As part of May’s live street art at The Arches, alongside music from Rusko, Caspa, Zinc, Foamo and loads more, we’re chuffed to welcome SNUB23.

Part of the Grafik Warfare crew, he’s been painting for ten years, the amount of time, if you practice everyday like SNUB does, that it takes you to reach world-class level according to Malcolm Gladwell in his latest book Outliers.

What we’re saying is that SNUB’s good. Interview and more pics after the jump.

Thanks for joining us for the event. How long have you been making street art for and why did you get into it? Was it ever something you envisaged making a living from?

No problem. I’ve been into art since a kid and never stopped. It wasn’t a conscience decision, I was painting and doodling anyway so when the whole street art thing kicked off I was heading that way. I didn’t want to show work in galleries, it was too much art wank and not enough reality for me. SNUB was born about 10 years ago but in the past six it’s really kicked off.

I don’t really make a living from it still. People presume just because your selling work your rich. I barely make enough to pay for all me materials and travel.

What mediums do you use to make your pieces? Is it true you started off just using stencils?

Spray paint mostly, it’s so quick and satisfying, you can fill a massive wall in just one day and it will last years. Although I use almost anything really, sometimes it’s just about what I can get my hands on.

Yes, SNUB started as a stencil. A 3D cube and the SNUB logo type.

What’s the story behind your logo of a robotic face?

Hammerstein is one of the ABC warriors from 2000AD comic. I actually started with ‘Mongrel’, a fellow ABC warrior. I grew up reading 2000AD and think at one point I really imagined the year 2000 would be that way. Hammerstein sums up the SNUB attitude, heavy, strong and in your face. SNUB in the dictionary means to ‘disagree and ignore’, kind of like ‘screw you, I’ll do what I want where I want.’

We saw some amazing lamp post covers you’d done after finding a key to take them off. Has doing legal pieces taken taking over from illegal pieces and which do you prefer?

The lamp post covers were fun for sure. There is more opportunity to do legal stuff these days, it’s more accepted by the public if nothing else. As for illegal I wish I had time to do more.

Legal walls you have more time but you loose the rawness and rush of leaving your mark where you want.

Even before cans there were lots of events like it. That one just got crazy publicity.

Since then I think I’ve done one a month. In fact there is one down here in Brighton on the 16th-17th of May [called The Beautiful and the Canned!]. A year on from ‘Cans’, should be a good one. 300 cans of paint and 45 artists.

Graffiti was originally part of the whole hip-hop scene. Is there still a strong connection between street art and music? What kind of sounds are you into?

I wouldn’t call what I do Graffiti, even though Graffiti as a word means to leave a mark on a wall.

Street or Urban art is as different as hip hop is from techno, still music but a different kind.

I come from the first rave generation. Illegal parties in fields in the countryside, before the police even knew what was going on. Then onto a lot of the squat and warehouse raves in London, and other cities. I’ve painted many a squat party and techno fest.

I’m a fan of all flavours, but SNUB is proper electro techno breakcore monster. Loud, heavy and distorted.

Apart from paint, what three items couldn’t you live without?

My iPhone, my computer and scalpel.

You live down in Brighton. What’s the name of your crew down there and who else should we watch out for that you paint with? Also who, from anywhere else, would you like to work with?

Ah so many it’s getting silly, so I’ve had to slim down.

Grafik Warfare (UK), VST (Europe), TSO (Italy), Cromatics Graphic Force (Belgium) and the Chronic Soundsystem based in Amsterdam.

The event in Brighton I’ll be painting with many I’ve painted with before and some I haven’t.

You should all check out the work of Orticanoodles and Lucamonte from Italy… crazy Italians, awesome work.

Do you have advice for anyone just getting started?

Yeah don’t believe the hype. Concentrate on what your painting and not on what everyone else is doing.

And paint, draw or whatever, just do it EVERY SINGLE DAY.

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?

Right now? I should be cutting stencils! But in general I don’t know what I do without this, getting into fights and melting my brain on drugs no doubt.

Isn’t using stickers just cheating?

There are no rules so how can you cheat?

That’s like saying DJ’s are cheats cause there not making the music.

It all comes down to the ‘getting up’.

Visit SNUB’s Flickr for more pieces or his website where you can buy his work.

Even more interesting stuff...

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Bid now for original one-off Grafik Warfare street art by Snub23, ASBOluv and Farkfk
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