After enduring the brutal extremes of a freezing European winter, the band is quite rightly looking forward to their return to Australia and a much warmer climate. “Eight weeks ago we were in Wales doing the Hard Rock Hell Festival,” remembers Brown. “It was cold, fucking cold, and I remember thinking ‘Great, our next gig is going to be in our home town and I ain’t going to have a scarf, a beanie, two t-shirts and a huge coat on, while running around with icicles hanging off my nose’.”
Prolific tourers both here and overseas, Electric Mary have played their fair share of festivals. Yet despite the huge number of shows they have clocked up, the festival experience never gets dull. “The vibe for me is very much the same as any festival I’ve ever done,” explains Brown. “Just a lot of people enjoying music, meeting other bands for the first time and the great sense of unity backstage.” Despite the fact that Melbourne in summer is swamped with festivals of all shapes and sizes, smaller independent festivals such as Rock The Bay are still able to hold their own, often drawing sizeable crowds. It’s perhaps somewhat of a testament to Melbourne’s live music scene, as well as the quality of local bands and the average punter’s hunger for live music. “Real people playing real instruments, injecting the crowd with their own rock‘n’roll DNA. You can’t beat that,” says Brown, on the attraction of an independent music festival. “Seeing a band for the very first time and getting that tingle; there is no better feeling.”
There will be plenty of opportunity for attendees to discover their new favourite band as once again this year’s Rock The Bay showcases a huge number of performers. Utilising all three stages of The Espy, it’s a great chance to see some of the country’s most promising live bands. As one of the headliners, Brown assures me people can expect a typically strong performance from the veteran rockers. “It will be Electric Mary as you know it and that’s the way it should be,” he laughs. “There will be a couple of songs that are new to some that we played in Europe. We will also be showcasing [new bandmember] Bretty on guitar.”
Just talking to Brown, you get the sense that it’s in the live stetting where a band like Electric Mary thrive. Take their European tour late of last year for example. The band packed in more shows in one month than many bands do in a whole year. And despite the obvious challenges, the frontman has nothing but fond memories of their time on the road. “Twenty-two shows in thirty days; 15,000 kilometres of driving; three blown amps; a broken headstock; 1,000 euro in tolls; a shitload of bread, cheese and wine; four sold-out shows; not enough sleep; not enough money,” he remembers. “That’s Electric Mary in Europe in a nutshell and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
This year looks set to be more of the same, with the band already booked in for a number of shows both here and overseas. “We have been invited back to Hard Rock Hell so we will return to the UK later in the year,” confirms Brown. “2013 was always pencilled in for writing and recording a new album.” Before then though, it’s back to Melbourne for Rock The Bay, something the entire band are looking forward to. It’s a chance for them to re-connect with their hometown fan base as well as hopefully pick up a few new admirers as well. As a parting thought, I ask Brown which bands on the Rock The Bay lineup people should make sure they go and check out. “King Of The North is my pick,” he offers. “But each to their own when it comes to music”.
BY JAMES NICOLI
