Some Melbourne scenes have been deemed incestuous, yet a residency with so many bands seems to disprove that. What do you reckon about the idea that Melbourne’s scene is incestuous? Does that idea hold any weight? And if so, do you reckon that a residency so broad is helping to smash that stereotype?
Not incestuous. More like a nice, friendly circle jerk. When it comes down to it, a number of the bands on the bill are some of our best mates – wonderful, talented people who we’ve met through mutual excitement for each other’s tunes. But the term “incestuous” implies a level of homogeneity and exclusivity that we’ve definitely tried to avoid on this lineup. There’s no point rocking up to The Tote each week to see three bands that sound exactly the same. Each show is intended to have a different flavour, different tastes of shoegaze, country, punk, garage, funk and psych.
You’re doing the hard yards at The Tote for the first four shows, then with the fifth show you’re taking it to The Curtin. Why is that?
We had all five shows booked at The Tote. Then some clowns called The Drones announced an extra show in the band room on Sunday May 29th. Obviously it didn’t make sense to have us crowding up the front bar, distracting the punters while they’re trying to get their pre-Drones bevvies in, so we made the switch to The Curtin. It’s probably for the best. Last time we went to see Gaz Liddiard at Workers Club, Paul got too drunk and started heckling him about football. We don’t know how we’d hold up if he returned the serve.
Last time we spoke, you guys swore you’d be getting ready to write and record the first album. How’s that coming along, and how is it different from the writing process for previous releases?
We promise, we’re working on it. In the meantime, to keep everyone sated, we’ve recently recorded a couple of singles that we plan to release in the coming months. Something tasty to keep everyone warm through the winter. But in terms of album writing, we’ve been trying to look at the big picture a bit more. Instead of just writing a bunch of songs and mashing the best four together, we’ve been trying to figure out what a Dead Heir album should sound like as a whole.
Gigging has been near constant for you guys. Has this included anything interstate or are you keeping it closer to Melbourne?
There’s talk, there are dreams, there are schemes. Expect something later this year. We’re grounded for the moment; Melbourne never really stops delighting us. Unless this residency goes disastrously and The Tote exiles the six of us for life, we’re going to keep on playing on our favourite stages, seeing our favourite bands and drinking our favourite locally-named beers out of appropriate sized pints. No ponies or middies of XXXX Gold for us just now.
What can you tell us about the band’s inside dynamic? What keeps you guys playing, gigging, touring and recording?
The dynamic of the band varies day-by-day based on who’s drunk, who’s sleepy, who’s hungover and who has to go to work at 4am the next morning. We’re not always on the same page, but we hold it all together through a collective love of beers, double entendres and making and playing music. And each other. Most of all, we love each other.
