Trucker Diablo

With lyrics that are “social commentaries on the times we live in”, don’t expect songs about beer and girls.

Over the past 13 years and four previous albums, Trucker Diablo have never held back on delivering bullish, anthemic music that gets right in your face.

The Northern Irish foursome have now taken this a stage further on new album Tail End Of A Hurricane. Tom Harte (vocals/ lead guitar), Simon Haddock (rhythm guitar), Jim McGurk (bass) and Terry Crawford (drums) still have the big riffs and huge choruses, but are now more diverse than ever. Harte explains the new Diabolical philosophy.

The new album veers from the punky pessimism of Insects to the feelgood attitude of Rock Kids Of The 80s.

Did you set out to be so wide ranging? Not really. We never had a plan to do this. It’s the way everything fell into place. But that’s great, because there’s something here for everyone.

How much has the pandemic and lockdown delayed the release of the album?

We recorded Rock Kids Of The 80s in November 2019 as a single, and the idea was to start on the album in February last year. But all that changed, of course. So we had to find a couple of hours here and there, when one of us was able to go into the studio to record something. And Terry was forced to play along to the original demos to do his parts.

The song Woodstock To Vietnam seems to suggest that cynicism will always trump idealism. Is that a reflection of how you feel?

Well, being Northern Irish we are maybe naturally cynical. And there is a lot of negativity on the album, because the lyrics are all social commentaries on the times we live in. That’s why you have a track like Insects, which is about the way online scammers and haters operate. But there’s also optimism in there. Woodstock To Vietnam is the story of two friends whose paths in life diverge, as one dances at the Woodstock Festival while the other fights in Vietnam. It’s not especially cynical.

Why have you decided to self-release the new album?

Everyone in the band is dealing with disabled people in our families. My partner is disabled, for instance. And Simon has two autistic children. So we have to be free to look after them all. Being on a label would inevitably mean having to make commitments we couldn’t keep. This way we retain control over our schedules.

You got a grant from the Arts Council Of Northern Ireland to help with the cost of making the record. Do such official organisations do enough in Britain to support rock music?

The money is there for bands, but it’s tied up with so much red tape that musicians can find it hard to access the funds. It should be made much easier.

Given the fact that you have a song called Rock Kids Of The 80s, is that a decade you have a soft spot for? Doesn’t everyone? I grew up with metal bands like Helloween and Iron Maiden. And I love playing retro eighties artists like H.e.a.t and Chez Kane in the car. I also have a real liking for eighties films such as Big Trouble In Little China. Maybe it was the success of Stranger Things that woke up a lot of people to the joys of that decade. MD

“Being Northern Irish we are maybe naturally cynical.”

Tail Of The Hurricane is released on May 7 via Bad Reputation.