Too Old To Punk?

This is first episode we recorded, so it's more of chat between old mates, really setting the tone for the whole d.i.y unprofessional project. Although he was originally meant to be our first 'guest', it's somehow fitting that Gareth "Gaz" Smith closes the season. Musician, writer, coffee drinker, devotee of fika, picker of wild blueberries, and lifelong participant in heavy music, Gaz reflects on a life shaped by class, love of heavy music, becoming a dad, and punk rock.From growing up in the working-class steel town of Corby to playing in bands including Raging Speedhorn, Victims, Diagnosis? Bastard! and Alarm!, we talk about discovering heavy music through bands like Iron Monkey, finding politics through punk, touring, writing, moving to Sweden, and the experiences that took him from major labels and tour buses back to the DIY underground. Having experienced both worlds, Gaz explains why he ultimately chose community over industry, and why the DIY ethos continues to shape the way he lives, creates and relates to others.
Thoughtful, self-deprecating and full of stories, Gaz reminds us that punk isn't something you grow out of: it's something that grows with you.  
Watch out for next season starting sometime in september!!
ALARM!:
https://alarmhardcore.bandcamp.com/
Victims:
https://victims.bandcamp.com/
Diagnosis? Bastard!:
https://diagnosisbastard.bandcamp.com/
Nubenegra:
https://wearenubenegra.bandcamp.com/
A\\VOID:
https://avoid2.bandcamp.com/
Raging Speedhorn:
https://ragingspeedhorn.bandcamp.com/music/
Battle of Santiago:
https://battleofsantiago1.bandcamp.com/album/a-lamp-of-hope/
 

This episode features our good friend Darren "Tadpole" Bourne. For more than three decades, Darren has been one of the quiet forces behind the Brihton/UK DIY punk and hardcore scene,through Tadpole Records, Tadpole Fanzine, the Just One Life Collective, Rigsby Zine, and countless gigs where he's usually found at the front with a camera rather than on the stage.
We talk about growing up working class on the south coast, discovering heavy metal through the back of an older kid's denim jacket, skateboarding as an escape, and finding a home in hardcore through its politics, friendships and sense of community. Darren reflects on singing in Ättestor, running a DIY record label, becoming a father, and why he ultimately realised he enjoyed supporting bands more than being in one himself.
At a time when so many people look backwards, Darren remains driven by curiosity. He's still discovering new bands, filming gigs, sharing music, and championing the next generation with the same enthusiasm he had as a teenager. Humble, generous and completely unpretentious, Darren is one of the unspoken heroes who remind us that punk has always been about far more than music, it's about community, commitment and showing up for the people around you.
 
Ättestor https://youtu.be/t9RiGlZOmzM?is=e_8BiuwrctamTy6K/
 
System Defector https://youtu.be/INo2swO4yL8?is=tgu-8yjvS9YA_nW2/
 
Unslughttps://youtu.be/iGxUB_GfBSo?is=SQZH-CdXzuVUhtJ4
Tadpole Records Bandcamp
https://tadpolerecords.bandcamp.com/music/
 
Tadpole Records YouTube 
https://youtube.com/@tadpolerecords?si=HtuK1VuU-8fl2771/ 
 
Tadpole Records 
https://tadpolerecords.blogspot.com/2012/04/tadpole-records.html?m=1/
 

Born in Venezuela and raised in Chile, Eva LeBlanc is the frontwoman of the hardcore punk band Traidora, as well as a multidisciplinary artist, musician and writer based in the UK. Eva's upbringing was a restless one, and she started her first band as a young teenager. After a life-changing visit to the legendary Dial House, she knew she had found a home—both in a new country and within punk.
In this episode, Eva discusses her pathway into punk and how its intensity, its rage, joy and uncompromising spirit, has translated into a way of living, creating and resisting. Alongside Traidora, Eva has also collaborated with Eve Libertine of CRASS and continues to be an active presence in the UK's DIY punk scene.
 
https://traidorapunx.bandcamp.com/
 
https://www.lavidaesunmus.com/product/una-mujer-trans-sin-pais/
 
https://www.instagram.com/traidorapunk/
 
https://deadnamepunx.bandcamp.com/
 
https://www.instagram.com/disforiapunx/
 
https://www.instagram.com/lavidaesunmus/
 
https://calibansounds.bandcamp.com/
 
 

In this episode, we speak with Marv Gadgie: legendary instigator of gig-time rumness at the  Indian Queen pub in Boston not Boston (the Lincolnshire one, not the American one), zine and book writer, and a sharp observer of both the absurd and the hidden wonders of everyday life. We trace Marv's journey into punk, from discovering Discharge to moving to Boston and helping transform the Indian Queen into an unlikely but vital stop on the DIY touring circuit, welcoming bands like Tragedy, Victims, Fucked Up, Warhead, Code13, DS13, Catharsis, Phobia, Stupids, Varukers, and Municipal Waste. More than just a venue, the Indian Queen became a meeting place where friendships were forged, ideas exchanged, and an international network of people connected through punk took shape.
Along the way, we explore the rich history of Boston's punk scene, talking about hometown heroes such as Urko and the much-missed Jas Toomer, as well as newer bands like Gristle. Throughout the conversation, we reflect on how punk is sustained not simply by records and gigs, but by the friendships, generosity, and communities that grow around the music, alongside plenty of stories, humour, and an appreciation for the extraordinary hidden within the seemingly ordinary.
Excuse the audio quality on this one..and the regional accents... Thanks to Rob Migone for doing his best with the audio!!
Gadgie zine in the Guardian newspaper
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jul/15/uk-fanzines-zine-radical-resurgence?fbclid=IwY2xjawTEcExleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEerx2hcYMso9C0FRb7jX045qVbpJ1a4AvF3OhbZcPLErUfa9jtiNMcwGYH2b0_aem_hJudwicbDfiStR1Yc9LRGA
R.I.P Jas Toomer https://iqhc.bandcamp.com/album/urko/
R.I.P Darrel Skinner https://iqhc.bandcamp.com/album/poindexter/
https://iqhc.bandcamp.com/
Intro: Gristle.....Maximum Power
https://gristleboston.bandcamp.com/
Outro:  Onlooker … Peaceful Protest …
https://onlookertheband.bandcamp.com/
Boston Bands over the years:
https://iqhc.bandcamp.com
 
 
 
 

In this episode, we talk with Scoot about far more than punk. We discuss growing up in a poor working-class family, the perspective that came from a career spent caring for others, and how that shaped the way he viewed the opportunities music gave him. From touring the world to remembering that his first trip abroad wasn’t until he was 19 — a journey to Belgium with Doom — we explore what those experiences meant in the context of where he came from.
We also reflect on Scoot’s relationship with alcohol, the challenges of navigating life on and off the road, and how gratitude, class, and personal growth have remained constant threads throughout his journey. It’s an honest conversation about punk, work, privilege, addiction, and never losing sight of where you came from.
Intro:Retsu ..lessons in self destruction
https://retsupunk.bandcamp.com/
Outro: Extinction of mankind...Inside my fears
https://extinctionofmankind1.bandcamp.com/album/slaves-to-no-one/
https://ukdoom.bandcamp.com/
 

In this episode, we speak with the legendary, wonderful, and towering Jos Houtveen, known for his work with Total Chaoz, The Sextons, Lärm, Staathaat, Seein’ Red, and Disturbers, as well as for being the driving force behind AutoReverse Records. Jos may be retiring this year from his job as a head teacher at a school, but when it comes to punk rock, he shows no signs of slowing down.
SEXTONS :
https://www.bacteria.nl/the-sextons/
DISTURBERS: 
https://www.bacteria.nl/disturbers/
TOTAL CHAOZ:
https://www.bacteria.nl/total-chaoz/ 
LÄRM:
https://www.bacteria.nl/larm/
Seein' Red:
https://seeinred.bandcamp.com/
KUIPVREES (New 12 inch in the works):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elY1OEBKOnE/
 
KRIEGSTANZ:
https://opiaterecords.bandcamp.com/album/kriegstanz-10/
 
ORWELL NATION:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLVu0436qM8/
STAATHAAT:
https://opiaterecords.bandcamp.com/album/staathaat-s-t-lp/