Bringing The Party Down Under With RYAN And PEEJ From PUNK ROCK FACTORY

Interview by Kris Peters
Music means many things to many different people, but regardless of
whether you listen to country or heavy metal, one common
denominator remains. Music is supposed to be fun.
Which is exactly the way South Wales entertainment machine Punk
Rock Factory approach each and every waking moment. Essentially a
covers band who spice up everyone from Meatloaf to Michael Jackson
to Abba to Disney classics with their own punk-fuelled tinge, Punk
Rock Factory are a band who seem to bring themselves just as much
joy as they do their fans.
Formed in 2014, Punk Rock Factory spent their early years refining
their craft, toiling away without major success. But all of that
changed at a time - ironically - when most of the world suffered
during COVID. With more time on their hands due to the necessity of
lockdown, the band invested their efforts into their social media
and online presence, with immediate success.
They emerged from lockdown with enough momentum to carry their
music throughout the music universe, culminating in invitations to
play iconic festivals such as Bloodstock, Download and Slam Dunk to
rapturous applause. These days, they are selling out venues
worldwide, and the party is headed back to Australia this
November.
HEAVY sat down with Peej (vocals, guitar) and Ryan (guitar) to join
in the festivities. Being new to the band ourselves, we ask what to
expect from a Punk Rock Factory live show.
"Fun." Ryan replied without hesitation. "It's always a laugh,
man."
"Our shows are…" Peej jumped in. "I mean, the main word I would
call them is ridiculous to be honest (laughs). It's full of guilty
pleasure tracks and just good sing-along stuff, and we play a lot
of like cartoons and TV stuff and Disney stuff, but we're not… I
wouldn't say we're a child-oriented band. We're not the Wiggles. I
do swear a lot when it's an all-ages show - I really do try not to
- but fuck it, it's their own fault if they brought the kids
(laughs). It's chaos, it's fun. We love being there and appreciate
being there just as much as the fans do. The fact that people turn
up night after night to come and watch us piss about on stage for
an hour and a half is fucking great, and I think that comes across.
We have such a laugh and the banter with the crowd… it's almost as
if you're in a room with a load of your mates and everyone's
involved and everyone's having a laugh and chipping in. That's the
vibe of our show."
In the full interview, Ryan and Peej described their live shows as
chaotic and interactive, emphasizing the importance of audience
engagement to enhance the experience. They clarified that their
performances, while featuring some cartoon and Disney songs, are
not aimed at children.
The band shared insights into their creative process for punk rock
covers, utilizing software like Moises to isolate song elements,
and acknowledged the challenges of adapting complex genres. They
reflected on their evolution since 2014, noting how they leveraged
TikTok during the pandemic to expand their audience. We spoke about
choosing songs to cover and what happens if they are too difficult,
the process of breaking down and then reconstructing a song, what
they get out of being in Punk Rock Factory and more.


Become a supporter of this podcast:
https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.