When Steve Jones and Paul Cook first formed The Professionals, many people assumed that their success was guaranteed. After all, they had been members of the Sex Pistols and had already proved themselves as songwriters on their own with hit singles like ‘Silly Thing’ and ‘The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle’, both released as Sex Pistols material but in reality only featuring Cook and Jones from the original band. Initially, their new band featured bassist Andy Allen but after two excellent singles (‘Just Another Dream’ and ‘1-2-3’) their first attempts to record an album were scuppered when Allen sued Virgin for unpaid wages. He subsequently left the band to be replaced by former Subway Sect bassist Paul Myers and a second guitarist, Ray McVeigh. The new line-up released another fine single, ‘Join the Professionals’ and decided to start recording their debut album from scratch, but the inevitable delays didn’t help the bands’ momentum. The album, ‘I Didn’t See it Coming’ undoubtedly included some great songs, but the production was lack-lustre and really didn’t capture the band at their best. Further to this, the bands’ first American tour was cut-short after they were involved in a serious car accident. The band members recovered and re-scheduled the tour, but this time they were hampered by Steve Jones’ escalating drug habit. At the end of the tour when the others returned to the UK, Jones chose to stay in Los Angeles and the band fizzled-out.
It wasn’t until 2015 that it was announced that the band would be reforming, albeit without Steve Jones who would be replaced by Tom Spencer, alongside Cook, Myers and McVeigh. I have to admit, at first I was sceptical about this line-up as Jones’ guitar-sound and character had been such an essential part of the original band, but moving on from their first gig at the 100 Club, they steadily gained confidence and began to prove themselves as a fine band in their own right. But it was the release of a new album, ‘What in The World’ in 2017 (featuring Steve Jones guesting on several tracks) that really established the new line-up to all but the most blinkered cynic.
Of course, there were some hiccups along the way. Ray McVeigh had left the band before the album and was replaced by Chris McCormack. Paul Myers was forced to take time away from the band due to health issues, with new bassist Toshi filling-in for him during the ongoing situation. Finally, Chris departed due to (amicable) differences, but despite these potential upsets and the unavoidable disruption caused by the Covid lockdowns, the band have managed to write, record and release another new album, ‘SNAFU’, which sounds even better than its’ predecessor! With plenty of powerful songs, strong production and great delivery, it’s another album that adds to the bands’ reputation rather than merely resting on their laurels.
It wasn’t until 2015 that it was announced that the band would be reforming, albeit without Steve Jones who would be replaced by Tom Spencer, alongside Cook, Myers and McVeigh. I have to admit, at first I was sceptical about this line-up as Jones’ guitar-sound and character had been such an essential part of the original band, but moving on from their first gig at the 100 Club, they steadily gained confidence and began to prove themselves as a fine band in their own right. But it was the release of a new album, ‘What in The World’ in 2017 (featuring Steve Jones guesting on several tracks) that really established the new line-up to all but the most blinkered cynic.
Of course, there were some hiccups along the way. Ray McVeigh had left the band before the album and was replaced by Chris McCormack. Paul Myers was forced to take time away from the band due to health issues, with new bassist Toshi filling-in for him during the ongoing situation. Finally, Chris departed due to (amicable) differences, but despite these potential upsets and the unavoidable disruption caused by the Covid lockdowns, the band have managed to write, record and release another new album, ‘SNAFU’, which sounds even better than its’ predecessor! With plenty of powerful songs, strong production and great delivery, it’s another album that adds to the bands’ reputation rather than merely resting on their laurels.
I was given a chance to interview Paul and Tom at the bands’ secret HQ in Shepherds Bush. They were both in good spirits and very chatty, so we soon got down to the conversation… Strangely enough, it goes so well that even Tom gets involved with the questioning at one point…
What with all the recent lockdowns, how long did it actually take to put the new album together?
Tom ; It’s very-much a lockdown album. We released three EP’s during 2020, leading up towards the Stiff Little Fingers tour that we were playing-on, but then the tour got pulled because of Covid, just three days into it. The whole thing started collapsing, because our plan had been to start working on the new album straight after the tour. We managed to do one session after the first lockdown, but then the second lockdown happened and it made it difficult to get things done things because no one knew how long the situation was going to last. The whole thing became a process through lockdown and we’ve been working on it whenever we’ve been able to. We’d wanted to use a studio down in Wales, but we couldn’t go there for some time while the border was closed. When we did eventually record the first five tracks, we’d planned to go to a different studio to finish them, but then we couldn’t do that because the restrictions became tighter… In the end, we used that time to start writing the next six songs and get them ready for when we could go back to Wales again… So everything we did was really spelled-out by lockdown.
Paul ; As far as recording the album was concerned, it was freaking us out a bit because we weren’t sure where we were going with it. It was such a stop-start situation, and we’d just lost a guitarist, so musically we weren’t really sure what we were doing. In the end we decided to go with it, you know, go with our gut-feeling and tie it all together, but it took a while to be able to complete it and put everything in place.
Tom ; We finished the album at around the same time that we realised we’d be safe to book a tour for October, so we then had to have it ready for release in time for the tour… But looking back at the whole process, it feels like it was literally top-and-tail of the whole pandemic phase… that’s if it is actually over now! I think the album came together really well in the end, but there were lots of gaps inbetween the recording sessions where we had too much time to doubt what we were doing and over-think other things. We did manage to do some recording in London at one point because of the Covid situation, but eventually we were able to get back down to Wales to finish everything. The actual recordings didn’t take all that long, but due to all the gaps when we were limited to what we could do, the whole period was nearly two years, so the whole thing took a lot longer than we’d expected.
Paul ; It was strange that it took so long to complete, but we got there in the end and I think we did a good job…
What with all the recent lockdowns, how long did it actually take to put the new album together?
Tom ; It’s very-much a lockdown album. We released three EP’s during 2020, leading up towards the Stiff Little Fingers tour that we were playing-on, but then the tour got pulled because of Covid, just three days into it. The whole thing started collapsing, because our plan had been to start working on the new album straight after the tour. We managed to do one session after the first lockdown, but then the second lockdown happened and it made it difficult to get things done things because no one knew how long the situation was going to last. The whole thing became a process through lockdown and we’ve been working on it whenever we’ve been able to. We’d wanted to use a studio down in Wales, but we couldn’t go there for some time while the border was closed. When we did eventually record the first five tracks, we’d planned to go to a different studio to finish them, but then we couldn’t do that because the restrictions became tighter… In the end, we used that time to start writing the next six songs and get them ready for when we could go back to Wales again… So everything we did was really spelled-out by lockdown.
Paul ; As far as recording the album was concerned, it was freaking us out a bit because we weren’t sure where we were going with it. It was such a stop-start situation, and we’d just lost a guitarist, so musically we weren’t really sure what we were doing. In the end we decided to go with it, you know, go with our gut-feeling and tie it all together, but it took a while to be able to complete it and put everything in place.
Tom ; We finished the album at around the same time that we realised we’d be safe to book a tour for October, so we then had to have it ready for release in time for the tour… But looking back at the whole process, it feels like it was literally top-and-tail of the whole pandemic phase… that’s if it is actually over now! I think the album came together really well in the end, but there were lots of gaps inbetween the recording sessions where we had too much time to doubt what we were doing and over-think other things. We did manage to do some recording in London at one point because of the Covid situation, but eventually we were able to get back down to Wales to finish everything. The actual recordings didn’t take all that long, but due to all the gaps when we were limited to what we could do, the whole period was nearly two years, so the whole thing took a lot longer than we’d expected.
Paul ; It was strange that it took so long to complete, but we got there in the end and I think we did a good job…
The album certainly sounds very solid and positive, even though it wasn’t recorded in the best circumstances...
Paul ; Yeah, and it’s great to be getting feedback about it now, because we were still unsure about it. When something takes so long to complete, it’s difficult to get a proper idea of how well it’s come out.
Tom ; I think it’s strange because, over the past two years there have been times when it’s been very frustrating, but the times when we have been able to get together and work on the album have been the highs, and I think it’s those moments that have been reflected in the recordings. I think it’s been those moments that have kept us sane…
Paul ; Yeah, knowing that we had something to work on rather than just sitting around with nothing to do. It did feel as if there was light at the end of the tunnel, because we had this album to finish. There may have been months at a time when we were unable to even get together, but we still had that goal ahead of us and that was something to keep us going through all of the lockdown-shit.
Tom ; Unfortunately, it’s not the nature of this band to work on stuff when we’re alone at home. We only really put the effort in when we’re all together… Partly because of our technical abilities and partly because new ideas are just so much more viable when we’re all in the same room.
There have been several line-up changes since the band first started playing again, in 2015. Do you think the line-up for this album is more settled now?
Tom ; No! Not at all, haha!
Paul : I actually like all of these changes, in a funny sort of way. I call it ‘the ever evolving Professionals’ and it keeps us on our toes a little bit. We tried to work together and be creative while Chris was still in the band and it was all four of us, but it just didn’t work out.. Chris also had difficulties because his daughter has health issues which meant he had to be really careful during the lockdowns… So, in the end, we had to scale it back to just me and Tom again. I suppose we’re like the engine behind The Professionals… Toshi is a fully paid-up member now… or maybe not, as Paul Myers was able to come back in for something we did recently. It’s more like a family than a band, really. People come and go depending on the circumstances and I think that’s good in a lot of ways.
Tom ; I think this album has cemented me and Paul’s working relationship in a lot of ways, although some of that came about through necessity. The thing is, Chris was a great guitarist for when we played live, but he’s also a very strong and opinionated musician, so that rocked the boat a bit when we went into the studio. He wanted to be in control of things, because that’s what he’s always done in his other bands. But it wasn’t how we wanted to do things.
Paul ; It became that old ‘three’s a crowd’ thing and we just didn’t need that in the mix. It was disrupting the way we wanted to work and that’s the main reason he left… I mean, it’s all amicable and we’re still good mates, but I think we all realised that it wasn’t going to work out as a creative unit.
Paul ; Yeah, and it’s great to be getting feedback about it now, because we were still unsure about it. When something takes so long to complete, it’s difficult to get a proper idea of how well it’s come out.
Tom ; I think it’s strange because, over the past two years there have been times when it’s been very frustrating, but the times when we have been able to get together and work on the album have been the highs, and I think it’s those moments that have been reflected in the recordings. I think it’s been those moments that have kept us sane…
Paul ; Yeah, knowing that we had something to work on rather than just sitting around with nothing to do. It did feel as if there was light at the end of the tunnel, because we had this album to finish. There may have been months at a time when we were unable to even get together, but we still had that goal ahead of us and that was something to keep us going through all of the lockdown-shit.
Tom ; Unfortunately, it’s not the nature of this band to work on stuff when we’re alone at home. We only really put the effort in when we’re all together… Partly because of our technical abilities and partly because new ideas are just so much more viable when we’re all in the same room.
There have been several line-up changes since the band first started playing again, in 2015. Do you think the line-up for this album is more settled now?
Tom ; No! Not at all, haha!
Paul : I actually like all of these changes, in a funny sort of way. I call it ‘the ever evolving Professionals’ and it keeps us on our toes a little bit. We tried to work together and be creative while Chris was still in the band and it was all four of us, but it just didn’t work out.. Chris also had difficulties because his daughter has health issues which meant he had to be really careful during the lockdowns… So, in the end, we had to scale it back to just me and Tom again. I suppose we’re like the engine behind The Professionals… Toshi is a fully paid-up member now… or maybe not, as Paul Myers was able to come back in for something we did recently. It’s more like a family than a band, really. People come and go depending on the circumstances and I think that’s good in a lot of ways.
Tom ; I think this album has cemented me and Paul’s working relationship in a lot of ways, although some of that came about through necessity. The thing is, Chris was a great guitarist for when we played live, but he’s also a very strong and opinionated musician, so that rocked the boat a bit when we went into the studio. He wanted to be in control of things, because that’s what he’s always done in his other bands. But it wasn’t how we wanted to do things.
Paul ; It became that old ‘three’s a crowd’ thing and we just didn’t need that in the mix. It was disrupting the way we wanted to work and that’s the main reason he left… I mean, it’s all amicable and we’re still good mates, but I think we all realised that it wasn’t going to work out as a creative unit.
Since the reformation of the band, you’ve actually been playing live quite a lot, in the UK and abroad. But the original version of the band didn’t play live very often…
Paul ; No, we didn’t… in fact, this line-up has been a lot more active and has been together a lot longer than the original line-up with Steve, Ray and Paul… I think that line-up was only together for two or three years at the most, released one album and toured America before that was it. And thinking back, the Pistols didn’t last that long either, so it’s great to be in a unit that’s keeping going and keeping creative. It’s really nice to be in something a bit more together.
Tom ; At the moment, we’re still having to be cautious about what we plan to do next… If circumstances were different we’d be looking to go over and play in Germany and places like that straight after we finish the UK tour, but obviously at the moment we can’t do that due to Covid and the whole Visa situation after Brexit, which is very frustrating. In fact, it all ties-in perfectly with the album title, ‘SNAFU’, because it does feel like the situation is all fucked-up at the moment.
Paul ; I think it’s a great title for the album, as it just came out of the blue and it wasn’t contrived or anything. We weren’t really thinking about a title for the album as we were too busy working on the songs, but someone suggested ‘SNAFU’ as a working-title for the record and as things went along, we all agreed that it was perfect.
The artwork for the new album refers to Toms’ artwork, using stained glass…
Tom : We did three EPs in the gap between the first album and this one, called ‘One’, ‘Two’ and ‘Three’ in a nod to the original Professionals’ song. I had some old church glass panels at the time and we used them as background for the artwork of the EPs, which seemed to work nicely. When we started having ideas for the artwork of this album, it was suggested that we could stick with the stained glass theme… I don’t want people to think that I just pushed my artwork onto the band, because I do actually like to keep the two things separate. But in this case, I think it’s worked well and it’s even become topical, what with all the protests going on about climate change and whatever. It does seem appropriate for now, with everything seeming to be breaking-up and falling apart.
Paul ; We’re definitely living through a strange time right now. In a few years’ time when this is all over and people can look back at it, they’re really going to think, like, what the fuck was going on there? At least, I hope that’s what’ll happen rather than it carries on getting worse…
Paul ; No, we didn’t… in fact, this line-up has been a lot more active and has been together a lot longer than the original line-up with Steve, Ray and Paul… I think that line-up was only together for two or three years at the most, released one album and toured America before that was it. And thinking back, the Pistols didn’t last that long either, so it’s great to be in a unit that’s keeping going and keeping creative. It’s really nice to be in something a bit more together.
Tom ; At the moment, we’re still having to be cautious about what we plan to do next… If circumstances were different we’d be looking to go over and play in Germany and places like that straight after we finish the UK tour, but obviously at the moment we can’t do that due to Covid and the whole Visa situation after Brexit, which is very frustrating. In fact, it all ties-in perfectly with the album title, ‘SNAFU’, because it does feel like the situation is all fucked-up at the moment.
Paul ; I think it’s a great title for the album, as it just came out of the blue and it wasn’t contrived or anything. We weren’t really thinking about a title for the album as we were too busy working on the songs, but someone suggested ‘SNAFU’ as a working-title for the record and as things went along, we all agreed that it was perfect.
The artwork for the new album refers to Toms’ artwork, using stained glass…
Tom : We did three EPs in the gap between the first album and this one, called ‘One’, ‘Two’ and ‘Three’ in a nod to the original Professionals’ song. I had some old church glass panels at the time and we used them as background for the artwork of the EPs, which seemed to work nicely. When we started having ideas for the artwork of this album, it was suggested that we could stick with the stained glass theme… I don’t want people to think that I just pushed my artwork onto the band, because I do actually like to keep the two things separate. But in this case, I think it’s worked well and it’s even become topical, what with all the protests going on about climate change and whatever. It does seem appropriate for now, with everything seeming to be breaking-up and falling apart.
Paul ; We’re definitely living through a strange time right now. In a few years’ time when this is all over and people can look back at it, they’re really going to think, like, what the fuck was going on there? At least, I hope that’s what’ll happen rather than it carries on getting worse…
Going back to the original Professionals… after the Pistols had come to an end, a lot of people expected you and Steve to carry on playing music together, but although you were involved with various one-off projects with other people, it actually took quite some time before The Professionals came together…
Paul ; Well, there was still a lot of stuff going on, even besides the ‘Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle’ stuff, so we were all over the place. We even went off to America and made a film, ‘The Fabulous Stains’, which was really mad… How we ever got involved in that, God knows, although I think that after the Pistols we just wanted to get away from here and when someone suggested doing that film, we thought, great! We had to write a couple of songs for it as well, which was where ‘Join the Professionals’ came from… So things like that took up quite some time really, even though we always had the idea that we’d be doing another band together. It’s just that, with all the other things that were going on, it took a while to put it together and write a whole new set of songs. It’s just unfortunate that things were sort of fucked-up from the word-go… By the time we were recording the first album, Steve was starting to get a bit out-of-control with his drug-taking, so there were times when he didn’t show up at all, plus the producer wasn’t there all the time and left things to the engineer and the production on ‘I Didn’t See it Coming’ came-out like shit and it was really horrible. We’d recorded stuff like ‘Kamikaze’ and most of the singles a bit earlier and those songs actually sounded more like Steve’s sound, you know, with the guitars really upfront. But as I was saying earlier, things were getting really fucked up by the time we recorded the album. The songs were really good, but the production was bloody awful. When the record was finished, we went off on a tour in the States and had a nasty car-crash, which cut that short. Then, when we’d all recovered , we went back to the States again. But this time, Steve decided that he wanted to stay over there and not come back to London, so things fell apart really quickly. It was as if the band was doomed from the start… I mean, after the second tour I just thought that Steve was going to stay there for a few more weeks and then he’d come back and we’d carry on, but obviously he’s been over there ever since and that was the end of the original Professionals! I went on to do a lot of other stuff after that… I played in a band called Chiefs of Relief, with Matthew Ashman from Bowwowwow, and I made an album with them… it seemed to be that every band I was in only ever got to make one album! That’s what’s great with The Professionals now, we’ve done two! I mean, people go on about ‘the difficult second album’, but I’d never even got that far before now! After that, I played with Edwyn Collins and other people… I actually played with Edwyn for years and years, on-and-off…
You and Steve also made guest appearances with quite a few other musicians between the end of the Pistols and the start of the Professionals…
‘Yeah, I played with Johnny Thunders on-and-off and also played on his album, ‘So Alone’, while he was living in London. That turned out to be a great album, which was amazing when you consider what was going on during that time. He got lots of guests to come in and play on the album as the Heartbreakers had broken up by then, so none of them played on it.’
Paul ; Well, there was still a lot of stuff going on, even besides the ‘Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle’ stuff, so we were all over the place. We even went off to America and made a film, ‘The Fabulous Stains’, which was really mad… How we ever got involved in that, God knows, although I think that after the Pistols we just wanted to get away from here and when someone suggested doing that film, we thought, great! We had to write a couple of songs for it as well, which was where ‘Join the Professionals’ came from… So things like that took up quite some time really, even though we always had the idea that we’d be doing another band together. It’s just that, with all the other things that were going on, it took a while to put it together and write a whole new set of songs. It’s just unfortunate that things were sort of fucked-up from the word-go… By the time we were recording the first album, Steve was starting to get a bit out-of-control with his drug-taking, so there were times when he didn’t show up at all, plus the producer wasn’t there all the time and left things to the engineer and the production on ‘I Didn’t See it Coming’ came-out like shit and it was really horrible. We’d recorded stuff like ‘Kamikaze’ and most of the singles a bit earlier and those songs actually sounded more like Steve’s sound, you know, with the guitars really upfront. But as I was saying earlier, things were getting really fucked up by the time we recorded the album. The songs were really good, but the production was bloody awful. When the record was finished, we went off on a tour in the States and had a nasty car-crash, which cut that short. Then, when we’d all recovered , we went back to the States again. But this time, Steve decided that he wanted to stay over there and not come back to London, so things fell apart really quickly. It was as if the band was doomed from the start… I mean, after the second tour I just thought that Steve was going to stay there for a few more weeks and then he’d come back and we’d carry on, but obviously he’s been over there ever since and that was the end of the original Professionals! I went on to do a lot of other stuff after that… I played in a band called Chiefs of Relief, with Matthew Ashman from Bowwowwow, and I made an album with them… it seemed to be that every band I was in only ever got to make one album! That’s what’s great with The Professionals now, we’ve done two! I mean, people go on about ‘the difficult second album’, but I’d never even got that far before now! After that, I played with Edwyn Collins and other people… I actually played with Edwyn for years and years, on-and-off…
You and Steve also made guest appearances with quite a few other musicians between the end of the Pistols and the start of the Professionals…
‘Yeah, I played with Johnny Thunders on-and-off and also played on his album, ‘So Alone’, while he was living in London. That turned out to be a great album, which was amazing when you consider what was going on during that time. He got lots of guests to come in and play on the album as the Heartbreakers had broken up by then, so none of them played on it.’
There was also some demos that you and Steve made with Jimmy Pursey, usually referred to as the ‘Sham-Pistols’, although I doubt that was a serious name… how did that come about?
‘I don’t know how we even got involved in that idea, actually. It was before we put The Professionals together and I guess we were just looking around for something to do, so someone probably suggested working with Jimmy. I think Sham 69 had recently split-up and he’d had enough of that, so someone, prossibly Richard Branson, thought it would be a great idea to hook us up with him. We gave it a go and recorded a few songs with him but it just didn’t work out. I think the music was alright and in a lot of ways sounded like the way The Professionals were going to go, but his vocals and lyrics just didn’t go with what we were doing. I remember me and Steve looking at each other while we were listening to something we were recording and we just knew it wasn’t right. And I think it was another case of Steve deciding he didn’t want to do it anymore, so he fucked off and went home, leaving me there with Jimmy. So that idea didn’t happen, even though I liked Jimmy. He was a nice bloke, but when we got into the studio, he just didn’t fit-in with what we wanted to do. I think we were still a bit lost at the time and didn’t really know what to do next, which was probably why it took so long to get The Professionals together. I mean, Steve never really wanted to sing, but we just couldn’t find another suitable singer. It would’ve been impossible to find someone comparable to Johnny Rotten, so Steve stepped-up in the end. But I don’t think he ever really wanted to sing, which sabotaged it a bit.
Tom ; Excuse me butting-in here, but I’ve always been a bit curious about this… was there ever a thought after the Sex Pistols broke-up that you and Steve could have carried on with Sid Vicious as the singer?
Paul ; Yeah, and I think he could’ve been a good singer. He was different to John but… Malcolm was always such a manipulative sod that he was probably thinking, we don’t need John, Sid can be the new singer and perhaps we can get Glen back-in on bass and the Pistols can continue... You know, like one of those pop-groups who just swap their members as they go along and get older, haha! But, seriously, I think that could have worked… the problem was that Malcolm was so busy trying to be manipulative all the time that he never realised how great the band were. I think Sid could’ve been a great frontman, certainly better than he was as a bass-player… although of course, we’ll never know. But if he hadn’t got so fucked up and stayed alive, I think he would’ve become a big star one way or another. He just needed to have the right people around him… When he died, there were plans for me and Steve to fly-out to New York to make an album with him, though again I’m not sure how that would’ve come out…
I was trying to avoid Pistols questions, but since Tom has broached the subject… I’ve always wondered how you felt when Glen was replaced with Sid? As a drummer usually plays closely with the bass player, you must’ve noticed the difference between Glen and Sid, and Sid was never a particularly accomplished bassist…
Paul ; Actually, it didn’t affect me that much, because my rhythm guy was always Steve. I always played along with Steve, which might seem strange, but me and him always locked-in together. The way he played was similar to a bass-rhythm in some ways, so I was always able to lock-in to what he was playing. I don’t think it’s a controversial thing to say, but in some ways I thought Glens’ playing was a bit too fancy for the Pistols. Sid didn’t play on the album so Steve played bass on a lot of the tracks and I think those ones sound really powerful, because he didn’t do anything too fancy… So, yeah, when Sid joined it wasn’t a problem for me because I just continued to lock-in with what Steve was doiing. Musically, for me, things didn’t change too much when Sid joined, but the overall chemistry within the band was upset when he came in. Visually, it looked fantastic but musically, everything went out of balance.
‘I don’t know how we even got involved in that idea, actually. It was before we put The Professionals together and I guess we were just looking around for something to do, so someone probably suggested working with Jimmy. I think Sham 69 had recently split-up and he’d had enough of that, so someone, prossibly Richard Branson, thought it would be a great idea to hook us up with him. We gave it a go and recorded a few songs with him but it just didn’t work out. I think the music was alright and in a lot of ways sounded like the way The Professionals were going to go, but his vocals and lyrics just didn’t go with what we were doing. I remember me and Steve looking at each other while we were listening to something we were recording and we just knew it wasn’t right. And I think it was another case of Steve deciding he didn’t want to do it anymore, so he fucked off and went home, leaving me there with Jimmy. So that idea didn’t happen, even though I liked Jimmy. He was a nice bloke, but when we got into the studio, he just didn’t fit-in with what we wanted to do. I think we were still a bit lost at the time and didn’t really know what to do next, which was probably why it took so long to get The Professionals together. I mean, Steve never really wanted to sing, but we just couldn’t find another suitable singer. It would’ve been impossible to find someone comparable to Johnny Rotten, so Steve stepped-up in the end. But I don’t think he ever really wanted to sing, which sabotaged it a bit.
Tom ; Excuse me butting-in here, but I’ve always been a bit curious about this… was there ever a thought after the Sex Pistols broke-up that you and Steve could have carried on with Sid Vicious as the singer?
Paul ; Yeah, and I think he could’ve been a good singer. He was different to John but… Malcolm was always such a manipulative sod that he was probably thinking, we don’t need John, Sid can be the new singer and perhaps we can get Glen back-in on bass and the Pistols can continue... You know, like one of those pop-groups who just swap their members as they go along and get older, haha! But, seriously, I think that could have worked… the problem was that Malcolm was so busy trying to be manipulative all the time that he never realised how great the band were. I think Sid could’ve been a great frontman, certainly better than he was as a bass-player… although of course, we’ll never know. But if he hadn’t got so fucked up and stayed alive, I think he would’ve become a big star one way or another. He just needed to have the right people around him… When he died, there were plans for me and Steve to fly-out to New York to make an album with him, though again I’m not sure how that would’ve come out…
I was trying to avoid Pistols questions, but since Tom has broached the subject… I’ve always wondered how you felt when Glen was replaced with Sid? As a drummer usually plays closely with the bass player, you must’ve noticed the difference between Glen and Sid, and Sid was never a particularly accomplished bassist…
Paul ; Actually, it didn’t affect me that much, because my rhythm guy was always Steve. I always played along with Steve, which might seem strange, but me and him always locked-in together. The way he played was similar to a bass-rhythm in some ways, so I was always able to lock-in to what he was playing. I don’t think it’s a controversial thing to say, but in some ways I thought Glens’ playing was a bit too fancy for the Pistols. Sid didn’t play on the album so Steve played bass on a lot of the tracks and I think those ones sound really powerful, because he didn’t do anything too fancy… So, yeah, when Sid joined it wasn’t a problem for me because I just continued to lock-in with what Steve was doiing. Musically, for me, things didn’t change too much when Sid joined, but the overall chemistry within the band was upset when he came in. Visually, it looked fantastic but musically, everything went out of balance.
The other potential replacement singer (at least, according to the ‘Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle’) was Eddie Tenpole…
Paul ; No, that was just for a bit of stuff in the ‘Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle’… But he’s another great character and I’ve always liked him. The only other thing we did with him was when me and Steve went to one of his gigs at the Moonlight Club and we jumped up onstage with him, just for a couple of songs.
Tom ; Yeah, he’s a great bloke… I got to know him pretty well when I was playing with The Men They Couldn’t Hang and we toured with him. I ended-up sharing a room with him… I remember he used to wake up with just one eye open!
Paul ; In fact, we asked him to support us when we did our first gig with Tom, at the 100 Club. He was just playing a solo set, but he was great doing that as well.
Moving back to when The Professionals were originally coming together, you and Steve also did some recordings with Chrissie Hynde at one point?
Paul ; Oh my god, that’s something else I wouldn’t have remembered if you hadn’t mentioned it… Yeah, we recorded a Ronettes song, ‘Do I Love You?’ and it was a great version as well! But again, I don’t really know how and why we ended-up doing that… I mean, we knew Chrissie because she’d been around for years. She even used to come along to our rehearsals, sometimes, with James Scott from The Pretenders, and we’d all have a little jam. We were just mates and we kind of ended-up with the same manager, Dave Hill, so I guess the Ronettes song may have been his idea… He was managing The Pretenders and trying to manage The Professionals… somehow we ended-up in a studio one day and decided to put that track down. I haven’t heard it for a very long time, but I do remember that it came out really good.
Tom ; You see, especially after Steve’s book came out, people have been asking if Paul would do one, but he always says he couldn’t because he can’t remember doing things like that, which is what people would want to read about. But once someone prompts him about it, he does remember all those things…
Paul : I actually had to speak to Ben Thompson, who worked on Steve’s book. Steve couldn’t remember fuck all, he’s even worse than me, so I had to help to fill-in the gaps. Luckily, I remember a lot more than Steve, at least once I get going… I get asked to write a biography all the time, but to be honest I’ve never really wanted to do one. I might do it one day… never say never! Because, like some of the stuff we’ve touched on today, there’s a lot of interesting stuff out there that’s never been properly covered.
Tom ; I think if he ever gets around to it, he could come up with something really good, because sometimes we’ll be sitting in a late-night bar somewhere and he’ll tell me some story that I’ve never read or heard before and I’ll be thinking, he really needs to work with someone to get all of these stories out of his head! There’s still some great stories that need to be told and he’s got so many stored in his head that it would still be worthwhile, even though Glen, Steve and Rotten have already told their stories…
Paul ; Yeah, maybe…I’ve definitely got a lot of stories to tell, but I just need someone to sit down with me and chew the fat, so that I get all the prompts to remember these things and when we did them… Everyone has their own view of events and it’s usually put together to big-themselves-up, so perhaps it is good to get the same story from different people, just so you can compare them and make your own mind up about what really happened… I think it’s taken a long time, but people have finally realised what an important period in time, socially and culturally, the Punk era actually was, and how it influenced so many people who are all grown-up now and have gone on to be in positions of power, whether that’s in bands, record companies, writers or artists. It influenced people right across the board and that’s why people are still talking and writing about it. It really was important, despite what a lot of people were saying at the time...
Paul ; No, that was just for a bit of stuff in the ‘Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle’… But he’s another great character and I’ve always liked him. The only other thing we did with him was when me and Steve went to one of his gigs at the Moonlight Club and we jumped up onstage with him, just for a couple of songs.
Tom ; Yeah, he’s a great bloke… I got to know him pretty well when I was playing with The Men They Couldn’t Hang and we toured with him. I ended-up sharing a room with him… I remember he used to wake up with just one eye open!
Paul ; In fact, we asked him to support us when we did our first gig with Tom, at the 100 Club. He was just playing a solo set, but he was great doing that as well.
Moving back to when The Professionals were originally coming together, you and Steve also did some recordings with Chrissie Hynde at one point?
Paul ; Oh my god, that’s something else I wouldn’t have remembered if you hadn’t mentioned it… Yeah, we recorded a Ronettes song, ‘Do I Love You?’ and it was a great version as well! But again, I don’t really know how and why we ended-up doing that… I mean, we knew Chrissie because she’d been around for years. She even used to come along to our rehearsals, sometimes, with James Scott from The Pretenders, and we’d all have a little jam. We were just mates and we kind of ended-up with the same manager, Dave Hill, so I guess the Ronettes song may have been his idea… He was managing The Pretenders and trying to manage The Professionals… somehow we ended-up in a studio one day and decided to put that track down. I haven’t heard it for a very long time, but I do remember that it came out really good.
Tom ; You see, especially after Steve’s book came out, people have been asking if Paul would do one, but he always says he couldn’t because he can’t remember doing things like that, which is what people would want to read about. But once someone prompts him about it, he does remember all those things…
Paul : I actually had to speak to Ben Thompson, who worked on Steve’s book. Steve couldn’t remember fuck all, he’s even worse than me, so I had to help to fill-in the gaps. Luckily, I remember a lot more than Steve, at least once I get going… I get asked to write a biography all the time, but to be honest I’ve never really wanted to do one. I might do it one day… never say never! Because, like some of the stuff we’ve touched on today, there’s a lot of interesting stuff out there that’s never been properly covered.
Tom ; I think if he ever gets around to it, he could come up with something really good, because sometimes we’ll be sitting in a late-night bar somewhere and he’ll tell me some story that I’ve never read or heard before and I’ll be thinking, he really needs to work with someone to get all of these stories out of his head! There’s still some great stories that need to be told and he’s got so many stored in his head that it would still be worthwhile, even though Glen, Steve and Rotten have already told their stories…
Paul ; Yeah, maybe…I’ve definitely got a lot of stories to tell, but I just need someone to sit down with me and chew the fat, so that I get all the prompts to remember these things and when we did them… Everyone has their own view of events and it’s usually put together to big-themselves-up, so perhaps it is good to get the same story from different people, just so you can compare them and make your own mind up about what really happened… I think it’s taken a long time, but people have finally realised what an important period in time, socially and culturally, the Punk era actually was, and how it influenced so many people who are all grown-up now and have gone on to be in positions of power, whether that’s in bands, record companies, writers or artists. It influenced people right across the board and that’s why people are still talking and writing about it. It really was important, despite what a lot of people were saying at the time...
There was a story in one of John Lydons’ books that during the ‘Filthy Lucre’ tour you, Steve and Glen put some demos together for potential new Sex Pistols material… was that true?
Paul ; Not really… there was some talk about doing something new and, if we were ever going to do something new, that would have been the time to do it. So we did touch on it, but I don’t think we were all into it, especially John. I actually had some ideas floating around during that time, so we could’ve tried something, but it never worked out. In fact a few of those ideas from back-then re-surfaced when we were making ‘What in the World’… ‘Take Me Down’ was originally from back then and one of the other songs, I think… But no-one was really into it because we weren’t really getting along too well. For me, it would’ve been great if we could’ve done even a few new songs as the Pistols, but we just couldn’t get into it. We toyed with the idea but nothing materialised.
There had been rumours about The Professionals reforming even before the ‘Filthy Lucre’ tour and there was further gossip about you and Steve planning to work together again after the Pistols tour ended. Was there ever any truth to those stories?
Paul ; No, but more because neither of us ever realised that The Professionals’ legacy had actually grown over the years. We didn’t think anyone would be interested as I don’t think people back at the time realised what a great band it could have been. The singles sounded great and the songs on the first album were good, even though the production was awful, so if things had gone a little more our way, I think we would’ve been a really great band. In a lot of ways, it was a continuation of what we’d been doing with the Pistols, just with a few more poppy tunes and those big choruses… But it really wasn’t that far removed from the Pistols.
Funnily enough, I’ve always thought that ‘Silly Thing’ was the first Professionals song in a lot of ways, as it was just you and Steve and the style definitely pre-empted what you were going to be doing later on…
Tom ; Oh, yeah, I’d agree with that, which is why we’ve never had any qualms about playing that in The Professionals live-sets.
When The Professionals first began playing live again in 2015 with Tom instead of Steve, how did it all come together?
Tom ; Well, I’d been invited along to play at a gig with Ginger Wildheart and Cookie was one of the other guests. I ended-up being onstage with Paul when everyone got up to play ‘Pretty Vacant’. Ray McVeigh was involved with that as well, so that’s where we all first met… It turned out that Ray, Paul Myers and Cookie were teasing the idea of doing The Professionals again. They’d talked to Steve about it but he wasn’t ready to come over for the rehearsals, so they asked me to stand-in until they were able to coax Steve over. The whole thing went on and on for some time, while Steve became more and more… not apathetic, but perhaps more isolated and more phobic about all the travelling it would involve for him. By that point, we’d been doing all the rehearsals and we had even booked a gig at the 100 Club, but it became clear that Steve wasn’t going to come over, so the others decided to do the gig with me. I think it went pretty well, but I’d never expected my involvement to go that far and, as the gig was absolutely packed-out, it was quite intimidating for me. But it went down well and we realised that we could continue doing this thing together. I’d only started doing it as a stand-in to help them out, but suddenly I was a part of this new line-up and we were going to carry-on. But of course, the old, chaotic vibe of The Professionals soon kicked-in and we had a falling-out with Ray McVeigh, so we had a change of guitarists. Then there were difficulties with Paul Myers… not another falling-out, I’ll add, as he’s still part of the gang, but he’s not been very well and as a result of that, he has to come and go because of his health. But he’s still very-much a part of the gang and we do miss his personality when he’s not there… Of course, the cynics started pointing out that there’s only Paul left from the original band…
Paul ; As I said before, I just look at it as an evolving situation…
Paul ; Not really… there was some talk about doing something new and, if we were ever going to do something new, that would have been the time to do it. So we did touch on it, but I don’t think we were all into it, especially John. I actually had some ideas floating around during that time, so we could’ve tried something, but it never worked out. In fact a few of those ideas from back-then re-surfaced when we were making ‘What in the World’… ‘Take Me Down’ was originally from back then and one of the other songs, I think… But no-one was really into it because we weren’t really getting along too well. For me, it would’ve been great if we could’ve done even a few new songs as the Pistols, but we just couldn’t get into it. We toyed with the idea but nothing materialised.
There had been rumours about The Professionals reforming even before the ‘Filthy Lucre’ tour and there was further gossip about you and Steve planning to work together again after the Pistols tour ended. Was there ever any truth to those stories?
Paul ; No, but more because neither of us ever realised that The Professionals’ legacy had actually grown over the years. We didn’t think anyone would be interested as I don’t think people back at the time realised what a great band it could have been. The singles sounded great and the songs on the first album were good, even though the production was awful, so if things had gone a little more our way, I think we would’ve been a really great band. In a lot of ways, it was a continuation of what we’d been doing with the Pistols, just with a few more poppy tunes and those big choruses… But it really wasn’t that far removed from the Pistols.
Funnily enough, I’ve always thought that ‘Silly Thing’ was the first Professionals song in a lot of ways, as it was just you and Steve and the style definitely pre-empted what you were going to be doing later on…
Tom ; Oh, yeah, I’d agree with that, which is why we’ve never had any qualms about playing that in The Professionals live-sets.
When The Professionals first began playing live again in 2015 with Tom instead of Steve, how did it all come together?
Tom ; Well, I’d been invited along to play at a gig with Ginger Wildheart and Cookie was one of the other guests. I ended-up being onstage with Paul when everyone got up to play ‘Pretty Vacant’. Ray McVeigh was involved with that as well, so that’s where we all first met… It turned out that Ray, Paul Myers and Cookie were teasing the idea of doing The Professionals again. They’d talked to Steve about it but he wasn’t ready to come over for the rehearsals, so they asked me to stand-in until they were able to coax Steve over. The whole thing went on and on for some time, while Steve became more and more… not apathetic, but perhaps more isolated and more phobic about all the travelling it would involve for him. By that point, we’d been doing all the rehearsals and we had even booked a gig at the 100 Club, but it became clear that Steve wasn’t going to come over, so the others decided to do the gig with me. I think it went pretty well, but I’d never expected my involvement to go that far and, as the gig was absolutely packed-out, it was quite intimidating for me. But it went down well and we realised that we could continue doing this thing together. I’d only started doing it as a stand-in to help them out, but suddenly I was a part of this new line-up and we were going to carry-on. But of course, the old, chaotic vibe of The Professionals soon kicked-in and we had a falling-out with Ray McVeigh, so we had a change of guitarists. Then there were difficulties with Paul Myers… not another falling-out, I’ll add, as he’s still part of the gang, but he’s not been very well and as a result of that, he has to come and go because of his health. But he’s still very-much a part of the gang and we do miss his personality when he’s not there… Of course, the cynics started pointing out that there’s only Paul left from the original band…
Paul ; As I said before, I just look at it as an evolving situation…
Tom : Paul Myers was involved again when we made the recent video, because he was going through a spell of good health and it was really good to have him around… We also wanted to have him play bass on at least a few tracks on the album, but as it turned-out he had to go for a few more rounds of treatment and couldn’t do it.
Paul ; So we have this ever-changing line-up and, as I said earlier, I quite like it like this. I think it’s the way a lot of bands operate these days, anyway, because music and the way it’s made has really changed in recent years. My daughter, Hollie, has a band that play with her but all of the members also play with other bands as well and they have to be able to swap around depending on whoever’s available at any particular time. When you consider that kind of set-up, what’s happened with us isn’t a big deal at all…
Going back to the ‘comeback’ gig at the 100 Club, I got the feeling that the set was almost tentative and you were all a little unsure as to how things were going to go. But since then, the bands’ confidence seems to have steadily built-up and the audience response has subsequently been more and more positive. When ‘What in the World’ came out, the new material really stood up for itself and I think people have been much more accepting of this new version of the Professionals…
Tom ; I have to admit, I did actually feel nervous at the 100 Club gig and I don’t usually get nervous about going onstage. But I think it was because the place was so busy and I recognised so many people in the audience. But once we started playing, I think it generally went okay.
Paul : We hadn’t even decided if we were going to carry on any further at that point, but as we played a few more gigs and started to write some new songs together, it just seemed to be working-out. The next thing was to make an album and fortunately it seemed to be warmly-received by everyone. But it wasn’t really until then that we were able to look at it all and see that we had a good song-writing relationship and things were going really well. So me and Tom have become the mainstays of the band and the others will probably continue to come and go depending on the circumstances at the time…
Tom ; I think some of the criticism that we did get, initially, was because Paul is the focal point in the band and he’s the drummer. If it was a singer, then people tend not to notice the changes in the rest of the band quite so much. But it’s not like any of us have just appeared from the X-Factor or anything, we’ve all been working on our own stuff for years! When we made the ‘What in The World’, it felt like a really natural thing to do and Steve played some guitar on a couple of tracks which sort-of felt like the baton was being passed-on to us, which made me feel more confident… Actually, we were also hoping that Steve would play on a couple of tracks on this album as well, but unfortunately, due to Covid, he wasn’t able to get into a studio in time for when we needed his parts… But I still think we’ve got the guitar-power up to the right levels. We do get extra-scrutiny due to the bands’ past, which can be a nuisance, but at the same time we also get some good publicity due to the past, so it all balances out.
Paul ; The whole Covid thing has been so disrupting for us, because we’d played on tour with Ruts DC and had just started to play on the Stiff Little Fingers tour. We were becoming a really powerful live band and a lot more people were getting to see us. But then the lockdowns came-in and we were stopped in our tracks.
Tom : When we were playing on the Ruts tour, we had the closest we’ve ever had to a steady line-up so we were becoming a really solid live band. But since then, we lost another guitarist so we’re going to have to start working on it again… once we’re able to!
Paul ; So we have this ever-changing line-up and, as I said earlier, I quite like it like this. I think it’s the way a lot of bands operate these days, anyway, because music and the way it’s made has really changed in recent years. My daughter, Hollie, has a band that play with her but all of the members also play with other bands as well and they have to be able to swap around depending on whoever’s available at any particular time. When you consider that kind of set-up, what’s happened with us isn’t a big deal at all…
Going back to the ‘comeback’ gig at the 100 Club, I got the feeling that the set was almost tentative and you were all a little unsure as to how things were going to go. But since then, the bands’ confidence seems to have steadily built-up and the audience response has subsequently been more and more positive. When ‘What in the World’ came out, the new material really stood up for itself and I think people have been much more accepting of this new version of the Professionals…
Tom ; I have to admit, I did actually feel nervous at the 100 Club gig and I don’t usually get nervous about going onstage. But I think it was because the place was so busy and I recognised so many people in the audience. But once we started playing, I think it generally went okay.
Paul : We hadn’t even decided if we were going to carry on any further at that point, but as we played a few more gigs and started to write some new songs together, it just seemed to be working-out. The next thing was to make an album and fortunately it seemed to be warmly-received by everyone. But it wasn’t really until then that we were able to look at it all and see that we had a good song-writing relationship and things were going really well. So me and Tom have become the mainstays of the band and the others will probably continue to come and go depending on the circumstances at the time…
Tom ; I think some of the criticism that we did get, initially, was because Paul is the focal point in the band and he’s the drummer. If it was a singer, then people tend not to notice the changes in the rest of the band quite so much. But it’s not like any of us have just appeared from the X-Factor or anything, we’ve all been working on our own stuff for years! When we made the ‘What in The World’, it felt like a really natural thing to do and Steve played some guitar on a couple of tracks which sort-of felt like the baton was being passed-on to us, which made me feel more confident… Actually, we were also hoping that Steve would play on a couple of tracks on this album as well, but unfortunately, due to Covid, he wasn’t able to get into a studio in time for when we needed his parts… But I still think we’ve got the guitar-power up to the right levels. We do get extra-scrutiny due to the bands’ past, which can be a nuisance, but at the same time we also get some good publicity due to the past, so it all balances out.
Paul ; The whole Covid thing has been so disrupting for us, because we’d played on tour with Ruts DC and had just started to play on the Stiff Little Fingers tour. We were becoming a really powerful live band and a lot more people were getting to see us. But then the lockdowns came-in and we were stopped in our tracks.
Tom : When we were playing on the Ruts tour, we had the closest we’ve ever had to a steady line-up so we were becoming a really solid live band. But since then, we lost another guitarist so we’re going to have to start working on it again… once we’re able to!
In the meantime, though, you’ve completed the new album and, to my ears, it sounds even better than ‘What in the World...’
Paul ; Funnily enough, I think we were all a bit unsure about it, because we haven’t been able to play any of the new songs live, yet, and not many people outside of the band had been able to hear any of the recordings. So we weren’t really getting any feedback about what we were doing and if you don’t get that kind of response, you’re bound to start having doubts…
Tom ; All I can say is that, during the interviews we’ve been doing, people have said some really nice things about the album…These have pretty-much been the first comments we’ve heard about the record, so the reaction seems good so far. It’s great because it’s like our new baby and we’ve put a lot of time, heart and soul into it.
Paul ; I think we did set the bar quite high when we did ‘What in The World’. I think we even surprised ourselves when we made that album… it turned out great and I really like it. It came out so much better than
‘I Didn’t See it Coming’, so I think we were a bit wary of keeping the strength-up for the new one.
Tom : For me, one of the biggest compliments we got for ‘What in The World’ was when people said it was a great continuation from what the original band had done, especially considering there was a thirty-years gap and a different singer onboard. That was good for me because I’d been getting some online abuse about not being Steve Jones, which is crazy because I can’t help that! I mean, I can understand people not liking the current line-up for whatever reasons they have, but when they were just having a go at me, I take that personally. I’m a sensitive soul and I can’t help being affected by stuff like that! We still get it now, although not so much… Just the other week someone wrote on there that the band should just be called The Professional, because Paul’s the only original member left now… But you know, you could pick holes with loads of bands like that if you wanted to… why not The Strangler or the Gang of One? But the whole thing is that bands do change their line-ups over time but they can still sound great. It happens with most bands, if they continue over a period of time. It’s the chemistry within them that makes them special in the first place and if the line-ups change along the way, it depends on if they can maintain that chemistry, even if they have lost some of the original ingredients.
Paul ; I think there was bound to be doubts when this line-up started playing because Steve always had a big personality and it was always going to be hard to replace him. But when we recorded and released ‘What in the World’, I think a lot of people realised that our new songs were up to scratch and they started accepting Tom and the new line-up in its’ own right. It certainly seems to have been a lot easier for us since then…
Paul ; Funnily enough, I think we were all a bit unsure about it, because we haven’t been able to play any of the new songs live, yet, and not many people outside of the band had been able to hear any of the recordings. So we weren’t really getting any feedback about what we were doing and if you don’t get that kind of response, you’re bound to start having doubts…
Tom ; All I can say is that, during the interviews we’ve been doing, people have said some really nice things about the album…These have pretty-much been the first comments we’ve heard about the record, so the reaction seems good so far. It’s great because it’s like our new baby and we’ve put a lot of time, heart and soul into it.
Paul ; I think we did set the bar quite high when we did ‘What in The World’. I think we even surprised ourselves when we made that album… it turned out great and I really like it. It came out so much better than
‘I Didn’t See it Coming’, so I think we were a bit wary of keeping the strength-up for the new one.
Tom : For me, one of the biggest compliments we got for ‘What in The World’ was when people said it was a great continuation from what the original band had done, especially considering there was a thirty-years gap and a different singer onboard. That was good for me because I’d been getting some online abuse about not being Steve Jones, which is crazy because I can’t help that! I mean, I can understand people not liking the current line-up for whatever reasons they have, but when they were just having a go at me, I take that personally. I’m a sensitive soul and I can’t help being affected by stuff like that! We still get it now, although not so much… Just the other week someone wrote on there that the band should just be called The Professional, because Paul’s the only original member left now… But you know, you could pick holes with loads of bands like that if you wanted to… why not The Strangler or the Gang of One? But the whole thing is that bands do change their line-ups over time but they can still sound great. It happens with most bands, if they continue over a period of time. It’s the chemistry within them that makes them special in the first place and if the line-ups change along the way, it depends on if they can maintain that chemistry, even if they have lost some of the original ingredients.
Paul ; I think there was bound to be doubts when this line-up started playing because Steve always had a big personality and it was always going to be hard to replace him. But when we recorded and released ‘What in the World’, I think a lot of people realised that our new songs were up to scratch and they started accepting Tom and the new line-up in its’ own right. It certainly seems to have been a lot easier for us since then…
Tom : I think there were two types of songs on ‘I Didn’t See it Coming’ and I think we’ve kind of taken one set of them forward, the more musical ones like ‘Crescendo’ and ‘Kick Down the Doors’. The ones that we’re not so keen on are things like ‘All You Punks’ (aka ‘Mods, Punks, Skins’) and ‘Kamikaze’, which sound more like some of the Oi! stuff that was around at that time. In some ways, The Professionals probably influenced some of the Oi! bands with their more basic songs and particularly Steve’s more yobbish vocals on those tracks. We even get some of the old punk fans asking us to play those songs now, but we really don’t want to do stuff like that anymore. For the people who like that side of things, they’re probably never going to like us now, but I think the better songs on the first album are the more musical ones and it’s that side of things that we want to take forward. I mean, this is just my opinion but I think it possibly divides people, because we haven’t taken that yobbish side of things along with us. I think we realise that when we play at things like Rebellion Festival, there’s always going to be a certain section in the audience who would prefer us to play that stuff but, you know, thirty or forty years later on, I just wouldn’t be comfortable singing those songs.
Paul ; I’d agree with that because there are certainly some songs from that first album period that I wouldn’t want to play now… I wouldn’t mind playing ‘Little Boys in Blue’ or something like that, but not those other things. I think we all feel that we need to keep moving forward and, while we’re never going to try to ignore the bands’ past, there are things that just wouldn’t fit-in with the way we want to carry things on, now.
If, like me, you were a fan of the original Professionals but felt wary when they reformed without Steve Jones, trust me when I say that I shouldn’t have worried. Since that first live performances in 2015, the new line-up(s) have steadily improved and they are now a consistently great live band. In addition, the two new albums, ‘What in the World’ and ‘SNAFU’ have both added further credence to the reputation and legacy established by the original band. If, on the other hand, you’ve not heard them before, then you really do have a wealth of great material to discover. Don’t miss out!
Paul ; I’d agree with that because there are certainly some songs from that first album period that I wouldn’t want to play now… I wouldn’t mind playing ‘Little Boys in Blue’ or something like that, but not those other things. I think we all feel that we need to keep moving forward and, while we’re never going to try to ignore the bands’ past, there are things that just wouldn’t fit-in with the way we want to carry things on, now.
If, like me, you were a fan of the original Professionals but felt wary when they reformed without Steve Jones, trust me when I say that I shouldn’t have worried. Since that first live performances in 2015, the new line-up(s) have steadily improved and they are now a consistently great live band. In addition, the two new albums, ‘What in the World’ and ‘SNAFU’ have both added further credence to the reputation and legacy established by the original band. If, on the other hand, you’ve not heard them before, then you really do have a wealth of great material to discover. Don’t miss out!
