Playing By The The Rules With Bits Of Shit

The patches on Bits of Shit’s denim jackets serve as a reminder that they’re in the band and you’re not. The members of the Bits of Shit Music Club are four Melbourne guys united by the colours on their cutoffs and a sound that channels the energy and euphoria of early SST records, AC DC, Rose Tattoo and suspended prison sentences. Their live shows get so out of hand, pussies in Black Lips shirts move to the back of the room.

Cut Sleeves is the name of their new album and it’s a belter. In fact, Zac and Eric from Goner Records liked it so much they invited BOS to play the upcoming Goner Fest.They’re currently preparing for their first US tour so I grabbed the chance to speak to the band’s two elder statesmen Andy and Danny about patches and the importance of rules in a punk band.

VICE: I heard that Bits of Shit have band rules. I didn’t think you’d be a band that followed rules.
Andy: The rules aren’t just for us, they’re for everyone. They basically just outline some common decent behaviour. If you applied them to the everyday you would live a fruitful life and have a lot of friends.

Are they listed in order of importance?
Andy: No because the last rule is the most important, “Be excellent to each other.”

That sounds kind of hippie.
Danny: We are a punk band. The first rule is, “No dope burns”. We haven’t had to snuff any members either. I think that’s rule number five, “No messing with anyone’s missus.”

Do you wear your patches around in your daily life, to the supermarket as well as gigs and rehearsals?
Danny: I like to wear them on public transport, it helps me rumble with the train pigs. The patches are important to us for various reasons. The first is that we got them made for really cheap. Also it’s part of the bands mythology and identification. If you are in the band you wear the patch. If you’re not in the band you can’t the wear the patch.

I ran into your old bass player last week and he mentioned he was about to hand back his patches.
Andy: Yeah he had to hand back his patches. He’s moving to the country. Back in the Nineties bands went out of their way to not look like they were in a band. We’re bringing it back to a sixties sensibility of when you were in a band you were part of a group. We’re part of a group and we are rock solid. We’re not wearing the same suits. We’re not the Kinks! We don’t have face paint but we are definitely a band.

Do you think that’s what’s led to your comparisons with Sharpies?
Andy: I think we are more in tune with disaffected suburban youth in a Sharpie sense than we are in an overall cultural sense of a punk rock moment. I don’t think we have much in common with modern punk rock.

But your sound has a punk sound. The guitar especially sounds like late era Gregg Ginn.
Danny: It’s a complete rip off!
Andy: Fuck you. Are we going toe to toe on rip offs now, Bon Scott? But really the references we get are all very flattering. They are all very diverse. I’m sure if people think I sound like Greg Ginn I’ll take that as a bloody compliment and if people think Danny sounds like Bon Scott I’m sure he will take that as a compliment. It could be worse.

Your influences are clear. Your songs are named after them: “Tim Hemensly”, “Lazy Cowgirls” and “Meat Thump”, for example. 
Danny: Sometimes I’ll say, “I really like this band, can we sound like them?” Andy will come up with a riff or I’ll come up with a song and instead of coming up with a song title we will just name the song after the band.
Andy: “Meat Thump” is dedicated to Brendan Annesley from the magazine Negative Guest List. He did a lot to promote us and help us out in the early days. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.

So you got visas for the US?
Danny: Yeah I’m excited, I’ve never been overseas before. If we come back in body bags we will come back standing up. Because even in death, Bits of Shit don’t take any shit lying down.