Grindcore pioneers Napalm Death bring their Campaign For Musical Destruction Tour to The Academy, Dublin on 26 February. We asked vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway the BIG questions . . .
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The veteran Birmingham band are credited as pioneers of the grindcore genre by incorporating elements of crust punk and death metal, "using a noise-filled sound that uses heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdrive bass, high speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals which consist of incomprehensible growls, or high-pitched shrieks, extremely short songs, fast tempos, and sociopolitical lyrics".
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I'm a deep, deep, deep thinker - insufferable to myself sometimes.
I am an amateur Soviet historian - I see it for the sham it was, much like any other system.
I have a cousin who once played keyboards for 80s light entertainer Russ Abbott’s band, the Black Abbotts.
How would you describe your music?
Personally, I would say unconventional to a significant degree, unafraid to venture into white noise territory and that refuses to be corralled by demographics or commercial pressure. Fast, slow, abrasive, cacophonous.
Who are your musical inspirations?
All over the place, but generally in the realms of sonic unpleasantness. Motörhead - the classic three-piece lineup - was my first real massive obsession, and they still have supreme influence on me to this day. But then, later on, early death metal, fast and abrasive punk and hardcore punk, slow rock and metal, and white noise/ambient noise. But then also, post-rock and post-punk - anything from Cardiacs to Sonic Youth to Gang of Four to Joy Division and loads more.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
You know, I saw Motörhead on the Overkill tour with my dad - just utterly earth-shattering. But… I seem to recall going to see Cliff Richard before that also with Mum and dad and my brothers - a distinctly different experience. And, in as much as I’m loathe to be sniffy about music, I really did think it was sh**.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Ha, the Paranoid single by Black Sabbath from a shop in Newtown Precinct, which is a stone’s throw from Black Sabbath’s stomping ground in Aston, Birmingham. Beat that!
What’s your favourite song right now?
I Don’t Give a F*** by Zeke. Periodically I will listen to it 10 or 20 times a day, and it is done and dusted in just over a minute. You will struggle to find subtlety in there.
Favourite lyric of all time?
There are so many great lyrics, the poetic brilliance of which I could only ever aspire to. I’m going to say, for now, Sheep Farming in the Falklands by Crass - a rejection of imperialist prerogative wherever, whichever political perspective or whomsoever it comes from. The lyrics just bite deeply into you. I remember having to keep my mouth firmly shut around that certain awful period in 1982 for fear of getting gang-slapped into the middle of tomorrow. I’ll say no more than that.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Overkill by Motörhead. Gladly.
Where can people find your music/more information?
I can give you our website and all the usual other places like Instagram and such. But I’m nowhere to be seen as an individual on social media. I’m not afraid of it, I just don’t have the time to go down the rabbit hole.
Alan Corr
