What would Luke LaLonde’s 16-year-old self think of the Born Ruffians’ frontman now? Well, according to the singer, most likely “you lucky bastard,” followed by “I can’t believe you’re going to Australia”… For a bunch of kids from the Canadian cottage town of Midland, you can bet it’s a big deal, as LaLonde explains, especially when it’s for the second time in just two years.
What would Luke LaLonde’s 16-year-old self think of the Born Ruffians’ frontman now? Well, according to the singer, most likely “you lucky bastard,” followed by “I can’t believe you’re going to Australia”… For a bunch of kids from the Canadian cottage town of Midland, you can bet it’s a big deal, as LaLonde explains, especially when it’s for the second time in just two years.
“I reflect sometimes to what my kid-self would think of what I’m doing now,” he grins, “and I think he would be pretty impressed. No, actually, I think he would think it’s really cool! I never thought I’d be touring… though it was always a dream for me. Just to play outside of our hometown was a dream.
“The weird thing,” LaLonde adds, “is how you learn to adjust to things as they come along… Once you get to do something you’ve wanted to do for a long time, you start to set your goals higher and higher every time. We’ve never had a meteoric climb straight to the top of the charts or anything like that, but compared to like a million bands that are out there, we’re doing really well. I prefer it this way anyway; you remember the good stuff, it doesn’t all become like a blur. I never wanted some kind of rocket-ship to the moon climb to success anyway.”
Just getting out of Midland, Ontario was enough, thanks. Getting signed to Warp and hitting it big in the UK was a massive bonus. As LaLonde explains, ever since the band’s 2008 European tour, the English in particular can’t seem to get enough of Born Ruffians.
“Midland is a small sleepy town in southern Ontario,” says LaLonde of his hometown. “It’s one of the largest freshwater bays in North America. It’s got a population of about 17,000 – it’s like a big cottage town where a lot of people from Toronto own holiday houses, so the population doubles over summer. It’s got a nice lakefront, it’s got lots of bright sparkly lights, it’s very picturesque and it’s almost like something out of a fairytale… But!” he laughs, “it’s definitely not somewhere you want to be if you’re trying to be in a band or trying to be an artist and actually get somewhere with it. We were kind of thinking, ‘okay we might get to play outside of the city some day’, but I never thought it could grow on the scale that it has.”
While Midland and Canada in general provided a great foundation for the band, it was in the UK where Born Ruffians truly shined following the release of their debut album Red Yellow And Blue (2008). The band’s first Australian jaunt last year proved to be the icing on the cake, as LaLonde describes. “Maybe the best word for Australia is ‘unique’!” the singer laughs. “Because we thought it was strange that we had to fly to every single show! The country is so far away but all the cities in between were far away too – you couldn’t really drive from place to place.
“We’re just a bunch of Canadians so being on the other side of the world was bizarre enough for us! To be there under the pretenses of just playing our music was so exciting. The first place that we got label interest from was the UK. That was pretty strange too. Maybe it’s because our manager is English or maybe our music is just more Brit-friendly – we must have had some major appeal to the English ears. Two years later, things have evened out a bit for us. It’s about on the same level in New York and LA as it is in London, the crowds are about similar size.”
Mostly, the surge in popularity closer to home has been due to the band’s sophomore album Say It – a noisy little indie-rock gem bursting with raw energy and infectious poppiness that’s equally fit for radio as it is the underground. “We recorded under such small time constraint,” reveals LaLonde. “Compared to a lot of other bands, I think we went about it in a very old-fashioned way. All the focus was on making it sound live and I’m not sure whether we want to do that again.
“I would personally love to expand into more modern recording techniques next time. I think the second record was a result of time taking an effect on us. Living in Montreal at the moment has been a good experiment in writing for me – it’s something I haven’t done in like over a year. It’s been literally impossible to sit down and write a song because we’ve been touring so much.
“I’ve been isolating myself lately just to be able to write, so I’ll send some material over to the guys on email. For just that reason, I think the next record is going to sound very different because we’re not actually all in one room working together.”
Franz Ferdinand, Peter Bjorn And John and Hot Chip are just a handful of bands with which Born Ruffians have been hitting the road since 2008. For three high-school mates – also comprising bassist Mitch Derosier and drummer Steven Hamelin – LaLonde says it’s been tough to keep a cool face when in the presence of some of their idols.
“It gives you a kick up the ass to better yourself even more. It’s not that the pressure is on, but playing with big names does inspire you to always work harder. Pressure is a good thing, though, I think it’s healthy because it motivates you and stops you from being lazy and just going along for the ride. As long as it doesn’t get overwhelming where you see some bands just fall apart from all the touring or being away from home or stress with recording… If we can stay balanced and keep a cool head, I think we could be okay.”
BORN RUFFIANS return to reprise their triumphant last trip to Australia, and play the PYRAMID ROCK FESTIVAL on Phillip Island over December 29-January 1, alongside N*E*R*D, The Temper Trap, Chromeo, Future Of The Left, Operator Please, Mystery Jets and a million other great bands – all info and tickets from thepyramidrockfestival.com. They also play a sideshow at the Northcote Social Club on Sunday January 2. Tickets from The Corner box office, 9489 3917 or northcotesocialclub.com. Say It is out now through Warp/Inertia.
