It seems Australians aren't the only ones getting high on the wild stoners of Aussie rock, The Bennies.
Self-described as 'psychedelic reggae ska doom metal punk rock from hell', The Bennies have been busy touring off the back of their latest album, 'Wisdom Machine', and bassist Jules Rozenbergs says both the local and international response so far has been second-to-none.
“Getting to meet the fans and getting the feedback on the album is lovely, especially when it’s positive,” Jules says.
“Sometimes we wonder if we’ve disappeared so far down The Bennies rabbit hole that maybe people may not get it but people have gotten behind it, which is great because it spurs us along and pushes us further down our own rabbit hole. The response has been wicked. I'm always surprised by what people pick up from our stuff; it's pretty humbling.”
The third album for the Melbourne four-piece, 'Wisdom Machine' was released last year and has seen The Bennies court international success with tours throughout Europe and the UK as well as back home including a support slot on The Living End's most recent Australian tour. “At least from my perspective it seems to be building at a pretty sweet rate,” Jules says of the band's overseas fan base.
“We offer that youthful exuberance people have come to expect from Australia – a good disposition – so it’s good to see how the energy translates. People have been very kind to us and taken us under their wing and we’ve made a bunch of friends with other bands. We’re solidifying old friendships and making new ones along the way.
“As the demands get a little bit greater and the shows keep kicking along we’re finding as musicians that we’re developing whether we like it or not, and that’s the best thing for our band because we’re hoping we’re getting better and I think the fans deserve at least that.”
While their recent travels have taken The Bennies around the world and back again, Jules says their upcoming headline slot at Dead Of Winter festival will be the highlight of their live calendar this year. “First of all, it’s up north where the weather is fine; it’s fucking cold in Melbourne at the moment,” he says. “Then there's the people who run it, the festival itself; we got to play it a few years ago and it just went fucking off.
“When we found out we weren't on tour and could get along to this one, we just couldn't wait. There's a bunch of sick bands playing and it seems like it gets the full support of the music community up there. They’ve always had our backs, so we can’t wait to throw our party chip on the table and get shit going.”
Dead Of Winter festival brings together a massive line-up of rock, metal and punk bands for 12 hours of headbanging, horror themed, musical madness. Jules says The Bennies will be pulling out all stops to make it a memorable one. “You can expect a good spread of songs actually,” Jules assures us.
“We’re going to have to bring something pretty high energy, we can’t be fucking around there. There was the general theme of crushing rock, punk rock and metal [together] with Dead Of Winter, so I don’t know if we should mix it up and keep people dancing, but I've got a feeling we’re just going to throw everything we have at it. That’s how we roll, especially if the weather’s nice.
“Part of the nature of what we do is getting everything from old to new fans at our shows; established fans and fans in the making, the full spectrum. We’ll definitely play a few songs off every album and lean a bit on 'Wisdom Machine'. We might even bring out a brand new song, keep it ultra fresh.”
In keeping with the horror and monster theme for which Dead Of Winter is known, there's a good chance The Bennies will be getting in on some costume action as a special treat. But Jules isn't giving anything away just yet. “We’re going to have to keep that at least a little bit of a surprise,” he says.
“We've been 50/ 50 on dress-ups I think. There’s been times when it’s been thrust upon us and it just didn’t feel right, but I feel like Dead Of Winter seems special that we should be doing something. We are known to get in the spirit of things. We could come as ghosts!”
Since the breakdown of national touring festivals such as Soundwave and Big Day Out, Dead Of Winter has established itself as Brisbane's premier heavy, rock music event. For bands like The Bennies, Jules says the new breed of niche and boutique festivals like Dead Of Winter are integral to a healthy and diverse local music scene.
“They’re hugely important, not just to The Bennies but all the bands involved and the fans looking to support it,” he says. “You get 12 hours of music largely drawn from a local pool of talent. It keeps the torch running in terms of rock & roll. These little cultural punctuations are hugely important.
“For band's development they’re crucial. It's an art form and you don’t want to be missing it when it’s gone, so how else do you maintain these things? People going to the effort of organising festivals like this; if you can’t enjoy that then there’s really nothing left to enjoy.”
The latest single from 'Wisdom Machine' is 'Corruption', a politically-charged, Black Sabbath-inspired number taking aim at the low dealings occurring regularly in high places of our society. In the video shot by Neal Walters, Jules and the boys make people respect their authority as they don some very authentic-looking police uniforms to cause general mischief and mayhem. “It was a shitload of fun,” Jules says of filming the clip.
“Neal Walters is a genius and I'm glad we’re not actually policemen because there’s something about putting on the uniform that makes you feel like a superhero or something, or at least you get your cheeky face on that’s for sure.”
With a taste of power, Jules jokes there may be a future for him outside of The Bennies in the field of law enforcement. “Maybe just as a drug advisor.”
The Bennies headline Dead Of Winter festival at The Jubilee Hotel (Brisbane) 29 July. They also play The Reverence Hotel 22 July and Sooki Lounge 11 August (both in Melbourne).
