Daniel Ostrowski

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Double Page Spread Draft TextNo-one thought, after 3 years of a devastating hiatus, that the world’s punkiest headbangers Selling Socks To Strangers would ever return. Yet, on the 9/9/09 at South London’s prestigious music venue Brixton Academy, SSTS opened up the world tour of the decade. And by God it was.The girls, who formed in 1998 in the small town of Bedworth were an instant success in the local area. Making themselves known around the Midlands’ cities such as Coventry and Birmingham before getting their big break in 2000 at the Carling Academy in Birmingham, when they supported non other than the legendary Soundgarden. It was up and up from then after being noticed and signed by metal’s premium label, Roadrunner Records, with tours, albums, tours, tours… And then, after 5 back-breaking years and at the peak of their career, Selling Socks To Strangers decided it was time to go their separate ways. With no other explanation other than they had called it a day, fans and the music industry alike were simply left shocked at the sight of a fantastic band float into nothingness. However, the girls have since reformed after 6 years of no word and no music, and CRUNCH! Magazine is lucky enough to scoop this exclusive interview with the rough and ready girl band.I caught up with the band a few hours before they left behind the string of sold out shows in the UK and set off for their European leg of the tour. The Hard Rock Café in London, this eclectic and metropolitan setting was ideal for meeting a band with a reputation for being some of the ballsiest women in the business with an absolute passion for their unique brand of music. It was great to see the girls hadn’t changed their ethos or attitude since they first burst onto the commercial music scene full of spark and energy. They were still a boozed-up group of metal-punk mistresses living each day as if it was their last. With the Jagermeister already firmly in tow, we started to discuss just why the band had wanted to make a shockingly unexpected comeback and also the inspiration for a world tour.“I just got bored personally,” states lead singer, bassist and all-round mental-case Katie ‘Krash’ Wood. “I don’t have a family, I went out every night to the same places, I spent my money on rubbish, it just got too samey for me. I love touring as well, it’s just… me. It’s what I do. It’s like I am a band on the road. (Laughs). Despite this, I did sort of, need the girls… I wouldn’t get anywhere without them. So I gave them a ring, they said “Hell Yeah!” and what d’ya know, here we are.” “I kinda’ missed it,” pipes up drummer Beth ‘Banana’ Grant. “I was working on some solo projects but my main one pretty much caved in. SSTS has always been my heart and soul since we started it. When Katie called it was just time...”“HA!” responded Emily ‘Midge’ Marlow, the gut-wrenching guitarist of the band. “I mean, of course it was ‘time,’ it was fate Beth…” A sarcastic smirk and a pat on the drummer’s head say it all about Emily; don’t give me crap and you’ll keep your legs.“It ended up a bit of a coincidence actually,” adds Marlow, “Katie contacted us very close to when Roadrunner [Records] tried to contact us to do a new album. We get that a lot from them but this time was a bit different. We got bored with our separate lives so we took up the offer. Although, we’re not pushovers, so we accepted the offer of a new album on one condition, CLASSIC WORLD TOUR!” (all laugh).An exciting discovery, it seemed that SSTS were just starting to hint at their future plans. A new full-length album may be on the horizon…I went on to question as to why they split in the first place, although from what I’d already seen it may have been pretty apparent.Beth: “We became sick of each other, we’re all very strong personalities, (smirks) and we ended up sparking each other off. When you’re in a band, you spend every day in each others faces, there’s no privacy or space on a tour bus; especially when you’re with girls like us.”Katie: “Agreed. Because we’re an in-demand band; if it wasn’t another tour it was a studio, and visa versa. As good mates as we are, spend that amount of time with two people you love and you will learn to hate them, guaranteed.”Emily: “I don’t hate you guys! You do my head in definitely but y’know, peace and love man. You should listen to some Marley!” (Laughs)“Get stuffed,” is the charming response from Katie.“SSTS has always been my heart and soul…”It seemed that the girls made a mutual to go their separate ways for a while. It wasn’t personal, they simply needed a break. An intense lifestyle and up-close living with their friends really took its toll on them. But they still remain to produce something pretty special and unique, and that’s what makes them Selling Socks To Strangers. Too many bands these days are simply trying to play the population, doing only what they get told by the industry’s boring, run-of-the-mill dictators, only interested in making the big bucks. But not these truly amazing women. They do it their way, and if you don’t like it, and the funny thing is, they can get away with it…This is obvious over the next 15 minutes of the interview, which consisted of a round of Jack and Coke’s and some very obscene gestures at the paparazzi attempting to enter the bar.“See what I mean?” laughs Beth. “We’re just that amazing!” (All laugh)My next query was why the girls instigated the comeback with a world tour as opposed to an album.Katie: “Everyone’s missed us! We’d be no good locked up in a studio for months when people wanna hear us play NOW! We’re breaking convention, not many bands come back after 6 years with a best of tour. That’s what we’ve always been about, standing out, not caring what people think of us. Remember, it’s our music.” (winks)Beth: “My answer is simply ‘Why not?’ People have missed us; you only have to look out the window to see the amount of fans or media trying to get a look in. A tour highlighting the very best of Selling Socks To Strangers is what the fans want, and my duty in this business is to give the fans, who pay my fantastic salary, what they wanna see; so give them that I shall!”Emily: “Plus I couldn’t be arsed with a studio. I have one of those at home. Let me travel again!” (Laughs) After watching four of the band’s seven UK dates and still not bored, Selling Socks To Strangers really are the comeback of the decade, if not the century. With an extensive back catalogue set-list and even letting the crowd choose the encore song, these girls really are the ones to go and see. The next leg of their tour ventures into Europe and includes dates all over the continent from Denmark down to Italy, then full steam ahead to the rest of the world. Then, of course, back to the UK for another four stadium shows. But if you want to be part of this amazing spectacle, hurry, as the expectation is the tickets will sell-out. Fast.Daniel Ostrowski