THE NOISE BOYS

The Wormholes experimental Dublin hardcore finds its latest manifestation on Scorpio: The Album, released by Chuckin Bronchii , the label run by two members of Jam Jar Jail, who were a formative influence on the band. Dave Carroll, singer/drummer/cacophonist with The Wormholes, describes how, after seeing Jam Jar Jail play their guitars with a bar stool at a 1992 gig, he headed home totally inspired.

They gave us hope, nods guitarist, singer and keyboardist Graham Blackmore, who goes on to describe the off-the-wall sounds which The Wormholes go in for. Mayhem joyous, angst-ridden, energising, angry is the salient word. We ve used washing machines in recordings, says Graham, they make a great sound. You know the inside of a washing machine? Bang the inside of that, it s really sinister. Big bars, lashing big bars together. We had a microphone in the cooker once. Remember the drum part in Continental Cop?

Yeah, it just collapses, enthuses Dave about the track on Scorpio. Graham explains: During the recording, the plug for the drum set was out, so the drums weren't being picked up for half the song, and half way through someone realised and plugged it back in, so on the album it's just a big explosion of drums. If that kind of thing happens, we'd rather leave it that way.

Sound men can't seem to get with us at all, sighs Dave. They don t understand that we don t want stuff polished, why we're not actually into polished music.

Dave and Graham are quick to praise their favourite musicians, a long list which incorporates The Fall, Tom Waits, The Stones, Iggy Pop, James Brown, Captain Beefheart and fellow Dublin band Female Hercules. We're not narrow-minded when it comes to music, enthuses Dave; like I love Kate Bush but I also love Ozzie Osbourne.

Graham, Dave and his twin brother Anto (who's the main bassist) are often compared to those American merchants of the bizarre, The Butthole Surfers, and the comparison makes them chuffed. I first heard The Buttholes on a compilation in 1986, Millions of Dead Cops was the name of the song, and it's just laughing all it is is laughing from start to finish. I just thought, this is fucking amazing man you can't argue with that.

A common thread running through The Wormholes list of greats is their own drug use. Dave talks very openly about a subject close to his heart. We're not major drug heads, we don't do gear or anything, but we like our cannabis. We love our smoke. Free the weed, that's what I say, and everything else that goes along with it.

Dave isn't happy about the hash drought Ireland's been experiencing for the last year. We all want to travel, and go away, so I can't afford to be walking into me local park every night to score drugs. I mean I was getting busted every second month, not busted major, but they'd see me and go, Every time we bust this park you are always here . I was like Eh, I'm walking me dog. You feel lousy, because you're going into a park cos that s the only place you can go and score, and you've got kids there an all, and you feel bad about this. There's kids running around, I'm slinking into this bush waiting for somebody just to score a bit of bloody blow! I feel like a bloody criminal, ye know?

I suggest that in the eyes of the law he probably is . . .

Fuck the eyes of the law, man, snorts Dave. Adds an indignant Graham: Just for a bit of cannabis. It s ridiculous. Mastering a joint is an art in itself. It's a learning process; I reckon we'd all pass in that category anyway.

Oh yeah!, Dave agrees, flying colours! We'd all be A students there.