“[Hyena] is the first song off a six track EP called Omega which we’ll be releasing later in the year,” Michalopoulos begins. “Basically, it’s based on this book I read a couple of years ago called The World in Six Songs. It was written by Daniel J. Levitin, and it sums up the ways songs present emotion and present themselves, and one of them was friendship.
“It was based on the idea that, evolutionarily speaking, back in the day tribes would wake up in the morning and start chanting together as a way to unify themselves, and to show their enemies that they were awake. They’d sing together. So [Hyena] is that kind of vibe.”
The band’s name, Society of Beggars, also has a similarly conceptual background. “My brother came up with the name,” Michalopoulos explains. “I think he liked the outlaw sound of it, mixed with the Oxford meaning of it. You can take it in a left wing or right wing way, and I like the ambiguity of that. Some people thought it was aggressive and some thought it was inclusive.”
The band are set to launch Hyena on Saturday May 2 at The Toff in Town, and Michalopoulos guarantees a show that will get you movin’, groovin’ and possibly a little messy.
“We’re excited,” he enthuses. “It’s a classy place, The Toff. We’re looking forward to playing with The Elliots and John Citizen – they’re both awesome rock’n’roll bands – we can’t wait.
“[Our live show] can get pretty rowdy,” he says. “There’s a lot of dancing. It can also get emotional, but in a good way. It’s very lively, a lot of energy, and a lot of dancing. That’s the main thing, people dancing and having a good time to some rock’n’roll.”
For Society of Beggars, their launch signals the beginning of a busy time for the band, who’re set to release another single before the full EP later in the year is released.
“[We’ve got] more video clips coming out and we’ve got some cool shows to announce later on in Melbourne, and a few interstate.” he describes.
Longer term, the band have big plans and goals for themselves over the next two to five years, including adapting the way they do things to the constantly changing and moving industry.
“Well, our plans are to keep building and progressing,” he says. “The way you have to run bands these days is so different to what it used to be. I don’t think cocaine and private jets is going to happen.
“I think anyone under the age of 50 has just had to work harder in a lot of ways. We’ve just had to build our brand while building our band, and make something that can continuously progress and become self sufficient.”
BY ROD WHITFIELD
