Perth Music

Matthew Jenkins
Ease

Q. Ease are a very new band in Perth and are already signed to a big label in littleBigMan Records. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and its history?

Well, the band started in December last year and it consisted of myself and Nick. I play guitar and dabble instrumentally with pretty much anything and Nick plays the drums and percussion. We started recording straight away and picked up members along the way. We knew what we wanted to achieve from the outset, and one of those goals was to get signed before playing our first gig. We also didn’t want to have to play 50 shows to get noticed. It helps to have a firm idea or vision for the band. We’re all pretty experienced musicians on the live front and the studio front.

We’ve been a five piece since about Easter time and only actually started rehearsing in early July. Since our first gig, we’ve been a little slack and rehearsed very little. Ben was the first vocalist we met and decided he was gonna be in on our first meeting. We didn’t even hear him sing until a fortnight later. It was weird. The time we met, we all just talked for about two hours. This was before Mike and Sid were members of the band. When he did get around to singing, we were like … “FUCK!!!… pass that joint!”. It’s all been very easy. We got Mike in on bass, who Sid and I have known for years and is a great groove based player who listens to all sorts of music, and Sid who was engineering the project from the beginning joined last when we were looking for a second guitarist. He’s actually a drummer.

Weird really, but he - like Mike and I - can play pretty much anything. Mike’s good on the melodica and Sid just picked up the sitar and played like he’d spent the last ten years in Goa. Sometimes we’re a six piece. Jules from the Panics is a floating member, be came in for some of the recording sessions and rehearses with the band occasionally, it’s a fun outlet for him and he fits in well personality and musicial-wise.

Q. Has being picked up by a bigger label increased the pressure put upon you either by the label or by yourselves?

There’s no pressure really, the songs, sound and ideology are all there. There’s plenty of songs in the cloakroom and plenty more to come. The one worry I had was being able to do it live, as this is the first time anyone in this band has reversed the situation – gone from the studio to the stage, usually it’s the other way around. Sure, we sound a little different live, a lot rougher around the edges, but that’s fine with me. We’ve only played one gig so far, that was with the Panics at their album launch and it went over really well. We had great feedback, and considering our Ben has never played a gig before, everything went down like honey. We’re looking forward to playing some more (playing at the Ampi on the 19th Sept with the Panics) and a whole bunch over summer.

The way we see it, the stage we’re at now is such a great springboard for better things to come. We use backing tracks live for some songs as the recordings are dense and layered, but we could play all those songs on acoustic guitars and they’d work just as well. We wanted to do something sounding widescreen live and the backing tracks consist of samples, loops and percussion, and occasionally keyboard lines that we’ve played - things we can’t replicate live. In our day and age where people spend good money to see someone DJ, I don’t consider it a problem, but y’know, whatever, if some people see that as cheating, so be it. I’ve no desire to expand the band to a ten piece just to accommodate our musicial vision live. We argue enough as a five piece.

Q. What is the songwriting process for the band? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?

Generally I write all the songs, although occasionally Sid (guitar, vocals, and engineer) and I will sit down with some alcohol and wind up with a song or two. I like writing with Sid, or Ben will put some lyrics to some music that hasn’t any words or even change the melody and lyrical content to a song completely.

Q. I believe the debut EP is just about ready to come out. Do you have a release date, venue, name for the EP?

I couldn’t confirm the venue yet, but the release is finished and we aim to release it in early November. It’s more of a single than an EP, it contains two song songs and two instrumentals, one a little sitar/tabla thingy-bob and the other a twisted dub song with cracking stab guitar from Jules from the Panics and Nick hollering like a madman over the top. The lead song is actually a cover of an old Spaceman 3 song called Hey Man, I’d love to hear the original, as I don’t have it anymore, but I know that it doesn’t sound anything like our version that’s for sure. A great song with a universal theme that sums up what Ease is about really. Our’s sounds like meatier Cornershop at a cocktail party or something… Er, very up! Very jovial. The other song is It’s All Good and is kinda a duet between Ben and Sussanah Legge from the Hampdens. It’s kinda cool, nice and loose. In fact the whole release has a nice loose feel to it.

Q. Is the name Ease suitable for the bands attitude to music? Do you guys just take things in a laid back nature or is there a big elaborate story behind the name?

It was either that or the Virginia Wolves. We may be The Ease, who knows… We don’t. I kinda put my foot down and said fuck it. When you got five people in a band, you can talk about band names for months (which we did) and in the end it came back to either one of those two, which Nick and I had when we started the band. It was like, we’re sick of this… you joined our band and we’re called either this or that… choose one now you fucks!!! So Ease it was. We are pretty laid back about things as well… but with a purpose. It also relates to how easy everything has come together for this band. Nothing has been stressed or we haven’t had to struggle… It’s just easy. God knows how. So it’s kinda fitting really. If people wanna worry about the drug reference thing, well fuck ‘em. When they see it written down they’ll get it. We intend to make sure they certainly won’t forget it.

Q. When playing live shows, is it important to make every show a spectacle or does it just happen naturally. Do you feed off the crowd’s reaction or do you try to create a reaction?

Rule one for aspiring original musicians: Don’t get on stage until you’re sure you’re ready and play every gig as if it really counts (as if Lucifer is waiting in the wings). Bands like U2 and REM didn’t get where they are by playing lacklustre shows. Being able to play live is the cornerstone for every band’s longevity, they didn’t have Video Hits in the 60s and 70s. You don’t have to make every show a spectacle, just make it entertaining and one way of doing that is by playing short sets (8-9 songs max), because realistically bands get boring. Hell I wouldn’t want to see us play for more than 45 minutes, I’d be eyeing the bar going …”Just going for a pint”. You gotta have fun and enjoy being on stage, at our first gig we were all smiling like idiots and having a ball, really giving 110 per cent. If you wanna entertain people you can’t be looking at your shoes, you gotta connect with the audience, this is something we intend to do and build upon. It doesn’t have to be arrogance and people may misinterpret it as such, but it’s just sincerity coming from us really.

We believe and we want people to see that we believe so they can believe. We’re certainly not shy put it that way, but most local bands have an introverted persona, and it’s easy to see how people can perceive outwardness as arrogance. The one task we have is to find an audience, which is gonna be interesting because I don’t think we’re what you’d call an indie band at all. We’re not mainstream either. I think we will polarize a lot of the ‘too cool for school’ indie kids, coz we simply don’t wanna be an indie band. Plus, we have a real singer, who can sing, and isn’t trying to be Thom Yorke or whoever indie kids wanna hear these days, and we can all actually play our instruments really well. We aim to entertain, and that extends to the tone of this interview, it’s a positive belief y’hear! I can be arrogant too believe me, but we’ll not go there.

Q. There is a lot of interest in Perth bands and Perth music at the moment, do you think there is a particular Perth sound and is it very different from bands from the Eastern States?

There is no particular Perth sound as such although we do have a significant power pop history. Good bands come from here because of the boredom factor, the isolation and all that LSD that goes into the water supply. We have quite a number of studios and engineers over here who actually enjoy the recording process and music, and make things easier for the bands. The band scene is quite large for our size, and the main problem is that there’s probably more musicians totaled together than punters who regularly go to original gigs. That’s because bands need to learn the art of performance and connecting with the audience, besides learning how to be tight and write good songs. That is the single reason why crowds at most original gigs are sparse, it’s often not the quality of the music, but the quality of the entertainment. The scene in Perth is better than it has been for a while. I was in a band in Melbourne for a while and the scene over there is quite fucked, full of arty-wank heads who either a: haven’t got over fucking Mr Excitement Nick Cave or the Birthday Party or b: are in some pretty shitty garage band with art-wank pretensions. End of story next question.

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment both from Perth and from elsewhere?

I could fill this page with influences and we all listen to a lot of different stuff, but the Beatles would be the meeting point. I used to be one of those vinyl obsessed types outta a Nick Hornsby novel. I can actually go into the city now without buying vinyl. It’s like leaving behind a smack habit. Stones, The Clash, De La Soul, Public Enemy The Beta Band, King Tubby, Marley, Miles Davis, Velvets, The Mary Chain… I need not go on. Perth bands: The Panics, Sleepies, The Hampdens and the new Pure Phase stuff (still in production) is sounding great. I was impressed by Headshot recently, who’re pretty heavy for my usual liking. I wanna know why there’s no young soul bands or young reggae or dub bands anymore. Kids need to listen to people like Otis and Marvin, Stax and Motown. Fuck the world’s fucked. Death to the Americanized K-Mart Punk Rock. Good Charlotte! We’ll give them a bloody good thrashing. Just unleash our Mike after a few pints and they’ll go crying back to Mummy and Daddy. Tossers!

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

Anywhere with an adequate PA that will accommodate Ease at a loud rocking volume (not many of those around). Ultimately we want what every musician wants – a load of people cheering and digging it. But to answer your question, the Ampi or Rosemount, I guess, but we’re cooking on a scheme to get another venue with great potential pumping through summer-time. We wanna do a summer residency with guest DJs, although the regular clientele at this place is a bit iffy, I reckon we could make a regular night happen that people would dig. It’s in the cards, or stars I guess. We’ll see and I’ll keep you posted.

Jabrriel Cole
Floating Widget

Q. Does Floating Widget have any recordings out or coming out? Can you tell us about the name, release, tour, expierience while recording it, etc?

We do currently have a 15 track highly produced demo cd. Initially we were going to release a 5 track EP, but couldn’t be chuffed. We recorded 5 tracks at Satellite studio with Darren Halifax, nice studio, lotsa $$$, average recording. 7 other tracks on the cd where done at a studio in the hills somewhere for like $100 in about 4 hours!! we where very happy with that actually. We also had a few live tracks laying around, so we chucked a couple of them on the cd. We have no major intention of releasing the cd, though anyone wanting a copy for note donation, email us at: floatingwidgetoz@hotmail.com We also a few tracks available for download on the site.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and its history? Has the band changed since forming?

We have all been members of this band since the beginning in late 2000. We are a three piece looking to rock whenever we can!! The Band is: Jabriel - Guitar&Vox, Matty -Bass, Damo’s on Drums.

Q. What is the songwriting process for the band? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?

I am the songwriter, i suppose. Usually i come with a riff or a full blown song on a good day! and the words tend to pop up in the latter stages once a melody has formed. It just happens! it’s probably a little more complex than it seems, the fella’s know what to do, so that makes it easier sometimes.

Q. When playing live shows, is it important to make every show a spectacle or does it just happen naturally. Do you feed off the crowd’s reaction or do you try to create a reaction?

For us, it’s all about music. We definatley feed off crowd reaction! it motivates us to actually give a shit and try that little bit harder when we play our tunes. I personally would much rather conserve my energy and use it in my music, than jump around lookin like a drowned monkey.

Q. Is there a story behind the name Floating Widget?

A friend of mine come up with it! The name “Floating Widget” originates from the depths of dark beer! The “Floating Widget” can be found in Guinness & Kilkenny cans and resembles a ping pong ball. The purpose of the “Floating Widget” is to release anti-oxidants once the beer can is cracked, allowing the enormous head of froth to be created upon the beer’s liquid form.

Q. There is a lot of interest in Perth bands and Perth music at the moment, do you think there is a particular Perth sound and is it very different from bands from the Eastern States?

To be honest, the whole scene (well, most of) is a sham! It always has been and probably always will be! Its sad to see so much sucking up and fake personalities. There are bands out there that will blow many ’s minds! unfortunatley, there is a big waiting list behind all those suckerfish. I’d assume that over east has the same issues, well that’s my opinion. A Particular Perth sound? sure, depends on who’s headlining really. Lets say Karnivool, who are an excellent band are headlining, the band before them maybe good (Head shot, Subtruck spring to mind). Then you have the next two or three slots filled with Heavy Rock Bands trying to sound good, but they aren’t! It’s all a Sham, trust me!

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment both from Perth and from elsewhere?

I listened to the Beatles and Jimi when i was a kid, all the time!! In my teenage years, the Peppers, Nirvana even Michael Jackson. Now its, Jamiroquai, Sting, Foo’s, Grinspoon the list could go on. Bands in Perth? Karnivool have rocked everytime! A band called Brainhorn spun me right out. Bystander, StarDiner, Zeta Theory, Imprint are all bands that deserve a look at. Beaverloop were a band that could have been huge, real huge!!

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

Lately we’ve had a few shows at the White Sands in Scabs, the sound system there is easily the best around town! The taipan used to be pretty good until it died. Big shows always win, hands down! small one’s are still fun, but as Tori Amos says “it’s gotta be big”.

Q. Do you have any gigs coming up that you would like more people to come along to?

Yes, all of them!! check X-press every Thursday!!

A Means To An End

Q. Does A Means To An End have any recordings out or coming out? Can you tell us about the name, release, tour, experience while recording it, etc?

Our name, it comes from a Joy Division song..called A Means To An End, we’ve played something like 30 gigs and our first gig was the 24th of October 02.

AMTAE have recorded somewhere between 8 and 12 tracks for our first EP, which we have been taking our time putting together for an official release, but you can hear some of the incomplete and unmixed versions of the albums tracks online.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and its history? Has the band changed since forming?

We have some really old jam tapes from when we used to jam at my parents house and drink fruity lexia and it was just horrible, screaming and swearing and playing nothing but really messy punk songs. We’ve gone through 4 lead guitarists, played as a 3 piece for a while and then got a new lead guitarist again. At the moment, we’re thinking of adding keyboards and the new songs we are writing certainly aren’t punk…so yeah we’ve changed alot.

Q. What is the songwriting process for the band? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?

I, myself have always made my songs up by myself, same with the rest of the band. we’ll go over eachothers house and show eachother some stuff we’ve been playing around with. Sometimes the lyrics come as we are writing the songs, other times a song will go weeks without them and then we’ll play it on the night of a gig with lyrics made up that day.

Q. When playing live shows, is it important to make every show a spectacle or does it just happen naturally. Do you feed off the crowd’s reaction or do you try to create a reaction?

When we’re playing we see ourselves as a bit of a spectacle regardless, our image and our sound is a little out of the ordinary and so i think we get peoples attention anyway. The crowds reaction can really help with how you view your songs, and helps you compare how good the songs actually are. We definetly feed of the crowd..when there is one.

Q. Is there a story behind the name A Means To An End? Do you prefer A MeansTo An End or AMTAE?

We prefer AMTAE, not so much of a mouthfull and people always call us “Means to an End”, which pisses us off.. so we called up the monkey king, and he sent the fish down to clean her liver. Shortly after serving a year long sentance in Jail, we decided that we love the A, and without it theres a good chance I’m pregnant.

Q. There is a lot of interest in Perth bands and Perth music at the moment, do you think there is a particular Perth sound and is it very different from bands from the Eastern States?

Having never been out of WA, I don’t think i can comment fairly. But i will say that in our experience in Perth music, we’ve played with alot of bands that sound absolutely nothing like eachother, we’ve gone to gigs and watched bands that don’t even come close to sitting in the same ball park.

So my opinion on what the Perth sound is? A unique blend of whatever us Perth musicians are coming up with, and performing where ever the hell we can perform, even if it means playing with bands we sound nothing like.

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment both from Perth and from elsewhere?

Influenced by Joy Division,The Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster, Killing Joke, Public Image, Bauhaus, The Misfits, AC DC, The Cramps, New Order and Danzig. Check them all out.

In Perth we like to play with, The magoos, Zxspecky, Nice Box, Beverly Killbillies and MF & his truckload of hope. Yep.

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

The Carlton!
The Rosemount!

James Crossland
SleeperX

Q. Does SleeperX have any recordings out or coming out? Can you tell us about the name, release, tour, experience while recording it, etc?

We’re currently working on our debut EP which should hopefully be out by the end of the year. It’s been a pretty slow process given that we’re recording it in a studio we’re building that’s very much a work in progress, we’ve still got a few gadgets and toys to buy yet. But the first song ‘Don’t Speak Too Quiet’ is nearly done and it’s sounding pretty damn solid and crisp, so we’re certainly doing something right. That song will be coming out on a compilation CD called ‘New Blood Rising’, which is going to be the first release for Red Guard Records & Promotions, which is, I guess, the business wing of SleeperX. The comp is going have the likes of Civilised, Zeta Theory, Snowman and Antistatic on it plus many others. It’ll paint a pretty good picture of some Perth’s up and comers I think.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and its history? Has the band changed since forming?

The band was started by me and Wade ( Taylor, guitarist ) and that would have been at least two years ago. We went through a lot of bullshit and had alot of false-starts with drummers in particular until eventually, in late 2002 we met Chris ( Butler, Drums ) at a party purely by chance. I was in in a real depressed mood over all the hold-up’s we’d been having with the band and I didn’t want to go out but I remember Wade said ‘don’t worry, we’ll find some little drummer boy at this thing tonight’ and low and behold, we did. Garth ( Adams, Bass ) has been my friend since we were born and as a bassist, always had a style I loved. I asked him to join after the guy who it seemed, had pretty much settled in on the bass dropped out to concentrate on uni. By this stage I was scratching my eyes out in frustration with the whole thing, I was that close to just saying fuck it and closing up shop. But, cooler heads prevailed and we decided we needed someone we could trust and depend upon who wasn’t going to screw us over or waste any more time and that’s exactly who Garth is.

Q. What is the songwriting process for the band? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?

It changes from song to song. I tend to work off a beat or a riff in my head, or sometimes just a feeling, an impression of how I want a song to sound. I figure out the tempo, perhaps use Fruityloops or whatever, plug in the guitar and see what happens. The blanks get filled in later. A lot of the earlier songs I wrote myself on guitar, took them into the rehearseal room and strapped on the jack-boots. I would have everything mapped out in my head perfectly and any divergence from it in anyway was instantly branded as wrong.

Thankfully, we all work a little more democratically now, but still for the most part it starts with me just humming a tune or getting a line in my head that sticks with me, singing it over and over, thinking of different ways to sing it, recording it, jamming over the top of it. The lyrics come more as words and sounds then meaning. Any messages that need conveying get added later, but more often then not the lyrics just come to me, yet still they all somehow have meaning, sub-concious thing I think.

Garth tends to figure out a lot of the structure for the tunes and any guitar parts that sound remotely technical would be Wade’s. I’m a self-taught guitar player and I basically play by gut feeling. As a band we work around what the drums are doing more than anything. We’re a beat band. The vocals especially, follow the drums very closely. The way Garth writes bass it often goes off on tangents, stuff that just should not fit, but somehow it does. I think that’s a pretty important part of our overall sound, mixes it up, confuses a few people and keeps it interesting.

Q. When playing live shows, is it important to make every show a spectacle or does it just happen naturally. Do you feed off the crowd’s reaction or do you try to create a reaction?

I think in some way, we have to feed off the reaction. For any band, it doesn’t matter who you are, it’s always a good feeling to look out and see people creating mayhem and mischeif to your music. It’s always a good feeling to provoke a response. Whether it’s people dancing or people standing right up the front of the stage and yelling abuse, just getting a reaction is important. But I don’t think it’s our fuel. There have been gigs that have been like playing in a cemetary and in those instances I really don’t think our demeanour changes. It’s just a question of getting excited about your own music. The amount of bands you see on stage who are just ‘there’. They just turn up, plug in and play. They look like they could be doing their laundry, that shit is just depressing. The way I see it, if you can’t get excited about your own music, who the hell else will?

Q. Is there a story behind the name SleeperX?

Disagreements and lots of them. It was a matter of compromise. We had everything from Spider Monkeys to Tablas Of Doom put forth, usually from Chris and none of us could all agree on a name. SleeperX I think Wade came up with. It’s mentioned somewhere on an album we both like. But still, in my more philosophical moments, for me there is a meaning I can attach to it. I take it from the Chuck D lyric about ’so many people are sleeping while standing up’ and apply it to the idea that everyone on earth is walking around asleep, not realising what’s truly going on around them or worse still not caring. That’s just my take on it and everyone’s free to have their own idea, but like I say, the name itself came from somewhere else.

Q. There is a lot of interest in Perth bands and Perth music at the moment, do you think there is a particular Perth sound and is it very different from bands from the Eastern States?

I think the pop rock made over here is very distinct. If a Perth pop song comes on the radio you know it instantly, there’s just something about it that screams Perth. Personally I don’t think it’s a particuarly good thing that you hear, but then there’s a nation of bouncing teenagers who’d say otherwise. I don’t buy the notion for a second that Perth is, or was ever going to be, the next Seattle. I remember hearing that said in high school and I laughed my ass off then about it. That was four years ago and I still don’t see it. If there’s one thing the Perth scene needs to realise it’s that it’s not as special as we think. It’s not something unique because of it’s isolation. There are some diamonds in the rough definitely. You got acts like Snowman, who won the NBT comp and Wire Complex coming up and making different music, but still, Perth’s a small town and subsequently, these bands don’t get half the play they should.

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment both from Perth and from elsewhere?

We all have a pretty mixed-up tastes in music. Garth prefers older style metal and rock, but he’s also a big fan of Jewel. Chris likes some of the nu-metal stuff, but then he tends to give everything a listen at least once. Wade and I probably have the closest musical tastes. I’d say we’re the only two guys in the band who can drive along in a car together and agree on what CD to play.

Stuff like Fantomas, Skunk Anansie, System Of A Down, Mr.Bungle, that’s more our heavy side. But I think that in terms of music the main influences I see coming through for us are American Head Charge and Pitchshifter if they didn’t use loops and samples. This is because guitar-wise that’s where I take most of my style, as well as in overall sound. They’re dance metal, which is what I originally intended us to do. But at the same time I don’t think heavy music is a big thing for us in terms of influence. Music is music and the less chance of pigeon-holing your tastes the better you’ll be at making music.

I’m more likely to listen to Clannad or Secret Chiefs3 than Korn, Wade’s more likely to crank up Bjork then listen to Metallica. Same for Garth really, he’s got Pearl Jam and Tori Amos CDs in his car, right next to In Flames albums and Chris, as I say, listens to a lot of the newer stuff. That post-hardcore stuff, Thursday and the like. It’s a healthy mix that I think is important to have in order to write good songs. At the moment I’m listening to Robbie Williams because as a vocalist, I admire him. That doesn’t mean I don’t still enjoy blasting out some Henry Rollins or Jello Biafra anger. It’s good for vision.

With regards to Perth bands that we like the one I know of that we’re all digging right now is Civilised. I just can’t stop listening to their CD, they’re something original that Perth needs more of.

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

So far, it would have to be The Rosemount. We’re playing the Amplifier for the first time this Saturday, so maybe that’ll change, but for now, Rosemount is the best place we’ve played. I think most bands would give you a similar story. It’s got a great sound and a large enough stage for us. Big venues would be great, if they could be filled.

SLEEPERX are :

Wade Taylor : Guitar
Garth Adams : Bass
Chris Butler : Drums
James Crossland : Vocals

Ronan Boothman
Tantrum

Q. Does Tantrum have any recordings out or coming out? Can you tell us about the name, release, tour, experience while recording it, etc?

We recorded what was to be a demo last year and released it in November as an ep/cd. We go in to the studios at the end of September this year to record our next release, going in this time around with a much more serious approach and a better understanding of the whole recording process. We plan to release it in January of 2004 and hope to tour the east coast after that. I think this next CD will be a positive step for the band.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and its history? Has the band changed since forming?

Tantrum formed in January of 2002 and has maintained the same line up since then going on to play about 100 shows. The drummer and I met in high school but never formed anything serious until we met the other guys through various mediums.

Q. What is the songwriting process for the band? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?

It’s a collective process for sure. Usually we all just stand around the room at the end of a set and someone will play something that another thinks is cool and we just fool around with it. Usually our best songs are written almost fully within one or two hours while other songs are written by individuals at home etc. The lyrics always come second with us; we usually have the music complete and then the lyrics just flow from the tunes.

Q. When playing live shows, is it important to make every show a spectacle or does it just happen naturally. Do you feed off the crowd’s reaction or do you try to create a reaction?

I think our songs and style demand a huge live show but we don’t put it on, it always just seems to come to us and when it does I hope that the crowd thinks it’s a spectacle. We always get psyched before a show and it’s what we all love doing so it’s just natural to us and I think the crowd recognizes that. When the crowd reacts to an energetic band it amps you more when you are playing and no one likes to pay for a ‘show’ and not get one.

Q. Is there a story behind the name Tantrum?

Not really, our drummer Dan just thought it was a cool word and we all agreed on it. I guess it kind of suits our style and it’s a catchy and easy to remember.

Q. There is a lot of interest in Perth bands and Perth music at the moment, do you think there is a particular Perth sound and is it very different from bands from the Eastern States?

I think the whole ‘indie’ scene in Perth is getting noticed and yes I defiantly think Perth has a distinct sound probably because we are so isolated that you have to be a little different to get noticed.

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment both from Perth and from elsewhere?

We have very diverse tastes in our band with everyone liking completely different styles. Perth bands like Gyroscope, Last year’s hero and Jebediah are inspiring because they are all touring and doing what we at the moment are only dreaming of. International and larger Australian acts are always inspiring us just as long as they rock out. Bands like Incubus, Further seems forever, Atari’s, Deftones etc are all big influences but they don’t reflect hugely on our song writing style, that seems to just be a TANTRUM thing.

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

I think the Amplifier Bar has the best sound. We played at the quarry amphitheatre for the finals of the Ampfest band comp to around 500 people which had a huge sound too. You always start off to small crowds so it is a cosy thing but I think we would love to show off in front of a huge crowd.

Joel Birch
Acetate

Q. Acetate have been around since 1998. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and its history? Has the band changed since forming?

“Acetate” as an entity has really only been around since late 2000, but the early incarnations of it date back to ‘98. Mike and I used to kill ridiculous amounts of time jamming and writing songs with our old bassist. We pulled our first lineup together in time for our first ever gig at Campus Bands 2000 and came third in our heat to Voyager & the Fascist Fair Go Party, which we were really pleased with. We started gigging pretty solidly after that, then had the clichéd lineup change - a couple of members left for various reasons, and we’ve taken our time finding new ones. As a result I think we’re stronger than ever, in terms of musical ability, direction, and personality. So Dave and Damo have been with us on bass and drums since the end of last year, and Sarah joined us just in time for our first show at the Lookout in June - a bit of a baptism of fire!

Q. What is the songwriting process for the band? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?

I always write my lyrics last, and we always write the music together, but sometimes I’ll have an idea for where I want the lyrics to head before we start jamming. If we work that way I use my song idea as a bit of inspiration to put the right mood and vibe into the music. If the music comes first, sometimes I’ll let it guide how the lyrics come out, tapping into how it sounds and feels. Then when it comes to structure and arrangement we try out a few different ways of playing it, adapt bits here and there, argue like children then eventually have a finished product to hit the stage with!

Q. I believe you guys are into the semi-finals of the Campus Bands Comp. Are you excited about that and how do you think the other bands you have seen so far in the Campus Bands have performed?

We’re all really excited about the semi-finals. We put a lot of work into what we do, so we’re really glad to have the opportunity to play in the finals series of something like Campus Bands that gets as much exposure as it does. We watched the heats pretty closely, at UWA and Curtin, and we headed down to the Kitchen to see a couple of the TAFE heats, and we’ve had an awesome time at all of them - there’s been some really good stuff coming through.

Q. Is there a story behind the name Acetate?

Yes.

Q. When playing live shows, is it important to make every show a spectacle or does it just happen naturally. Do you feed off the crowd’s reaction or do you try to create a reaction?

I know personally it’s a little of both. I think it’s really important to make live shows a performance, otherwise you might as well just be a studio band. But at the same time I’m an incurable showoff so it’s not too much of an effort! I’m going to sit on the fence again in terms of crowd reaction - I never take an audience’s attention for granted so when I’m on stage I work really hard to grab it and keep it. So it’s a give and take thing - we try to make the shows as interactive as possible.

Q. There is a lot of interest in Perth bands and Perth music at the moment, do you think there is a particular Perth sound and is it very different from bands from the Eastern States?

I don’t believe there’s a distinctive “Perth sound” - the local live scene seems to be more diverse than ever at the moment, which is great - there’s never a shortage of gigs to go to. I’m really hesitant to try to categorise cities by sound, what you hear from the opposite side of the Nullarbor probably only reflects one facet of what makes up each city’s scene.

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment both from Perth and from elsewhere?

We’ve all been influenced by a range of different stuff. I think at heart we’re all rock pigs, but we’ve each got there from different sorts of angles, so we draw the lines around what “rock” is differently.

The local scene’s awesome at the moment. We’re right into Headshot, Karnivool, Brainhorn, Floating Widget, and Tragic Delicate to name a few.

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

We’ve got so many cool new ones it’s hard to pick one! The Rosemount sounds awesome and it’s a nice place. We’ve played equally fun shows in front of lots of people and in front of 10 of our mates - it’s a different vibe each time and you get different things out of them. Our small shows tend to be a lot funnier, but we definitely make a bigger scene at the bigger shows.

Michael Miller
Fourth Floor Collapse

Q. The Fourth Floor Collapse live show is a great thing to be seen. Audiences that I have seen really seem to get into the music. Is getting a crowd involved important to having a good show or do you just concentrate on playing great music and the crowd is blocked out?

I think it’s important for the crowd. I know when I see bands I like them to keep me interested and make me feel something… excited, angry, ecstatic, depressed, reflective, nauseous… Anything’s good. When I’m an audience member I think a bad gig is one were I don’t notice a band is playing. It’s just some background music I’m finding it hard to talk over.

So when we’re playing we put all our energies into it, emotionally and physically. We want the crowed to feel something. So yes the crowd’s reaction is important. Especially if they’re not reacting… That makes us work even harder.

Q. Are there plans for an EP or album to be released soon? Have you recorded yet?

Our new Album “From The Cold” will be out in October. We’ve just put out the second single from it (the first being sun) which can be downloaded from our website www.fourthfloorcollapse.com(.) The second single is called “Night Under Lights”

Q. I believe your first album “Half Deserted Streets” was recorded by the band themselves. Will your next release be the same? Does it make it easier to record your own music with complete control or can too much control take away your focus on the music?

Both albums have been recorded at Congregation Studios, which we run. It’s very cool to record your own stuff. It gives you a great deal of freedom with time. It allows you to experiment and be creative without worrying about the bucks pouring out of your pocket. It does have its down side. It means more work, but it’s all worth it.

Q. Are there plans for a tour either around WA or over East?

We should be making several appearances in N.S.W, Victoria and obviously WA over the rest of this year and the beginning of next year. It’s more likely we’ll be doing quite a few small trips than one large tour.

Q. The band has won a heap of WAMI awards in their time. Do you think the Kiss My WAMI’s are very important to the Perth bands? And are they are important to the Perth community?

Kiss My WAMI’s are very valuable to W.A music. It gives W.A original music a huge publicity boost both in W.A its self and the rest of Australia, thanks to the support given by JJJ and ABC TV.

Q. What is the song writing process for the band? As lead singer do you write all the songs or is it a collective product? Do you write the lyrics and music together or one first and then the other?

We’ve created songs in a lot of different ways. The new album is made up quite evenly of songs Originated by either Dan, Rhys or myself. I write most of the lyrics but Dan also contributes occasionally in that department. At the moment I’m writing Lyrics and chord structures at the same time but in the past we’ve mostly constructed the music before I’ve added the lyrics.

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment both from Perth and from elsewhere?

My favourite band from Perth is probably The Fergusons. I particularly love their first E.P. Early on we were definitely inspired by Perth bands such as Spank and Bucket And cinema Prague. It wasn’t a musical influence… more of an attitude thing… a respect for how hard they worked in Perth. We looked up to them. Internationally the band loves so many different artists it’s not really worth going through the list… just use your imagination.

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth? Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

The Rosemount has become a premium venue over this year. It’s a very cool room… nice and big to be filled with people… does that answer the other part of the question.