26-12-2009Artist focus - Pink Punk

Yap ex OMS talks about his new, more diverse outlet for his words

Some of my first and most prominent memories of the music I love are for the now defunct One Minute Silence. I remember the intensity of their music and the way in which the floor appeared to explode each and every time I saw the band play. What's more these were the first band I ever met that introduced me to the notion that musicians are not always to be placed on a pedestal, in fact some are the same as us. The band captivated me and many of my peers with their insatiable thirst for human interaction and conversation. I remember numerous occasions playing chicken with making my last bus home from Manchester City Centre because I was listing to Yap Barry or Eddy Stratton talking about politics, religion, conspiracy or whatever other topic of conversation someone had brought out of their bag. The thing that always drew me to them was the passion and belief they held in the power of the individual and the ability to convey a message. The fact they married that with writing great quality hard rock songs made it all the better.


So it is with that in mind I looked upon vocalist Brian 'Yap' Barry's latest project Pink Punk to see what it was all about. Essentially Pink Punk is the outlet that Yap has now chosen in which to provide the background sounds to his spoken word. The man has a tongue that can lacerate the fabrics of society and strip down the world to its purest form, looking at the problems within society and always with a strong and passionate view and a willingness to share said view. However Pink Punk is a complete departure musically from the sounds of One Minute Silence. Teaming up with two electronic maestro's they have provided sounds ranging from drum and bass, dubstep alternative rock and a strong punk philosophy, this is punk just not as your used to.

Not being the biggest fan of the electronic movement it was with a sense of trepidation that I listened for the first time to new album, Zombie God Delicious. However I was more than satisfied with what was on offer. Yaps voice ranges from spoken word to fast paced ranting, repetition being used to reinforce and as he changes the timbre in the voice you quickly become accustomed to taking in Yap's intended topics of choice. Using each and every sound available to them but always with a knowledge of what will work and what doesn't this is one non metal experience that still maintains a firm sense of the alternative ideals. I strongly recommend that if you are a previous fan of One Minute Silence, are a fan of well spoken intelligent speak with a range of worldly issues or even have the slightest tendency to want to listen to some drum and bass that isn't just the back drop to drop drugs to then Zombie God Delicious is worth the money in your wallet.

Hi Yap, it's a pleasure to be speaking to you. I was quite a fan of One Minute Silence perhaps if you could start by explaining where Pink Punk came about?
It's all been absolutely indirect, now were trying to make an indirect thing something direct if that makes sense. I wanted to be a public speaker and philosopher of different subject and then I indirectly became involved with Slam poetry and eventually became in touch with John and that eventually became Pink punk

This is quite some departure from the old style of One Minute Silence what prompted the changes in style and the new influences within this band?
I just kind of think working with John opened up new doors for me, one time music to me was four or five musicians in a room together making a sound. That was my interpretation of it was. Then I started working with John and what I was trying to say and to interpret certain words with music has an elasticity to it and its sound and John was wicked. I wanted to capture capitalism because I was talking about it and he captured sounds like that, synthesizing sounds that robotic feel if that makes sense. It's robotic music.

So are you more comfortable with spoken word as opposed to singing in a band?
Singing and speaking are the same thing really. I just feel a lot more focused in myself and I've found a medium in which to deliver and deliver words more fluently and I can direct. When I was in a band it was always trying to write to rock songs, the interpretation of what music was. This time I was writing free flow streams of consciousness and John captured that and there's a whole different freedom in that, a broader scope to work along.

So what has influenced the things that are discussed on Zombie God Delicious?
My journey in One Minute Silence has given me the absolute foundation in what I became in respect to education. Eddie the drummer was a good friend and mentor and I learnt a lot because of him I got onto philosophers. Kate Tempest also is the most amazing young lady she's 20 years of age and it's like make room for her because it's like mother nature in her highest coming back.

I take it being given the permission of someone with a stature like Bill Hicks to use the sound bites for your track advertising was a pleasing thing?
That was just brilliant because Bill Hicks he was a prophet you know in the medium of comedy. But that was part of the album from the beginning, i sat down with John and said were going to wake an album called Zombie God Delicious. I knew that piece on advertising would be one of the central points of the album. Zombie God Delicious you know the dirtiness of it all, how god has become dirty. I was going to use it without permission or not, I'm glad to get permission though.

Who do you think this band will appeal to and do you think it will attract many of the old OMS fans?
I couldn't direct myself to all the One Minute Silence fans any more. Some of them they've grown up, some are bored of rock music now I'm trying to capture something with words. You capture who you capture Paul I think people are sniffing out something new people are trying to come alive again. A whole new punk is about to be born out there in music and we need to recognize this. It's coming back people are going to be bigger than mediocrity.
So that's the band name in a nutshell?
Absolutely its punk in terms of attitude and the full punk philosophy.

Do you find that people in the general society are now becoming more responsive to people such as yourself?
Well I speak the way I speak, I'm a man who has to play music and I'm also a man who has to politicize and philosophize and I'm a well read man so I've done my homework for the working class, for all classes concerned. I'm noticing a significant number of people are starting to listen, I'm not trying to debate all the production and corruption in politics. I'm trying to convey and relate the complex of psychological damage done to the entire species.

Do you think that the youth of this country aren't given enough credit for listening and being able to make their own voice heard?
Well seven year old, ten year olds pensioners, no-one's voice is being heard none of us have a voice because no one listens to each other. Were also all being categorized into boxes and nobody falls for the advertising but they all live within it. People think advertising takes place in adverts but it's everywhere, product placement programs, in magazines.

I'd like to ask what's you're view on the current political climate especially with all the racist debates and the rise of right wing parties and opposition to foreign people that have come about in this political era?
I'll tell you exactly my opinion on that. The BNP are a tool that are used by the elite, just consider that. A small little party can't come to power when you're up against MI5 MI6 whatever, there allowed to come to power. We've been distracted for the moment in an amazing propaganda mission. Were ignoring the transnational corporations, the oligarchies, giant monopolies that have robbed whole countries, like of pensioners of their life time earnings. They love what is on the papers because it puts the working classes against each other, we all sit there going yeah the BNP are in power but they will say you put them there. They are puppets that are going to be play when the cards are needed.

So what's next after the release?
The key for me is to get out and do these events. It's just been so consuming writing a book and everything but I am going to put on some shows in the future where I'm going to talk about what's going on in this fucking world.