‘It’s not as though it’s Britney Spears, but that’s the closest we’ll ever come to a pop song.’
Rich Davies, Jr., is proud of his band’s new single, ‘Coffee Breath,’ seeing it as something of an homage to the bands and songs that inspired them in their musical upbringings. ‘I still like to call it Brit-pop,’ and adds, after a pause and with a self-conscious chuckle, ‘just because I’m a dag and I love Brit-pop.’
Initially conceived as an electronica project, Spun Rivals started life as Rich and Mildura programmer Clayton Pegus. The addition of local drummer Matt Ryan to the Melbourne based band saw a change in direction and Clayton picked up the bass. ‘It was so exhilarating to be playing with a band again,’ Rich reflects. ‘The vibe between three guys in a room was totally awesome.’
So, just what brings together an Indie kid from Scotland and an electro artist from Mildura, and why settle in Melbourne? ‘Mildura reminds me a lot of the town I escaped from. I lived in a small town outside of Edinburgh. Anyone who wasn’t a track-suit wearing clone got a bit of a hard time. All the artists and musicians and stuff were always getting beaten up so we escaped to Edinburgh. But it seemed Edinburgh wasn’t far enough to escape for me so I kept on going to Melbourne.’
With the line-up cemented, the band were set to develop their sound into what the band say is today something ‘really versatile, and able to cross genres.’ This will be most evident on the Spun Rival’s debut EP, set for release in early 2008. But for Rich, it has been important to shape the band in a way which is ‘organic and natural.’ After playing in a previous band under a manager who made him feel ‘more like a marketer than a songwriter,’ Spun Rivals was the chance he needed to produce ‘pure music’ again.
‘There are always the pain-in-the-arse parts of it. There’s the postering every wall in Melbourne side of it. That’s not why I joined the band, but I want people to come to the gigs. I want people to hear about the band because I’m proud of the songs we’ve made. As clichéd as it sounds, it’s about the music… It’s the most honest music we could possibly make, because having a sense of calm and soul about that kind of stuff is important to me…’
Rich considers this last statement a moment, before assuring me ‘I’ve not got dreadlocks and stuff… Honest, man.’
Spun Rivals are playing in Melbourne and Sydney in support of ‘Coffee Breath’ and the forthcoming EP. Details are available at www.spunrivals.com.
From Buzz Magazine, January 2008.
LiveNudeDann 