Ferry 'Cross the Mersey

This interview would be broadcast to NVU's radio, and also released as a podcast! Dated November 3, 2014.

Interviewer: Thanks for tuning in! We're here with Ferry 'Cross the Mersey, an up and coming punk band that hails from England- but plays here in the States. They're playing gigs at the Creepy Crawl, and soon at other venues in New Versailles.

Adney: 'ello!

Interviewer: Okay, first question: how'd all of you meet?

Pax: Ehm, yer better ask Greg 'bout tha'. Mighta been drunk when I met 'em, d'you kno' wharramean, tho'?

Adney: Ya woz? I dun't remembuh tha'.

Pax: That's 'coz ya were drunk too, la'!

Interviewer: So you three do not remember how you met?

Adney: Ohh. Nah, nah, we, 'membuh, we woz- we woz in London, roigh'?

Greg: 'Ey! Oi remember, f'th'most part. Well, Oi've known Crackhead f'a long toime. Met back in school, we did, when we was y'know, young.

Adney: Well, umm... yeah. I've lived in London me 'ole loife, roigh', used ta live in the East End befo' I moved ta Croydon, an' I went ta school wif Scoo'uh. 'e 'ad a lo'uh mates tha' were real fun ta 'ang ou' wif...

Greg: Yea. See, with Pax, Crack an'Oi went t'Liverpool on 'oliday and yea, one thing led t'anotha after some drinks and we've been pals ever since. Thick as thieves.

Pax: Dem two's all righ', fer woolybacks, anyway!

Greg: Jus' alroight?!

Adney: Yeah! Wot ya troi'in' ta say?

Interviewer: What was the origins of the band name?

Adney: I dunno! Paxy, wot ya fink? 's tha' one song, by... Gerry an' the...

Greg: Gerry an' the'Pacemakers, yea!

Adney: Yeah!

Pax: Ferry 'Cross the Mersey. Crackin' auld tune.

Interviewer: Ok! How would you guys describe your music?

Adney: Ummm... 's real upbeat, y'know, no' loik... too 'gressive. Real raw, y'know, real. No' loik a lo'uh the poppy stuff tha's goin' on roigh' now. Mo' loik the classic stuff, the real good stuff tha' sticks wif ya. A lo'uh the toime, yeah, bands play wot the people wont... they's sor'uh ruled by i'. An' tha' dun't make fo' good moosic, 'coz, ahhh...

Greg: It's everythin' y'wanna 'ave sex to, pretteh much. Raw, passionate, yea, real loike Cracka said. Yea. Our music's wot we wanna play, not wot everyone's 'opin' to 'ear.

Pax: Wot they said!

Greg: If y'can't 'andle it...then Oi dunno!

Interviewer: Why are you in the States playing, as opposed to England?

Adney: Oh, oh! 'coz I 'ad school! Ummm, 'ave.

Greg: Yea, Crackhead 'ere 'ad t'come ova f'school. 'E mentioned needin' a singa and lead guitar, an' so I left everythin' behoind in London an' decided t'come rock it out in the U.S of A.

Adney: Yeah, see, we woz in summ othuh bands back 'ome, yeah, an' I woz wuhkin' a lo'uh othuh jobs along wif tha' 'coz... I dun't make tha' much money from tha', an' me mum woz gettin' real sick'a me wuhkin' random jobs an' all, an' star'ed ge'in on me 'bou' goin' ta the uni, even tho' I dun't loik school tha' much, 's real 'ard, y'know, a lo'uh wuhk an', ahhh... sorry mum. Umm, yeah! Bu' 'm studyin' ovuh 'ere an' all, bu' woz real borin' wifou' playin' good moosic, so we decoided ta ge' a band togethuh!
Aftuh the firs' guitarest an' vocalist fell frough, days befo' the nex' consuht, I woz callin' people up, and Scoo'uh jus' comes ovuh from London the same day! Woz ace! An' 'e's real good wif all'a tha', so, ahh, yeah, we 'aven't 'ad much problems since!

Greg: Yea, neva could say no t'me lads from back ova th'pond. 'Sides, Oi've 'eard all sorts of real good stories 'bout the pretteh birds 'ere an'Oi jus' couldn't pass up th'chance! 'Ey all y'pretteh birds! Greg loves ya!

Pax (whispering 'off mic'): 'ey, Greg, d'you 'ave a ciggy?

Greg (whispering, leaning in towards Pax and passing him a cigarette): 'Course Oi do!

Interviewer: What influences or inspiration do you have, music-wise, or not?

Adney: Ahhhh...

Interviewer: Oh, uh, Pax, I don't know if you should...

(Ignoring the glares from the studio people, the sound of a lighter being flicked on would be heard as Paxton would immediately light up!)

Pax: I dunno 'bout these two, bu'..I get my inspiration from..ehm.. from where I grew up. 'round the 'Pool, an' all. All the great music tha' came ou'a there, back in the sixties an' seventies an' eighties, and all tha'.

Adney: An' I'm 'riginally from the East End befo' me mum 'ad us movin' an' all, so a lo'uh tha', deffo... y'know, cockney kids in the streets! 'an all. A lo'uh, ahh, singin' 'bou' social in... injustices an' all'a tha', makin' people unoi'ed, an'- an' dun't fo'ge' the funny fings too, y'know! 's real good. Jus' speaks ta me, y'know wot I mean?

Greg: Eh, Oi get m'inspiration from lots o'things. Grew up listenin' t'most anethin' Oi could get m'hands on. Fell in love with music at a young age, knew Oi was gonna cruisin' t'fame at some point in m'loife. But I took a lot away from old jazz records. Damn, those voices just made m'want t'sing, y'know? As f'th'music, Oi think we take a lot influences from what we love most, too- punk, reggae, ska...that sorta thing.

Adney: Yeah, yeah! An' a lo'uh the weird instruments, loik- just the weird sounds ya can make wif 'em. Summ soun' reaaaal crazy! Loik, okay, 's no' loik a... conventional instrument, well, i' is, bu' umm... ya evuh 'eard 'bou' the swarmatron? A lo'uh the weird stuff loik tha', 's loik a mix'a a lo'uh diff'rent ones pu' togethuh, instruments tha' couldn't even exist 'coz they's jus' no' possible wifou' mixin' tha' stuff an' sounds togethuh. Can make summ real wicked stuff jus' wif testin' stuff ou'. Jus' mixin' stuff togethuh...

Interviewer: Why was all of your hair pink at the concert in mid-October? Was that a new look you were all trying out?

Adney: Tha's a good question! ...I dunno. Scoo'uh, ya- ya wont ta ansuh tha' one? You woz pre'ey mad!

Greg: Ehhh, no, it isn't a new look or anythin'. Pretteh sure we got tricked into that one.

Adney: I dun't fink we evuh, umm... I dunno 'o did i'. Woz dead weird, tho'! We woz jus' gettin' ready fo' the consuht, an' our 'air jus' tuhned pink! Jus' loik tha'!

Greg: Oi wasn't vereh 'appeh 'bout it. Oi was able t'save m'air though. As Crackhead said it was jus' loike that, put into our 'air products and bam!

Adney: Ohh, woz tha' 'ow i' 'appened?

Greg: Yea, Oi checked out our stuff afta th'concert and woteva it was was put into our stuff. Rude, roight?

Adney: Yeah, I woz finkin' 'bou' lockin' the bobby aftuh tha'!
I loik doi'in me barne', tho'.Bu', ahhh, yeah, no' pink... been blue fo'... pre'ey much since comin' ovuh 'ere. Bu' I loik purple an' orange, too. Or summtoimes I mix the coluhs togethuh, jus' ta see wot they look loik. Loik rainbow! Bu' nevuh tuhns ou' tha' good when I troi ta do more'n one or two.
...an' summtoimes they fade, an' looks loik rubbish...
...loik, loigh' purple tuhns ta grey, an'... I dun't wont no grey! I ain't old!

(Paxton sits by, nodding vigorously. He has a lot to say on the matter but they'd probably end up bleeping most of it out!)

Interviewer: So I am guessing from the sounds of it you was pranked?

Adney: ...the blue tho', yeah, tha' wuhks real good. The pink, I dunno, tha' sor'uh wuhked too! I wozn't real mad 'bou' i', 'coz... I dunno. Me 'ole loaf wozn't pink, roigh', an' i' sor'uh blended togethuh...

Greg: Somethin' loike that, yea. Oi don't think aneh o'us would be puttin' shit in our 'air products t'make it pink. At least, Oi wouldn't do that. Oi dunno 'bout Crackhead 'ere, and Oi know Pax wouldn't make his 'air pink either!

Adney: There woz shit in there?

Greg: Not literal shit, Crack!

Adney: Bu' ya jus' said-

Pax: Soft la's. Both of yer.

Interviewer: Going off of that, Greg, fans seem to love your hair. How is it so perfect?

Adney: 'e spends donkeys in the bafroom, tha's wot! 'm troi'in' ta ge' in, an' the bleedin' bobby's locked!

Greg: Ah-ha! 'Ey, it's magic, and a magician never reveals his secrets, yea? Sorry lads and birds, Oi'm keepin' my 'air secrets locked away! Oi do appreciate th'ove though.

Pax, snorting: Tosser.

Adney: 'is 'air's fulluh secrets!

Interviewer: Pax, I've gotta ask, your accent is pretty different from your bandmates.

Pax: Yeh? And?

Interviewer: Does it have a name? Can you say something complicated in it for me?

Adney: Yeah, yeah, 'e's from Livuhpool! No' from London'r nuffink.

Pax: S'called, "scouse". Uh.. there's a 'ole bunch of 'istory 'bout tha', an' all, bu'.. yeh, s'what they call it when yer from Liverpool. "Scouse".

Adney: Ya go'uh say summfink wicked, tho'! Complica'ed!

Pax: Complicated? Ehm.. 'ow 'bout.. "Yer gorrup like a pox doctors clerk!". Or.. ehm.. "Gorran 'ead as big as Birken'ed!". Loik Greg 'ere. Greg an' 'is 'air!

Adney, laughing: 's true!

Interviewer: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is one crazy accent.

Adney: Yeah! I mean, 'is is wuhse than moine, an' summtoimes I fink tha' people dun't unduhstand a wuhd 'm sayin'.

Interviewer: Hack, I heard that you own the warehouse you guys are playing in right now. Is there a story behind that?

Adney: Yeah! Me an' Paxy, roigh', befo' Scoo'uh go' 'ere, we woz.... ahhh... 'ow'd we mee' Rose again?

Pax: Uh.. I'm no' sure.. 'aymarket, wos' it?

Adney: Yeah, I fink so, summfink loik tha'... She 'as a real good sweets shop. Y'know, fo' poi an' everyfing. Bu', um, yeah... Me an' umm... me an' Elli, we found this real wicked ware'ouse tha' no one woz usin', an' the nex' day me an' Paxy went an' broke inta i', y'know, jus' ta 'ave a butchuh's an' all, an' then loik the nex' day, ou'uh the blue, Rose said she woz buyin' i' fo' us! She's real noice, loik, REAL noice, an' tha's 'ow I go' the Creepy Crawl. An' aftuh tha' I jus' 'ad this idea, coz I loik 'orruh films an' all'a tha', tha' we could tuhn i' inta a 'aunted 'ouse. A lo'uh people 'elped wif tha'... the Doc paid fo' a boof a' the Con, an' flyuhs an' everyfing, an' a lo'uh othuh people 'elped ou' too... Rose paid fo' a stage! An' James's fixin' i' up real good. Or, ahhhh, 'e already did. The soun' system's real ace, 'e did a wicked good job on i'. 'e's real noice, too.

Interviewer: What do you like the most, and least, about Louisiana or the U.S.?

Adney: Ummm... I dunno, summ'a the scran's pre'ey weird...

Pax: People talk kinda.. funny, 'ere!

Adney: Deffo! Summtoimes I dun even know wot they's rabbi'in' on 'bou'! Loik there's this real old geezuh in Choinatown, yeah, a' this one noodle place or wotevuh... an' I dun't unduhstand a fing 'e says, an' 'e's troi'in' ta talk ta me an' I jus' dunno... awful confoosin'.

Greg: Oi'm loikin' everythin' 'bout it so far. It's so different from London, that's f'sure. America's so much larger than England, yea? I'm lovin' th'food 'ere, though, and the birds f'sure! Mmm, yea, th'birds f'sure! Oi actulleh quoite loike th'American accent!

Adney: Bu' you'd loik the buhds no ma'uh where we'd go!

Greg: Yea, Oi would!

Interviewer: Alright, well that about wraps this interview up! Is there anything else you guys would like to add?

Greg: Yea, def! All o'you listenin' realleh ought t'come out and see us! We're currentleh playin' at Crackhead's ware'ouse used as th'Creepy Crawl, and we're lookin' for more venues so look us up!

Pax: Wha' 'e said, tho'!

Adney: Yeah! Ahhh... 's real wicked, we's gonnuh be playin' summo' consuhts real soon!

Interviewer: You heard them, folks- get up and go listen to them play down at the Creepy Crawl warehouse! That was Ferry 'Cross the Mersey, an up and coming punk band in our very own New Versailles. Thanks for tuning in, and see you next time!