Brisbane’s Shifting Sands first staggered bleary eyed into the down-light two years ago and quickly burnt dive bars like bridges with their beautiful, downbeat alco-core aesthetic.
Comprised of members of seminal and established acts SixFtHick, Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side, Keep On Dancin’s and Family Jordan, Shifting Sands burn the mantle of Leonard Cohen, Lee Hazlewood, Nick Cave and Mark Lanegan.
Singer Geoff Corbett takes a full stumble back from his SixFtHick role of high-priest of psychotic swamp blither to snake, slither and baritone croon through a quiver full of whiskey-wrecked reflections of unrequited love and busted hearts. Shifting Sands wind their way knowingly through tunes littered with surf, country, French pop and film-epic nuance providing the soundtrack while you drink to forget.
Shifting Sands debut album, 'Beach Coma', will be launched in February, 2015 via Melbourne label Spooky Records and French vinyl label Beast Records.
Who is Shifting Sands... Shifting Sands is an amorphous blob comprised of ethyl alcohol and various members of SixFtHick, Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side, Keep On Dancin’s and Johnny And The Fembots.
We sound like... A downbeat soundtrack to an interpretive dance about clinical depression, booze and unrequited love set in a nightclub toilet after closing time.
Our first gig was... A tourettes de farce. An. Absolute. Shocker.
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision... After our cocaine-importation racket got shut down by the feds we still had the registered business name, so we decided to form a band for money laundering purposes. Only one member disagreed, so we had them killed.
In the studio we… Routinely have to re-record everything because we have extremely poor, impulse control and have unquenchable thirsts.
If we could tour with anyone... We would.
Social media is... A thing of the past.
My favourite app at the moment is (why?)... The torch. What’s not to love?
Life on the road can be... A great way for a serial killer to avoid capture.
If you'll have us on your bill, all we ask is that our rider contains... Finger food.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band (why?)... Gentle Ben Corbett. Because he’s younger and better looking than Geoff.
Gentle Ben - Image © Facebook
Three people you'd like to invite to a dinner party (why?)... Scarlett Johansson and her two friends. Use your imagination.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? A fish dish.
No matter the expense, send me a case of… Mistaken identity.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was… Online.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Havin’ sex with the missus.
Do you have any phobias? My wife reading this.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? Dylan McCormack. Double-tap to the back of head.
'Beach Coma' will be available in a hand-numbered, limited-edition gold vinyl at the album launch shows below.
Shifting Sands Tour Dates
Fri 27 Feb – The Bearded Lady (Brisbane)Sat 28 Feb – The Bison Bar (Sunshine Coast)
Fri 13 Mar – The Old Bar (Melbourne)
Sat 14 Mar – The Drum Room (Sydney)
