Godnose: Confine And Dandy.

Godnose launch Desolation Within Bleached Confinement at the Gabba Hotel on Saturday and the Paddington Workers Club on October 4.

Since the mid nineties, Godnose have been belting forth some mighty nasty punk rock prog grind crossover. Their two past long players, Trucks Won’t Go and Odessa have seen them refine their sound from their debut’s more hardcore origins to the expansive palette with which they paint on their new Desolation Within Bleached Confinement long player. With an almost constantly revolving line up in the past, the band have found time to tour overseas, and once again come up with one of the years finest local punk releases. Founding member Ben answered a few questions on the band’s new release…

Although Promotion Through Middle Construction recalls some of the bands earlier Trucks Wont Go reggae stylings, the band as a whole seems to be getting more progressive and metallic with each passing release? Are you still hardcore punks at heart, or are the true colours shining through?

“I’m still a punk - there’s no such thing as an ex-punk - but that doesn’t mean to say I can’t appreciate other styles. Lindsay has played in metal bands over the years, so he’s definitely adept at the slammin’ double-kick thing. The prog-rock angle - more complex timings and song structures - reflects the developing musical abilities of the band and its players. What’s the point of playing below one’s competence? As far as Promotion… goes, I just felt like writing and playing a bit of reggae, it had been a while since we’d done so. That style doesn’t really accommodate our normal harsh vocal approach, so I thought I’d opt for a Linton Kwesi Johnson spoken-word angle, but in Hebrew rather than in English. Everyone should learn a little Hebrew - you never know when you may need to reunite a TV clown with his estranged rabbi father!”

Your love of prog-rock is well documented, and you’ve covered a Fleetwood Mac track. Who would win a wresting cage match between Robert Fripp and Mick Fleetwood, and why?

“Mick Fleetwood’s definitely got the size and reach, but years of various indulgences would’ve left him a bit addled and slow. And let’s face it, he’s definitely a meat’n’spuds player, whereas Fripp is synonymous with innovation- perhaps these qualities would transfer to the ring and he’d win by pulling out some exotic, unpredictable moves. In the end, it would probably come down to whoever was having the better day.”

How’d you hook up the guest vocal slots done by Tylea and Sommer? Will we see members of Godnose making appearances on their discs in return?

“I basically rang ‘em up and asked ‘em. At risk of sounding like Barney Gumble talking about Linda Ronstadt, I had been looking to do a project with Tylea for a while. I met Sommer and her former band Mesmeric through my friends in Razel. No further collaborations are on the cards at the moment, but if they ever need any widdly-diddly metal soloing on their records, they have only to ask!”

How’s that revolving line up? Things seem pretty stable at the moment; does it make things easier from your perspective?

"This is the most stable the band has been in ages, not least of all because the starting lineup all live in the same city/state/country! The stability of the current lineup definitely inspires confidence, especially given that we have had a few false starts in the past. As well as being brilliant musicians, Matt and Lindsay can also communicate effectively, which makes for a very smooth run when it comes to planning and executing shows, tours and recordings. I’ve been doing this for too long to be dealing with people who can’t give straight answers!”

Are you getting a vinyl release this time around? What’s happening with your German deal? Is it still up and running?

“No vinyl releases are planned at this stage, but I’m keen to try and find another German/European label to release this record, and if they want to put it out on vinyl, then that’s fine. While Papst Jhonnie Records sold a lot of copies of Odessa in Europe in a short time, I think I’d like to go with someone a little bigger, better connected and more experienced - someone who could give us a bit more support if we were to tour over there again.”

Any plans for another overseas jaunt? Is Jane still based overseas?

We’re always keen to get back over there. How many bands from this neck of the woods get to check out Checkpoint Charlie, climb the monument in Leipzig from when the Prussians and Russians settled Napoleon’s hash, drink beers by the brown Danube or have morning tea in the shadow of Stonehenge in between shows? And yes, Jane is still based in the UK.”

Well, what’s your excuse then?

“Give us a chance! We’d want this album to have been out for a while over there before we toured again, to give punters enough time to digest it properly.”