An Interview with

Dale Hodgkinson & Darrell Bath,

the 2 guitarists of the up and coming London based Rootsy Rockers

'The Peckham Cowboys'

that took place at The Dove and Rainbow, Sheffield on December 8th, 2012.

Interviewed by Glenn Milligan.

Dale: What do you wanna know Glenn?

Glenn: The name, The Peckham Cowboys, are you all from Peckham?

Dale: No but I did live in a big house with Guy Bailey. Me and Marc Eden, Guy and this geezer called Guyler. We lived in a house - it was a bit like The Beatles. What was the film?

Darrell: A Hard Days Night.

Dale: Yeah. It was a bit like that yeah just livin' in the same f*ck*n' house for f*ck*n' ages. Oh it was a terrible experience but there you go. That's what we did. That's how this whole thing got cooked up originally. Being at Guy's place, you know and now he's decided he doesn't wanna do it so we got the f*ck*n' magic Dazzler.

Darrell: Hello, hello Sir.

Glenn: What's your name Sir?

Darrell: My name's Darrell Bath and I am from London. I am from South London as it happens.

Dale: I'm a fake - he's the real deal.

Glenn: You just put the accent on hahahaha.

Darrell: It don't matter. It's not about that. Ain't that right bro?

Glenn: It's what's in the heart that counts?

Darrell: Yeah.

Dale: The album and the whole thing was cooked up in Peckham. It was written, recorded and cooked up in Peckham. That's why the name came about. But I don't plan to be a Londoner because I'm not. But we've got Nigel Mogg and Darrell Bath who are Londoners in the f*ck*ng frame.

Darrell: In the frame.

Dale: We are gonna have to work hard to get outta this one aren't we?

Glenn: Here's a question for ya.

Dale: Go on then.

Glenn: Who is the biggest Cowboy in the band then?

Darrell: Eden

Dale: Eden. F*ck*n' Eden. Marc Eden yeah. But he is a dynamite frontman. He worked for a little bit with Slash and Duff McKagan in the first incarnation of Velvet Revolver. He's learnt his chops. He gets in the band and then Darrell joins the band and then suddenly you're f*ck*n' humble again. The whole thing has been like doing everything on like a f*ck*ng shoestring. This tour that we've been doing. We've been freezing to death.

Glenn: So how's your life been?

Darrell: In and out the old squats, freezing floors and cold water flats, you know?

Dale: 'Shake, Shudder, Shiver'. You know the Faces. It's along those lines mate, it's along those lines. We plug up you know and we start playing. Me and him, we got a really good rapport. Personally for me, it's been absolutely brilliant. I mean, we can take this thing on the road and people seem to like it.

Glenn: So is your favourite Faces album the 'First Step' album?

Dale: Ooh La La - it's Ooh La La. It's got to be innit.

Darrell: 'Nobody Knows' is one of my favourite songs.

Glenn: 'Pineapple and the Monkey'.

Dale: Well you know what it's interesting you should mention that because that's kind of like a Meters type instrumental andwe did a Meters track last night. We did 'Sissy Strut' last night.

Glenn: So what would you say your favourite songs are on the album 'Flog It!' and why?

Dale: Well 'Crackhouse Blues' because it's a shocking, disgusting piece of nonsense and everybody loves it and it's great and it's something you can bowl around which is what we've done live. We bowled around it all live and Darrell's brought this brilliant thing you know, like he's done with every other song we've got in. The whole reinterpreting things - it's f*ck*ng great. I miss Guy and everything but, you know, he made his choice and that, you know, but we've got this real f*ck*ng groove going on it. So what I do with Nigel and Ryan is noise underneath it all and the Dazzler and f*ck*n' Marc and Duncan as well with his trumpet sit on top and make this f*ck*ng beautiful weird, weird f*ck*n' sh*t.

Glenn: You don't expect it.

Dale: Yeah which is great. It's ok - your a trash blues rock n roll band. Yes but, here you go, have a listen to this. Have a bowl of this, you know? And that's what goes off with Darrell and Duncan and Marc with me making the noise. With me being...

Darrell: You know when the MC5 were into their jazz exploration stuff? It's along those lines.

Dale: Yeah. Simple as that really.

Glenn: What would you say your major influences are and why?

Darrell: My influences never stop brother. At the moment they are Jet Baker, Paul Kossoff obviously, my one and only major influence, Ronnie Wood & Rod Stewart of course and Tim Hardin. You know, great songwriters. It don't matter what it is, it's just influence innit? You know, that's a major thing about Rock 'N' Roll.

Dale: Jerry Lee Lewis - big influence.

Darrell: Whatever touches your heart, you know? Whatever gets you through the night.

Dale: I think you know it's like everything that you've ever heard that goes in that you didn't sort of despise is going to be an influence on you. What I'd say about this band is it's probably more one of (more about) spirits than it is of direct musical influence. That's why we do our one and only cover - The Stooges thing (I Wanna Be Your Dog). Not particularly because we think that's a brilliant song even though it is, it's like cause that's the sort of spirit that we're about and it's not about them three chords. It's the spirit of it all. And the most exciting thing, moving on from this, the most exciting thing is not f*ck*ng 'Flog It', it's anticipation of writing the next f*ck*ng album with Darrell. It's brilliant. We got something really f*ck*ng brilliant here and hopefully we are gonna record in France.

Glenn: Why France?

Dale: Just cos we know a bird that's got a studio there.

(We laugh)

Glenn: I thought it was like because of a Stones 'Exile On Main Street' thing going down or something?

Dale: Well yeah, yeah, yeah. I wouldn't rule that out. What about going to Marbaia - Auf Wiedersien Pet! You know?

Glenn: Yeah.

Dale: And also Darrell's flat mate Noel's got this place. We shan't name it in case we pour water on top. But he's got this place as well so we're gonna record in a few different places and that to me is a real exciting thing and it is for Eden as well. That's brilliant you know? The era of 'Flog It!' is over. It's a brilliant album, it's a f*ck*n' brilliant album and I'm glad I made it - we're onto this thing now.

Glenn: It's time to move on and time for the new one?

Dale: Absolutely man and it'll be totally different as well. It'll have the same spirit but it's gonna be a f*ck*n'... isn't it man (to Darrell).

Darrell: It's gonna be beautiful.

Dale: It's gonna be beautiful.

Glenn: Yeah?

Dale: Yeah.

Glenn: What did you think to the gig tonight (at The Dove and Rainbow, Sheffield) - how was it?

Darrell: Good.

Dale: Yeah, liked it - yeah, yeah.

Darrell: No shame in that.

Dale: The whole tour that we've done so far has been like that that. Everybody that's bothered to show up - God bless 'em, you know has been.. they've loved it you know and we've loved it so that's great so we'll keep doing it until we drop dead.

Glenn: Why not? I mean what else is there?

Darrell: There ya go. It's the best way of looking at it - Rock 'N' Roll.

Dale: There ya go then.

Glenn: How would you describe the style and the sound of 'The Peckham Cowboys'?

Dale: Well it's like I was saying earlier. There's not a direct influence. Obviously personally we all have different influences of course you know? But as a band it doesn't happen like that. It's like a something more of a spirit. If you want to sound like somebody else then you're w*nk*r or in a tribute band. But god bless 'em - but for us that's not it. So there you go yeah. So that's what I would say. So Darrell, what do you reckon man?

Darrell: It's alright mate. Whatever you're saying is beautiful. It's a beautiful thing.

Dale: Really?

Glenn: So what songs have you got written for the new album? What are you most excited about?

Dale: I'm most excited about working with this man. To me man, that's f*ck*n' really, really f*ck*n' thrillin'. He's done everything and I'm some f*ck*n' tw*t outta knowhere. I'm working with Darrell bath you know?

Glenn: Yeah.

Dale: So what can I say? There you go. That's alright. That's all I can say about that. It's brilliant. You know, he's got loads of ideas, I've got some ideas, he's got ideas and here we go, here we go yeah. And we are gonna take it somewhere... we are gonna take it somewhere different from what 'Flog It!' is. 'Flog It!' is a f*ck*n' brilliant album. It's a punk rock 'n' roll album and the second one will still be a punk rock 'n' roll album but it's gonna be a load more... it's gonna be loads more.. it's gonna have loads more New Orleans basically.

Glenn: Nice. Like a Dr. John'y going down?

Dale: Yeah we're gonna have all of that. I think... I think it might end up totally different but that's what I think, you know? It's what we've all got off on. We've all got off on when we've been rehearsing and jamming you know? We've got off on that particular vibe. It hasn't been sorta fast numbers.

Glenn: It's gonna be real deep, Mississippi Delta..

Dale: Exactly, exactly.

Glenn: A gutsy kinda Voodoo stamp to it kinda thing.

Dale: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Glenn: Awesome.

Dale: Well yeah, you know. All f*ckin' minksville eh?

Darrell: A bit of mink.

Glenn: How did it come about getting Nigel (Mogg - Founder member of The Quireboys) in the band?

Dale: We phoned him up. he's a legend isn't he?

Glenn: Yep.

Dale: I phoned him up and said, "Do you wanna do it?" and he said "Yes". (We laugh) Daz is doing it. Bailey's not doing it, you know?

Darrell: The boys are back in town. Let's rock 'n' roll.

Glenn: Dare I ask now why Guy's bailed?

Dale: He just didn't wanna do it anymore. That's all I can say. I'm sorry.

Glenn: Well you've got this guy (as in Darrell).

Dale: Well yeah. I'm not upset. (They laugh). Let's put it that way.

Glenn: So what gigs stand out so far that you've played in your career?

Dale: Gigs? F*ck*n' 'ell - ask the man?

Darrell: In my career, man well that's it, that's a great one. I had a couple of classics. You know each band has it's own brilliant gig but I suppose the mega-one, the big one was one where I was playing with Ian Hunter at the Mott The Hoople 1st Annual Convention at The Robin in Bilston and the great f*ck*n' Ariel Bender appeared. Verden Allen was there from Mott The Hoople. So it was a mini Mott reunion longer before the f*ck*n' one at Hammersmith Odeon and it was much more in the spirit of Mott there.

F*ck*n' Luther got up there and it was f*ck*n' outta control it was. Totally outta control. You know? Luther you can use my f*ck*n' guitar! Luther you can use my Firebird. "I don't wanna f*ck*n' Firebird, where's my f*ck*n' Stratocaster, 'ere you are, a f*ck*n' Stratocastere 'ere. So yeah, that's what happened and he came on and he used Ian's Stratocaster which was in open tuning which he didn't know.

You know? It's things like that. Beautiful gig, beautiful gig. There's millions of 'em. We've sent many 'ome. I've been on the road like 30 years bro. I'm 45 years old. I've been gigging since the youth club days You get me?

Glenn: Yeah, yeah, totally.

Darrell: Like Luther, like this man (Dale). We've been in the youth clubs and out them and onwards. From the youth clubs to rugby clubs to football clubs to social clubs to the rock 'n' roll clubs - you know what I mean? That's life. That's life, that's life.

Glenn: What about you Dale?

Dale: My favourite gig? It's probably tonight with Darrell Bath.

Darrell: There you go. It's beautiful.

Dale: Now it is, it is. You know I've made a f*ck*n' friend 'ere and it's like f*ck*n' 'ell, how much better does it get for me? It doesn't get more better. It doesn't get none more better (in Pirates Voice). Hahaha.

Glenn: So what would you like to say to the fans, the new fans, people who've not heard you yet?

Darrell: You're welcome.

Dale: Come on down..

Darrell: Yeah.

Dale: ...it's gonna be a great gig.

Darrell: It's an inclusive party.

Dale: Yeah. No one's got it yet. No one's got any attitude. It's like f*ck*n' come on down. There's no rock 'n' roll stars here cause that's all b*ll*cks. F*ck*n' just come on down, f*ck*n be part of it, you know?

Glenn: Yeah.

Dale: And everybody's sharing it round. That's what we do.

Glenn: Are you touring next March?

Dale: Yes we are yeah, yeah. Next March yeah with a few European dates as well yeah. So yeah. Get on down.

Glenn: Maybe you could do some shows in America, that'd be cool?

Dale: Well you know but that's all a bit difficult innit you know?

Glenn: Oh I know it is.

Dale: It's so far away man. You are stuck there man. It's not like England. You can just f*ck*ng get a cab 'ome.

Glenn: Anyway we've covered some good stuff. That's cool.

Dale: Nice one Glenn.

Glenn: No problem.

Darrell: It's been beautiful man.

Big thanks go to Dale and Darrell for this laid back banter over a beer or two. Special thanks go to Nigel James for the Interview Pictures. The Peckham Cowboys as a whole for giving us such an amazing show here in Sheffield and being a cool set of guys after when a pint or three was enjoyed. Also the people who made it possible at this venue - Band Booker Alice Welburn and of course Dawn and Keith who co-run the Dove & Rainbow with their excellent set of Staff.