Brisbane four-piece The Creases are currently travelling Australia as the main support act for Ball Park Music.
Joe Agius, The Creases’ singer and guitarist, is looking forward to learning some new things while out on the road. “There's always something that we pick up from a bigger band,” Joe says.
“With Franz Ferdinand it was really nice to play with a really successful band and learn that it's really important to be nice to the bands that you are playing with, no matter how big you are. With The Preatures we learnt that it's super important to practice and rehearse for our live game. We pick little things up like that from each band we tour with.”
The tour also provides the band with a chance to see the reactions from audiences of the new songs they have been working on. “On the last tour we played, I remember playing 'Impact' before we had released it,” Joe says. “It was really clear to us that it was going to work, and it was funny to see people sing-along to it who didn't even know it.
“We're still trying to find which ones we want to play, because it's a bit scary to play new stuff and not do a good job of it. If you're going to play a new song, you need to do it right. I don't get as excited for new things but hopefully we'll do a good job.”
The Creases new album is almost finished and is due for release early next year. “It's nearly done,” Joe says. “There's a few crazy things we still have to record with strings, brass and some choir stuff if we have time. We are all super happy with it, and we're all getting anxious to show it to people to be honest. It has really been hard to sit on it for so long, but it will definitely be worth the wait. I think it's going to be a big, game changer for us.”
The guys use an instinctive approach to their songwriting, and are still carving out their own identity. “It's hard sometimes because I do get wary that some songs don't sound like us too much,” Joe says. “But at the same time when I write a song I just want to do what's best for the song. If it needs to sound a certain way to be the best it can be, we usually just go with that.”
The band’s journey has been an incredibly fast, being signed by the UK's Rough Trade early on. “We started the band and we didn't really have time to gig around,” Joe says. “I thought [signing to Rough Trade] was a joke, I didn't believe the email when we got it, and I hadn't really been in a band before. I just taught myself how to play guitar to have fun with friends and play music.
“The last couple of years has been like a really public evolution of our sound. We've always just naturally done what we wanted to do. There has never been any calculated thought with the sound. It always feels natural to us.”
The four-piece will also have the opportunity to play at Brisbane’s Caxton Street Festival in early October. “I'm really excited for it,” Joe says. “I like festivals because you get to play and then through the day you get to just walk around and see other people play. It's kind of nice being outside and there's a different vibe to it. It's just fun.”
The Creases join Last Dinosaurs, Urthboy and Stonefield at the Caxton Street Festival 2 October.
