Pirate metal isn’t the most uncommon of the myriad metal sub-genres nowadays but pirate punk? That’s a new one. And the fact the band have called themselves Pirate Copy? That’s punk as… well, it rhymes with puck.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re the Cornish boys from way out in the sticks! We hail from the small villages of Portreath and Four Lanes in the rugged landscape of the Duchy.
How did you meet?
Ah, it’s Cornwall, so we all have a million connections. We all went to the same secondary school. The Captain and Johnny D have been best mates since before primary school. Asthiki and The Captain played in a band called 100% Lemur Free, and gigged with Johnny D’s Cheese Steak Jimmys when they were all teenagers. The Admiral and The Captain used to present a punk rock show on a local radio station. You meet anyone new down here, you’ve always got at least one mutual friend, so we all just kind of knew each other.
How long have you been playing as a band?
More than seven years now! We started out as a sextet and played our first gig at a wild town festival in Penzance. We played in a packed tent sponsored by a notorious local homebrew called Spingo, and right before we were about to start the recently elected, and more than half-cut mayor decided to make a grand victory speech. Halfway through the gig, some pirate re-enactors turned up and started battling with real swords in front of us. It set the tone of things to come.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
We decided the name had to be a pirate/music pun, and we’re pretty sure we nailed it. Pick up a pirate copy of Pirate Copy today!
What are your influences?
Each member brings a different set of influences to the band which define the different elements of our sound. The Captain enjoys melodic hardcore and skate-punk, while Jonny D is a Britpop and indie man. The Admiral loves a bit of thrash punk, while Ashtiki can be found blasting anarcho. It all comes together in a big clash of styles that we somehow work out into something we all enjoy!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We play fast, catchy, singalong punk rock to be played at parties and good times, but it’s seeing us in person that makes us unique! We love doing what we do, and the energy we bring to our gigs seems to escalate them into a party everyone wants to join in on! We welcome everyone, and our nights are all about getting people together and getting some drinks in with some new best friends.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Well, being pirates and partying hard are fairly consistent themes! A lot of our songs follow traditional hardcore themes of friendship and unity, while others delve into piratical events from both real and historic times, and then some are just for a laugh.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We’re well into triple figures when it comes to tearing the roof off a place, and we’ve honed the art of bringing a party to life! When you come to see us, we’re not just playing a gig, we’re putting on a show! Our parties are hi-octane, chaotic, rum-soaked affairs where anything from en masse full nudity to police shutdowns can, and has, happened! This isn’t paint-by-numbers rock n roll we’re doing here!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
We sometimes throw out loads of newspapers pirate hats so people can get involved, and at one gig in a notorious local pub, a barfly who’d started off heckling us but had been seriously won round, decided without hesitation to eat his hat to prove his newfound loyalty. That night started off with Taylor Swift karaoke during our soundcheck, and ended with the locals having a mass brawl!
We’ve seen and done lots of other weird shit. The Captain’s known for escaping the stage, and notoriously climbed the scaffolding rig of Penzance’s 3Chords festival, as well as boarding a moving train ride mid-song during an unusual gig in a local theme park! He’s also ludicrously clumsy and often stacks it big time during the gig – notable events include wiping out tens of glasses while slipping from the top of a picnic bench at an outdoor festival, and leaving Astiki with just a single cymbal standing after accidentally taking out the kit at Plymouth Punk’s Picnic.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
- Guitar – An Epiphone guitar, Ernie Ball guitar strings, Humbucker pickups and an Orange amp.
- Bass – A Yamaha bass with a Peavey amp.
- Dums – Pro Mark drumsticks, Paiste RUDE cymbals, Mapex Saturn shells, Evans drum heads, Mapex Falcon hardware, Protection Racket drum cases.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We’ve just released a lyric video for “All Drunks On Deck!” from our forthcoming debut full-length Swashbuckle & Swagger! The album’s out October 26th, and we’ve got a full music video for “Reckless Alice” coming out soon, too!
What are your plans for 2018?
We’ve been fully focused on getting the album out this year, so we haven’t gigged at all, and we’re looking forward to getting back on it after the album launches! We’re planning to do a few South West dates this year, then push further afield next year. Coming from Cornwall, it’s not easy to get noticed by people North of the Tamar, so we’re hoping it’ll give us a bit of a boost and land us some bigger gigs, as well as more festival slots for next year! Festivals are perfect for us so we’re looking to get as many as possible picked up for 2019!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
Ah, it would have to be the Dropkick Murphys we’d be supporting – we’re absolutely massive fans, and they were a huge influence that inspired us to learn more about Cornwall’s Celtic roots when we were younger. The band we’d choose to play with would be Bastard! Ashtiki plays for them as well, and they’ve supported us in countless ways to get this album out – from filling in on bass, to writing promo materials and designing artwork – these guys are seriously multi-talented and deserve way more recognition!
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