Beat interviewed the band late last week in the private garden of Melbourne’s Rooftop Bar to discuss Plastic and this week’s gig at Prince Of Wales Public Bar plus their first Australian tour starting in May.
Gathered around the dimly lit wooden table was bass player Adam Ritchie, guitarist Jake Doyle, drummer Jonny Badlove and guitarist Dean Whitby (all three axe players share lead vocal duties with Badlove and absent tambourine player Isaac Forsyth on backing vocals). Suitably, there are beers in front of the four Drunk Mums.
“We all helped make the clip but I was the one who had the main idea for the clip. It was filmed in an abandoned student village that had previously been a detention centre in the 60s or something,” explains Ritchie in reference to Plastic’s film clip.
The film clip consists of shared shots between the band playing at various spots throughout the spooky gumtree-littered village and images of a large plastic bag floating around the derelict site. The image of the peacefully floating plastic bag, by the sheer rareness of the scene, has reminded some viewers of the famous sequence from 1999 film American Beauty. “It wasn’t trying to be like that scene,” says Ritchie laughing. Whitby now jumps in, “It wasn’t until we got there that we saw that bit of plastic cruising around and decided to use it.”
“The actual idea is that the plastic is contagious and the shots of it floating about represent its spread,” concludes Ritchie
Since releasing the Eventual Ghost EP in 2011, Drunk Mums have been on a steady trajectory to the top of Melbourne’s pub/rock scene, with their debut self-titled album very well received and then this tenure as a ‘force to be reckoned with’ was confirmed when Cherry Bar owner and booker James Young took on managing the band last year.
Being somewhat of a deeper thinker (or just total wanker) your correspondent read into the title chorus of Plastic as a comment on the fake (plastic) people trying to align themselves, and have sex, with the band now that they’re in demand.
Ritchie quickly dismisses this allegory, although, “I don’t mind people thinking that but [the song] is actually about getting really drunk and hearing a song on a stereo. But then I actually found the source turned out to be the inside of a musical birthday card, just this little piece of plastic playing the tune to happy birthday.”
With the barebones of a song in mind, Ritchie took Plastic to the rest of the band and they arranged parts around this. Doyle explains that the first guitar part he put to the song wasn’t good enough for Ritchie.
“The first guitar part I came up with, Adam said it was too wussy, so the second version of it I made it tougher.” So how did Doyle make the guitar line tougher? “No effects just…” Doyle pauses and Whitby jumps in with, “It’s all about the face!” Doyle agrees, “Yeah, the face, the stance and the amount of muscle you put into the strum.” All four members laugh.
Finally, on the topic of Plastic’s construction, Badlove describes what inspired his drumming for the track. “It’s real simple banger drums, nothing too complicated, I just fucken went along with the rest of song,” concludes Badlove.
He is now quizzed by Whitby as to what face he put on to first nail the song. “Awww, I was pretty blank face when I was trying to nail the song!” he says with a straight-face before realising the comedic timing of the answer and bursts into laughter.
BY DENVER MAXX
