Music

Where are you all from and how did you meet?

We are all from Nottingham area. I (Marcus, guitar/vocals) was in a band with Marc (bassist) before. We met Darren (guitarist) through our old drummer and Chris (drummer) knew Darren. Not that exciting really!

Where does the name of the band come from?

Jonny No Stars definition is as follows, it's from a slang website: "A young man of sub-standard intelligence, an adolescent who works in a fast food restaurant. The 'no stars' comes from the stars that are often used to reflect their level of training."

Did you sit down and discuss what you were going to sound like, or did it just come naturally after playing music together?

We started off by doing covers like 'I wanna be a homosexual' by Screeching Weasel, Bad Religion, Misfits songs etc. then naturally progressed to writing our own stuff without the covers. We stilll cover Last Caress by Misfits though.

Are you all in a band because you want to be rich and famous, or do you just do it because you love it?

No and no! It would be nice to make a living out of it and for it to be your job. In one of our songs DIY it says "You don't know my game I never cared for fame or monetary gain." If you are in it for fame and money at our level you will find yourself very disillusioned very quickly. You've got to be in it because you love it, if anything happens on top of that it's a bonus.

Which bands/artists made you pick up guitars? Have they helped form your sound?

I speak for myself as I am answering the questions but I know most of the band would agree on majority of these: NOFX, Bad Religion, Anti Flag, Rise Against, Black Flag, Bob Dylan, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Yuppicide, Specials. Most bands who are on labels like Fat Wreck, Look Out and Epitaph.

Your EP is called 'Bury My Heart at Portland Street'. Why does it hold so much importance to the band?

It's just a pub I frequent quite a lot called The Portland Arms. It's got a good juke box, it's full of old men and my mates and you always get a seat!

Is it a help or hindrance being based in Nottinghamshire?

There are good venues like Junktion 7 and The Old Angel but it's still quite hard to get a gig at Rock City for an unsigned band. I do feel Nottingham is ignored when there are countless good bands like Weeble and Axminster, Scotchguard and The Num Skulls putting on storming shows to big crowds on a regular basis (their loss). Also worth a mention are the honest promoters like Saggy Pants, Shock and Awe and Fly On The All Promos who do so much for the local scene.

Where can people in Nottinghamshire see you play soon?

We actually haven't got a gig lined up! Bit disappointingly as we have just returned from Germany after playing six gigs there. Just check out our my space profile for updates.