Many believe that The Sex Pistols saved rock and roll. Thankfully, Tara Rez fronted her own punk band called The Duel and she is a DJ on a punk radio show on Reverb Radio out of Brighton,England, Tara is carrying on the punk rock tradition with style. Tara is very gregarious. She's a person of genuine depth as you'll find out reading through this interview. The Duel's most recent Album is called "Waging War To Hold Love". The Duel consisted of of Tara on lead vocals,Andy Thierum on keyboards,Andy Duke on Bass,Ed Scottie on Guitar and Simon Edwards on Drums. They got together in 2001. However the band is on hiatus.....Tara Rez and The Duel have been barnstorming England in recent years. The band was goddamn exciting live in concert. Tara is a powerful stage presence like Genya Ravan, Brody Dalle or Beryl Marsden. Maybe even Iggy or Jim Morrison. I recently interviewed Tara and she was cordial and talkative. So here we go! We wish her much luck on her upcoming solo project.
Punk Globe:Who were some of the first punk bands and singers you listened to?
Tara: I heard PIL’s ‘….This is not a love song, happy to have not to have not…’ that was me! Reluctantly happy to have no love. Its how I felt. Tainted Love & Bedsitter, by Soft Cell, was my theme tunes to my life too. Rock n Roll Suicide by Bowie, Ghost by Japan, I’d listen to them curled up in the dark with a coat over my head. They comforted me. Helped me live through situations that made me feel like I couldn’t carry on. From there I found the Sex Pistols, Joy Division, though I didn’t suddenly go on a punk theme flurry…my life was already very punk drama looking back!! I would listen to everything I could get my hands on.
Punk Globe: How old were you when you found out you were a good singer and you decided to go onstage and sing?
Tara: I don’t think I knew or thought I was a good singer, I just always did it. I kept getting asked to sing solo stuff at schools. . First time when I was at summer school at 7, Funny thing was at that time I thought I wanted to be an actress / writer. Then kept falling into music. Writing songs, singing was a saving pastime for me, never thought of seriously. Home life was painfully strict, which to be fair just made me become more rebellious, wild and took me places where young girls shouldn’t go …
Punk Globe: I get the impression you grew up in urban renewal London like The Small Faces and The Who. That life, of course, has its problems and drawbacks but it always sort of seemed to me when listening to Ray Davies it's a very vibrant place. You describe yourself as having gone to Rock and Roll High School. So did I, and for some people that's the direction life goes in and not the factories, military and universities.
Tara: Love Small Faces! Meeting Ray Davis in my local pub was a treat! :) I moved to Highgate area purely by accident. Literally. At that time I was living in Brighton and I got booked to DJ in London. My platforms shoes were always so so high. (Major shoe fetish!) You couldn’t buy them that high, so I used to have them made specifically for me. Now they re everywhere! One time I hit my head quite hard on a 6 foot parking restriction banner. I walked around so fast that when I banged into it, it knocked me out! . . I managed to get to London and do my DJ set but after, I found it hard to stay awake and slept days! . Apparently concussed. Was I gonna go like Stiv Bators I thought ? When I did finally awake, I was like, where the heck am i? I took a good look around, fell in love and strangely felt a new era had begun. Very shortly after I moved up there and the rest is history! So a knock on the head can do you good sometimes!
Punk Globe: What was the first Rock Concert you went to? Punk or otherwise.
Tara: I guess my first real Punk gig was UK Sub. But I can’t actually remember the very first one? They ve all moulded into one over the years! Seeing David Bowie at Milton Keynes Bowl, shaking his hips was a very great moment in life!
Punk Globe: Were your parents OK with it that you were one of those kids who went to bed with a transistor radio under your pillow?
Tara: Hahaha no way. My dad gave me a slap round the face when I told him I wanted to sing,
Punk Globe: The Duel is a great band. I hope I'm not starting rumours but there are lots of us out there who hope you ain't breaking up.
Tara: Please know that it means a lot to us that so many people care. Unfortunately I went through some mental breakdowns and Andy has become very ill and is fighting hard to get better. I really wish the best for him right now. We decided to have a break in the meantime. After all, we ve been relentlessly working at it DIY for over 15 years, 5 officially and 3 unofficial album releases, more unreleased tunes in our closet than we have the time to go thru!
Punk Globe: Do you play any instruments or do you just sing?
Tara: I play guitar, bit of programming and producing. My real name is ’Taraneh’ which means a popular song, so melodies and lyrics are always my favourite speciality :))
Punk Globe: Was there one major influence on your decision to be a singer?
Tara: Souixie Souix,Patti Smith,Debbie Harry, Ronnie Spector,Martha Reeves,Mary Weiss
Punk Globe: Or did you have a variety of musical influences?
Tara: Consistently in my youth - Janis `Joplin was my main inspiration when it came to singing. She was the one that gave me the hope and strength to bring me out of myself.
Punk Globe: Tara,it's wonderful of you to give so much time to fighting homelessness,such as in the Sleep Out in London. In several different countries recent times have seen welfare and pension cutoffs for large numbers of people. In the USA,the disabled(the mentally ill in particular)have been targeted and so have other groups like veterans.
Tara: Same here – Daily, am seeing homelessness and mental health tearing people's lives apart. And without any support and dwindling funding from the governments, it’s become more important for us all to start at least learning to work together to help each other - for a higher cause, a greater good. We simply can’t rely on the powers above to provide the social care we all need. Nor can we afford to turn a blind eye. #Sleepout2017 taught me a huge a thing – 900 people in London slept out on the streets for just one night and we all raised a staggering £600K for Centrepoint, which is a fantastic charity that works with teens who find themselves homeless and on the streets .I chose this charity, as that’s what happened to me as a teen. As for Mental health side, Am happy to now work at Punk4MentalHealth with some very great people. We are about to officially lunch it as a charity too - to bring awareness and a place to come, be around music, art & people who care. If you re suffering … then at least you don’t have to feel alone –
Punk Globe: How old were you when you first decided to do some piercings and did your Mom and Dad get pissed off?
Tara: I had a few in my 20s but really, by the time I got into all that though, cos I was anti fashion – it was all too fashionable for my liking, even the chavs were doing it so, yeah I kinda got put off looking like the herd.
Punk Globe: How 'bout that first punk hairdo? And did you do crazy color/ Manic Panic?
Tara: I had a blonde skinhead when I was 13. Tasty look. I don’t think I was aware I was now a ‘punk’ though Lol
Punk Globe: There's something we all must go through. Saving up !00 dollars or 100 pounds English and going to the shopping centre and buying that punk rock leather jacket. How was it for you?
Tara: My clothes were always falling to bits when I was a kid, and so safety pins were my friend from early on. I’d safety pin all my pockets and ripped bits of my uniform together and went off to school. I got my first ’real’ leather jacket for £8 second hand. Wore it every day forever :)
Punk Globe: BTW I was saying earlier about Rock and Roll High School,I hear occasional news and stuff about kids I grew up with and other people in my hometown and actually I was at times envious that they "fit in"(factories,universities,military) and I didn't but that was years and years ago and their lives are completely dull and dreary. I wouldn't trade in my life as Samantha Flora Carbons for any of it,period. Do you have feelings like that about the school and the neighborhood you grew up in?
Tara: I’ve always been bit of a nomad. Felt an outsider, on the fringe, never fitted in, nor had a life like ‘normal' people. And it used to be a problem never fitting in. That’s why I love the punk family … and now I love that am an outsider and proudly embrace it. I love that I’ve always followed the music and not the scene or the crowd. Maybe It's been my job in this life to think outside the box :)
Punk Globe: I don't know if you and The Duel have performed over here in the USA. There are a lot of punk fans who would be very receptive to you if you did.
Tara: We have been over in 2006 and we would LOVE to go again. Early this month, I was talking to a promoter who wanted to take us over to the USA, I was so excited. The whole thing fell thru, as these things often do but my yearning to come over was re-ignited. So am pursuing it now :) Am just going out as Tara Rez and playing any hard punk song I feel like from over the years and some new ones,
Punk Globe: I enjoyed the most recent Duel Album. It's got one song that sounds a little bit like The Electric Prunes meet Janis Ian meet Generation X ..
Tara: Thank you .. Great compliment! I loved that album too. Didn’t get the chance to give it a proper promotion to reach more people though. Although, am pleased that Hold To Love video got played all over USA, as an industry guy fell in love with the tune and video. Also, it was our first album that became available to buy /order from all mainstream record shops worldwide. Up the punks!!
Punk Globe: I know it gets redundant, there is a notion that some people have that punk had 2 or 3 good years in the later part of the 70s then afterward it went out of style. But it's true there were some interesting bands in those days that broke up years ago. When you were young did you get to meet a lot of your punk heroes?
Tara: I am very lucky that I have got to meet a lot of ‘punk’ heroes and incredible legends, often without even trying and completely by chance! Some of them are now are my greatest friends that I truly connected with.
Punk Globe: What are Tara Rez and The Duel's plans for the early months of 2018?
Tara: Right now, am busy writing tunes for a new solo album. Creating a brand new website and very much enjoying gigging with my band. Very cool fun times we ve had. 2018 will also be a year of creating more help for Mental Health and raising money for the young Homeless. There are also some very special shows coming together for my weekly Radio Show on RadioReverb.COM 97.2FM. So all you bands out there in PUNK GLOBE community send me your tunes!!
Thank you very much for the interview Sam, you’re questions were different and interesting. much love
