By Chris Rockson

 

Choking Susan are in my hometown area tonight, well, actually, they're in the next city, but anyone that has ever visited Manchester will be able to tell you that the closely neighbouring Salford is a much more cosmopolitan, special and artistic place than it's much more publicised neighbour [:-)] ....so I get to chat with an old friend of mine, Colleen Caffeine and her band of merry makers from Detroit, on a UK Tour and yet another sparkling visit to Rebellion PunkFest over in Blackpool....if you ain't been there, it's a poor man's Coney Island! Cheap, tacky, insincere and miserable is how I would describe the place, but it's not how I'd like to think of Colleen and her Susan Chokers, oh no!...these guys are well, almost serious about life, but deadly serious about their band....they come from the Motor City, which, in parts is equally as dangerous as their host for the evening, so Alice Cooper once told me...' it's a tough, dirty, grimy place...the kinda place where rock n roll is made Chris', he said...and he's fuckin' right, of course!!

I sit in the downstairs bar, just under a camp poster of David Hasslehoff [ see pics ] which, kinda un-nerves me a little, but I'm joined by the wonderfully talented and equally gorgeous Colleen...so let's get started....

 

So, tell me about the line-up changes you’ve made to Choking Susan. How did that all come about?

Well, we employed a couple of robots, they stepped in straight away, says Colleen. 'Whatever she says' Keith, Lead Guitarist chips in... The guys moved onto other things and so did we..

 

This will be your third appearance in a row at the Rebellion festival over here in the UK. What do you think of the audiences that you’ve encountered playing here?

Actually Chris, it's our fourth appearance at Rebellion....[ they all laugh at me...:-( ] we played here four times and we love it. There's something magical about playing Rebellion and in the UK as a whole. All of the bands that we grew up with, listening to, The Damned, Cro-mags, Vibrators, it's just great! 

 

Coming from the US, I guess it’s quite something to be playing on the same stage as some ‘original’ punk rock bands, such as The Damned and The UK Subs. Are you in awe of the whole thing?

We were, when we first came over here, but now, we're like ' hey! we've done this before and it's all familiar and cool' and even though the bands still have us in awe, we'll always be fans of those guys...Anti-Nowhere League and  those bands were what we listened to day after day...we grew up listening to these guys and to be sharing the stage is amazing!

 

How does your scene in Detroit compare to that of the UK?

You know what? It's a much better scene here in the UK, the crowds are much more into the whole punk thing and not as picky about their bands. Colleen adds ' it's a whole new world to us, the fans are receptive wherever we play', its fantastic....Keith adds ' Whatever She Says...' 

 

You’re playing Manchester tonight right? Is this the first time you’ve played the city?

Yeah, we played in Manchester before, at The Crescent in Salford....[I interrupt proceedings] 'Colleen, that is my home town and it's the next city to Manchester, it may be right next door, but it's like Chicago is to New York....chalk and cheese'...Oh, we didn't know that [ why would ya??] - they all laugh out loud...we have been looked after by Stu Taylor for this visit to the UK, and he's been brilliant! We are so looking forward to playing here tonight!

 

Which acts are you looking forward to seeing at this year’s festival and why?

Colleen - Well, there's the New York Dolls obviously, I can't wait to see them on that big stage and Drongo's For Europe, I'm really into them at the moment. It's amazing, nearly everwhere you look, there's something going on, a great band, a great stall, a chat and laugh... 

 

You played some shows over on the west Coast a few years ago, any plans to return there?

we'd really love to return over there, it was such a blast. We have no plans at the moment, but if anyone wants to put a couple of shows on for us, please get in touch! 

 

If Colleen was voted in as President of the United States, what would be the first and foremost important change that you’d make?

haha, we'll, I'd make it so that there was free food, free water for everyone... 

 

Ok, name me your three most influential albums of all-time.

Colleen - 'Ha, I knew you'd ask me this one...you know what it is dontcha Chris'?...ha, we share a knowing smile and let the other guys in the band answer first....Keith        ' Never Mind The Bollocks'......'Why is that Keith?'...'Just THE greatest album of all time'.... Paul, the new bass player in the band and '44', the new drummer laugh out loud at their choices...Paul goes for 'Killers' by Kiss, and 44 tells me that his favourite album of all-time is 'Thriller'....we laugh at that off-field comment, and decide to pursue the question further...'it's just a great album'....then he realises that he's just admitted to on voice recorder, and retorts with ' I'm so gonna be in trouble afterwards with the rest of the band for admitting that'...we all laught out loud [ LOL ] and then I point out that he won't be in trouble with the band but when 'I play it back through the PA, he'd better go run and hide, as he's guaranteed to get his ass-kicked'!

So, guys, we're almost finished, it's almost time for your stage time here at the Star & Garter, enjoy the show and the Rebellion appearance, it's been a pleasure as always...let's get some shots of you in front of that amazing image of the Hoff on the wall....stay safe, and we'll see y'all soon!

 

Right, on that note, I’ll get the drinks in from the bar, say thanks so much for chatting and settle back to watch your show here at the Star & Garter….Have a great Show Colleen, enjoy Rebellion and have a killer show!

 

 

 

Chris

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