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Shihad.
As far as ideas go, Shihad's drummer Tom Larkin admits that the short-lived name-change to 'Pacifier' was a bad one. "It was a big, big mistake," he chuckles. But considering the hysterical post-9/11 climate the band was caught up in while trying to break the US market, the last thing they needed was connotations with the concept of 'jihad" or "holy war." Thankfully, it didn't take them long to remember that conformity equals enemy in the world of rock'n'roll...
Which brings us to 'Love Is The New Hate'. Not only does the latest album take on some new-found angry, metallic tendencies, but it serves to provide as a soundtrack to the insanity which Shihad found themselves smack-bang in the middle of during the 9/11 period in the United States. "What we witnessed was fucking bizarre. When we were over there, that social shift and the whole thing with the media was just starting to happen. The content of the news and what they were reporting about the [9/11] attacks, for one thing, was really, really quite twisted. It was like this blanket 'one world, one way of thinking' mindset that was being developed, it was like brainwashing," Larkin explains, with disbelief in his voice. "We started to realize pretty soon that we should have stuck to our guns and gone the hard road. Here were these people completely losing their own sense of identity and uniqueness, being fed this hypocrisy by the American media, and we realized we didn't want to be like that, we didn't want to change to suit the climate. The entire experience was really some fascinating shit."
And that's the reason Shihad will be joining forces this September for the Homeland Security Tour with Bondi's own band of dissatisfied young men, Cog. Oh, and in case you're wondering about the tour's name, 'Homeland Security' just happens to be an American organization that supposedly protects the U.S. from terrorist attacks. It's a deliberately ironic choice of name, considering the strong stance both Shihad and Cog take in regards to the so-called 'war on terrorism' and consequent loss of freedom in many parts of the world. The decision for a support wasn't a hard one to make either. "First of all, we love the band. Second, ideologically, they feel the same way we do about what's going on in the world at the moment; and third, they're just really great guys! We just want to highlight the hypocrisy of the 'war on terror' because, while the justification is that it's all about protecting our freedom, we're actually reducing it. It's just a fucking joke," Larkin snarls cynically.
But don't get him wrong, Shihad also just want to have a good time on this tour. No, really! "Of course, it's also about putting a different experience out there for people to come along to and see. It's about just touring and having good fun. It's going to be a great, high-quality show. People will come and really get their money's worth, for sure. We love playing live, we are a good live band and we take pride in that." Well, actually, they're more like musical titans when it comes to putting on live shows, with an almost mythical reputation for blowing their fans away, both in Australia and in their New Zealand homeland. So much so, that many of us have decided to claim Shihad as our own.
"After being so long in this band, so much of what we've experienced has shaped us into who we are right now. You're always learning, and that's the only way to get better and better. Every band you tour with, from Faith No More to AC/DC, it's just such a huge learning curve every time. There's not just one way of becoming a successful musician in this industry, there's a lot of different ways for different bands. I think if you're in it for the long term though, then seriously be in it for the long term!" he laughs. "That's what we did. You've got to be yourself, just write what you write and try and learn from everything that happens to you. Build on it, keep going. I put it down to humans being humans, if you put something in front of them that excites them, they'll relate to it, soak it in, and they'll give you a positive response. That's really what's it all about." Recalling Shihad's ferocious performance at the recent Splendour in the Grass festival, Larkin explain his point further. "I mean, we hit the stage and it sounded terrible! But it was bizarre because you kind of look out at the crowd and they're responding in a way that you are most certainly not hearing," he laughs. "Their reaction is like it sounds great, and you're sitting there going, 'but this sounds like there are bumblebees in my ears, and my drums sound like I'm hitting them with toothpicks, what's the big deal?' Meanwhile the crowd is going fucking mental!"
The future looks very busy for Shihad, with the band committing
to non-stop touring over the next couple of months, as well
as the release of their brand new single Shot In The Head,
which Larkin explains is "a really a positive song, really!
Sure, it's about contemplating suicide, but it's about deciding
to walk away from it. A lot of people shy away from this subject,
but you've got to talk about it. Jon [Toogood, vocals/guitar]
wrote it, and it comes from where he was feeling at the time.
It takes the viewpoint of where you're standing over the edge
of that cliff and going, 'Nah, I'm not doing this because there's
so much to live for.' So even though it deals with a negative
subject matter, its conclusion is an incredibly positive one."
Nina Bertok
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dB Magazine proudly presents Shihad and Cog at Heaven on Sun 4 Sept.
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