Interview with Fraser and Veej of Deathtraps.
Deathtraps are the sound of full throttle, turbocharged, foot to the floor rock’n’roll destruction played with a wild abandon and nicotine stained middle fingers flipped. If you like your rock and roll dirty, nasty and scuzzy, with that underlying punk rock edge,you will love what Deathtraps are offering. Think MC5 on steroids, think Turbonegro, think Hip Priests, Scumbag Millionaire, Bitch Queens or uncle Iggy-Appetite for Prescription is the soundtrack you’ll find in the glovebox of a serial killers truck.....
1. Your new album Appetite for Prescription is about to get released, tell us about it? Can we expect the same in your face fuck you Rock’n’roll?
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Fraser: We haven't re-invented the wheel-we play what we like, how we like it. It's a step or two forward from “Deathtraps Stole Your Rock & Roll” but still rooted in the same frustration and aggression.
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Veej: We had Johnny H Bomb help us out this time which added some different flavours, and moved the the sound on from “Stole Your...”. We are too old forchange!
2. What’s next for Deathtraps? I guess a World domination tour!?
Fraser: We're still trying to break out of our little corner of Britain. It was hard last timeout as the “Deathtraps Stole Your Rock & Roll” came out two weeks before lock-down. We'll play any time, any place, any where so we'll see how it goes....
Veej: What Fraser said, we just want to play rock n roll wherever anybody will let us.
3. I want to get the first two albums, any chance of reissuing them on cd/vinyl’s?
Fraser: It's really expensive to put out records but we are considering a short run of pre-order only, lathe cut re-issues of “Gotta Get Some” and “Justice....”,
Veej: We may even go back and remix and remaster them first.
Theres a few issues I've noticed since we released them that i'd like to sort out.
4. First Punk Rock band you ever saw Live? Where/when?
Fraser: When I was in school I got to see a few bands like KISS, The Alarm and Iron Maiden. The first punk gigs I went to were SLF on their reunion tour in Cardiff and The Damned on the Anything tour in Swansea around 1987.
Veej: Charlies Family Crisis, punk band from Pencoed (where I grew up) playing in the Kings Head pub (which is now a fucking Tesco).
5. First Punk Rock Record you bought?
Fraser: I bought a couple of Jam singles but Strawberries and Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned were my first punk rock records.
Veej: Nelly The Elephant by the Toy Dolls. Still a banger!
6. Favourite Venue to play shows? UK or abroad
Fraser: We're just coming up on our 100th gig and all of them have been great fun in their own right.
For pure mental-ness The Dean Lane Hardcore fun day in Bristol. You just don't know what's going to happen next.
Veej: The Chameleon in Nottingham, the biggest PA I've seen in such a small room.
Its loud as fuck, it's perfect!
7.Influences?
Fraser: We're still searching for the sweet spot in the holy trinity of Turbonegro, TheRamones and Motorhead.
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Veej: What Fraser said, what more could you want!
All photos by Bonybugs
8. Any new bands impressed you and worth a shout out?
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Fraser: There are some great new-ish bands like Crooked Little Sons from Exeter, System Reset from Abertillery, The Flying Spider Revival from Crumlin and The Drippers from Gothenburg that are well worth tracking down.
There are also tons of great bands like The HipPriests, The Setbacks and The Electric Shakes that have playing great shows for years but still fly below the radar.
Veej: Cosmit from Bristol, TV Crime from Nottingham, Scene Killers also from Nottingham and Bottlekids from Chepstow all worth seeking out.
9.What is the craziest, most memorable thing you have seen at a show?
Fraser: There's a chap in Newport who love to climb on stage and try to put Matty off.
His finest moment was attaching a small wooden house to Matty's head while he was playing.
Matty didn't miss a beat-it was the stuff of legend.
Veej: The same chap also covered Matty's sweaty head in rizzla papers whilst he was playing. I turned around and Matty's head was plastered in rizzlas. He looked like he was having his hair coloured!
10. Greatest Punk Rock album ever released?
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Fraser: That's a really hard one....Nobody's Heroes by SLF but do I love that more than Rocket to Russia, Setting Sons or the first Clash album or even Apocalypse Dudes by Turbonegro?
Who knows... Tranzophobia by Mega City Four !?!?
Veej: It is Apocalypse Dudes!
11. Favourite Punk Rock band to share the stage with?
Fraser: Without doubt our chums The Hip Priests.
Veej: We love those fucking boys!
12. Guilty pleasure?
I'm not sure I should feel guilty about liking KISS.
Veej: I love Terrence Trent D'Arby! Fight me!!
13. Where does the name Deathtraps come from?
Fraser: We were kicking ideas around and Veej came up with it. It was the best of the bunch!!!
Veej: Our mate Ray had a skateboard company called Handcrafted Deathtraps and I thought Deathtraps on its own described us perfectly. I wasn't wrong!
14.Any advice for aspiring young Punk Rock bands out there?
Fraser: If you say yes to a gig then do it.Don't ever expect to get paid.Always give any band at least 3 songs.Never shoot off after you've played especially if you've just used borrowed gear.
Veej: and don't be a fucking dick!!!
Appetite for Prescription will be released on the 21st October.
Pre Orders are now open with bundles available here:
https://deathtraps.bandcamp.com/album/appetite-for-prescription
