Durban Poison have had a successful 2006, but can band member and wannabe “Cliff Richard of rock” Joe Williams change the industries’ sex and drugs image?

Despite the heavy links with Cliff Richard due to his no smoking and drinking lifestyle, Williams isn’t concerned about being branded with an image that would be considered insulting to most rock bands.

In fact, he seems to thrive on it: “I love Cliff, he’s been around for years and that’s the sign of a great artist. Although I’m not a fan of his music, you can’t help but admire his attitude and hunger for life,” he said.

The other three members mirror the drummer’s morals, as they hold it alongside their undoubted values of rock music: "A lot of modern bands write one pretentious album then live off their bad boy reputation in the press. They go out and sleep with loads of girls and take class A-drugs. It’s an insult to the music industry”.

Backstage after the first show of a whistle-stop winter tour of Universities up and down the country, Joe along with the rest of his band admitted to rebelling against the sex and drugs system. He gleefully reads back his own words from an article about the band in a local newspaper. “I promise not to throw animal heads at the audience in Leeds,” he preens.

The last time the band played in the city, a bat’s head was thrown from the stage and smashed into the skull of an audience member. “He wasn't watching the band,” shrugs Joe. “He was talking to a girl,” implying that the man should have known better.

“Animal heads are speared on microphone stands half way through the gig. They usually use pigs,” he laughed. “We like to throw them back to the audience at the end of the show so they can, y'know, play around with them.”

This type of crowd behaviour originated throughout the early nineties, with newspaper headlines describing it as the “nihilistic rampage of satanically-minded youth” - Thus portraying metal as a negative stereotype within the media.

The limits of tolerance in this largely secular society were sorely tested by sensational stories centred not on the fans but the bands themselves. As far as Joe and Durban Poison are concerned, it’s their responsibility to change people’s perception of black metal music.

To put it into context, the band have been around for just five years. Their small group of fans acknowledge them as the originators of Surrey’s Black Metal (often referred to as its county’s biggest), defining both its antagonistic sound and attitude. Black metal relishes its position as the most extreme form of music imaginable.

“People used to listen to metal because of they wanted to rebel against society, not because they liked the music. The one great thing about our band is that we all live for the music. Nothing is more exciting than the song writing process. Not even the buzz of performing live can replace it,” Said Joe.

Before Durban Poison had even released their first studio album last year, an agreement was made with their record company to put musical interests first. However, things before didn’t always run so smoothly, as the band struggled to get their music across to people: “We couldn't buy publicity,” Joe acknowledges sagely.

“Every time we played a gig the crowd didn’t get us. I guess it’s because we’re something different. Thankfully the record label has shown faith in us. But it was a hard time for everyone concerned; we suffered emotionally and physically as a band.”

The drummer is the longest-standing member of the band. He's also the quietest. A compact figure with darkly handsome (but distinctly un-rock like) features, which are immaculately groomed; he always seems to be at the centre of his own party backstage. “He may look quiet,” says Tate, “but he's the most dedicated of the lot. Joe is always putting in the extra hours after practice. His dedication is an example to the rest of us in the band.”

Since the release of their first album Pushing You Away, people within the industry are starting to voice their recognition. Mark Hamilton from Ash described them as; “In your face melodic grunge reminiscent of the Nirvana era,” whilst Charlotte Cooper from The Subways said that D.P sounded “cool” after she witnessed them perform at the University of Leeds.

Praise such as this is something that Joe and the rest of the band have been looking for, for some time: “It’s always nice to get respected by fellow artists. Especially bands that we respect and have idolised from an early age.”

Joe and the rest of Durban Poison without question have the dedication to succeed. However to change peoples perception of the sex and drug taking culture that has followed rock for generations may ultimately prove to be their hardest challenge.