“The authorities kicked us off stage [at Dark Mofo].” says Dunville. “At one point I was playing guitar and felt the curtain brush my person. They won’t drop the curtain at Meredith – there is no curtain.”
“I have a shotgun this time,” adds Taylor. “If they touch your amp, mama’s got a shotgun.”
Despite keeping a relatively low profile on social media, the band have played a staggering number of shows over the last 12 months, and they pack a serious amount energy into every single one. It’s this hell-raising energy that secured them a place on the Meredith lineup, but the SMB’s all-or-nothing work ethic is starting to take its toll.
“We’ve been playing too many shows,” says Dunville, causing the room to nod in agreement. “We almost dropped dead in Tasmania,” Taylor adds.
“We were accused of being too slack,” Miller says. It’s a somewhat incongruous statement, given the brylcreem coursing through his immaculately styled hair. “The rehearsals are done on stage, so we tend to be a little bit slack.”
“The Drones show will be good, because we’ll probably make them look great,” Dunville laughs. “Phoebe’s thinking of stitching up some costumes, but we’re not giving anything away.”
In truth, the Steve Miller Band wasn’t designed to be a tightly configured rock’n’roll outfit. Rather, it’s a chance for the three members to do something different than what they’re used to.
“Steve played in a band for a while and never sung,” Dunville says. “I’d played in a band for ten years and never played lead, and Phoebe’s never played in a band, full stop. We had a different drummer for the initial band, and then Phoebe came along and just played Sleigh Bells for 40 minutes. She loves it.”
“And then I got a text message saying, ‘You’re our drummer now’,” Taylor says.
But despite the unfamiliar territory and lack of rehearsal, there’s no shortage of passion for the music. “When Steve’s on fire, it’s like baby Jesus is born – a special time,” Dunville says. “But there’s also the times where you sing the verse where the chorus is at, or sing the chorus where the verse is supposed to be. Phoebe throws the sticks across, my guitar falls off the strap and I wonder, ‘Are we a comedy act?’ We’re not a comedy act, we’re trying really really hard.”
“This brings us to a point where some of our contemporaries may think of us as a comedy act” Miller says. “But we’re very serious, very determined, every man for himself. We can be as tough as Rook steel, we’re very serious about what we wear, we’re very serious about what hair product we put in our hair. That’s because the kids, they want to see a show. Enough of these people singing about their girlfriends, we’ve had enough of that.”
“We’re also infamous for breaking up relationships.” Miller adds. “Occasionally it happens – occasionally the boyfriend or the girlfriend will fall in love with us and the partner doesn’t appreciate it. I’ll see it across the room, the couple are in trouble, so I’ll drive a wedge between the couple where the boy will go, ‘Would she?’ and she asks, ‘would I?’”
BY THOMAS BRAND
