Everyone’s favorite covers lovers, Punk Rock Factory are dropping a banger of a ’90s-themed album, All Hands on Deck, tomorrow! With an upcoming set of in-store appearances and the continuation of their Stick to the Covers tour looming ahead, you could say the guys of PRF are in the middle of a busy schedule.
Thankfully, Punk Rock Factory found room in their busy lives rocking to answer a few of our questions on the new album, the vibes of their live shows, and so much more! This new album though, is a banger of a good time.
You have a ’90s-themed album out soon, All Hands on Deck, with some great songs on the tracklist. I’m sure a lot goes into picking which songs to tackle. So, what are a few songs that were close to making it on the record but didn’t quite make the cut?
Robbie Williams’ “Let Me Entertain You” was basically complete in demo form. But we decided at the 11th hour that it wasn’t really living up to the standard of the others, so ultimately, it got left behind. Maybe we could resurrect it in the future! Who knows?
Another one that didn’t quite get there was Semisonics’ “Closing Time.” We concluded pretty early on that this one wasn’t matching the vibe of the album, so it didn’t make it.
In that same vein, your covers add a new tinge of “fun” to some already great songs. How does the band’s philosophy of “fun” find its way into the studio? As each song is like a mini party in its own right.
You tell us! We just do our thing and let the creativity flow with each new song we take on. Ultimately we are (for lack of a better term) “pop punk,” which is renowned for being fun, bouncy, and upbeat. So that just kinda comes naturally when putting the songs together. We can’t take all the credit though, if these songs weren’t fun to begin with it’d be a way tougher process!
Let’s take a bit of a detour, you have a slew of in-store appearances, the Stick to the Covers tour, and other live performances charted out throughout the year before your 2026, We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat tour takes off. What are some of your favorite things about bringing your punk rock party lifestyle to your fans? And any advice for those who suffer from post-concert depression after living it up during your shows?
We love the absolute pantomime of comedy we dream up for each major tour we do. A couple of years ago we had one of our techs come out on stage dressed as Carol Vorderman with a countdown theme while we did a competition on stage. On the last tour, I donned a ring leader outfit and a cane and had circus music playing while I ran a giveaway for my guitar.
We get people up on stage to do a rap battle for the Maui rap on “You’re Welcome.” There’s all sorts of nonsense happening at our shows and it always works pretty well.
I guess the post-concert depression can always be solved by the knowledge that we will be back and you’ll get to relive it all over again!
The first single off of All Hands on Deck is “C’est La Vie” by B*Witched. Why this single as the lead-in for the album? It’s an amazing song, so what about it clicked for you guys as the one to show off instantly when it came to presenting this new album for the first time?
It actually wasn’t meant to be the first single. “Back For Good” had been the number one choice for a while, but when we heard the mix of “C’est La Vie” we were like “Nope. This is the first single.” Just the groove and bounce of the song sucks you in straight away. We also thought it was a good introduction to the band if you’ve never heard of us before. It’s just such a feel-good song.
Throwing it a bit back to the first question. You got a ton of fan feedback from your fanbase, “The Sausage Army,” when it came to putting together the album’s tracklist. It’s always amazing to see a band connect with their fans in this way. So, how important do you take criticism both good and bad from your fans? Also, is there a specific song you haven’t covered yet that your fans have been clamoring for?
To answer the last part of that, we get asked for the theme to Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors ALL the time. Every time we release an album or ask the fans to suggest songs that one always comes up. I’m sure we’ll get to it eventually!
We get so much positive feedback, it humbles us and makes us incredibly grateful and appreciative of what we get to do for a living. During the pandemic, people would tell us that they wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for us getting them through lockdown. Things like that hit hard. What we do seems to bring so much positivity that it seems to pull you away from the darkness and that’s such a powerful thing to grasp. We are happy to be the champions of positivity though for sure.
Negativity? Everyone has to deal with negative feedback. No matter who you are or what you do, there will always be people who don’t like it and want to tell you they don’t like it. That’s fair enough, everyone’s entitled to their opinions! However, fairly recently we channeled some negative comments we received into a song. We compiled a bunch of them and made a song around it. I guess it’s the first PRF original track!
What is it about covering songs that does it for you? Also, I know when I need a good pick me up I’ll either play Plain White T’s “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” or Death Cab for Cutie’s “Earth Angel.” What are some of your favorite cover songs you’ve heard throughout the years?
There are so many! From the Mad Caddies doing ABBA’s “SOS” to Tonight Alive’s brilliant version of “Little Lion Man,” we love a well-thought-out and creative version of a song. It extends further than just punk though. We love a bluegrass or metal cover too!
Punk Rock Factory’s new album, All Hands on Deck, drops tomorrow across all streaming platforms and promises a great listening experience filled with what could be your next favorite cover song!
I’d like to thank Punk Rock Factory for taking the time out of their busy schedule to answer a few questions for us and letting us into their creative world. All Hands on Deck is a fun listen and some of these songs live on their upcoming tour are going to be phenomenal!
If you’re into catching the guys live during their Stick to the Covers tour, tickets and show dates can be found on their official website.
Keep up with Punk Rock Factory: Instagram | TikTok | X | Facebook
