The future of UK hardcore....Quite possibly The x Break x In feature
ex members of xCanaanx and from the demo look to be one of our
brightest hopes...straight edge youth crew / beat down never sounded
so good...so energetic...so timeless!

Fill us in on The Break Ins formation for all the kids not familiar on the bands rise!
Ok, well, we are a straight edge hardcore band first and foremost. For us hardcore and straight edge are intrinsically linked within our lives and what we are trying to do with the band. Our sound is simply heavy as fuck straight edge hardcore with a hint of metal. Nuff said!
Hows the Canterbury scene doing? You seem to put on some ace shows down there! Who are the local bands? & promoters? (+Any websites we can check out!)
The Canterbury scene is flourishing quite nicely nowadays after a lull in enthusiasm over the first half of the year. We are lucky enough to have a couple of cool venues (the scout hut which we use for bigger shows, and the jubilee hall for smaller shows). They arent actual live music venues by any stretch of the imagination rather than community halls that we take over every month or so, fill with a bunch of HC kids and tear apart. Then after we tidy it up as best we can and pretend we had a private party, the owners never suspect a thing!
The local bands are going from strength to strength. November Coming Fire are probably the most well known, they are taking time out to write their new album for early 2005. Innocent Blood (www.innocentblood.i8.com) are on the tough guy Madball kind of tip, they are trying to get out as much as they can so any promoters hook them up, they are real good. On Thin Ice (www.onthinice.i8.com) are stepping it up again after a couple of member changes, they are doing a MCD/7 on burial/dead & gone for December, this should be fantastic. Also Hatemail are a new band that are just coming out of the practise room, featuring sketchy Adam Chandler on vocals (he did the artwork for the break in 7, harder they fall zine, on thin ices new demo, mental ct flyer and is one of the best HC artists around) They rock like horror show meets down to nothing.

As far as promoters go, its pretty much 4 or 5 of us that pull together, certain people sort the venues, others the PA, the equipment is usually supplied courtesy of the break in and NCF, and with us having a van it is easier to get the shit to the show. also stealing old carpet from the back of carpet stores is essential for stopping people slipping on a sweaty floor.

The Break In seem to be the scene spokesmen for UK edge at the moment, youve always stated that your goals with the band are to not be some UK band that just puts out a 7inch and fades away I guess that definitely holds true with you guys inking a two album deal with GSR (Germany)?
Absolutely, I feel that we have already proved that we arent going to quit yet, now that we have 2 releases out we dont ever want to stop. Id like to think we are the scene spokesmen for straight edge in the UK, it is definitely looking that way at least! Once we do the record for GSR we would have done more than any hardcore band in the UK other than Knuckledust have done for a while, not trying to be big headed, its just awesome and hopefully more bands can get the chance to do the same, I know there are totally the bands here to be able to do it. European bands come over here all the time, and not being harsh, but some arent nearly as good as bands that dont even get the chance to play everywhere in the UK let alone venture over to the mainland!

So how did you hook up with the label and when do you plan to record the album? What do I have to do to get in on backups haha!
We kind of hooked up with GSR through the guys in Born From Pain. They saw us at a couple of shows over here and in Belgium late last year, then once we recorded the MCD for dead & gone they wanted a track for the GSR comp with bands like Internal Affairs and The Promise. Also a few kind words and winks from the guys in Knuckledust were more than helpful I must admit.
We are going to record in February, probably where Rise & Fall recorded their album. Word on the street is we are booking up 4 weeks straight and us and Knuckledust are taking 2 weeks each. Its in Belgium so itll be a little strange going out for food every night surrounded by a bunch of locals, but thats whats cool about going away, itll be like a holiday away but just that little bit cooler. If you can get over to the recording then feel free to come along dude, we want the back ups sounding tougher that they did on this ends with us.
You must be stoked on the upcoming tour through Europe? Is there any particular show or place your most looking forward to playing? Have you all travelled much in Europe?
Dude, I was just discussing this yesterday, how often does a UK hardcore band get the chance to tour for 9 days in Europe with well good bands (rise & fall, no turning back, internal affairs)? Seriously, we are not taking this for granted, touring the UK in a van is good enough, but Europe has different scenery, good food, and doesnt have the fucking M1, we cant lose.
As a band we have only ever played in Belgium, 3 shows on two separate occasions. As individuals most of us have only ever been to Europe on like day trips to Calais with our school and shit! We are looking forward to every show on the tour, Ive never been to Paris, or anywhere in Germany, Holland sounds cool. Im going to read up about what cool shit there is to look out for around all these places, either that or just be impressed that Im driving a van on the wrong side of the road up a fucking autobahn! He he.
How important to you is straight edge and living drug free? Why did you not only make that choice but also decide to be outspoken about it with the band?
Straight Edge is one of the most important things in all our lives, Ive witnessed many a close friend fuck their life up with drink and drugs and no way do I want to go down that path. With my close friends (with whom many of them arent sXe) straight edge isnt an issue as much anymore, Ive made my choices and this is who I am. Being able to play a show in some backwater town and seeing kids there who are like we used to be, thinking about their future and how much they can get fucked up with societys legal drugs, as well as Mr. drug dealers substances, and having the chance to speak out about straight edge is reason enough to carry on playing shows if anything else.
We formed the band purely as we knew enough people that were good enough with their instruments and were sXe, plus we get to write songs about straight edge which you cant really do in a non-edge band (some people do, but we wont talk about that here)

How important to you is Xin up for a show? Why should kids continue to do this?
To quote Down to Nothing its not cool anymore to show your pride, its cool to sell out what you have inside. It just seems that kids are either too scared to X up at a show or dont want to because kids would think they are forcing it in their faces. Fuck that, fair enough sometimes you dont have a pen handy or you are in too much of a rush to do things at a show, but not ever wanting to X up is kind of lame you know? For us it is pretty much a given that all of us are going to X up. I have forgotten to at about 5 shows, and considering we play around an average of 5 shows a month thats pretty good going. None of us say oh m not doing it tonight, well get a bad reaction because if they did one of us would retort with shut the fuck up you pussy. Im not even joking!

Your also a sponsored Bring Back Prohibition band run by the guys from Seventh Dagger (www.seventhdagger.com) an American straight edge clothing companywho approached who about that?
For those kids out there who are not aware Bring Back Prohibition is
"BRING BACK PROHIBITION is an organization of hardworking straightedge individuals that do not feel that simply saying they are drug and alcohol free is enough. As a group we fight to raise awareness of the senseless loss of life related to drug and alcohol consumption. To spread our word we use this webpage and a downloadable literature section to help get people in other cities/countries involved. We also print and sell stickers, pins and shirts to raise money for MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). We donate 100% of the profit from these sales and we post the receipts from these donations on our site for everyone to see where their money is going. The xBBPx also sponsors dedicated straightedge bands to help spread the word, each band has a page in the bands section for you to check out with interviews as to why they are involved in straightedge and the xBBPx. We have just started so check back often and please GET INVOLVED! ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS" taken from the website!
Basically, I had checked out the site before, some of their designs are top fucking notch, I emailed Danny sober about getting some merch and mentioned our band, one thing led to another and we were one of their bands on the sponsored list. Its pretty cool, only snag is he hasnt sent us any shirts like he said yet. When he does well be rocking them at shows all the time. Straight Edge pride!

I love the fact that there are other people other than myself enthusiastic about something as positive as straight edge as to make the effort to try and promote it. I feel like we should all be more outspoken and hand out flyers at shows? Do you hand out any literature or would you if someone organised that sort of thing?
We dont as yet, but its something Id like to do. I think there is an underlying thought in most UK edge kids minds that non edge kids would think flyers about sxe would make them hate sxe even more than they think they do. I say fuck that shit, there are always tables about animal rights at shows, why not have stuff about something just as positive as straight edge? Maybe it would dispel the myth that edge kids like to beat up people who drink at shows or something, I certainly would like to think so.

Do you think straight edge has a bad name then? I mean if theres a fight at a show even if the show is awesome kids always remember the fight! In the same way if theres some over zealous edge kid forcing opinion into peoples faces in a less than casual way then thats not fun either and people remember that...
Straight edge on the whole doesnt have a bad name in my opinion. I think its more certain individual towns and cities scenes that do. CT in my opinion has a good name; at least I hope it does. If it didnt I would still think it was cool because all these kids who dont know much about sxe would think that we were like some bunch of dudes in hoodies and wear masks and fight drunks (I wish).

Im not going to not be your friend just cause your not edge sort of thing I love every aspect of hardcore. The way I always strive with my site is to have straight edge at the forefront (and I hand out flyers at shows) you know to expand the content I interview bands and take photos at shows, I want people to learn about straight edge, not go away scratching there heads and definitely not hating us or misunderstanding usI think we all need to be careful how we come across but at the same time not be afraid to hold back from how we feel about the movement hehe...
Where do you draw the line when you are in a sxe hardcore band though? In London recently I dedicated the last song to the straight edge kids, but straight after I had to say something like I dont want just edge kids dancing to this song, everyone is welcome. I didnt want to alienate non edge kids, because we are a hardcore band as well as an edge band, but to me at the time I felt like I was toning it down to appeal to everyone. I dont want to have to hold back how I feel about straight edge when we play shows, but sometimes you have to read the audience and know whether a speech about how awesome straight edge is, is necessary or not. I certainly would love to be able to do that at every show though.

Diversity is also a good thing to have, not all my friends are edge and I wouldnt have it any other way. Id rather kids be sxe and mean it and actually follow through with what they believe than go straight edge 5 minutes after hearing their first American nightmare record and break edge within a year. That sucks, it makes it seem like such a joke.

I think this violent subculture that straight edge seems to have become connected with is absurd its supposed to also promote anti-violence why do you think kids misinterpret it in this way?
I havent a clue dude. I remember a show we did in CT a while ago, I think it was Give up the Ghost, some kid was smoking in the scout hut, and you cant smoke in there, not because its a bunch of edge kids who are putting on the show, because its a fucking scouts hut! So we asked the dude to put it out, explained the situation, and he went nuts, trying to tell us that we were out of order and he should be able to smoke if he wants. Anyways, he was thrown out. The next week there was rumours going round the local college that some kid was beaten up at the show for smoking and someone, I think in the rumour it was Nate on thin ice, carved an X into this kids back. Thats the kind of bullshit that gets spread. So I think the misinterpretation is mostly either fear of something they dont actually know 100% about or schoolyard whispers.

It also didnt help with those minor incidents in Salt Lake City (kid getting murdered / Xs carved in kids backs) gave us all a bad name as too to those who join gangs but thats different anyway and in the end America is a violent place & gangs are rife in inner city areas whether you are Christian/Muslim whatever. Its a shame that there a so many positive kids trying to change and make a difference in there own lives and then the few give edge this imageand its that image that sticks in kids minds or in the media...
Its a shame stuff like that happens dude, But from what I hear on the grape vine, most of those dudes that got put in prison have broken edge so they were just showing off to get props from their gang mates. wankers.

If the BBC or something approached you about making a docu about straight edge would you be for it? Since they seem to be the only media outlet that has shown straight edge and hardcore in its true light with out the bullshit and clique comments, bearing in mind they made the true till death 30 min radio documentary that gained cult underground status...
The true till death documentary was awesome, I missed it on the radio but was surprised to find it as a hidden track on Bleed Into Ones MCD! I think that docu is the only one Ive come across so far that shows straight edge as a positive thing and not as a cliquey weird subculture and laughed at. Ive seen about 3 programmes on UK TV in the last 4 years and every one has been absolute turd. I know a few kids that helped out and recorded material for shows, and whenever it gets aired the context is completely changed and makes them seem like a total nerd, just like I used to get at school when Id go out to parties and not be drunk.

But what are we going to do when most of the media dont even understand sxe? Hell, my own Mum knows the ins and outs of the sxe lifestyle, but Johnny newsreader on the BBC doesnt, its weird, and I dont know if taking part in a documentary to raise peoples awareness would be a good idea or not. It could go either way, but Im thinking the way it will most likely go is towards the bad side. Another channel 4 Sunday morning shite teenage programme filler section. Im not into that.

Its something that I definitely want to see happen, something a new project for me to work on whether I take a camera and learn video editing myself and do it all and put it out...I want a true representation of my family we should all club together and organise something!...
A proper documentary made by the kids would be awesome. You could include interviews with sxe scene dudes, sxe bands, new kids and a bunch of cool show footage. It would be refreshing to have an insiders point of view rather than some producer that was given an assignment by the boss. Id be into that idea for sure, get on it dude. Maybe one of the new UK labels would release it kind of like how victory did the Strife one truth live did, or bridge 9 with the last ten yard fight video.

I actually got an a phone call from someone based at the BBC to do with new programmes basically theyd seen my site and had an idea for a T.V. show (a really dumb idea for a T.V. show like wife swap but with teenagers or live strange lifestyles or abnormal lives) surffice to say I told them it would take off, that it was lame but the point here is that some BBC researcher found out my site and somehow got my phone number (cause its not posted on the website)...
Lets just hope that if they succeed in finding a sxe dude to do the show he isnt a complete tool that makes it seem like a teenage fad like the undercut or spliffy jeans.

Also why is it kids always seem to think being straight edge means no sex, all were saying is no promiscuous sex i.e. multiple partners, one night stands the reasons behind so many diseases these days. Its not positive to fuck around would you agree with that statement?
But Ill tell you what is posi having a beautiful relationship with a girl or boy that you are genuinely in love with...
That is a weird one, what is weirder though is the amount of edge kids I know that seem to think that if you sleep around its cool because you still dont drink or do drugs. To me that is breaking edge. That actually really annoys me.

Some people see the dont fuck part as dont fuck yourself up though, so I guess its in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I dont agree.

Its definitely not positive to sleep around, it will be only a matter of time before one of my friend gets A.I.D.S. and I know some people joke about it but it can still happen, and when it does it will be their fault for sleeping around.

Anyway I just want to say thanks not just for the interview but for promoting our straight edge family in a positive light and for what you guys are contributing towards UK hardcore, have a great week
Edge Lifestyle Phil
P.S. Im gonna hold you to that backup thing man if I can get the time off work Im so there! xXx