Grade 2, the new generation of Oi! music. Something you can easily say since these youngsters got their whole life yet ahead of them. Despite that, these guys sound like they have been playing gigs and recording records for years! The brand new split EP with Saints & Sinners is just around the corner, so I thought it would be time to have a little chat with vocalist and bassist Sid

 

Could you please introduce yourself, the rest of the band and tell us a bit on how Grade 2 got formed?

 

Grade 2 is formed of three members - Jacob Hull, Drums - Jack Chatfield, Vocals & Guitar and Sid Ryan Vocals & Bass. Originally when the band started, Jacob and Sid had hardly been playing their instruments, the idea of starting a band really come about after playing through our lunch breaks at school covering songs such as Peaches by The Stranglers and Gangsters by The Specials.

 

When listening to Grade 2 you wouldn't tell covers by The Stranglers and The Specials were the birth of the band. How did you get in touch with Oi! music and what influenced you guys to start playing this type of music?

 

It's taken quite a while to find the sound we have today... When we had our first ever rehearsal we really went in more of a punk direction as this was more a meeting point for all of us when we started. We were all fans of The Clash, Dropkick Murphys, Rancid. So we decided this was a style to go with, but shortly after I started introducing other bands such as Cock Sparrer, The Business, Booze & Glory etc and this is the type of music I've had around me as I was growing up. I think we all noticed the change in our sound as we started to become more melodic and the things we wrote about in our songs started to change, this has seemed to progressed as time has moved on and we stared taking influences off of newer bands especially the newer bands from mainland Europe as we wrote our first EP last year. Now where we are today, I think we finally have the sound we were looking for and are all quite surprised about how much it's changed since we started.

 

I got introduced to you guys through last year's EP, "Broken Youth", and I have to admit I haven't heard the 2013 demo that was your first release. Would you say your sound evolved if you compare the demo with the EP and how did your sound evolve if you compare last year's EP with the upcoming split 7" with Saints & Sinners?

 

I'm quite glad that you've never heard it haha, our demo was really testing the water... None of us had ever been in a recording studio before, we had never written a song so that release in our eyes wasn't very good looking back on it haha. Although we still actually play one of the tracks from the demo live, called Weekend Offender. I think as we recorded the Broken Youth 7" we sort of knew what to expect when going into the studio. We recorded at a different studio, sending them some other bands tracks so they had an idea of the sound we were going for when we arrived. Also when writing the music for the songs, we had all been playing together for a longer time and the sound had become a bit tighter and the lyrics had more of a meaning.

 

The new split 7" again, in my opinion I think after playing together for a longer period the sound has become tighter again, the lyrics were written about things that we always hear about, the senseless wars of today and all of the people that waste their lives sitting at a computer giving other people shit. So I think the sound has changed a bit with the new record but not in such a way that it would sound like a completely different style.

 

I am definitely going to dig that demo up now! Haha.

About the split, did you got asked by Saints & Sinners to do a split, was it the other way around or is it something that 'just happened'?

 

Oh no haha!

 

After the release of Broken Youth, the plan was to release a split but we wasn't sure who with. We were in talks with Hawkins Thugs for quite a while, but we realised we were both new bands with only one record out, so it would make more sense to release with a more "established" band as a way of putting it. Me and Tomas from Saints & Sinners had been speaking about the possibilities of a split 7" after playing a show together in Germany. So I guess it was a joint decision and we're happy to be releasing this record with them.

 

I am not sure what ages you guys are, but you're still rather young. Is what happening to you guys now, releasing vinyl on Contra Records and doing gigs all over Europe something you could ever think of when you guys first got together cover The Stranglers and The Specials tunes?

 

Jacks still 16, Jacob and myself are both 17. It's nothing like we could have ever expected. We speak about this quite a lot about how we've had the opportunity to play all of these different places and to be working with a great label. Where we live, just playing off the island is a task in itself, so to play Europe, is just crazy!

 

That is incredible! Is it easy to combine with school? How do you see the future of the band when one or more band members decide to go to college and you three might be spread all over the UK?

 

Last year through the summer we were all taking our GCSE's which is your main school exams in the UK. All throughout the exams we were playing shows, and still managed to make it to school on the Monday morning for an 8:00am exam haha. We were all at the same school but now have joined colleges, Jacks now at a music college, Jacob is taking a public services course and I actually dropped out because I hated it haha, so now I'm working part time with Brutus Trimfit. Next year is the last year of college and we're unsure of what happens next, so we're going to do all we can in the time we have and see what the future brings for us.

 

Will doing all you can include a full-length album? Is anything planned for that yet?

 

We spoke about a full-length but we're really slow at writing songs. We have 5 brand new tracks recorded already and are planning to write 3 more for a 10" release later in the year.

 

A 10" sounds alright as well! The fact that the writing of songs goes slow, is this because of the lack of time (gigs, school, work etc...) or a lack of inspiration? What inspires you guys lyrically?

 

We hope that you'll like it!

 

Sometimes we have spells where we can get songs done really quickly, but then other times it seems like it takes forever. Sometimes we'll just have lyrics and hit a block musically and struggle trying to fit something with it or it can be the other way around as well. We try to write about different things that not many other bands are doing, I think our age sometimes has something to do about it because if we wrote about being full time working class, coming from us it would just sound stupid. At our age as well, the only thing people are really doing is drinking, taking drugs and trying to find a career path and there's only so many songs you can write about that haha, but hopefully we've managed to write some songs that are at a good standard and people with enjoy them.

 

Yes, your different views and subjects compared to other bands due you guys ages is what I like, it keeps things fresh. Just like the whole wave of new British Oi! and streetpunk bands is really. What is your opinion on the current scene in the UK?

 

Thanks a lot! I think there is definitely something happening there seem to be more and more bands popping up around the country and all of them seem to be really good as well... Crown Court, Last Crusade, Arch Rivals these are some great bands! Hopefully there will be more that keep appearing as well.

 

I hope so too, all great bands and the upcoming Crown Court EP is bangin'! I am about to round this interview up but there's one thing I'd like to know... What do your parents think of your music and the gigs (abroad)!?

 

They've all been really supportive since we started, I think they are all also really surprised of what has happened, and probably didn't expect anything like this to happen or even for us to play off of the island. My dad is actually a skinhead, thats how I got into the scene and He's taken all the records in every colour and pretty much all the t-shirt designs haha so It's been good to have the support from them.

 

Awesome! My father is too, but only because of the lack of hair growing on his head, haha! Okay that is it man, thanks a lot for the interview! If there's anything you'd like to add or think I missed something, feel free to speak!

 

Hahaha! Thanks a lot for the interview, I hope that you'll like the new split 7" and any other future releases.