Society of Beggars have just dropped the brand new single Terrible Rain, which conveys a dark emotional tone courtesy of Michalopoulos’ inward-looking lyrics and a slightly morose musical pathway.
“The song is about loss and grief and overcoming it, but it’s also a comfort song for those who have felt that way,” says Michalopoulos. “I want it to be a thing for anybody, I want people to be able to relate it if they have ever lost anyone, but yeah I have had loss in my life.
“I kind of like that we take ourselves seriously,” he adds. “Not to dis on any other bands, but I like that we approach our style in a different way. There’s a way we present everything that we put out – it’s always a bit different to everyone else.”
Michalopoulos agrees that Society Of Beggars are akin to a genre-themed band, though their driving principle is hard-work and focus. Originally from Adelaide, the entire band moved to Melbourne in 2008. “We all came over together and brought our families,” says Michalopoulos. “It’s a little bit Mafioso.”
Despite this summation, Michalopoulos is an easy-going fellow, who takes a moment to address the common misunderstanding that blokes of Greek heritage all love techno. “The classic wog is the best,” he says. “Driving Monaros and listening to Kiss, tight black t-shirts… Now they’ve all got bum bags and little shorts and shit. But a lot of us grew up just listening to classic rock and metal.”
Earlier this year, Society Of Beggars released the single, Hyena; an in-your-face number with elements of System Of A Down and Rage Against The Machine. The film clip is particularly reminiscent of the former band due to Dibi’s hair and facial hair combo, which makes him look a lot like Serj Tankian circa-Chop Suey. “He’d love that, man,” laughs Michalopoulos. “He loves System Of A Down.”
With the band’s output rooted in sincerity, it comes as no surprise that Society Of Beggars take their live shows extremely seriously. But that’s not to say there’s nothing in it for the audience. “When I go see band that I love I want it to a be a ride, I want it to be up and down, but I also want it to be like going to church. I think of bands like The Black Crows, a band that really inspired me in the way that they performed through their chops and their energy.”
There’s another band act from the last 20 years who’ve had an undeniable impact on Society Of Beggars, both stylistically and as performers. “When I saw Rage Against The Machine at the Big Day Out [2008], they fucking commanded the crowd like an army, just through their music. The energy that they put out was sent straight back to them from the crowd, and if that’s something we can even partially do then I would be very, very happy.”
BY DAN WATT
