The Bloodpoets are one of my favourite new bands on the scene, thanks to their energetic live shows and eclectic gem of a debut, Polarity. I recently caught up with the band’s lead vocalist and founder Thomas Murphy to chat about the album, life on the road, and all things music.
Your debut album Polarity has just been released. For those who haven’t heard of you before, how would you describe it?
I would describe it as a bit of a journey. Kind of like a day. The beginning of the album is vibrant and exciting, the type of thing you can leave on at a party. The final section is more diverse and interesting with songs that are a bit more emotionally intense, and finally the relief of “My Paradise” which is basically the going to bed song! Pretty much put this album on 45 minutes before bed at full blast.
Polarity is such an eclectic album. What bands are you listening to at the moment?
I am listening to Muse quite a bit just because I support their experimentation and diversity. I see it as a positive reinforcement that I can continue to release in that fashion and still aim for success. Also listening to old Radiohead and as always Beatles and The Cure
I saw you supporting The Badloves last month, and I was really impressed by the way you won over the mostly middle-aged crowd. How do you approach a show like that, where everyone is keen to see a headliner whose music is so different to your own?
We find the feel of the headliner and try and match it as best we can so people can have an ideal night. They expect to have a colourful sonic experience, so it’d suck if we rocked and ruined that preconception of the night out. We did throw in Borderline just to entertain the younger people. We did the same for The Whitlams though at the Tivoli and copped a bit of flack for being samey and uneventful. So we’re just learning to be a support, we should’ve rocked Whitlams, but we didn’t rock Badloves and it was fine. Just depends on the crowd on the night.
You’re currently on tour to support the album. What do you love about being on stage?
I love the idea that I know what is coming. I know what songs the crowd is there for and will react to, so I get this awesome anticipation of knowing that the room is going to explode in the next song, and I use the song previous to it to prepare for it. It’s an art in itself, and it’s much more intense and risky.
I noticed you’re part of the Caloundra Music Festival, which has such an amazing line-up. Are you hoping to see any of the other acts on the bill?
Definitely keen to see Hoodoo Gurus – never seen them before – also keen to see Toni Childs. The rest of the band are keen to see Bob Evans and Josh Pyke. Unfortunately, we’ll be headlining a separate stage on the biggest night, which means we’ll probably miss one of the big headliners which is a shame.
Your current single “Borderline” has received a massive response from Triple J and Triple M. Do you see yourselves as more of an indie or mainstream rock act?
As bad an answer as this is, because of the fence sitting, I’m really believing we can bridge both sides of the industry. With our diversity and the use of instrumentation and song structures, we can hopefully be seen in both arenas, as we are now.
You were recently won a slot on The JD Set Tour supporting The Panics, and mentioned before setting off that it would give you a chance to learn about larger scale tours. What lessons did you learn on the tour?
Sleep is awesome! Drinking adds up hahaha. We found also that time differences like two hours mean that when you’re packing up at 2am in Perth it’s 4 am in Brisbane, which hurts. In all seriousness, the biggest thing we’ve learned is that there is a lot of people working behind the scenes to make things smooth and as a result, no matter on the size of your tour, you have to be grateful to the people who were with you when you were too hung over to travel.
I can imagine that it might get a little crazy with three bands travelling around the country together. Can you share any tour stories?
None that we should share. Other than us not leaving ourselves sufficient time to get to the airport on the Perth – Sydney leg and showing up with only one minute left before the gate shut. That was pretty stressful. Had to use some charm to keep Qantas from cutting us
The Bloodpoets is quite an interesting name. How did you come up with it?
My brother and I started the band = Blood. We write songs = poets
After this tour wraps up what’s next for The Bloodpoets?
We’ll straight away be booking a second tour in January/February and releasing a second single with a new film clip. So stay tuned!
You can catch The Bloodpoets at the following shows. Their debut album Polarity is in stores now.
10 October 2009 – The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD (18+)
15 October 2009 – Bull & Bush, Sydney, NSW (18+)
16 October 2009 – Club Trash, Sydney, NSW (18+)
24 October 2009 – Caloundra Music Festival, Sunshine Coast, QLD (All Ages)
7 November 2009 – Pacific Hotel, Yamba, NSW (18+)
17 November 2009 – Manchester Lane, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment