It is a big month or two for Victorian noise-rock duo DEAD.
They recently released their new album, 'We Won't Let You Sleep'. Scenestr caught up with the guys ahead of their Brisbane show later this month.
Tell us a bit about the band for the uninitiated.
DEAD is the distilled version of our previous band Fangs Of (which featured Brisbane’s own Mickey Brackenridge of Brain Resin fame). The two-piece format gives us more freedom and flexibility to get stuff done at the rate that we want to: releases, tours, writing etc. The amount of time we dedicate to this band is a lot to ask of anyone. So I guess we were born out of necessity, but the band is its own beast now though.
There is a distinct lack of information about you on the internet. Is this because you are in the witness protection programme?
There is no shortage of info about us on the net, but good luck finding it there among all the other clutter. Maybe we need a clean out of the internet? There’s too much crap to wade through in there. Keep the cats. People expect everything to be at their fingertips all the time these days. I’m okay with a bit of mystery. The fastest way to get information on our band is to come and see us play. Make up your own mind because some of the critics out there are way off.
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Your new album ('We Won’t Let You Sleep') is out. What can we expect?
By the time we get to you in Brisbane we will have all four albums in 'The Trilogy' released. They are all different (to us anyway). We’re not interested in trying to hammer out one genre over and over. It’s hard to step outside of your own music but to me, and based on what people keep saying to me, I think it’s more melodic than our previous records.
You also run your own, independent label WeEmptyRooms. Was that always the direction you wanted to go in?
I started running the label long before DEAD existed, but the label is now the two of us. It always seemed logical to do it myself if I wanted my music released. I could grow old waiting for someone else to do it. I do prefer having control I suppose. We work with other labels overseas and running our own label puts us in a better position to benefit from that when we do. We’ve never claimed to actually know what we’re doing, we’re far better at making records than we are at selling them.
You recently ran a 'search for the shittiest riff' competition to celebrate the release of 'Unpopularity Contest', the LP you made with Wicked City. What is excellent about a truly shit riff?
Haha! I’m not sure I could say. Honestly, there is magic in there that I can’t put my finger on. It’s so much harder to do than you might think. It’s like trying to deliberately speak in sentences that make no sense; you have to train yourself out of it in order to do it. I take my hat off to those people who contributed, it was a mighty effort.
Finally, if we were packing for your show at The Bearded Lady, what should we bring? Peanut butter sandwiches? Dancing shoes? Neck-brace to protect us while head-banging?
I’m all for packing a sandwich. Food options at music venues are pretty limited. Pack some cash, buy some merch, trust me.
DEAD Tour Dates
Wed 10 May - The Hammo (Newcastle)Fri 12 May - Coronation Hotel (Ipswich)
Sat 13 May - The Bearded Lady (Brisbane)
Fri 19 May - The Eastern (Ballarat)
Sat 20 May - Grumpys (Melbourne)
Fri 26 May - Beer DeLuxe (Wagga Wagga)
Sat 27 May - Crossroads (Canberra)
