Many people came from thousands of miles around to Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin this weekend to see the wardrobe majesty of Rob Halford in Judas Priest, the push-button politicking of Jello Biafra and his Guantanamo School of Medicine and the competition on hilarity between Neil Hamburger and Mark Kozelek.Me? I came to see the band that opened the fest that played to five people and dog who didn’t have to wear a wristband. What can I say? I have problems.The band in question is Austin’s own Breakout. The mid-paced agro stomp they’ve spewed on two seven-inch EPs this year connects the bootboy brutality of early 80s Brit bands like Blitz or Court Martial with the suburban brutality of Negative Approach and had me trying to grow mutton chops and fine super thin suspenders at my local thrift store. Yup, they’re that good.And now, many beers and airline points later, I can say they can deliver the goods in the live setting as well. If you want proof, come see them tonight at the Noisey sponsored gig with 7 Seconds and Iron Reagan at Red 7 in Austin.Noisey chatted with the band while they were basking in the afterglow of an 11:40 AM set. We talked about the Austin scene, Fun Fun Fun Fest and other sundries.Run down the basics of how Breakout came together.
A while ago, I was supposed to move out to Austin from Virginia Beach with these other dudes I used to play with in a band called Bomber, but it didn’t happen. Years and years later, it happened with other people. We started two winters ago and went right on tour.Why did you move to Austin?
There wasn’t a lot going on at the beach, especially when the recession hit. Living here is cool because I don’t get bored. It wasn’t like this when I moved here; there’s a lot of good bands right now. Austin always had a scene, but right now they have a really solid Hardcore scene with a lot of places to play and a lot of people who are genuinely interested.Was there any kind of vibe you were going with in regards to Breakout?
My favorite kind of music is the second wave of UK punk. Stuff like Menace and The Skids. But everybody in this band comes from Hardcore bands. We’re not trying to skirt that. So, by being from Hardcore bands, the sound comes out a little differently, but without hiding our influences or trying to be a flavor of the week.What other bands in Austin do you feel kinship with?
Concrete are really good. I’m looking forward to hearing more recorded stuff by Bad Faith. They’re playing during the festival at some point. There’s a lot of good bands outside of Austin too. My favorite is Sudden Intact in San Antonio; they’re really young and incredibly good. Paranoid Chant in Houston are really interesting too.So is something like Fun Fun Fun Fest a blessing or a hindrance for the city?
People get frustrated with it, but I look at it as a good opportunity to make a good hustle. I know I do every year. There’s lots of easy ways to pay your rent for a couple of months. The festivals come and go here without having a massive impact on the scene. People come into town and then they leave, and Austin is still what it was.
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A while ago, I was supposed to move out to Austin from Virginia Beach with these other dudes I used to play with in a band called Bomber, but it didn’t happen. Years and years later, it happened with other people. We started two winters ago and went right on tour.Why did you move to Austin?
There wasn’t a lot going on at the beach, especially when the recession hit. Living here is cool because I don’t get bored. It wasn’t like this when I moved here; there’s a lot of good bands right now. Austin always had a scene, but right now they have a really solid Hardcore scene with a lot of places to play and a lot of people who are genuinely interested.Was there any kind of vibe you were going with in regards to Breakout?
My favorite kind of music is the second wave of UK punk. Stuff like Menace and The Skids. But everybody in this band comes from Hardcore bands. We’re not trying to skirt that. So, by being from Hardcore bands, the sound comes out a little differently, but without hiding our influences or trying to be a flavor of the week.What other bands in Austin do you feel kinship with?
Concrete are really good. I’m looking forward to hearing more recorded stuff by Bad Faith. They’re playing during the festival at some point. There’s a lot of good bands outside of Austin too. My favorite is Sudden Intact in San Antonio; they’re really young and incredibly good. Paranoid Chant in Houston are really interesting too.So is something like Fun Fun Fun Fest a blessing or a hindrance for the city?
People get frustrated with it, but I look at it as a good opportunity to make a good hustle. I know I do every year. There’s lots of easy ways to pay your rent for a couple of months. The festivals come and go here without having a massive impact on the scene. People come into town and then they leave, and Austin is still what it was.