Crash Mats keep the punk flame blazing

The Crash Mats . . . punk with a bit of Cheeky Girls thrown in

MUSIC: PUNK rock is still very much alive and kicking in Oldham - thanks largely to self-proclaimed idiotic three-piece outfit the Crash Mats.

The loud and proud band — front-man and bassist Danny Barrett, guitarist Danny Royales, both from Royton, and drummer Chris Webb, from Limeside — is determined to stick to its guns as far as its musical genre is concerned.

Punk isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the Crash Mats simply love what they are doing and acknowledge the toughness of competing with poppier indie bands.

Royales said: “There’s no point playing music you’re not into just because it’s popular. We’re not shouty or anything, we’re just loud and fast and we like to have a good time.

“There is an underground hardcore alternative punk scene going on in Oldham, though. For whatever reason it isn’t talked about too much, but there is us, the Buddhist Anarchists, Manifest have ties to Oldham, and one or two other bands.

“We’ve got a big all-day gig that I’m putting on at the Bank Top Tavern on August 8 which will be full of local punk talent, so we’re all hoping that’ll be a success.”

Royales and Barrett, pals since their school days at Our Lady’s High School, formed the Crash Mats in 2008. Webb has been in the band for 18 months, and they have gigged regularly since - including as support to punk legends the UK Subs and GBH.

“Playing with the UK Subs was just brilliant,” said Barrett. “Meeting Charlie Harper was just awesome to be honest. These are the kind of bands that got us into music in the first place, and just as we finished that night at the Witchwood, the Subs’ original bassist, who had been watching, shook our hands and told us we were great. Meeting those kind of guys are just great experiences.”

The reason for the “idiotic” label is perhaps down to some of the tunes the Crash Mats churn out from time to time.

The vast majority of their sets feature original material, but they have been known to throw in covers of cartoon theme tunes, “I feel love” by Donna Summer and even Cheeky Girls hits.

The lads are currently in the process of recording their first album at Cresta in Ripponden Road.

“We’ve started working on it already,” said Webb. “We’ve got six tracks down and another four are planned.

“We’ll be selling the album at our gigs and hopefully it’s going to get us some more gigs as well. That’s the main priority at the moment. We need to get it on the internet too of course.”

The Crash Mats are certainly not slackers on the gigging front. On the schedule are appearances at the Band on the Hill festival in Delph, Gillespie’s in Blackpool, the Flair Witch Project and even Brixton, on August 31.

Much more information can be gleaned from the lads’ Facebook and Twitter pages.

Listen to Simon’s exclusive interview with the band:

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