S.C.A.B. interview: Argy Bargy

What was your main goal and idea when you decided to form a band?

My main goal was to keep Punk music alive and to make it thrive once again. When I started Argy Bargy back in 1992 there were hardly any other bands around, or at least there were no gigs going on. I wanted to kick things off again and hopefully inspire people to form new bands.

I think people will always try to stereotype Oi! bands because unfortunately a lot of people still believe the tired old bullshit that that people claim to be the truth about Oi! Certainly there are some bands who don't help themselves when it comes to dispelling these myths but in general I think the future is looking bright for the scene. Bands like Argy Bargy, Deadline, Discipline etc are watched by audiences from right across the spectrum, be they Punks, Skins, Football Hoolies or Hardcore kids and that has to be a healthy thing.

I support Watford Football Club and have been watching them home and away since 1977. There are too many stories to tell from the terraces, maybe I'll write a book about it! I think modern football is in a terrible state, especially if you are a team outside of the Premiership. There is far too much money involved in football today and the fact that certain players get paid sixty thousand pounds a week is just obscene. It's a disgrace that clubs are going out of business in the lower leagues while someone like David Beckham can spend 15 grand on a wristwatch. It's not just the Premiership teams that matter, because the teams in the other division are equally as important, even if they are not as wealthy. That's my opinion anyway.

I think that we have to remember that Saddam Hussein's regime was an extremely oppresive one and had to be halted somehow. You cannot have someone jailing and torturing and murdering people just because they don't agree with what you're saying. If the coallition forces went into Iraq to free the country then that's what has happened and now they return home and let the Iraqi people govern themselves in a, hopefully, democratic fashion. However, I'm deeply suspicious of George W Bush and his pet poodle, Tony Blair and I don't trust either of them.

How political you as a person/band are? Do you see political divisions in oi! scene and what's your opinion about it, which side are you on? (example: Angelic upstarts vs. Section 5)...

I'm not particularly political I don't think. Sure I have strong views on certain matters but I'm no political activist. I do have a strong sense of what I believe to be right and wrong though. As for the Section 5 / Upstarts thing, well I know both sides involved very well so I'm not taking anyone's side but I will say this. I've known Section 5 since the mid 80's and I have never heard any of them say anything that may lead to them being accused of being Nazi's.

You're right, I am very lucky to work for Captain Oi! Records and I never forget, or take for granted just how lucky I am. I have worked for record companies since 1988 but before that I've worked in a Warehouse and a printers.

I love working at Captain Oi! I still can't believe that I help to promote the CD's that we do because I grew up worshipping most of the bands on the label and to find myself being a part of such an important label is a real honour for me.

I've seen so many gigs over the years so that's a very hard question to answer. I would have to say that some of my favourite gigs have been Rose Tattoo, Cock Sparrer, The Crack, Cockney Rejects, Motorhead, the list goes on and on. As far as Argy Bargy goes though, we've had some great gigs with great atmosphere. We recently played at the launch party for Deadline and that was really good. I was buzzing for a week after that gig!

I see you are a Wildhearts fan (me too!), do you have other non-punk influences? What non-music things/people inspire you?
Yeah, I'm a big Wildhearts fan and I've seen them many times. In fact the whole band are big fans. I like a lot of different styles of music. I do a lot of Reggae, Ska and Northern Soul DJing but I also spend a lot of time listening to AC/DC or the Heavy Metal Kids. I have quite a varied taste, but I can't stand dance music.

I take inspiration from a lot of non musical things. The people on the streets, my friends, poverty, wealth, injustice. All these thing affect us all in one way or another and that is what I write about.

There are lot's of moments when I've felt really proud. When we released our last album was a proud moment because it was, and still is, the fastest selling new release on Captain Oi! It completely sold out in less than 2 weeks. I also feel very proud when I see people singing the songs that I wrote or when someone comes up to me and shakes my hand for writing the song that explained the way they feel about life.

Any words for the and, message...anything you'd like to add?
For the future we plan to gig as much as possible in as many countries as possible. We're currently writing songs for our split album with Discipline and we will hopefully be releasing a split single with Agnostic Front later in the year.

I would like to say thank you very much to everyone who has bought our records or come to our gigs over the years, we really appreciate it and we'll see you all again very soon.