IE: The new record sums up the mood of a lot of people in the UK at the moment, what inspired the title?

Ray: Watching politicians and people in power on the TV having privileges and using my tax money for their own benefit. They should be locked up but every one of them seems to get away with blatant theft of tax-payers money due to having alibi's. It’s a disgrace. If I was to spend a penny of tax-payers money unlawfully I'd be locked up for 10 years straight away. Same day! Don't even get me started on phone hacking!

Nic: Just watching and reading the news. All this stuff with politicians etc. has been going on since they've been around but I think they've recently been exposed for doing some outrageous things. The banking crisis, phone hacking scandals and the demonization of the public sector are things that are all related as well and I think people are generally unhappy at the moment. The cost of living has gone up dramatically in the last few years and is something I personally struggle with. We're lucky to have an outlet for our anger on these issues though the band.

Pierre: I heard it on a TV show, like Panorama or something, and it instantly stuck in my head as the perfect description of what poor people of this world are being fed. This situation we’re faced with inspired this record as it did the rest but maybe nowadays a lot more people are in a position to relate to our LBU-eyed commentary.

IE: The writing, recording, and release of “Bluffs, Lies, and Alibis” all seemed pretty fast, was this focus a response to the subject matter of the album?

Ray: It took fucking ages to write and record! Wema started a demo almost 2 years ago and we never did anything with it. I guess we just work better under pressure so I booked the studio and the engineer even though we had no songs fully written. We then spent a couple of months going to Pierre's, mine or Wema's place, writing lyrics and arranging Pierre's already written lyrics to turn them into songs. We really tried to make “hooks” and sing-along's rather than just putting words over music as we may have been guilty of in the past. I think we could play any of these songs on this album live. There are no fillers.

Pierre: It all came at a good time for me as I was going through some bad shit and this music helped me vent frustration and helps put life in perspective. But yeah, the boys worked damn hard…but I've never been unhappy with any riddim they make.

Nic: This is the hardest we've ever worked on any of our albums. We've never gotten together and worked through the lyrics like we did for these songs before. We consciously went into the writing of this album to end up with songs that were catchy and have maybe a few more hooks than our previous albums, especially the last one we did. Wema and me worked so hard in the studio recording this album as well. We were spending 10 to 12 hours a day in the studio working with Igor Backfire, getting all these songs as good as we could. Igor was a great guy to work with and he worked really hard for us and had some great ideas. I'm really proud of this album. 

IE: Maintaining your original lineup through all the albums, tours, and challenges of playing DIY hardcore music (which very few bands have managed), I gotta ask - what’s the secret to Knuckledust’s seeming invincibility?

Ray: We just have a laugh really and try not to heap too much pressure on ourselves. We started a DIY hardcore band with hardcore ethics and that's what we still are today. We never got bogged down with the mainstream side of hardcore and never felt under pressure to do bigger, better things. When we do argue (and there's been a few) we can forget about it and have a beer later in the day. If a band don't argue it means they got no passion and they don't give a shit!

Nic: We were friends first too - Wema, Ray and myself have known each other since school, and we've known Pierre since the early days of the scene when there was no-one else into it really. When we started there was nothing in London hardcore-wise, the type of hardcore we like, anyway. That meant we had to play to anyone and get on any kind of shows we could and try to build from nothing. I guess that kind of start as a band has created a strong bond between us.

Pierre: I love the attitude the KD guys have - it's addictive simply because it's so much fun: even sometimes when it’s not meant to be. I'm the lucky one really ‘cause if they didn't write what they write then I would never have done what I've done. And yes we argue. Don't all real brothers? But ultimately, it's that bond they have on stage that helps creates our London vibe and the roots of Ruction and the LBU.

IE: Kicking off the modern London scene and unifying the UK scene in the way that you did affected a lot of lives and inspired a lot of bands and music but I’m curious to find out what have you guys taken from the scene, what has it done for your lives both good and bad?

Pierre: As a young kid I was the only Latino in all my schools, this left me somewhat isolated which didn't bother me so much but I was a little lost until I found NYHC. The words and vibe gave me something to believe in and to work for and helped expel the negative energy I could build up. The reason I still do bands is to try and give back to the scene that helped me so much as a kid.

Ray: For me personally it has been everything good and bad in life. I've toured the world with KD, The Business, Deadline and Argy Bargy (whom I would never had met had it not been for KD) and met and lost girlfriends, but more importantly - and the reason I still do it - is seeing people lose their minds and sing songs that we wrote in my living room or rehearsal room. People that sometimes can’t speak a word of English except for the lyrics Pierre or one of us wrote. It is truly amazing and I'd never take it for granted. I don't want it to end. Ever! 

Nic: If it wasn't for KD I probably would've never left East Ham! We've been very lucky over the years, visiting places all over the world we never would've seen, having experiences we never would've had, playing with bands that are our heroes and inspiration. I never would've joined Nine Bar, Deadline or The Business if it wasn't for KD and I've had some amazing experiences with them as well. We've all made friends for life through KD and that is something I'm truly thankful for. I probably would've never have met my wife too! Haha! For me though it's all about playing live. That's what it's all about. The only “bad” thing I guess is some choices I've made. I consider this more than music… it's a mentality. I have a “punk rock education” - it's something that affects every decision I make in my life. Unfortunately, some of those decisions I've made haven't helped my life at all and I'm still paying the price for some of them. I can't see that as bad though, I wouldn't change a thing to be honest. 

Nic: I like “25 Years Dead”, “Never Forget” and the whole of the new album! Yeah, “Persevere” as well because that's the first song the four of us wrote together so that's quite important.

Pierre: “Slash And Ignite” which features my brother Mz. Bloody Gain ‘cause I love how that riddim comes in so HARD plus DBS (Kartel/Injury Time) features on it. “Rise From This” ‘cause it marked a turning point in my life.

IE: Where can international supporters pick up the new album from?

Ray: www.gsrmusic.com will ship anywhere in the world but we do have distribution deals with a lot of countries now so it will be available to order in most stores or distro's. We plan on touring everywhere ourselves and bringing it with us anyway so check the tour dates on Facebook.

IE: Any shout outs or mentions?

Ray: Just thanks to In Effect for representing over the years. Much respect!

Nic: Yes - thank you for the interview and support. Thanks to everyone who has helped us out in anyway over the last 16 years, the GSR Music family, Rucktion Records and London hardcore/punk family. Cheers!

Pierre: Respect and blessings to In Effect, still my favorite ‘zine and all my copies still get read regularly. Bless up all KD supporters in North and South America - we will get over there to play for our people soon.