A BRIEF HISTORY 

We're an anarchist punk band from London, England who have been around since 1996. The original line up was Noodles Romanov (guitar/vocals), Ben Blasphemy (bass) and D.Rummer, ex of early 80's band The X-cretas, on drums. This line up did one 8 track demo, some of which has seen the light of day on the BBP tape "Punk Is Not Enough" (see "Merchandise" page). Ben then left and was replaced by Paul Pot. This line up did one 5 track demo and recorded the album "The Meek Will Inherit Nothing" before Paul also left to be replaced by Riff Raff. We then did 2 more demos, one of which was coupled with our previous one to make the "Spittin' In Your Wishing Well" tape. Not long after recording the "Money & Riots" ep D.Rummer left (later to join Active Slaughter) and Snug Blanket stepped in. In March 2002 we recorded our most recent stuff, some of which appears on various compilations.

Musically there have been a number of comparisons made, though we wouldn't necessarily agree with any of them. You listen. You decide. Below are some interviews we've done which should give you a pretty clear picture of what we're about...

 INTERVIEWS 

How and Why was Bug Central born?
Snug: Bug Central is the bastard son of many bands who shall remain nameless

I believe that not so many people here know about the UK scene. We would like to know about it very much
Noodles: The UK scene is very fragmented, in particular the London scene sucks, but most of the other places we've played seem to have more of a community thing going on.
Riff: There is a big punk following in London still, but its very divided, i.e. ska-punk, anarcho, hardcore etc. and they've all got a separate audience.
Snug: It's not as political as in the 1980's

Bug Centrals lyrics mostly talk about conformity and alienation. Want to share English Social life with us?
Riff: Its pretty much the same as every where else, class divisions etc. The country is run by the wealthy and they protect their own interests and lifestyle and ignore everyone else
Noodles: The lyrics for these songs are universal. I believe that wherever you go on this planet, you will find conformity and alienation and you will also find that people are shit.

What do you guys do in order to survive? And you activities besides the band?
Noodles: Besides the band, I buy and sell records in a second hand record shop. In my spare time I am an outdoor cider enthusiast!
Snug: I grow my own veg and try not to live off the system
Riff: I work in a centre that gives advice to people with drug and alcohol problems

The meek will inherit nothing - what are we supposed to do?
Snug: Unite together and live for today
Noodles: No one is going to give you what you want in life, so take it for yourself
Riff: Value what you have in life and don't expect better things

From what I understand, "Sick (again)" tells about how you were fucked up with your life. It seems you have hard times in your life, How do you react to it?
Noodles: Yes, fuck it all

Most of the lyrics nowadays just talk about the problems. Why is it hard to find the lyrics that talk about the ideas of solution?
Snug: Everyone has their own ideas about solutions, that's what anarchy is all about
Noodles: I like to think our songs offer something to think about and different people can change things in different ways, but we can only begin changing things both individually and as a collective. A network of communication with ideas and information is very important.
Riff: Giving people the solutions is like becoming a politician. Our ideas for the solutions are no more important than anyone else's.

007 is a famous and very smart agent from Britain and always succeeds in his mission to terminate terrorists or enemies, especially from 3rd world countries. Until when will we be fed these lies?
Snug: I think James Bond is a typical stereotype of what man thinks man should be.
Riff: I hope most people can separate fiction from reality nowadays.
Noodles: Yes, the hidden agenda behind films like that is shit, but you have to admit that 007 has some great car chases and he always gets the girl!

Punk revolves, but nothing changes - Movement still remains the same. Comments?
Riff: If we can change peoples thinking and get them to ask questions rather than accept everything they are told, its enough for me. I don't think punk will ever bring about a dramatic change or revolution.
Snug: I think you have said exactly what I think. Nothing has really changed in the year 2000. Too many bands are thinking about how much money goes into their pocket at the end of the gig, rather than doing direct action, e.g. - hunt sabbing, demonstrations. A lot of bands (not all) are all mouth and no action. People still have bands on the back of their jackets which are supposed to symbolise animal rights, but their jackets are leather, as are their boots! I can't understand this, as I am a vegan.
Noodles: the constant evolution of the punk scene can only be a good thing (if at actually evolves at all), although there is a strong element that would like to see it remain in the past.

Are you waiting for the "awakening of Robin Hood"? Do we need people like Robin Hood (take from the rich and give to the poor)?
Noodles: I think people should do it for themselves. I certainly would not wait for or trust a fictional character in green tights
Snug: I am not waiting for anyone - you must act for yourself

Maybe you have some tips on how to be the next Robin Hood and how it will affect society / community?
Riff: Be aware that there are people in this world with much more than you and others with much less than you. What you do about this is your own personal decision.
Noodles: See my answer to the last question
Snug: I am no Robin Hood - people must think for themselves

Squatting is an alternative to live "a bit free". Your comments on squatting and is it a help to live free from consumerism?
Noodles: Yes, squatting is an alternative lifestyle, but for some people, its the only way to find somewhere to live that affordable. I've lived in squats in the past and I can tell you its not just having a laugh. There should be no reason to squat in the first place. Surely affordable housing should be available to everyone as a basic human right.

How can we live if we don't work and involve ourselves with the system? Is it wrong if we work with big companies / capitalists. Our skills and knowledge are limited. Lets say we don't have any qualifications / skills, except working at a big company to feed our families to ensure the life goes on. How is it? What's wrong with that career?
Snug: I think we should share our skills with everyone, so we can learn from everyone, so in theory we would not need a body to lead us or our children, to control us. I know this is just a theory, but it has worked in my eyes, in communes etc.
Riff: Most people to not have a choice in where they work. If I had no other means to survive I would work for these companies. Workers are not responsible for evils of big businesses.
Noodles: If we live in a capitalist environment, then we have to use it to survive and use it our advantage. I would rather starve than work for some scum multinational company, but that's easy for me to say, because I'm not stuck in a situation where I have to. At the end of the day, you are working for a boss. Fuck the boss.

Should we live our lives and just think about ourselves as long as we can live in peace and joy? No need to think about the future and others - Apathy?
Noodles: You should live your life however the fuck you want
Snug: Of course I care for myself, but no-one could live and not care for friends. I would do anything for my friends and I know and hope that they would do the same for me. As well as my friends and myself, I care about animals on this earth. Myself, I actually live for today and if tomorrow happens, I'll live for tomorrow.
Riff; I don't understand how people can be happy to shut out and ignore the rest of the world and be happy when there is so much misery everywhere. I couldn't be happy with myself if I felt I was doing or saying nothing about this.

People in England get more freedom I think. But still people are not satisfied and want more. What do they actually want? Don't you think human beings will ever appreciate what they have got?
Snug: I think the average person is stuck in their armchair, coming home from work, watching TV from 5-11, then complaining about how shit the world is. But the people I associate with are fucked off with the situation in Britain where people that live in this country are a racist bunch of hypocrites, where they say "I'm not racist", but they rant about the amount of asylum seekers coming into this country, which I have no problem about, because I think the world should have no borders, whether we are black, pink, red or white - we should be able to go wherever we like and if people are under threat and need to come to this country, so be it.
Riff: The lifestyle we have here is much better than probably 90% of the world and it would be ridiculous for us to compare ourselves to people in third world countries or living under dictatorships. I don't have any complaints about my standard of living but I am angry to see other people with extravagant wealth while there are so many living in poverty.
Noodles: We may have more "freedom" here than where you live, but we are still governed by big business and politicians. Until that changes, nobody is any more free than the next person. We are all as one, it is us and them.

I say freedom should be limited. Rules are still important in some parts of our life. What do you say?
Noodles: As long as we have mutual respect for one another, then freedom should never be limited.
Snug: I think the word "rule" means authority, another word that come to my head is fear and when someone is frightened, they invent rules, which shows a wish to dictate, which is censorship

When will this globe have peace?
Snug: When nature takes its course, e.g. global warming
Riff: I believe that sooner or later man will destroy all life on this planet and maybe the planet itself
Noodles: There will be no world peace in our lifetime

Technology kills? Or are we blinded by science?
Riff: Its frightening that computer technology plays a more important role than people today
Noodles: Technology kills and its main purpose is profit
Snug: It depends on who you learn from, benefit or apocalypse?

What are you planning in these 4 to 5 months. Any plans to tour South East Asia?
Snug: If you can give us any gigs!
Noodles: We would love to tour South East Asia and we will do whatever it takes to make it happen - but of course we're gonna need some help!
Riff: Our immediate plans for the rest of 2001 are to write some new material and hopefully do some recording. We also plan to do some gigs around Britain, in Ireland and in Finland.

 OTHER INTERVIEWS 
(edited and in no particular order...all done before Riff Raff and Snug Blanket joined)

You've been into punk for a long time now - yeah? What changes (good or bad) have you noticed along the way? How does the scene compare today with, say, 15 years ago?

NOODLES...I think 15 years ago (and then some) the anarchist/punk scene was more unified, although the DIY side of things seems to be stronger than ever despite punk becoming commercially viable again. I suppose one of the bad things for me has been all the stupid labels and divisions that have occured along the way, like street punk/oi/hardcore/emo/skatecore/ even Christian straight-edge for fucks sake, and we all know the theory behind divide and rule don't we? Apart from political divisions, surely punk is punk so long as it's genuine.

Do you consider yourselves Anarchists? Some people in the Anarchist movement think it's a good idea to get rid of the label "Anarchist" as it means sod all to working class people...

NOODLES...I personally always wear a black pointy hat and a black cloak with a bomb hidden under it that has the letters B-O-M-B written on it. No, seriously, how can you you get rid of the label? you've got to give it a label for people to identify with and besides, the circled A makes excellent grafitti. Anarchism can never be outdated as long as political/police state systems still exist.

What other bands have you been in?

D.RUMMER...I used to be in a band called the X-cretas who used to play in Gravesend (Kent) a lot a-way way back in the early 80s. Noodles, as I remember, used to throw coins at us. I think it was merely to show his appreciation at how great we were, but he maintains it was because we were the most rancid pile of steaming shit he’d ever heard. Noodles himself used to be in…actually I can’t remember their name but I’m sure I probably used to throw coins at them too. Paul is also in a Street Punk band (or is it Oi?…what the fuck is all this sub-division shit anyway. Talk about walking straight into the enemy’s clutches) called Scurvy. Bug Central itself is basically the final incantation of a whole lot of bands featuring me, Noodles and some other people. The line-up has changed over the years but the agenda has stayed the same cos, let’s face it, things are just as bad now (perhaps worse) as they were back then.

What bands make you (a) angry, (b) laugh, (c) want to cry (d) feel like a loving machine, (e) feel absolutely nothing? Do personal/emo lyrics interest you? What about love songs, or is it angry lyrics you enjoy the most?

NOODLES...(a) Bug Central, (b) The Mob, (c) crying would mean a blatant display of emotions, which is against the rules, (d) The Bee Gees (circa "Night Fever"), (e) Chumbawamba...i don't see what all the fuss is about, they were shit when they were supposed to be good. Personal lyrics are okay if i can identify with them but you've got to tell it like it is, so i suppose it'd have to be angry lyrics that do it for me...but hang on, "Love Song" by the Damned is a classic, and so is the Only Ones "Another Girl, Another Planet"...now i'm getting confused...and then there's the Ramones and everyone loves the Ramones, they're just too scared to admit it.

D.RUMMER...(a) Ramones, (b) Ramones, (c) Ramones, (d) Ramones, (e) None, cos i'm too busy trying to shag to the Ramones, finding i can't get the appropriate wobbly bit working properly, getting angry, blubbing, and then realising that to shag properly you need a second person (at least) anyway and then laughing at my stupidity. I do this on a daily basis and i've managed to capture it all in a deep, meaningful, personal little ditty, but Noodles refuses to sing it on the grounds that...well, on the grounds that i'm quite clearly talking outta my arse.

How comes your album is out on the Helen Of Oi label? How did that come about? I'd at least thought it would've come out on some anarcho label.

NOODLES...Any reference to Oi makes the alarm bells start ringing for obvious political reasons, but we checked them out and no one could come up with any dodgy connections and yeah, that's the last label we expected to end up on. We tried most of the anarcho labels and they either couldn't afford to do it or they basically didn't give a fuck coz they were too far up their own arse...who'd have thought that an anarchist band would have an album released on an "Oi" label? Maybe that's progress.

In the song "Roll The Dice" you seem to have no sympathy for dead soldiers...but don't you think they're just victims of a lifetime's brainwashing like the rest of us...no one is born with the desire to kill...is it really that easy to have no sympathy when young men are slaughtered?

NOODLES...nobody wants to see a senseless waste of life, especially where in some situations people are forced to join the military, but in the so called "democratic" countries nobody is tricked into joining...dying for politcal or financial greed is a waste of human life for anybody from any army from any country and we all know by now that a fraction of the money spent on the weapons industry can feed the starving world.

D.RUMMER...squaddies are icons for beliefs that i simply don't believe in, just as the union jack or nazi salute are, and it's these ideologies that i believe need to be destroyed. Unfortunately it results in the loss of human life but it has to be said that brainwashed or not, the decision to join the army, to join the communist party, to become a punk or whatever, is ultimately a conscious, personal decision that comes from information available and, quite frankly, if you're not capable of separating the wheat from the chaff and decide that you are prepared to fight for the "glory" of england then, well, you must be prepared for whatever is thrown at you...

This interview is pretty heavy going so for god's sake tell us a joke or two to cheer us up

D.RUMMER...I'm sorry but we are a bunch of very serious and hardened anarcho freedom fighters and therefore have no sense of humour. In fact, i was saying the exact same thing to my mother in law just the other day. Now, i wouldn't say my mother in law is fat, but...

On the song "Emperor's New Clothes" you start to sing the lines "punk is dead...long live punk". What are you trying to say, and if there's one simple message Bug Central wants people to bear in mind, what is is?

NOODLES...that song is about all the re-union bollocks and the all dayers and cabaret weekends that sadly plague the punk scene. These bands, especially the old ones, are nothing more than fucking parasites. The line "punk is dead, long live punk" refers to those bands that were great and important to others and me at the time. But that was then and this is now. We're not preachers but if you're looking for a message then stop trying to recreate the past and keep punk real and relevant to today.

What are your lyrics about? Are you a political band?

D.RUMMER...Are we a political band? Does the Pope shit in the woods? Of course we’re a political band…as far as I see it, everything is political so to not be a political band is an impossibility. As for the lyrics, they cover a whole load of stuff. Queen’s English for example is all about the history and legacy of all those things that go into the “great” in Great Britain (although it could be applied to virtually anywhere in the western world). Stuff like slavery, colonialism, murder and destruction…the same kind of perverse Darwinian logic that political parties on all sides still adhere to today (especially on the Right). It’s basically about how the survival of the fittest is a westernised myth used to underpin notions of some form of racial or national supremacy and the genocidal consequences of such thinking. Spoon Fed is about how Punk seems to be able to be picked up or dropped by people on a whim, in much the same way as in the 80’s punks became skins or mods or whatever Sounds had deemed that week’s trend to be (and, rather strangely, beliefs seemed to change with the clothes…I never could understand that one). Without wishing to get too precious about it, I shall now get extremely precious about it and say that punk is for life and not just for the duration of an MTV producer’s wet dream. Anyways, yes, the lyrics cover a shitload of things…anti all religion, anti the obscene punk reunion charades and, of course, the obligatory anti war stuff. Basically we refuse to sit on the fence, as some bands seem to choose to do. Fences are for burning down, not sitting on.

NOODLES...Punk is political by its very nature so yes, as Mr Rummer says, of course we are a political band. There are many (too many) definitions of Anarchist, but that’s where our politics are at. Our lyrics deal with the things that affect us on a day to day basis, and issues that are fucking things up for people on a larger, world-wide scale. Problems that are forced upon us by the ruling classes, multi-nationals, armed forces, organised religion and police forces all over the planet. But the important thing is that we know how to have a fucking laugh as well.

Do you do any covers?

NOODLES...We can still knock out an horrendous version of “Someone’s Gonna Die” if people throw enough money.

How did Bug Central come about? And why?

D.RUMMER...We formed Bug Central strictly for the cash cos, as we all know, there’s a very big market for bands who openly sing out against the exploitation of people in pursuit of capitalist gain and who are too ugly to go on TV. Oh, okay then, I’m lying. We formed Bug Central for all the same reasons we (and thousands of others like us, I’m sure) formed our other bands…it’s a laugh, we’ve got something to say and it beats boredom. Stardom is, and always has been, shite and, once again, something that we are in no way interested in. (My favourite colour is blue and my lucky number is 7 by the way).

Does the name mean anything?

D.RUMMER...It’s a little known fact that the word Bug in many Eastern traditions is symbolic for Danger, Heroism, Truth and Integrity. Similarly, the word Central in some of the lesser known vocabularies of the world, symbolises Trust, Compassion and….and I can’t sustain this shit anymore, Noodles nicked the name from a comic and it don’t mean shit.

What is everyone involved with outside of the band?

NOODLES...I am the founder member of our local church group and a leading contributor to the police retirement fund.

D.RUMMER...I run a small tea and cream cake stall, which comes in very handy at Brother Noodles’ sermons cos, as we all know, you can’t pray properly without a nice cup of tea and a sticky bun.

Any last comments?

NOODLES...These questions have been answered under the influence of K-Cider and are subject to change without prior notice.

These interviews come from various places, listed below. Our thanks to all of them for taking the trouble.

Toxic Stress - Ade, 6 Peartree St, Peartree, Derby, DE23 8PP, UK
Obzine - c/o Ross Ob, 70 Whithouse St, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB10 1QH
Wasted - 51 Manchester Drive, Leigh-On-Sea, Essex, SS9 3HP, UK
Bald Cactus - PO Box HP171, Leeds, LS6 1XX, UK