VC: There’s been a lot of success with your recent album Zounds, has it sunk in for you guys yet, or does it still all seem a bit surreal?
DR: Well I mean we take it in our stride (laughs). But it was certainly very exciting actually, specifically Zounds. When that came out and we were making the record, not only did it help us out to find us within ourselves, but also it helped us develop as musicians because it really is a big acclimation of what we wanted to do. But yeah, mainly I guess we just try to keep it real.
VC: You’ve also got the Great Escape coming up, are you exciting about that’s one? It’s pretty massive!
DR: I suppose so, those things are really, really exhausting. But certainly very exciting because we’ve never been to The Great Escape so it’s all new to us.
VC: And after that, at the end of May you’ve got the Music Matters Conference in Asia and that’s not really your typical music festival so what are you guys expecting?
DR: (Laughs) Well really we’ve got no idea what to expect
VC: You don’t even know what you’ve gotten yourself into!
DR: Hah yeah, it all just came through a couple of week ago and we were like ‘’Oh we’re going to Hong Kong now!” and Alex has looked up this dumpling house that has a Michelin Star and has a three hour wait to get like, fourteen dumplings and that’s all we’re concerned about really (laughs). We haven’t even thought about the Music Matters Conference! It’s not really a playground I guess. It’s not really something the band should be excited about I don’t think except for the fact that we’re in Hong-Kong. I think it’s more something for our manager and our record label and those guys, to get salivating over. We’re just there to admire and to do our thing.
VC: And so after the tours that you’ve got coming up overseas, how does it feel to know that you’re finally coming back home at the beginning of June?
DR: We’re very excited actually! Obviously Australia is the place where we’ve had the most success and the biggest crowd and so to come home after playing in pubs and bars it’s nice to know we’re coming home to a big crowd I guess.
VC: So do you think that’s the one thing you’ve missed the most then?
DR: Well yes and no. I mean it’s actually kind of nice to be in a place like the UK where we’re completely anonymous. It’s really nice actually because we can roll up to gigs and play our little hearts out like we used too (laughs). It’s really refreshing. In saying that though it gives you a chance to develop but stay real at the same time I suppose. But that said, the home crowd, go the home crowd!
VC: And when you guys come back here to play, are you going to play a mix of the albums, or mainly Zounds?
DR: Well we’re really just focusing on the new stuff actually. There’s a very short lifespan of our songs since we get bored of them quickly (laughs). We’re going to try and play a mix of all the records, but we’re most excited to play Zounds and the newer stuff now.
VC: And you’re doing that with the John Steel Singers as well, are you guys a big fan of theirs?
DR: Yeah we’re huge fans, they’re awesome! I personally haven’t met them but I know their songs well.
VC: So it must be exciting then for you to be playing with them.
DR: Yeah absolutely, they’re keeewwwl.
VC: I’m assuming you’ve been getting a lot of questions about this one, but I do have to ask you, after your golden lycra outfits when you played here at the Laneway Festivals, are we in for any new costume surprises?
DR: (Laughs) Everyone has been asking. It’s the hot topic of the season. As of now I don’t really know, those suits came in right at the last minute as did the ones from the previous tour so who knows what could be next, we might just wear skivvies! Or nothing at all, but I’m just kidding (laughs).
VC: Well I’m sure either way the fans are going to be pleased.
DR: I’m sure they will, in fact I’m sure they’ll probably be more pleased the less they see.
VC: And when you guys get back as well you’ve got your art exhibition coming out too. Was there an idea behind that or it something you thought would be fun to do?
DR: Well we launched that exhibition for the fourth album that we released but mainly I guess we did it for the artists because all the artists that worked on it we liked quite a lot and we kind of wanted them to give them the spotlight for a bit again.
VC: So did you guys suss out the artists and pieces yourselves?
DR: Yeah, well, obviously from afar at the moment (laughs). But what happened last year with the Zounds exhibition was we chose some artists and they created some artworks in response to the songs off Zounds and then we exhibited it last year in an afternoon sort of event and then it got exhibited again. So this is like the proper exhibition where people can go in their own time.
VC: So once you guys get back and you’ve finished the Winter Tour here, have you thought much about what installed for the future?
DR: I think after this tour we’re going to be going back into the studio to start the next record. We don’t really like to be still for too long, especially since Zounds took such a long time to make I think we’re quite excited about getting back into the studio and being a bit spontaneous with the next record, letting the music take the direction and get back to our punk-ier kind of roots.
