of music, and hopefully people do buy the stuff they really like. 

Does Alan still wear a green crash helmet at gigs?! If not, why not? 
Phil: People don't throw much stuff at us any more ( except for the dickhead at Clwb Ifor Bach ) 
Alan: I might bring it to some of the hhn dates if I remember 

Can you dish any dirt on some of the bands you've played with (maybe spankboy.) 
Phil: Mr Zippy are all virgins. 
Alan: Crashlands are wankers , and so up there on ass they wouldn't even let us in the dressing room at one show. 
Steve: Mads (Mr Zippy) once ran round my house with only a wok covering his genitals. 

Do you guys have day jobs? 
Phil: Sadly, yes. 
Alan: yes we all work , cause we don't make anywhere near enough to keep Kenisia going and we all have women commitments
Steve: It sucks because it means we're limited to how much touring we can do.

What's one strange/gross fact about each of you?
Phil: I can blow air out of the corner of my right eye.
Alan: tom pisses into the wind when he's drunk
Steve: Brandy is not his real name ;)

What are your porn star names?!
Phil: Er, I didn't know I had one. Tom ought to be The Beast though....
Alan: bruno ogg
Steve: The Flashing Blade

Message to the fans/ anyone who's reading:
Phil: Think for yourself.
Steve: Don't believe the hype
Alan: say hello to the stranger next to you on the bus if she's cute

Thank you very much for taking the time to do the interview! :):):)