The Warzone Collective Big Interview

Following on from our piece (which you can read here) in issue 221 of the Big List below is the full interview carried out by Garry Brooks
 

 By Garry Brooks

 “Derelict, dive and up a grotty alley…”, “High spirited and forward looking you don’t see these things….nothing like it.” These were the words used to describe Giros a number of years ago in a documentary charting the history of the Warzone Collective.  Close to the employment centre it had a simple but effective premise – share resources – and that’s what they did.  Now resurrected and putting on gigs again near Bruce Street in Belfast I caught up with Jimmy Segus to chat about the collective, how things have changed over the years, and more importantly the here and now.

 Browsing the gigs on your website there is a diverse range of musical styles within the same line ups.  Death metal bands playing with dub step and prog bands for example.  Which style of music defines the Warzone Collective or is it noise for music’s sake?

Going right back to when we started out in the mid 80's the main 'style' was punk, and particularly what the music press of the time erroneously labeled 'anarcho-punk' after bands like CRASS and Poison Girls. For those readers not familiar with CRASS or anarcho-punk there's plenty of information online - CRASS encouraged a strong DIY mentality - you could form a band and put out a record WITHOUT a label, or you could do a zine and print and sell it yourself, or you could organise in a host of different ways - the key was to feel EMPOWERED to do such things and the philosophy behind it all was a variant of anarchism. We don't need middlemen, who are essentially parasites living off other people's creativity. CRASS made their own albums, folded inserts and leaflets by hand into them, and went on to sell millions, ploughing all the money back into helping other bands and projects, including a small group at the time called Greenpeace. They were intensely political and more influential than many people think as a trip online or to YouTube will show you.

They played in Belfast in 1982, twice actually, and their ideas took root in the local punk scene, which until that point had more of a pop punk feel about it. It was this influence which led to the formation of Warzone Collective; that philosophy of doing things for yourself and being confident as individuals and as a community; working without hierarchy and giving everyone a say in that process became central to everything we did. So although punk would probably be the central genre, since those times we have incorporated just about every style of music out there, and we promote any musical genre, provided it meets with our core principles - which are basically anti-sectarian, anti-racist, anti-sexist but which also promotes the DiY ethos.  We're not too keen on wannabes, rock stars and the other spoiled brats of the music industry. You can go to MTV for that!

I suppose there's a lot of really fake music out there, which is more geared towards record sales than being honestly entertaining, or having something genuinely meaningful to offer in their lyrics .  Things like X-Factor promote this designer market thing and while some of the acts have great voices and all, the whole thing is false and based on sales demographics. We prefer to see bands that write their own songs, play them live, record them and get them out there without having to prostitute themselves to the corporate machine.

Kicking Against The Pricks

By Hornby

Born of a time when conflict ruled the streets the Warzone Centre (aka Giro’s) placed itself at the heart of the city, deciding to not let the bastards grind them down. 

They offered a beacon of light to all in the city who were tired of fumbling around in the dark. Right from the beginning the goal was simply, a safe haven to share music, idea’s and food. Where you were from was irrelevant, what school you went to did not matter, how you pronounced the letter ‘H’ meant nothing. They wanted to encourage who you were, explore what you thought and find a way to contribute, for every one’s benefit.

Lofty goals for a group of punks from various parts of Northern Ireland, but what started as an idea grew into the most essential space in Belfast’s city centre.

“When we first started out there were no computers or mobile phones - you had to meet people face to face, or walk down the road to a phone booth.”

2nd Inagural Olde Belfast Velo Jaunt

Anyone who happened upon Custom House Square on July 31 last year may remember an odd sight, 60 to 70 fantastically attired pedal cyclists had gathered to undertake a leisurely jaunt along one of the cities cycle paths.

This was the debut of the Olde Belfast Velo Jaunt and it must have been a worthwhile adventure as the organiser has decided to rally the pedalers once again.

On Monday 19 cyclists of all persuasions are invited to don their fanciest cycling attire, whether they be plus-fours and a knitted sweater or a one-piece lycra bodysuit, pack a sumptuous lunch and mount up for a gentle trundle out of the city towards the eventual grazing point of Hazelbank Park in Whiteabby.

With the second event only a few weeks away I meet Ryan Fitzsimmons, the man behind all this good clean fun, to find out the whys and what fors.

100 Comic x 12 Hours = Mirthathon

Fevered is one way to describe the mind of Andrew Johnston another might be inspired.
The comedian, writer and punk rocker has been using his powers for good recently trekking some wild places for Mencap. He has decided to now test everyone’s endurance with 12 solid hours of comedy. 100 comedians doing 7-minute slots, non-stop. The Big List managed to get Andrew to take a breath and answer some questions.

Where did the idea come from?

I've always had a fascination with these kinds of events. My old punk band, the Dangerfields, played four gigs in one day, on 6 June 2006, to make sure we played our 666th gig on that date. We also did 40 gigs in 40 days on tour in 2003. After taking up comedy, I decided to look into world records for stand-up. The Laugh Factory in Hollywood holds the record for the longest stand-up show by multiple comedians - 130 in 80 hours. We're doing 100 in 12. But we're not trying to beat any records - it just seemed like an interesting project to take on, and a fun way to raise money for an excellent cause.