It's very nearly that time again when musical movers and shakers from far and wide descend on Fortitude Valley in Brisbane for four days and nights - yes fellow music lovers, BIGSOUND, aka one of the biggest events on the Aussie music calendar, is back for its seventeenth year!
Notorious for launching of some of the country's most successful artists in the past (including Flume, The Temper Trap, A.B Original, Gang of Youths and more), BIGSOUND has been instrumental in uncovering the stars of tomorrow and shaping the future of the industry, and this year The Soundcheck will be showcasing some of the hottest heavy acts who will be slaying the stages at the BIGSOUND 2018 festival showcases.
Join us as we get "hot and heavy" with some epic up-and-comers in the lead up to this awesome event! And for our third heavy artist feature interview, this time round we're chatting with Brissie slacker-noise-poppers Tape/Off.
Tape/Off's brand of slacker-noise-pop has earned the Brisbane 4-piece an Australian Music Prize nomination, constant airplay on community radio stations and the J's, and respect from the people and bands they look up to. Scruffy, smart and oh-so-Aussie, their songs sneak into your psyche like hook-ridden ninjas.
And with the BIGSOUND shenanigans kicking off next week in Brisbane, today the local Tape/Off lads "H-O-T-A-N-D-H-E-A-V-Y" with The Soundcheck, chatting all things gardening, local music and, of course, heavy music.
H - HEAVY AND ALTERNATIVE MUSIC IN AUSTRALIA: Describe the Aussie heavy/alternative music scene in three words: Friendly, Welcoming, Awesome.
O - OPPORTUNITIES: What made you sign up for BIGSOUND 2018? What opportunities are you hoping will come out of playing at Bigsound? We’re hoping to snag a booking agent that can get us on some grouse bills.
T - TELL US A SECRET: What’s something no one else knows about your band? We like watching Gardening Australia. Think we’re lying? Try us.
A - ADVICE: What’s one piece of advice about the music industry you wish you knew when you first started out? That applying for an ABN is actually a smart thing to do.
N - NECESSITIES: What are some of your must-have necessities when you’re touring? Instruments, strings, sticks, and shower gel.
D - DAY IN THE LIFE: What does a usual day in the life of your band generally consist of? When on tour: Wake up, drink coffee, jump in car, hit the road, listen to Slint and Fugazi albums, then play each other podcasts that we recommend each other and then listen to a Mitch Hedberg record as we roll into town. Arrive at the venue, kindly meet the venue staff and bands that we are playing with, and then have a beer with all of them. After all of those things have been completed, we then proceed to set up our equipment and then attempt to entertain you. Our track record has been pretty consistent over the years, or else we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
H - HEROES: Who are some of your band’s heroes and musical influences? John Stanier, Fugazi, Miles Davis, Sandpit, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Public Enemy, Turnpike, Steve Albini.
E - EVOLUTION: Where do you see the future of Aussie heavy music heading in the near future? It’ll take over mainstream radio again in the near future. A lot of narrow-sighted music directors have their days numbered when it comes to ignoring the breadth of talent in this country we call home, not just in heavy music, but all genres of music that our local scenes produce.
A - ABSOLUTE MUST-SEES: What band(s) are you most keen to check out at BIGSOUND 2018 and why? Blank Realm, Cable Ties, East Brunswick All Girls Choir, Moaning Lisa, Sweater Curse, Walken.
V - VICTORIES: What’s been your biggest win as a band so far? E.g. an epic gig, great response to a release, or even just band members showing up on-time to rehearsal? Getting nominated for the Australian Music Prize for our debut album ‘Chipper’ is pretty rewarding.
Y - YEAR AHEAD: What’s your band got planned for the next twelve months? The NBA season starts again in October, Cricket starts in November, so we’re planning to watch lots of that. There will also be some touring. Don’t worry, we won’t be disappearing anytime soon.
TAPE/OFF WILL BE SHOWCASING AT BIGSOUND 2018, YOU CAN CATCH THEM HERE:
Wednesday 5th September - The Valley Drive In - 9:10pm - 9:40pm
Thursday 6th September - Crowbar Black - 8:10pm - 8:40pm
FOR ALL YOUR BIGSOUND INFO, HEAD HERE.
AND FOR ALL OTHER TAPE/OFF INFO, CHECK OUT:
BY TIANA SPETER