What were your highlights from this year?
James Grim - Waverock. That's only because it's fresh in my mind.
Matt Grim - Forum was good.
James - Yeah, I don't even remember that. That show was almost like I wasn't even there. But yeah, I don't know if there were highlights, there was just a lot of hard work. A lot of hard work. And it wasn't entirely fun. But we did. And we've done it. And we will probably continue to do it. You're looking at four broken people.
Chris Lichti - Mine is getting the album done. Finally getting it fucking finished.
Can you tell us a little about the Forum?
J: It's this beautiful venue in Melbourne. It's probably the biggest show we've played. I think it was like 1200 people or something.
So, I was going to ask you guys what your favourite gig of this year was, but obviously it's the Forum..
M: [laughs]
Steven Devlin: They're all miss mashy.
J: Yeah, they all blend into each other now.
Do you guys even know what year it is?
J: I'm not sure. We play gigs every weekend, and out of all those weekends there is probably a highlight gig that we really liked. But every month, there is probably one that we really liked out of all of them.
Well, you have played a lot of gigs.
J: And out of every six months, there is probably one gig. It's just the same, same, same. Last night was heaps of fun, in Manly.
M: Because it's fresh in our minds? [laughs]
J: Yeah, I remember it well. I really enjoyed it. Lots of beautiful people there. They're loose in Manly.
Really?
J: Yeah man. They get crazy. But it's a good crazy.
S: In the dark with their fake tan, so you can't really even see it anymore.
M: [laughs] Not that's all real tanning over there.
J: It looks like fake tan to us. Anytime we see a tan, we just get nervous. Against our pasty Melbourne skin.
M: We've just done like three shows close to the beach, and have not been for one swim. We've not been to the actual beach once.
Do you have any other favourite gigs or venues to play at?
J: I enjoyed playing at the Corner, because the Corner was our people. It was a show where you were looking out to a packed room and everybody you can recognise - and they're all just staring at the stage. It's like 'C'mon you fuckers. It's your night'. It was really nice.
S: It was another one of those crowds that it was really hard to be 'in', because you couldn't move or get to the bar. It was crazy.
C: And now you're complaining about how many people there were at the gig.
[all laugh]
S: The stint that we did up in Brisbane for a little while, that was good as well.
M: Ah, at the Joynt.
S: Yeah, we've played at the Joynt a few times, and a few other places but it's always good to go there. You can stay there and relax, and enjoy some sunshine.
J: And that's almost more than a show, because the woman who runs that place, puts you up at her house. She stocks the fridge for you, she buys you cases of beer and that's just where you're staying. If you're not comfortable in the bed she's got you in, she'll give you her bed and you can crash there. She's fucking phenominal man.
And so that's included in the experience. So, you do that, and then you go to this really great juke joint where it's all about supporting good music. The audience aren't there to drink. They're there to drink and watch music. We did like 3 shows in a row or something. And that was heaps of fun.
So you do that and you get all the food you want, all the booze you want, all the good people you want and then you go back, crash there, chill out all day..
S: Play Uno.
J: Yeah, that was a highlight. That wasn't too bad man. In the trailer park. It got pretty serious because we had a new learner. [motions to Matt]
Have you never played Uno before?
M: No, never.
J: There were a few 'Oh, you're making up rules as you go along'
S: He threw his cards down as well.
M: We ended up playing 52 pickup.
J: Two Uno decks, that's probably..
You're combining decks now?
J: Yeah, Yeah. When you have a lot of people, you have to do that. Like a whole 4 people.
A whole 4?
J: Yeah. It keeps everyone honest. And at least when you first start playing, it's really easy because everyone has the same colour, because it hasn't been shuffled properly.
Any other random highlights?
S: Realising that we had flights with Jetstar back home from Perth.
J: We went from Perth to the Forum which was the biggest show in our career, and if it was with Qantas and we had of jumped in our van, drove non stop and just filled up petrol on the fly - we would have made it.. twelve hours late.
Only twelve?
J: Yeah, if we didn't stop. For two days.
Did you have a favourite band that you've toured with this year?
S: I want to give credit to all of them. They've all been really cool.
C: Graveyard Train is always a laugh.
J: I actually really enjoyed the Toot Toot Toots. The criminals that they are.
S: Mother and Son.
J&M: Oh yes.
M: I love watching them.
Their singer has the best moustache.
M: Yeah. He's also one of the best guitarists around. So for me, I get to sit there and just watch him play guitar. He just does something that is so different from everyone else.
S: When you play festivals like Chopped and such, you might not be on tour with these guys, but you get to see them - so you get to see a lot of bands.
C: We haven't actually 'toured' with that many bands.
J: We always tour on our own.
C: And just meet up at gigs.
Or is there a band that you've seen this year that you've liked?
S: Jackson Firebird. Big favourite of mine.
J: There were a couple that I really liked. Tim Bead or something like that.
S: The guys at the Oxford Arts Factory gig, they're good boys.
Oh La Mancha Negra? Yeah, I love those guys.
C: The Snowdroppers at the Corner was great.
J: Yeah, and Death Rattles.
C: How many other fucking bands are there?
M: I just looking at bands and saying that you love them?
J: I love lamp. I love lamp.
What are your plans for next year? Are you going to keep touring? Are you going to work on some new stuff?
J: Yeah, we're going to write some new stuff. So we want to spend the next three months writing new stuff. And then we will probably spend the next few months touring it and trialing it out. Then, maybe, hit the studio this time next year. But, we will see if the trauma from the last experience has subsided.
We want to bring in some kind of monster, or mediator - and we're just going to hand them a yellow note pad, so if they have any suggestions.
So how are you guys ending the year? I know you're playing at the Vanguard on New Years.
J: That's just party for us. We got offered a festival or two, but we basically just wanted to do the Vanguard. The Vanguard is our people. That's our spiritual home in old Sydney town. And so, I couldn't think of a better way to kick in the new year, then being at a venue that we love, with the people that we love - with two of the most killer bands you will see in Kira Puru and the Bruise and the Snowdroppers.
It's going to be a tough night to endure, and I'm pretty sure we're not going to live until next year, as a result of that. And if we do, there will definitely be some photos for the tabloids, I would imagine. If last year was anything to go by.
I am pretty sure there is an unreleased sex tape of us in the window of the Vanguard - in that window that faces the street. At Christmas time last year, we may or may not have done a little performance in there for the passers-by.
How would you sum up 2011?
All: Hard work.
