Mayfield

If you haven't heard of local trio Mayfield by now, don't worry, you're not alone. Although hailing from Adelaide, as vocalist/drummer Sam Knight confesses, the band has spent most of their time building a profile internationally in the United States and Europe - and with some impressive results.

"We had all the best indie clubs you could get lined up in America because we got such a strong response over there and throughout London," he explains, as vocalist/guitarist Zigg West interrupts, "The clubs that every other band wears the t-shirts of."

Knight continues, "Basically, it made no sense at the time to stay in Adelaide where no-one really cares about your form of music. But it's really depressing because it all sort of got trampled over. We spent the whole year planning this trip, then at the last minute we got our visas declined because we applied for musicians' visas and they wouldn't accept them. We needed to prove sustained record sales in eight different countries, which sort of fucked us because we were just an indie band trying to do this DIY tour."

How's that for a freakin' bummer? Especially when you consider that the tour was to kick off at the Whiskey A Go-Go in L.A., only the place in which the Red Hot Chili Peppers debuted 'Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik'.

"So after the whole American thing we got really pissed off, which was a good reason to write some angry music," West laughs, "the songs we've written are twice as aggressive and twice as mellow. Like the slower ones are really slow and the faster ones are really fast!"

Recorded with Matt Hills - well known for his work with Wolf And Cub and Jet - Knight and West find some descriptions of their current EP quite amusing...

"We've had that lovely 'nu-grunge' thing thrown at us in a review in Sydney," laughs West, "which is a bit wanky because the term never existed, nor are we from Seattle...But it's a good association because people who like grunge are probably gonna like us, theoretically. What was that last review? Post-grunge! The thing is, I'm happy for the label, but I just don't want to seem like we're trying hard to be from 1991!"

However, it's quite apparent that Mayfield strongly feel the days during which sincerity and substance of bands like Nirvana and Alice In Chains are long, long gone.

"Music meant something back then, whereas now it seems to be about haircuts and Chuck Taylors. Everything seems to be style-orientated and everyone is so image-conscious - the integrity is just gone," declares Knight.

"And if I hear one more retro band I am gonna kill myself...But I'm not going alone, though, I'm gonna take at least three of them with me!" West jumps in.

But it's not all doom and gloom for Mayfield, in fact, they have a pretty high opinion of some of our local talent.

According to Knight, "There are some really great bands around - if you're willing to go out and look for them. And a lot of people aren't, which is the problem. There are certainly opportunities if you're prepared to get paid bugger-all, though. But I would definitely say the Adelaide scene has heaps of bands that are really good, yet unknown."

And chances are Mayfield will not be one of these for very long at all - after their upcoming EP launch this month, and the recording of their next EP at Sydney's Velvet Sound Studio, the Mayfield guys will be shifting their focus on London.

As Knight explains, "We got a really good response over there, they've got a real indie, rock thing happening at the moment. We sent our music all over the world as soon as we recorded this EP and the UK was up there with the 'States in its response. We've also got new material to do an album sometime after the EP.

"Actually we were tossing up between whether we should do another EP or a full-length record...So I think, yeah, definitely - the next time we head off into a studio we are going to be doing an album, whether that's with or without a label."

Nina Bertok

'To Whom It May Concern' is launched at the Rocket Bar on Fri 7 July with Syds Gate and The Bovines.