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Premoderists. The Premodernists. Premodernist.
There's lots of ways that venues and writers seem to misspell Premodernists, but there's one thing you can't forget - their sound. A blend of just the right amounts of garage, indie, post punk and alternative to please even the biggest hipster in town, Premodernists have been impressing audiences all around Melbourne with their music and their tendency to yell things at awkward times on stage. It seems to be working, and their EP Dance A Little has gone from being a home-made, handwritten production to being in shiny little crystal cases in record shops all around Melbourne (including Polyester as well, which will keep these little hipster kids happy).
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| Oh, so that's what happens to TVs when you throw them out... |
Paper-Deer had a chitty chat to bass extraordinaire and overworked band manager Brad Elphinstone on why he's celebrating his tenth birthday thirteen years too late, and why you should buy their EP.
Describe the band in one word.
Rambunctious.
What’s with the television fetish in your latest photo shoot? Is there any significance or meaning behind it?
It’s actually based off our EP’s cover art. Ashley Ng who designed it asked me for some ideas, and I sent through some images, including that of the TV on the cover. She sort of took a pop art approach and repeated the TV over and over, which we really liked. To me it sort of represents the homogeneity and repetition of commercial media, which as someone who’s certainly been influenced by Marxist theory, is something I’ve incorporated lyrically into some of our songs, like Flicker Little Lights and Modern Man. We decided to keep the TV motif going, and fortunately, at the time hard rubbish collection was going on in my area. Since everyone’s upgraded to plasmas and LCDs, there were heaps of discarded TVs sitting on the side of the road which we nicked and used for the shoot.
Premodernists’ sound seems to be an amalgamation of alternative, garage, indie and post-punk. What musical artists are the most influential on your sound?
It’s hard to say really, since we’ve all got our own personal influences. There are bands that we all listen to, like Interpol, Radiohead, QOTSA and Nirvana, but there are also bands that we each listen to that no one else does (like how I’m a big Primus fan). It’s actually been really interesting hearing what other people think of us. We played live on PBS a while back and the sound engineer said we reminded him of Gang of Four, who were a band I’d just started listening to at that point. In reviews we’ve also been likened to bands like Sonic Youth, Snowman, the Velvet Underground and even the B-52’s in varying degrees.
Each person is left to their own devices and given enough room sonically to do their bit, and I guess that’s why our sound covers a bit of ground. We just play what sounds good to us rather than trying to emulate any particular sound or genre.
What does each member bring to the mix?
Tyse bring map reading skills. Aswin’s got the technical nous and experience required to record stuff without paying anyone. I book the gigs and organize pretty much everything, and Nick’s responsible for terrible Dad jokes.
Dance A Little is now in stores. If you could go up to everyone who’s ever picked up your EP in JB Hi Fi, what would you say to convince them into giving up $10 of their hard earned cash (or however much it is)?
First of all, I’d tell that they can pick it up for the low, low price of $6.99, and that there’s an unlimited list of amazing things they could buy with that remaining three bucks. Second, I’d probably say that supporting local music is totally ace, and that Beat Magazine seemed to like it, so it can’t possibly be too bad. And even if it is, it’s only $7 for a stylish drink coaster.
The EP was first distributed earlier this year as a home-made EP, and so Premods are doing a second EP launch to celebrate its distribution throughout retail outlets in Australia. Is having two EP launches akin to having two birthday parties for your tenth birthday?
I didn’t actually have a big celebration for my tenth birthday because my family was moving to Victoria at the time, so this EP launch will be a substitute for my tenth birthday. It’s a pretty good deal I reckon, I doubt that my parents would’ve allowed me to get drunk back then.
Premods seem to play lots of gigs all around Melbourne. Favourite venue in town?
I’m immediately going to rule out Ding Dong and Revolver because of those damn stairs. We’ve played at The Tote a few times though, and I’ve always enjoyed it there. It’s obviously got heaps of history and it’s always been fun playing there since the stage is a really good size and the sound (especially since it’s been upgraded) is great. Plus, last time we played there one of the other bands put on a massive barbeque which included some amazing potato salad. I’m not sure if liking a venue by association of potato salad is typical of most people, but it’ll do.
Was Hey Sylvana written for a particular girl?
See, I’d really like to say that it was. But it’s not. The real answer is actually super lame. When we write songs, the music always comes first and the vocals/lyrics second. As the music was coming together we thought it sounded a bit like Silverchair meets Nirvana. You can probably figure out that happened next. It was soon realised that the ensuing portmanteau was actually a girl’s name, and so the lyrical direction of the song was set.
Most embarrassing secret or funniest story about the band?
Isn’t the origin of Hey Sylvana embarrassing enough? Our EP was recorded in the radio lab of a local university after I convinced security to give me the door codes (apparently all you need to do is say you’re a PhD student). There were a few fun nights there, sneaking a drum kit up onto the third floor of the respective building and recording until the wee hours.
DATES:
- Saturday October 23: Pony [EP re-launch with 8 Bit Love, The Whole Molko and Villains Lair]
- Friday November 12: The Espy
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