I am a fan of this band, but I’ve become lucky enough now to call them friends, too. That’s a great thing. We’ve shared a piece of the road together, many sleepless nights, many ridiculous stories and, of course, much pints. Ladies and gentlemen, please let me introduce you to Graeme Philliskirk and Dickie Hammond from the band Leatherface from Sunderland, England. They are coming back to the U.S.A. and I know I’m going to try to catch as many shows as I can. I already got my ticket to see them in N.Y.C. on March 5th. I can’t wait. Cheers lads!

Dry Ink: Happy New Year! How are you and things? You guys have been recording lately. How is that coming out?

Graeme Philliskirk: Yeah, we have recorded 13 songs, in Trinity Heights. Dog Disco was recorded there! 12 tracks are for the new album and the extra track is for a split with Yesterday’s Ring, a band from Canada! They are playing with us on the next tour! We recorded and mixed the album in December 2009! We had a really good time doing it!
As for the split for the tour, it will be a 7 inch vinyl in red, 500 have been pressed!

Dickie Hammond: At one point we didn’t know what song to put on the split, “Deep, Deep Sleep” was ear marked to be for the split but it sounded really good and we thought should we keep it for the album? We decided to stick with it and put it on the split.

DI: Who will be putting the record out and do you have a title yet?

GP: Frankie and I decided to set up our own label! It’s something we have talked about on and off for a long time now, even years, so we jumped in and set up “Big Ugly Fish recordings” www.biguglyfish.co.uk . It’s been a great experience getting involved with setting up the label! The title for the album is “THE STORMY PETREL”!
If you want to know more about the name then Google “THE STORMY PETREL SUNDERLAND,” and I think there is an explanation on our Web site www.leatherface.biz

DH: It will be licensed to the States, Canada, CR Japan and Poison City in Australia. Big Ugly Fish will have Europe Is it right Son we will be doing a vinyl run?

GP: Yeah, it will be on vinyl via “Major Label” in Germany, Sheba!

DH: Bison Son, Bison… Is it OK to get another can, Son?

GP: Yep, you know where they are….

DI: When will it be out? What’s the release date?

DH: February the 22nd is the release date.

DI: You will be doing some dates in Canada and the U.S.A. When does that start?

GP: Yes we are, Feb. 21 in London, Ontario is our first stop.
(See below for tour schedule)

DI: How long did it take to write and put the record together and how long did it take to record it?

GP: (Laughs) Mmmm, you could say a fucking long time. No actually, there was so much going on, Frankie was away in London for some time so we initially started last year putting down ideas etc. We always get asked to do gigs and you don’t like to keep turning people down so the time we were together was to play live then we would be in different parts of the UK! Once Frankie was back in Sunderland we began putting the ideas together! Now it’s done.

DH: Some of the tunes we’ve had floating around for some time, we got a big net and scooped them out of the sky, managed to catch a few, the others we worked on in Frankie’s flat then on into rehearsals. The recording took eight days and mixing.

DI: You have had Lainey the original drummer back playing a few shows with you. How is that going?

GP: Lainey is doing other things. We got Mush in to tour and he recorded the album with us. Just before we recorded the album Mush took bad and had to take time out, due to his health he recorded the album with us but can’t tour.

DH: Lainey filled in for some gigs as Mush was unable to do some shows through health reasons, they were all good gigs.

GP: Going forward Steve “Skruff” Owen has joined us. Lainey will always help out in one way or another but Steve is the drummer! We actually did two gigs before X-mas with Duncan Redmonds from Snuff. We didn’t practice with him at all, it was really fucking exciting and the adrenalin was flowing (Laughs). We really didn’t know how it would go but it was so good and we got through them and had a great time, cheers Dunc for that, we will never forget it.

DH: Aye, Duncan’s a fucking God Son, in Kingston I can just remember turning round and the sweat was pissing off him.

GP: God yeah, at the end of the gig, I gave Duncan a can and I’m not kidding you, you would think we had dragged him out of a red hot fucking swimming pool, ha!

DH: I won’t forget those gigs Son, honestly, brilliant Son!!!

GP: We have to say though we thank Mush for the time he spent with us and he is an amazing drummer. Hopefully anyone who hears the album will understand how good he is? And we wish him every; happiness. Another Lord of the Skins do you reckon Dickey?

DH: Without a doubt Philo, I love Mush, well we all do…

DI: I’ve met him and seen him play. He is brilliant and the sweetest of men. I hope he gets to feeling better and I can’t wait to hear this record. You recently did some warm up shows in England and Europe. How did they go?

GP: All was fine man; the thing is we really want to play the new songs. It was strange working on new stuff and then playing the old set. We put in a new track “Never Say Goodbye” just to see how people would react to it and freshen things up a little. We first played it in Edinburgh, I was really concerned about getting it right to be honest! We arrived home early hours of the morning after dropping Mush off at the airport and I actually had e-mails from Canada saying that they had seen the new song on U Tube. We didn’t even have a title for it and there it was on You Tube titled. “Never Say Goodbye,” new song by Leatherface!

DH: Marvellous Son, marvellous. The fucking Canadians named the song for us, ha! The gigs we have done have all been mint, Barcelona, Finland, were really special.

DI: You are doing your Canadian and U.S. tour with a band called Yesterday’s Ring. How did you hook up with them?

GP: Some of the band is from St Catherine’s and they played with Leatherface in Europe before! It’s actually the first time Leatherface will have toured in Canada which is amazing as we have many friends there. There was a Leatherface tribute CD put out by John Di Marco from Toronto and has some great stuff on it; it’s on Rubber Factory Records, check it out. Anyway, John and a number of people had been in touch and asked us to tour there. John put us in touch with Hugo Lecurie from St. Catherine’s/Yesterday’s Ring and so the tour was put together of which we are really excited about doing. We should all have a really good time.

DH: I can’t fucking wait Philo, it’s going to be poor meat Son, I’m telling you!

DI: What is next for you when you return back to England after the United States?

DH: We have around three weeks off then we’re off to Europe I think?

GP: We will really be pushing the new album. 9th April till the 30th is a European Tour for certain after that I would check the the Web sites for updates as we have a lot planned but not confirmed as of yet.
Anyway thanks Dry Ink, it’s been a pleasure!

DH: Did you say thanks for the Drink Son?

GP: Aye!

DH: I like that, can I get another one then Son?

GP: You know where they are and get me one while you’re at the fridge Son, Cheers!

DI: Thank you for your time lads. I will see you in New York.

www.biguglyfish.co.uk

www.leatherface.biz

Leatherface in Your States! And Canada…

Canada
Feb. 21st- London @ Call The Office
Feb 22nd- Toronto @ Wrong Bar
Feb 23rd- St – Catharines @ L3 Nightclub
Feb 24th- Toronto @ Wrong Bar
Feb. 25th- Ottawa @ Babylon
Feb. 26th- Chicoutimi @ Le Bunker
Feb 27th- Québec @ Le Cercle
Feb 28th- Montreal @ Foufounes Électriques
March 1st- Longgueuil @ Brasseries Les Gaulois d’Amériques
March 2nd Peterborough @ The Dobro
March 3rd- Kingston @ The Mansion

USA
March 4th- Aliston @ Harpers Ferry�
March 5th- Brooklyn @ The Knitting Factory
March 6th- Asbury Park @ Asbury Lanes
March 7th- Philadelphia @ North Star Bar
March 8th- Richmond @ Canal Club
March 9th- Charlotte @ The Milestone
March 10th- Chattanooga @ JJ Bohemia
March 11th- Atlanta @ The Drunken Unicorn
March 12th- Harvest of Hope Fest- St Augustine
March 13th - TBC
March 14th- Tampa Bay@ TBC
March 15th- Orlando @ Backbooth