COUNTDOWN TO MPF: CALL ME MALCOLM INTERVIEW

Manchester Punk Fest 2023 wouldn’t be the same without Call Me Malcolm. The cream of the current UK ska-punk crop, Call Me Malcolm has been a stronghold of upstrokes, glowing brass and three-part harmonies for several years. The five-piece from Kent exploded in 2018 with their album ‘I Was Broken When You Got Here’, which prompted Less Than Jake’s Vinnie Fiorello to dub them the ‘saving grace of the genre’.

Going from strength to strength, they released ‘Me, Myself & Something Else’ in 2020. Through the prism of upbeat tunes that you’ll be desperate to dance to, lyrically, Call Me Malcolm explores the darker sides of mental health – bringing third-wave ska right into the introspective malaise of the modern age.

MPF sat down with guitarist and vocalist Lucias Malcolm to ask 12 very important questions.

How would you introduce yourselves to a punk fan who’s not heard of you yet?

I’m trying to get the term “post-ska-core” to stick, but it raises more questions than it answers, sadly. Basically, heavy but melodic, emotional ska-punk.

Which of your songs/releases are you most proud of, and why?

Our album ‘I Was Broken When You Got Here’, because it marked the turning point for when we started taking the band, and I began taking my mental health seriously.

Tell us a secret about your band.

Trev, our bass player, cannot blow a medium-sized raspberry. He can do small and big, but medium is an impossibility. This is utterly true.

What was the first gig you ever went to?

Bon Jovi, Milton Keynes Bowl in 1996. They played so many encores I assume the show is still going now.

What have you got in your pockets right now?

A phone, an old ear piercing, three guitar picks and some cubes of cheese I use as dog treats that I typically forget to take out after a walk.

If you were a biscuit, what would you be and why?

I fear these types of questions more than any others in interviews. Let’s see… ooh, I have no hair. So, a garibaldi?

Who’s your favourite Dave?

Dave Harbour from Stranger Things. He goes by David typically but he doesn’t mind me shortening it when I can’t think of anyone with the actual name Dave.

Red or blue?

Liverpool.

Oasis or Blur?

Wasn’t music the real winner?

Too much ska or too little ska?

Never enough where we’re concerned.

Help us settle the age-old bread debate. Roll / cob / bap / barm / batch / muffin / other (specify)?

I was raised by barmers in roll country. I dearly wish I could pull muffin off, though.

Finally, which bands are you most excited to see at MPF 2023?

deep breath Catbite, Big D, Direct Hit, Youth Avoiders, Green Eyed Monster, Death By Stereo, The Human Project, Faintest Idea and Millie Manders.

Pick up your MPF ticket here.