Here is an interview with Ian from The Last Chance. The Last Chance are a great band and it's a shame they're splitting up so we wanted to get an interview before they went there separate ways. also we wanted to know a bit about Ian's label-Dead and Gone records so you will also find that below.

*How and when did The Last Chance get together?

I-We got together a few months before our first show which was with Strike Anywhere in liverpool in september 2002. I think we got together because I was getting itchy feet at starting another band and the original guitarist Pete Broom wanted to do a melodic hardcore band.

*How come your splitting up?

I-Too many reasons to go into! some things got out of control-people fell out and direction was lost. I'll write an expose one day. let's just say that all things end at the write time before things start to go down hill.

*Have you got any plans for a new band?

I-No plans at all-there's other things that I want to spend my time on at the moment after being in two pretty intense bands over the last six years i'm in need of a rest. I want to concentrate on Dead And Gone, spend more time with my girlfriend and try to focus a bit more on my career. never say never though as I will probably miss playing live too much.

*What would you say are the main musical influences in The Last Chance?

I-All the greats: Turning Point, Dag Nasty, Chain Of Strength. amongst many more-I think we took those three as a core and threw in some individual influences and it ended up with our own take on S.E.H.C.

*I know you (Ian) sang for In The Clear a few years back, but are other Last Chancer's from any bands we might know of?

I-Matt played in a band called Symbiosis and toured in Good Clean Fun for 3/4 of a year. everyone else played in bands but not in any you'll have heard of. now Shaun plays in The Down And Outs/Seconds Out with ex-last chance guitarist Kev Walsh.

*Would you say that the sheffield scene is getting bigger and better since In The Clear paved the way?

I-It's definitley getting bigger-lots of shows, more bands, better turn outs to all shows. I don't think In The Clear had that much of an impact at local level which is a shame because thats what we really really wanted to acheive. I would say that the current crop of promoters and bands like Bickles Club, Kill The Lights and The Legacy have had more of an impact. hopefully people will keep up the hard work and we won't live in the scene shadow of leeds and manchester much longer.

*How has the 7" turned out?-how do the songs compare to the ones on your cd?

I-I'm really really proud of the new 7"- musically and lyrically it's the best we've done. Personally I'm also happy with how the vocals came out. These songs were the best we wrote and are a definite step up from the first record.

*Will your last show be a hard one to do?

I-yes, it will suck in the aspect that I won't be doing this band anymore with my mates. I will really miss road trips and playing live. Practising and all that other crap I'm not going to miss but being with these three kids is something that I'll always treasure. On the other hand I think the show will go off- so I'm looking forward to it.

A few questions about Dead and Gone records:-

*When was the label started?

I-The label was originally started to release the cd/lp from In The Clear-it was a financially and organisational disaster on so many levels. the label was properly started in june 2003 when the Last Chance mcd was released. my friend, Max came on board and from the start we decided to get things in place to do the label properly.

*Was it difficult to get your own label up and running?

I-No, because we thought everything through really hard. we've had some great bands to work with and a LOT of support from lots and lots of great people.

*Any tips for people who want to start there own label?

I-Visit :www.bridge9.com and check their guide to running a label- it's good and it's what we used. Apart from that- be prepared to have no life and be prepared to lose a lot of money to start with.

*How many bands have you got on Dead and Gone now?

I-We have records out from The Last Chance, Spitfire Down and The Legacy. We don't "have" any bands as such as we're not the sort of label to tie bands down- we just put their records out. We have records coming this summer from The Down and Outs, Justice, The Break in with more to follow in the Fall. Busy but exciting times!

*How come the Break In 7" will be on a different label?

I-They really wanted to do a 7" and get something with the demo songs on it released really quickly and before the mcd .We weren't in a position to do it and Burial asked them! It's all good as we're all friends.

*Are there any new Dead and Gone releases out soon?

I-Yeah, the new Last Chance 7"-"Where We Stand" has just dropped and this summer there's Justice from belgium's "Look Alive" mcd and the full length from liverpool punks The Down And Outs. then there's our long awaited Break In record.

*Are you pleased with label so far?

I-Totally-it's gone really well and we got lucky with the fact people dug The Last Chance. it gave us a platform to release the records from two of our friends and things have steamrolled from there. I just wish I could spend more time on it.

*Anything else you want to add?

I-For sure, check out: www.deadandgone.co.uk.

Derry High Killing Team