Back for their sophomore Adelaide Fringe appearance, local grunge heads TORK and indie-punk legends Young Offenders will be playing for one night only.
TORK will perform Smashing Pumpkins' seminal album 'Mellon Collie And the Infinite Sadness', while Young Offenders will astound audiences with their charismatic Clash show.TORK
This is the second Fringe TORK and Young Offenders have teamed together for a tribute show; what did you learn from the first show that you can use this time around?(Josh Morphett, TORK): The first Fringe we did consisted of three shows, so the actual first show was a big learning curve but then we had the opportunity to implement our learnings through the next two shows.
One big thing we noticed was that we didn't have to sell our music, as opposed to an original show. It was already sold. The fans were already there, which is such a strange experience for someone who hasn't played to many big crowds.
So we had to adapt our live show accordingly. I have notoriously horrible stage banter (which I think has a charm, but my band mates disagree, haha). So after the first show I wrote notes on what to say between certain songs.
This time 'round, we have a bigger stage and a bigger room to fill, more lighting, a longer set and new songs. So there's more at stake. For me, I need to hold back on going too apesh.t on that bigger stage. Those Pumpkins songs will get ya!
I really need to focus on playing my parts, looking after my vocals and executing a quality performance. I'm prone to jumping about too much and then the professional execution of the songs lacks. Even if it's entertaining to watch, I think what Pumpkins fans really want to see is a band play the songs right. It can be hard to toe the line, but I think we've got it. The songs are sounding huge in rehearsal and like last year, we reckon the crowd will love it.
TORK will be performing a tribute to Smashing Pumpkins’ seminal album ‘Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness’; it’s been 25 years since it was released; does it still feel like yesterday to you?
It's crazy to think that an album with that big an impact on my life was released when I was five years old.
I was introduced to the Pumpkins in high school (can you be introduced to Pumpkins outside of high school? No, I don't think that's a thing) and their massive hooks and over-distorted guitars just reeled me in.
I still listen to them often. I guess because they're still so relevant. And lots of current bands are doing the '90s grunge thing, so it really doesn't feel like 25 years since that album. They just seem too modern, which just goes to show how iconic and groundbreaking it was.
Aside from the anniversary, was there a particular reason you chose this SP album to cover?
Last year we learnt most of the 'Rotten Apples' album for Fringe, which had quite a few 'Mellon Collie' songs on it.
I knew the 25th anniversary was coming up the following year, so was really hoping that the show would be a hit. When we realised how many people still love the Pumpkins and our last show sold out, we all decided that we'd do the show again the following Fringe and learn some more songs from 'Mellon Collie' and make the whole thing bigger in celebration of the album.
But just to clarify, we're playing a spread of there '90s releases, heavily featuring 'Mellon Collie', not just covering the whole album. Perhaps that's a job for the 30th anniversary. 2025 I see you.
If you ever crossed paths with Billy Corgan, what’s the first thing you’d say to him?
Wanna go for a ride?
Why have you selected Smashing Pumpkins as the act to cover?
I always wanted to do a tribute show for Fringe. We decided on Pumpkins because our own, original music is on a similar wavelength, so the sound was there.
Plus I was getting way too many people tell me I sound like Billy Corgan to ignore it, which I do take as a compliment, but really it's code for 'your voice is high, winy and annoying, but I don't mind that coz I'm into grunge'.
We also thought the songs wouldn't be too difficult to learn. HA! How wrong we were! On the surface, they seem like pretty basic guitar-driven grunge songs. You think 'oh yeah they use power chords, that sh.t's easy', and yeah they do and that sh.t is easy, but that's the only thing that's easy!
When you dig deeper, the songs are quite complex. The structures for all of their songs are all over the shop, yet on a commercial level they somehow make sense and resonate with millions of people. Corgan's vocal range is sneakily huge, add in his greatly varying tone and screaming and it's one helluva job.
Corgan and Iha are also super talented guitarists, Jimmy Chamberlain is an absolute beast on the skins and there's a lot of whacked-out sounds (e-bows, custom pedals, synths, samples, etc.). They end up being quite an act to assimilate. Because of that though it's helped us grow as musos, which is a great by-product.
The rest of 2020 for TORK; what is the plan?
We've just released a new single and have a few shows in February and March. After March we'll be knuckling down on writing and demoing for our next bunch of songs.
Might even start working on the 30th anniversary of Gish. Actually, now I think of it, a mate asked me about playing [Soundgarden's] 'Superunknown' in its entirety – that could be a fun one.
Is there a large cross-over between the fans of the two bands: Clash and Pumpkins?
Have to admit, we weren't sure on how that would pan out last year, but it worked out well.
Me and the guys doing the Pumpkins show knew that YO pulled a crowd, whether they're doing a Clash set or not. They're a great band and great to watch live (and they do The Clash so well). I definitely thought there may be a chance that the huge crowd for YO would just dissipate as soon as they finished, but the room was packed and ready for the next set. Everyone was singing along to the songs and dancing.
There was a great mix of Clash fans and Smashing Pumpkins fans and we received a lot of positive feedback on the combination of tribute shows.
Young Offenders
Young Offenders will entertain with their tribute show to The Clash; have you modified the show from last year?(Kyle Landman): There will be a few different songs this time 'round to keep it fresh for those who saw us last year. We will be keeping some of the crowd favourites, but also putting our spin on a couple to mix it up and keep it interesting.
What about The Clash inspired you to create the tribute show?
I think it was an easy one for us to cover as they're one of the bands that have influenced our sound. I think the thing I was drawn to the most was the energy the band gave and the aggression and passion in the delivery of the lyrics. I tend to like bands that I can believe in. They walk it like they talk it.
How much creative licence will you take with re-imagining the songs?
We will add our twist to a few songs for sure. It's usually the slower, longer tracks we play around with the most. We learn most of the songs as close to the original as we can. We have a big asset having Nick (Lost Cosmonaut, OKO) on lead guitar again and will utilise his talents wherever we can.
Favourite Clash song of all time?
I think we would all have a different answer, but for me it would have to be '(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais'. The collision of reggae (verse) and rock (chorus), and Strummer's lyrics addressing everything from music (“Turning rebellion into money”) to racism and rising nationalism (“If Adolf Hitler flew in today, they’d send a limousine anyway”). Forty-two years on, it remains as relevant as ever.
The rest of 2020 for Young Offenders; what is the plan?
YO will be releasing an album. It has been ready for ages, but have had a few setbacks in the lead-up to the release. Once that is out, we will be returning to the UK to play the Strummerville stage at Glastonbury Festival. It's the 50th anniversary this year, so we're really excited about it.
