Battlehounds
Up and coming Adelaide band Battlehounds are set for a big 2015 as they continue to impress with every live show they play. The focus turns to new single Visions which was recorded in Adelaide with Grammy Award mastering engineering Gavin Lurssen (Queens Of The Stone Age’s Like Clockwork) to put on the finishing touches. Alex, Andrew and Dale collectively chipped in on a quick Q&A with Across The Ocean.
Recorded in Adelaide and then given to Grammy Award winner Gavin Lurssen for the finishing touches Visions is three minutes of thumping drums, fuzzy guitars and gravel soaked vocals. A chant for late nights and lovers past, stale beer and painful mornings. Visions is that last song of the night, arms around your mates, sung slightly out of tune that feels oh so right.
Is it an exciting time building up to the release of the single Visions?
Definitely, there’s a lot to organise but it’s come together nicely. Booking the tour is probably the hardest part and then timing everything around that but it’s definitely exciting.
Have you been encouraged by the response so far by people coming to shows or discovering you over the internet?
Absolutely! The response has been positive so far. Our Adelaide launch was brilliant. We’ve had a great response online and also through community radio, it’s starting to filter through to other stations as well now so we’re stoked.
What is the single about?
It’s about wanting something you know you can’t or shouldn’t have and fighting against it. Interpret that how you like. There’s no single personal experience that it relates to specifically but it’s a feeling we all know.
How did Battlehounds get together?
Our old bass player Tom used to live in this share house that we would hang out at a lot, one of those houses that becomes a focal point of your social life. Dale, Tom and I shared a mutual love of similar bands and we were all looking to start a new band. Tom moved to Sydney for work but I knew Marsh (our current bass player) through our old bands. Marsh and I had always talked about starting a band so it seemed fitting he join Battlehounds.
How would you describe the band’s sound?
Grimy, fuzzy rock and roll.
Are there any significant influences that the band share?
Definitely! Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, All Them Witches, Nick Cave, Kyuss, Uncle Acid & The Dead Beats, Black Sabbath, there are many more, I think that’s why we work so well.
Was the process of writing and recording your debut as hard/difficult as you thought?
Not really. Visions came to me pretty naturally and it came together when we jammed on it. We did play around with the final mix a lot. We had a few issues so it took a while to get it right but we’re really happy with how it’s come together.
Are there a lot of lessons you can take from this in to the next recording experience?
We’ve learnt that we need to pull apart songs a bit more. We can get a bit close to the songs and keep them as they are. We actually recorded another three songs in the same sessions as Visions but once we listened to them we realised how half done they were.
Is there still a stigma of being an Adelaide band or this something that isn’t relevant anymore?
I think there is and there isn’t. There’s a great scene here and so many good bands and there’s a definite sense of pride amongst Adelaide bands but I think some bands tend to put it on themselves. I’ve heard people say things like “oh we’re from Adelaide so we’ll probably never get anywhere”. Fuck that. I think the so called stigma that comes is often self appointed. Adelaide has a rich history with music. Bands like The Angels, Cold Chisel, Masters Apprentices, Sia, Hilltop Hoods have all come from here and have all done huge things. Now we’ve got bands and artists like Tkay Maidza, Bad//Dreems and Jesse Davidson all doing really well so I think there’s a bit of a spotlight here at the moment. The stigma goes as far as you want it to.
Are you excited about planning shows in Melbourne and Sydney?
Definitely. We’ve played Melbourne before and have had a great response. It’ll be our first time in Sydney as a band but I’ve played there before in other bands and it’s always really fun.
Are you looking to tour more extensively after this run of dates?
We are. We’re in the process of confirming more dates as we speak. They’ll be announced soon.
What’s the plan from here? Is there an EP or album in the works?
An EP is definitely in the works and we’ve been stockpiling songs for a while now so it’s a matter of cutting them down and finishing them off. Hopefully another single too before the EP.
Whether it is rummaging through vinyl at record stores such as Clarity and Title finding hidden gems to scouring the internet to find that album by the next big thing or chasing bands to get that elusive autograph and photo his passion is music all the way.
- Aversions Crown - January 27, 2017
- Sick Of It All - January 19, 2017
- Refused - January 11, 2017
