Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness has revealed that he is now a huge fan of Oasis, having previously dismissed the Manchester group as a "pop band" during their '90s heyday.
Ness went to see the reunited indie-rock superstars play the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on September 6 last year, and pronounced the band "more punk rock than most punk bands" in a subsequent instagram post, adding, "Think I’ve got a new favorite band."
In a new exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, the 63-year-old punk legend admits, "in the Nineties, I was very narrow-minded, and I’m guilty of contempt prior to that investigation."
"I thought they were just an annoying pop band," Ness confesses. My producer [Dave Sardy, who co-produced Oasis' 2005 album Don't Believe The Truth] called me, and he had just seen them at Wembley, and he said, 'Listen, when they come to L.A., you have to go. They don’t move around on stage and don’t jump in the air. They’re not doing anything except playing their instruments and singing, but to hear 100,000 people all singing this song'.
"It just goes to show you what really good songwriting is and how long it can last," Ness continues. "So, it turns out my son, Julian, is a fan. He’s really into British and European soccer, and he’s a huge Oasis fan. He and I went to a father-son night, and it was the best night. I was so impressed. It was a warm night. [Noel Gallagher’s] songwriting, I thought, was very clever, his tone, his vocal tone, the guitar playing. I was entertained from start to finish and became a huge fan."
Social Distortion have just announced the forthcoming release of a new album, Born To Kill, on May 8 via Epitaph. The Californian band's eighth album is their first since 2011's Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes.
In a press release, the album is described as "11 songs of pure, unadulterated rock 'n' roll fury, joy and catharsis, all imbued with the signature blend of defiance and world-weariness that has made founder Mike Ness a poet and sage to the dispossessed for more than 40 years."
Ness tells Rolling Stone, "I wanted to write a record that paid homage to the beginning of my career, or even pre-career, just knowing I wanted to be in a band, and just listening to records over and over again, getting inspired even though I didn’t even own a good guitar yet. I’m always searching for grooves that really move your body and then writing a song to that groove.
"A new album is always a chance to experiment with what you’re showing people you can do. I think those are the two main elements that went into this, but I wanted a real Seventies vibe. I feel like that’s a period of time that needs to be constantly referenced and respected. I want these kids today to realize what it was like back then, and that we have similar things in common."
The band have released the album's title track as a taste of what's to come.
Social Distortion have also announced an extensive North American tour, taking in 23 shows in 21 cities.
