Sense of Purpose
Melbourne Hardcore

Sense of Purpose
Melbourne Hardcore

All I know about Sense Of Purpose, a really great Melbourne (Australia) hardcore band, is that they released an album on Rely On Records entitled “A Matter Of Respect. From the moment track one “Time Will Tell” blasted out the stereo and a group shout in the time honoured hardcore punk fashion came across I knew I’d be into what they were about. Ok so who are you all and what is the current line-up?

Just a bit of history on the band, we commenced playing in late 1996 at which time we were known as Nextstep, released a demo and a 7” ep and then changed line-ups and our name to Sense Of Purpose in 1999 and released our debut full length CD 'A Matter Of Respect' in 2001. We become a five piece band just over a year ago when we added another vocalist. Pete jumped off the drum stool and came out in front to do dual vocals with me. The current line-up is: Pete and me (Chris) on vocals, Erle on bass, Leith on guitar and Grant on drums.

What did the name Sense Of Purpose refer to in the beginning and does that sentiment still resonate with what your about today?

We've basically been known as posi-core band for a number of years due to the positive slant in our lyrics ala 7Seconds, Gorilla Biscuits, Battery, etc. Our name is a reflection of what we were about at the time and I'd say still are about. I think we all need a sense of purpose in life to serve as a guide to where we are headed. Don’t take that in a religious way as we are definitely not a God band.

Apart from The Day Of Contempt, The Living End & 28 Days (I just can’t put my foot on any more I know there are INXS / ACDC / Bee Gees haha) We don’t hear much about the Australian / New Zealand scenes and the bands so fill us in!

Australia has a pretty healthy hardcore scene. Australia has a mix of all styles such as old school, metalcore, emo, screamo, melodic, thrash etc. We’ve got Mindsnare who are also from Melbourne and are just huge all around Australia and have been going for 10 years now, Dying Breed, Toe To Toe, Vicious Circle, Life Love Regret, Far Left Limit, No Grace, Last Nerve, Fast Times, Against, Miles Away, Shotpointblank, Embodiment 12:14, Deadstare, August Reign, The Stockholm Syndrome, Stronger Than Hate, Another Way, One Last Excuse....shit....the list goes on and on. We’ve got 50 plus hardcore bands playing regularly from all around Australia including Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle etc.

Are playing all ages shows important to you? Over here they are finally gaining popularity.

All ages shows are all the hardcore scene should be about but unfortunately we don’t have many venues which permit all ages shows. So we’re stuck playing pubs most of the time which is really killing the scene. If we don’t have regular all ages shows to get the kids into hardcore then where will they came from and how will the scene survive when we’re all gone? We’ve tried finding new all age venues but it’s not easy. If we could, we would love to only play all ages shows as opposed to shitty pubs.

Are you reading anything interesting at the moment? What is it called?

I just finished reading Pat Cash’s autobiography, haha. I’m now reading ‘Foley Is Good’ by a wrestler named Mankind (Mick Foley). I’ll leave the intellectual stuff to those who need the brain stimulation.

On “Problem Solving 101” guest vocals were handled by Jay Dunne of 28 Days. Now from seeing them live with Sick Of It All and the exposure that they received I heard about the unfortunate circumstance with their drummer and condolences to the band at that time. You guys are all friends I take it and from the same hometown, how are the band now these days because we have not had a lot of press but is it also true your drummer (Pete) filled in for them? And how did that work out for him?

28 Days are doing well and getting ready to release another CD. After Scott passed away they pinched Vinny from Day Of Contempt and he played on their CD which was released a year or so ago. They’ve now got another drummer as Vinny didn’t work out, he’s now playing in a pop punk band. Pete never filled in on drums for them but both bands are close. Just for some background info, before 28 Days and Sense Of Purpose there was Self Reliance an old school hardcore band not dissimilar to SOP just more melodic. Self Reliance was made up of Jay on vocals and Simon (Hep) on guitar who are both now in 28 Days and Pete on drums and me on bass with both of us now in Sense Of Purpose.

Self Reliance started playing shows in mid 1995 and released a full length CD in September 1997 and played our last show late 1998. We would probably still be going if I hadn’t walked into rehearsal back in late 1996 and said to Jay and Hep that Pete and I were forming a side band (Nextstep, as were known at the time) so that we could play a harder and faster style and I could sing instead of play bass. That led to Jay and Hep also forming a side band in spite (haha) a month later, they called themselves 28 Days and the rest is history. They played a cross between pop, hardcore, hip hop, punk which was different to what was being played at the time and got signed to a major label two years later and then went on to have a number one album on the Australian music charts which went platinum. Unbelievable. From such humble beginnings of Self Reliance rehearsing in Pete’s garage to a number one album and world wide tours. So that’s our connection. We were all in one band once upon a time. In fact I did a spoken word ‘positive’ piece in one of their songs on their last album. I’m really happy with their success, I could never do that type of music full time and be on a major label but these guys love the music and the lifestyle.

What sort’s of bands have you had the pleasure of doing tours with and where have your travels as a band taken you?

We haven’t gone on out on the road with any bands touring from overseas but over the years we’ve played with a heap of these bands in Melbourne including Agnostic Front (US), Cro-Mags (US), H20 (US), Ensign (US), Shutdown (US), Good Clean Fun (US) Citizen Fish (UK), Agent Orange (US), No Fun At All (Sweden), Balance (NZ), Shank (Scotland), Strife (US), DSM (NZ), and most recently Strike Anywhere (US), Terror (US) and AFI (US). The AFI show was huge playing in front of 1,000 people and we were also rapt when we heard that AFI had asked the promoters for us specifically after we came highly recommended from their good friends from Ensign who we absolutely love. Pete and I actually saw Ensign play in New Jersey in 1998 when we went over there just to see hardcore bands and pro wrestling (sad but true). Over the years we’ve done several interstate tours and are getting ready to hit Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide in May to launch our new CD.

Where would you love to tour if you were given the opportunity? Bands when asked always in lemming like fashion say Japan but that’s quite close to you so have the boys in Sense of Purpose got a different first choice that’s what were all dying to find out?

I’d rather go to Europe and then maybe the US.

Are any of you guys Straight Edge? I saw maybe hints of that in the lyrics, and a comment about all ages crews in the thank-you’s plus a few x’s on hands in photo’s etc.

I’m not sure what straight edge is these days. We’re not into labelling ourselves but I guess you could say 3 of us out of the 5 don’t do bad shit. No disrespect to those that call themselves straight edge. As a band we’re all into personal choice and thinking for yourself.

Have you ever cuddled a koala bear, why are they endangered also? Is it because they are so dam delicious? (A theory I’ve been working on about the evolutionary state of our worlds “endangered” / “delicious” species)

I’ve actually never cuddled a koala. I don’t think they’re endangered though. Who eats koala’s you nasty bastard, haha.

Have you either seen any of the following in the wild? Did you, for want of a better word “brick your pant’s”?

a) a great white b) a box jelly fish or c) a funnel web spider

I’ve seen none of the above as I don’t live in the wild Phil, haha. I live in suburbia just like 80% of Australia’s population. I love this misconception that especially American’s have that we’ve got kangaroos hopping around in our backyards.

How tall is Kylie Minougue and do you know where they insert the batteries?
Personally I can't stand that dwarf.

What are the current goals of the band? When are you next planning to record?
We’re actually going to record our second full length CD in late February. Our goal is to have the CD released by an overseas hardcore label and get our music heard by as many ears as possible.

Is there anything you would like to be doing five years from now and what do the band do full-time (are any of you involved with education?)
We all work pretty much full time. Grant is a child care worker, Leith has his own business making wallet chains, jewellery and other punk rock items, Erle is a cabinet maker, Pete works in construction and when I’m not saving the world from all evils, I’m a mild mannered office worker. In five years from now I hope to be a superhero full time.

Thanks for the interview Phil.

That's totally cool! thanks for answering my questions! No animals were harmed whilst writting this interview
Phil
www.straightedgelifestyle.com