The early-to-mid '80s was a good time for Oi! There were so many great bands in the U.K. at the time that it's only natural that a few truly amazing bands would slip through the cracks. Lowestoft's A.B.H. was one of those "forgotten" bands, although the recent split CD with Subculture on Captain Oi! proves that they could hold their own against any contemporary Oi! band. The following interview sheds some light on what it was like during Oi!'s heyday. Vocalist Pete Chilvers and bassist Nigel Boulton answered the questions.
Interview by Simon Beneteau
How did ABH get together?
Pete: Nigel had formed a band and wanted to develop it, looking for more like-minded people really. We had been friends for quite a while, having met through youth clubs and a mutual taste in music (although I always felt he had some worrying favorites). Basically I was playing in a fun band thing supporting another local bunch of posers and Nigel came along. The outfit was called the Cycle Sluts (John Cooper Clark title) and we were just wild, no talent, just wild. We threw custard pies at the audience and played... kind of... Nigel was looking for a front man and thought I would fit the bill... the rest is history.
Nigel: Yes, basically true I think. It was so long ago it's hard to recall but I think it mostly started off in Peto's and at the Brinton's house.
What was the scene like in Lowestoft at the time? Were there any other noteworthy bands in the area?
Pete: The usual mixture of bands. Some more or less good, but almost none that played good punk/skin music. They mostly dabbled in alternative stuff, but couldn't break away from that old rock n' roll/metal thing. Without blowing our own trumpet we were good, we had all been in other bands and came together as like-minded individuals. We were not bothered about being taken too seriously and were more interested in enjoying ourselves, rather than trying to be all things to all people. We saw that it was possible to have an idea and all you had to do to realise it was to "do it". You didn't have to be a pale imitation of someone else's idea if you didn't want to. The result was that we ended up being the best in the surrounding area, and ironically, because we did it all the way, one way, our way, we quickly gained support. Just simply worked on the premise that if we liked what we did and enjoyed ourselves we would find other people who also did. So we played, dressed and performed on stage just like the people we went to see bands with, bought records and hung around with. The skinhead scene, it was pretty integrated with the punk scene really. We all got on well generally.
Nigel: Absolutely, all the other bands were looking to the Stones et al as their inspiration and hoping to get gigs in pubs, an obvious no-no for a band like us when the dress-code at nearly all pubs was "NO LEATHERS".
Did the band play out a lot before the Demo was recorded? What was a typical gig like?
Pete: We played quite a few gigs. A typical gig was small venue, lots of rucking, drinking, dancing, some gobbing (never really a problem; didn't mind), lots of sweating and bags of energy. We attracted equal numbers of punks and skins I'd say. We had a good hard-core that went around the country with us and POA (Pissed On Arrival) was written for them and several of the main guys are named in the song.
Nigel: Yes, and unlike other bands a lot of the gigs were miles away often on weekday nights so we must have been dedicated to have made the effort.
How did the appearances on "A Country Fit For Heroes 2" and "The Oi! Of Sex" come about?
Pete: Just through playing gigs and getting known. We did the usual thing of sending demos off everywhere and they just kind of happened. We had a few gigs arranged by companies who wanted to take a better look. I remember doing three dates at the 100 club, all arranged by (I cannot remember who), and they offered us a three single one album contract. The catch was they wanted to dictate where we played and when, we would have to jump whenever they called, no matter where or when. In addition they immediately wanted to change the way we looked and presented ourselves. They told me I would have to dress like this guy, have my hair like that guy, dye my hair this colour... we had played with so many bands who had gone down that route and had very little to show for it. They all advised against that slave-like existence unless we were really serious. Most had lost their enthusiasm for what they were doing and their performances showed it, to many it became just another job, and not a good one at that. That was not us, so we said NO.
Nigel: Did we? I don't remember that, but hey, who wants to sell out anyway? (Pete, you didn't turn down any Top of the Pops appearances, say you didn't, please).
According to the liner notes on the reissue of "The Oi! Of Sex", you made a video for "Don't Mess With The SAS"; what's the story behind that?
Pete: Our mate was doing a visual arts thing at college and subsequently went on to run his own television production company. He had the kit, knew what to do and did us a freebie video (well for a few beers, you know). Not much more to say. We set the studio thing up inthe corner of a college room, made a back-drop and did th thing in an evening with four or five takes.
Nigel: And it shows. But at the time to have a video of any sort was a real coup even if we couldn't actually use it for anything.
I hate to ask this question, but I can't avoid it... You also appeared on the "This Is White Noise" ep, alongside Skrewdriver, Brutal Attack, etc... Was ABH a white-power band? If so, are your views the same as they were then?
Pete: That kind of happened toward the end. Getting stuff out was always hard and we made that call, probably not the best decision we ever made but it was a time when the band was cracking up, and well, maybe we thought releasing something would kind of re-focus us, who knows. We all make mistakes I guess. I don't want to make excuses, we did what we did and I stand by that. If people have a problem with that it's up to them, as I said we did our own thing and if we fucked up then we fucked up. Sympathy? I don't want it, as far as I'm concerned it's a word in the dictionary somewhere between shit and syphilis, and that's it. But in answer to the other part of your question: We defiantly had a foot firmly and squarley in the skinhead camp and we make no apologies for that. Extreme views are a part of that culture but by no means all of it. I cannot give you a breakdown of tthe political views of all members of the band, but yes we were a British-and-proud-of-it outfit. We wore the Union Jack because we were proud to be British, but Nazis we were not. I am still proud of my heritage, but having worked in Bosnia over the last three years and having seen first hand just what that kind of extreme ideology means for real, I can tell you it's not pretty. I worked in Afghanistan in '86 and '88 with the Mujahadeen, risked my life and lost a friend. I have the greatest of respect for the people from that part of the world, their religion and their culture. I do not hate any group of people (except maybe hippies).
Nigel: Tricky one this and I've spent ages thinking about it and trying to remember. I think one of the main things to bear in mind was the social situation at the time. After Labour's failure in the '70s the Conservatives came to power on a landslide and set about changing many of the social structures which had been in place for years. Inevitably there was a left-wing backlash and it was percieved to be "alternative" to go along with that. As with most other things we did, it seemed good to go against the flow of our peer group to see what would happen, so in that respect it was a confrontational decision, not political. I have never liked being told what to do, what to believe and what to say in any context, be it moral, political, theological or philosophical. Additionally there was substantial IRA activity at the time and one of the right-wing platforms was not to give in to the Irish Nationalists, a platform that had an appeal in itself, and the less attractive aspects of Nationalism were very much subdued. Of course things have now changed, there is a possibility of some sort of accomodation in Ireland and social inequality affects all races although probably not equally. Left wing politics are much more right-wing now, and all the previous lefties are Blair apologists; it is much more alternative and probably morally correct to be left of centre. Much of politics is circular, the extremes coinciding in many respects with the real differences being in the so-called moderate ares. Am I making sense or is this just so much rubbish? Furthermore, while we weren't hicks from the sticks we weren't exactly inner-city kinds either. Most of what made the papers happened in London, and everything was judged agasinst a metropolitan yardstick which wasn't the way we saw things and so distorted where we were at (man). I think that is enough of that. And of course, we have grown up. Life isn't simple despite what soundbite media coverage would like us to believe and the papers shouldn't make up our minds for us.
When and why did ABH decide to call it a day?
Pete: Shortly after the above really. We had kind of lost our way a bit. We had achieved what we had set out to do. That is to say we had a good time, got drunk, made a good noise and enjoyed ourselves. We didn't really have aims or a future plan, and so lacked long-term direction, but that was OK. We were not a business, we were of the time. That was the great thing about the time, and still is really, we had our day, our fun, and it was time for someone else to crack on.
Nigel: And Paddy was becoming a pain, I thought he and Toby were going to go off and form their own band. Anyway 2 years or however long it was seemed quite long enough to be doing that thing without having the excuse of success to continue in that same old rut.
Were you surprised when Capt. Oi! decided to do the split CD? How has the response been? Were you aware of Subculture when ABH was together?
Pete: Yes and yes. We were a bit surprised, but we always felt that we were better than we had the opportunity to demonstrate. So it was pleasing to get the approach after such a long time. Also yes we knew subculture. I have had a few emails as a result of the Capt. Oi! page. Also I have some friends in the SAS and they were very impressed by "Don't Mess With The SAS". They wanted a copy of the CD immediately, in fact I had to give them my own copy. You never know, it may become an unofficial Regimental anthem... now there's a thought... and if any of the lads are reading, Hi and it's great in Bosnia. Cuvajte se.
Nigel: Yes, a surprise that anyone is still interested in something that was fairly cultish even in its heyday. Lucky I got Capt. Oi!'s letter and replied to it. Shame I had just had all the old demos transferred to CD at my own expense.
What do you think of the music scene nowadays? Have you heard any of the more recent Oi! bands? Any opinions?
Pete: I like a lot of the indie stuff. It just amazes me thast great bands just seem to keep on coming with great songs. Nigel still plays and he can fill you in in that. I like Offspring, Suede, Ash... and since I've been in Bosnia I have discovered a lot of great bands here and in Croatia and Serbia. Some real talent out here.
Nigel: Don't know about out there, there's not much here; it's all a bit indie pop but that is what I play anyway so who am I to complain?
What are you up to these days?
Pete: Musically not very much, well nothing actually apart from seeing live bands whenever I can. I have spent much of the past 3 years in Bosnia and Croatia working with the peace stablization force. I was in the army before and volunteered to go back in to deploy out here. I like the country and the work so much I keep coming back. Right now I work on refugee return programs and reconstruction. Next wek though I'm going out to help recover 300 bodies from a mass grave in the south-west. Should be a quick job, the soil is sandy and they're not in too deep, burial seems to have been a rush job and arms and legs are sticking up out of the surface... you did ask...
Anything else we should know about ABH that I forgot to ask?
Pete: My mum thought we were great.
Nigel: Mine didn't.
Discography and band history (Written by Nigel) to be added.