The Beards
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The Beards

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In 2012 they had their big crossover hit with You Should Consider Having Sex with a Bearded Man which was nominated for APRA’s Song of the Year and came in at 99 on that year’s triple j hottest 100. That was a turning point which led to sell-out shows around Australia, Europe and Canada and a mass awakening of people to the majesty that lies under their chins.

 

It’s hard to believe a band could release four albums with every song solely dedicated to the trials and tribulations of having a beard but it’s happened. The hairy lads are currently touring their fourth offering, The Beard Album,which is the follow-up to 2012’s ARIA nominated Having a Beard is the New Not Having a Beard.Speaking from a sound check in Currumbin on the coast of Queensland, Beardraven reflects on his mixed feelings about the last album’s industry recognition.   

 

“I think we were robbed on the Song of the Year,” declares Beardraven. “Gotye! Who does he think he is? Beard’s not as good as ours. The ARIA Award was good but I don’t see why we were in the comedy award section. We’re not joking and I don’t think people realise this. I can see how people want to peg us as a novelty thing because we’re doing something different and people may be intimidated by that. People don’t tend to understand how deadly serious we are about beards.”

 

Beardraven’s dedication to beards is undeniable. However, there was a time the band rarely acknowledged where beards had not yet entered their lives. Before The Beards, the same members had another group called The Dairy Brothers and if you look on YouTube there still exists a film clip of a very unbearded song of theirs called Grapefruit.

 

“We’re not proud of that stuff still up there,” admits Beardraven. “Definitely not about beards that song and I’ve got to say I’m a little ashamed you stumbled across that. We were very misguided at that time of our lives but fortunately we’ve seen the error of our ways. We’re now fully focused on beards which I’m sorry to say wasn’t always the case in spite of what I may have told other journalists.”

 

The seemingly never-ending rise of the beard has given the band a huge boost in spirits and ego evident on the new record. Their new tunes All the Bearded Ladies and Bearded Man Inside Me feature infectious synth hooks similar to You Consider Having Sex with a Bearded Man. It’s a mood swing away from the heavier rock songs making up their first two albums, which Beardraven puts down to their happiness at the growing bearded population.  

 

“The feel of the album to me is a bit more upbeat and I think we’re in a better place mentally because there’s a lot more beards around these days,” explains Beardraven. “I think the synth really helps lighten the mood in places as well which is good. We’re definitely enjoying this current beard trend and it’s reflected in some of the new tracks. Really the only thing we’re concerned about is making sure the message gets out about how much we like beards. To be honest the music kind of gets in the way a lot of the time. I’d rather be more beardy than music-y but music is the chosen vehicle for the propaganda we are spreading.”

 

Their message has started to reach some further out corners of the globe with recent tours through Europe and, in an unusual set of circumstances, somehow made it to the ears of Ke$ha. It’s no secret she loves a good beard (check out her web page dedicated to pictures of her eating beards), however, it seems the meeting may have been more exciting for her than our bearded heroes.

 

“That was in Sydney, she came to a show,” recalls Beardraven. “She just rocked up and I didn’t really know who she was but there she was down the front. Hung out with her backstage and then when she came back to Australia we played a private party on a barge in the Sydney Harbour for her. It was one of the more bizarre things but any chance we get to spread the word about beards.”

 

One constant dilemma the band face is what to do about the unbearded fans who feel the need to come to shows. In the past, they’ve made no attempt in hiding their hostility towards clean chins with videos posted online showing the band harassing the beardless in their hometown of Adelaide.

 

“It’s a difficult one because we understand people without beards are still potential beards,” points out Beardraven. “It’s important to spread our message to the non-converted as well but it’s hard because obviously we don’t like to look at beardless people. Actually a few times this tour we’ve had a few beardless guys who were feeling a bit confident near the front making a bit of a scene but we usually put them in their place pretty quick.”

 

BY RHYS MCRAE