Welcome to our first ever ‘North of the Border’, where we take a regular look at what’s happening up in the Scottish punk scene. Each month, our new reporter Samarth Kanal will be introducing new artists, trends and venues housed in Scotland. This month, and for our first installment, Samarth chats with The Murderburgers.
The words “Scottish Pop-Punk” don’t ring many bells and it’s about time things change. The ingredients – bad weather, a shortage of hope, and a distinctive sense of humour – are ever-present, and north of the border there’s never been a lack of talent.
Take The Murderbugers as an example. This is a three-piece comprising of one-part Ramones, one part Teenage Bottlerocket and perhaps a fraction of The Proclaimers.
Lead singer and guitarist, Fraser, describes his roots in a typically honest manner: “I saw The Queers playing in the summer of 2006 and it was the most fun show I had ever been to. It was so fun that I got kicked out and missed the last couple of songs. I loved the no bullshit approach as well, just song after song after song[…]I’ve always been more into the poppy side of things.”
Fraser Murderburger has a somewhat impish charm and the aforementioned sense of humour which makes for punchy, accessible pop-punk.
It figures that stripped-down US pop-punk bands such as The Queers and The Copyrights greatly influence The Murderburgers. Fraser continues on how he was inspired to form his band, saying, “That’s when I started writing shitty pop punk songs and finally got my shit together in February 2007. I asked my brother to play guitar, my friend Sean to drum and my friend Brian to play bass. That line-up quickly changed, as it always bloody does.”
Even with an inconsistent line-up and numerous other difficulties (including a near-death experience touring with Dear Landlord in America), The Murderburgers have four full-length releases under their belts, most recently ‘How To Ruin Your Life’ (2012). This gives an honest and tongue-in-cheek take on unemployment, relationships, and general hopelessness. Although, it took a while for the seriousness of some of the tracks to sink in, particularly ‘My Head is Fucked Again’. It just goes to show how these songs aren’t contrived and puerile; this is an album which is simultaneously relatable and amusing.
“Nowadays I guess our songs are a bit different from most pop-punk bands lyrically.”, says Fraser. “We used to just have stupid songs about girls and standard “fuck you” tracks, but I got bored of writing that stuff and I admire anyone that can keep it that simple and keep it interesting, but I can’t do it. I find it much easier to write about stuff that I’ve actually had to deal with. Anxiety, depression, that sort of thing.”
Regardless of their pessimistic stance on life, the future is looking a whole lot better. A new album, ‘These Are Only Problems’ is scheduled for release on October 8 via Asian Man Records and Monster Zero. This coincides with the first date of their US tour leading up to playing Fest 13 in Gainesville, Florida, at the start of November.
“We probably have more lyrics than the average pop punk band too. Over 3000 on the new album. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.” This is a sign that their upcoming release will be a slightly more mature outing. Although, after listening to the new single ‘Another Way Out of Here’, fans of fast-paced, witty punk songs should be very excited.
“The future is looking pretty damn busy and we will probably smell way worse than we already do. The Midwest [USA] dates are with Strong City, and the rest will be with Lipstick Homicide and Boys. The day we get back to the UK we start a 3 week UK/Europe tour which will finish at Book Yer Ane Fest in Dundee at the start of December. Basically, we don’t plan on being in Scotland very much next year.”
Personally, it’s reassuring that The Murderburgers are showing growth both in following and in their new tracks. After repeated listens of ‘How To Ruin Your Life’ and the preceding album, ‘Burned Out, Worn Out’ (2010) it’s also clear that they deserve greater audiences and exposure.
Fraser sums it up best: “We never thought we would get the chance to do anywhere near the amount of shit we are doing, so we want to push it while we have the chance. I want to see where we end up. Probably the job centre or an early grave, but we’ll see.”
SAMARTH KANAL