REFUSE/ALL HISTORY

REFUSE/ALL ROSE PHOENIX LIKE FROM THE ASHES THAT WERE RIOT/CLONE IN APRIL 2005. THE LEAD SINGER AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF RIOT/CLONE, DAVE FLOYD, HAD TIRED OF THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER AND DECIDED TO MOVE ON.

RIOT/CLONE HAD REKINDLED OUR TASTE FOR BEER, MOTORWAY SERVICE STATION FOOD AND NORTHAMPTON, SO THE REMAINING MEMBERS WEREN'T GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT. IT HAD TAKEN MOST OF THEM TWENTY ODD YEARS TO LEARN BAR CHORDS AND DRUM TRIPLETS AND IF THEY PUT THEIR AXES AND STICKS DOWN NOW, THEY'D PROBABLY BE DEAD BEFORE THEY PICKED THEM UP AND LEARNT ABOUT SCALES, SKA DRUMMING AND OTHER SUCH MUSICAL NONSENSE.

SO CHARLIE (LEFT HANDED DRUMMER AND EX EVERY BAND THAT'S EVER BEEN AND PROBABLY EVER WILL BE); SEAN (SKILLED GUITARIST OF ANTIPODEAN EXTRACTION AND GENERALLY ALL ROUND NICE BLOKE); GARY (SHAVEN HEADED, TATTOOED GUITARIST AND DIAMOND GEEZER FROM THE WRONG SIDE OF WEST LONDON) AND SHEA (CHAIN SMOKING, LAGER DRINKING, DISTORTION LOVING BASSIST FROM SOUTH OF TOWN) THOUGHT BUGGER IT, WE'LL FORM A NEW BAND AND INFLICT MORE MUSICAL INEPTITUDE ON AN UNSUSPECTING PUNK PUBLIC.

AFTER MANY PINTS, SULKS AND THE OCCASIONAL SNIFFLY NOSE WITH A SHOUT OF "IT'S JUST A BIT OF DUST IN MY EYE", WE REJECTED MOST OF THE GOOD NAMES AND CAME UP WITH REFUSE/ALL. THE SLASH DIDN'T REALLY MAKE ANY SENSE AND WHAT THE ALL WAS WE HAD NO IDEA, BUT IF THERE WAS SOMETHING TO REFUSE, WE BLOODY WELL WOULD AND WE'D DO IT LOUDER THAN ANYONE ELSE, OKAY?

WE WERE READY TO SHOW THE WORLD WHAT WE WERE MADE OF, BUT HAD THAT NIGGLING DOUBT IN THE BACK OF OUR MINDS THAT WE HADN'T DONE SOMETHING, MAYBE WE'D LEFT THE CRIMPERS ON, BUT NONE OF US HAD ENOUGH HAIR FOR THAT THESE DAYS, EXCEPT MAYBE CHARLIE AND IT CAN'T BE GOOD TO CRIMP DREADS?

OH YEAH, A SINGER, THAT WAS IT, NONE OF US COULD DO IT, EXCEPT MAYBE SEAN, CHARLIE OR GARY, SO WE'D HAVE TO AUDITION PEOPLE. THE REHEARSAL ROOM WAS BOOKED, THE CUCUMBER AND LETTUCE SARNIES WERE ALL LAID OUT AND WE ALL TRIED TO LOOK SUITABLY PUNK FOR THE HORDES THAT WOULD COME. WELL, WHEN I SAY HORDES, APART FROM A MATE WHO PROBABLY FELT SORRY FOR US, ONLY ONE OTHER PERSON TURNED UP AND HE GOT THE JOB. ALEX WAS THE NEW SINGER.

WHAT WAS NEXT? OH YEAH, SONGS, WE COULD DO WITH A FEW OF THOSE TOO. WE'D FINISHED RECORDING THE LAST RIOT/CLONE ALBUM "SUCCESS" IN SEPTEMBER 2004, SO WE WOULD HAVE TO COME UP WITH A COMPLETELY NEW SET, NOW THAT WAS STRETCHING IT. IN THE MEANTIME, WE ALSO NEEDED GIGS FOR AFTER MAY 2005, WHEN THE LAST RIOT/CLONE GIG WOULD BE.

IN A STRANGE TWIST OF FATE, STEVE FROM THE LOST CHERREES, WHO HAD BEEN GIVEN THEIR FIRST MAJOR GIG BY RIOT/CLONE IN 1983, OFFERED US A GIG DOWN THE CARTOON IN CROYDON. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LOW KEY THING, BUT THEN CONFLICT WERE SUPPOSED TO PLAY TOO AND WE THOUGHT, OH BUGGER, AS WE ONLY HAD A COUPLE OF REFUSE/ALL SONGS. WE FILLED OUR SET OUT WITH RIOT/CLONE SONGS AND EVEN THOUGH CONFLICT DIDN'T MAKE IT IN THE END, WE HAD A GREAT NIGHT PLAYING AND WATCHING THE CHERREES.

GRADUALLY WE REPLACED ALL THE RIOT/CLONE SONGS WITH REFUSE/ALL ONES AND AFTER GIGS UP AND DOWN THE COUNTRY, WE WERE READY TO RECORD AN ALBUM'S WORTH OF MATERIAL IN DECEMBER 2005. WE DECIDED TO RECORD AT GRAVITY SHACK IN TOOTING BEC, WITH PAT COLLIER, THE EX BASSIST FROM THE VIBRATORS AS THE ENGINEER, PRODUCER AND ALL ROUND GOOD BLOKE. THE RESULT WAS "HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY IN GUANTANAMO BAY" WHICH JON ACTIVE HEROICALLY RELEASED ON THE ACTIVE LABEL (THEY WILL SELL EVENTUALLY JON, HONEST).

THEN, HORROR OF HORRORS, THE FELLA WITH THE SMALL BIT OF TALENT, SEAN, DECIDED TO LEAVE US FOR AUSTRALIA AND HIS NATIVE NEW ZEALAND. CALLS TO THE RESPECTIVE EMBASSIES DETAILING HIS HEINOUS CRIMES IN THE UK AND DESPERATELY EXPLAINING WHAT A GENERAL ENDANGERMENT TO THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE HE WOULD BE, FELL ON FLAT EARS. THE DAMN FOOLS, WE THOUGHT THEY'D GIVEN UP TAKING OUR CRIMINALS, BUT NO, TAKE HIM THEY WOULD.

SO AFTER A FEW UNSUCCESSFUL FORAYS INTO REPLACEMENTS, SHEA WAS PERSUADED TO DUST DOWN HIS CHEAP SG COPY AND STRUM THE ODD BAR CHORD AGAIN. AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE HUNDREDS OF GIGS WITH JUST GAZ ON GUITAR, CHARLIE REMEMBERED HE KNEW A NICE BLOKE CALLED LEON WHO PLAYED BASS. RING HIM WE SAID, HE WON'T BE INTERESTED CHARLIE RETORTED, BLOODY RING HIM WE SHOUTED, ALMOST CRYING BUT BEING QUITE MANLY ABOUT IT TOO.

AFTER WE THREATENED TO ASK THE MANUFACTURERS OF RED BULL TO MAKE IT NON VEGAN, CHARLIE GOT HOLD OF LEON AND WE WERE A TWO GUITAR, ONE BASS, LOTS OF DRUMS AND CRACKED CYMBALS, ONE SINGER TYPE PUNK ROCK COMBO AGAIN. HURRAH.

AS MORE GIGS FOLLOWED, SIX TO A ROOM TRAVELODGES AND LYING IN THE BACK OF A WINDOWLESS TRANSIT FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE DAYS ON END ON MOTORWAYS, ALEX DECIDED TO CALL IT A DAY. FAIR ENOUGH WE SAID, CHEERS FOR BEING IN THE BAND, BUT WE ARE CARRYING ON, THERE'S LITERALLY ONE OR EVEN TWO PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO MIGHT BE INTO OUR MUSIC, SO WE WILL NEVER QUIT (UNTIL WE ALL GET A BIT TOO MUTTON AND UNSTEADY ON OUR PINS OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER I'M AFRAID).

AND ALONG CAME KEV TO COMPLETE THE REFUSE/ALL STORY SO FAR. WE'VE BEEN IN AND RECORDED ANOTHER ALBUM'S WORTH OF MATERIAL WHICH WE HOPE TO RELEASE IN 2008, AGAIN WITH THE EXCELLENT PAT COLLIER AND ROSE. HISTORIES OF REFUSERS WILL APPEAR RANDOMLY AND HOPEFULLY STAY UP FOR A WHILE BEFORE ANY LAWYERS GET INVOLVED. HAD ENOUGH, OKAY, CHEERS FOR READING THIS MUCH, GO AND HAVE A LIE DOWN.