|
|
 |
Bit By Bats.
 "I'm still at uni, effectively," explains Bit By Bats' bass player Peter Gravestock, when it comes to the obvious question of the unavoidable other side to any struggling musician's career. "I'm doing my Master's in the editing of Hong Kong action films."
The editing of Hong Kong action films? Where on earth will that lead him? "Maybe Hong Kong one day! I don't really know, I guess it depends on how much the band becomes a major commitment."
Ah, wishful thinking. The one thing that leads bands to delay more and more of their lives, and spend more and more of their money on their passion. But then, his band has scored quite a coup being involved with both Remote Control (label) and Inertia (distribution), two of the biggest indie labels in the country.
"Hopefully if enough CDs get sold, we might get some money," he muses laconically. "Or if it gets played on the radio, we might get some money. But otherwise, it's all debt. If we can do music full time, that's pretty much everyone's dream, everyone who pays attention to music! It would be great to live off it, to support yourself, and take a month off from whatever else you do to write stuff. But yeah, that's the dream..."
If you think you've heard of Bit By Bats before and can't remember why it could be because, in fact, they're local. Sure, they're a bit displaced at the moment (in their current location in Melbourne), but they're still an Adelaide band through and through. Although they don't choose their homecomings too wisely.
"The second-last time we were there was October the 9th, which was election day. That was a bummer of a gig, you know? We had to work, and try and look happy! Thankfully, I didn't really know [the result] until I'd finished playing, but Youth Group, who had to go on after us, were really bummed." He sighs, then asks, "What happened? I don't know what happened. I think a lot of people were in shock about that. Not least of all Mark Latham..."
And how has Melbourne been treating them? "We do gigs quite regularly in Melbourne. I recognise a few faces, so I guess that's the benchmark... I think that's the beauty of playing in Melbourne, it is a hard crowd, generally, and the faces are more or less different every night. So people are coming to see you and they don't necessarily know the songs, so you've got to prove yourself each and every time - which is what I think we needed at that point in our career. It was good that we did move because we needed to challenge ourselves with potentially hostile audiences."
I press Gravestock for a bit more information about the new 'Let's Go Romeo' EP. "Dean Turner, aka Dean Dirt from Magic Dirt [producer of The Redsunband's incredible 'Peapod'], produced it for us at Birdland studios."
I ask what the response has been like so far. "Have you heard it? Yeah? You would be the first."
I say it reminds me a little of New Order, and The Cure, and I really like the tracks.
"Well that's been the response. People have said it gives them an impression of New Order and The Cure, and they like the tracks. The Cure's a big influence on us, and New Order - I think I manage to channel [bassist] Peter Hook occasionally. I don't know what he's thinking at the time. He's probably asleep being in Britain. He's probably astral travelling. In someone else's body, in a strange studio that looks like a UFO."
Huh?
"Well, the studio did look like a UFO."
Ben Revi
 | 'Let's Go Romeo' is out shortly and Bit By Bats play the Jade Monkey with The Grates on Fri 15 April. |
|
|
The latest issue
available now!
|
