There is nothing music journalists seem to like more than saying the words ‘math rock’.
Who knows why. Perhaps it's because of the way it rolls off the tongue. More likely, though, it's because of the pretentious arrogance that follows bandying around a genre no one understands. Even Paul Wolinski is at a loss — ironic, since 65daysofstatic is supposedly 'a forerunner of the math rock genre'.
“Well... if it means that we use odd time signatures, then yes, we're a math rock band.”
Before reading Paul's quotations in your head, note that they were said under the auspices of a thick Sheffield accent, warm like a glass of scotch in a house fire.
After more than a decade in the business, 65days is poised to re-release their entire back catalogue. In a way, the release has shed light on the band's inner workings; particularly, the battle against complacency that its members face.
“There's this kind of power with first records, because bands don't really know what they're doing but there's this energy there. It's quite often impossible to recreate that energy, and some bands end up doing diluted versions of that first record. We've seen so many bands fall by the wayside in their creative ways. Our old records will always exist for our people to listen to... there's no point in just doing that again. If people don't like whatever it is that we do next, that's fine. They can just listen to the old records."
Anyone who's seen 65days perform knows why these Sheffield gents are renowned for the energy they bring to the live stage. But let's not forget that they, like all bands, did their time playing in anonymity in the dingiest pubs around. "I think our first three shows kind of got the ball rolling."
Reminiscing down the phone line, Paul admits his memory of the first show is “a bit of a blur”, although he remembers playing “very loud”. Clearly loud enough to erase all other memories of the night. Thankfully, the next two he can remember.
"We played in a tiny little pub and had to restart the show three times because we kept blowing the PA. And the third time we ever played, our friend set up this giant lighting rig in this tiny little underground bar... we played to the most ridiculous light setup we've ever had so far."
65daysofstatic Tour Dates
Sun Dec 30 — Peats Ridge FestivalWed Jan 02 — The Hi-Fi (Sydney)
Thu Jan 03 — The Hi-Fi (Brisbane)
Fri Jan 04 — The Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
Sat Jan 05 — The Bakery (Perth)
