Q: Philadelphia Grand Jury are back on the touring circuit, to the delight of fans across Australia. How does it feel to be back after the time off?
A: It feels fantastic! It’s like when you’ve battled through a hard winter and the sun finally comes out and you dip your toes in the ocean and realise that you’re finally getting back into the water. Stepping onto that stage will be like diving under the first wave and remembering how great it feels to be back in Summer. Starting the first song and hearing all the voices sing along in the chorus will be like getting up on the first wave of the session and riding it the whole way into shore. I mean, I can only imagine. I’m not a very good surfer.
Q: How does Summer of Doom compare with your first two albums?
A: Well, the second album was a cop-out really. It was just a re-packaged version of the first one with a few extra songs, so Summer Of Doom feels like the more legitimate second album. But more importantly, it was the first one that we got pressed onto vinyl, so it feels bigger. It’s got the same energy as Hope Is For Hopers, but a much more varied sonic palette. So there are organs and backwards guitars and crazy old synths and weird delay pedals. But at it’s heart, Summer Of Doom is still full of our brand of pop music about love, set in the time of impending worldwide catastrophe.
Q: Has singer Berkfinger (Simon Berckelman) changed the way he writes songs since spending time in Berlin?
A: We’ve always tried to write songs together in a room with all the microphones setup so that we can capture that initial excitement. With Berkfinger being in Berlin, it just means that we have a much bigger backlog of ideas ready to burst forth every time we all get together in the same place.
Q: What are the songs that fans seem to get into the most at live shows?
A: People seem to REALLY love Spend More Time With You off the new album and I think it’s because it’s really simple and as soon as you hear the first 3 chords, people just get it. It could also be because Berkfinger is usually setup halfway to the back of the crowd by the time we get to this one in the set. And the irony of people losing their minds to I Don’t Want To Party (Party) never ceases to make me smile.
Q: Dan Williams splits his time between Philadelphia Grand Jury and Art Vs Science. Which band has to schedule their tour around the other and does that equate to a sorta inferiority or superiority complex?
A: One band is an ARIA-winning act that headlines festivals and features good-looking and uber-talented musicians that don’t need to have day jobs. The other is us. You do the maths.
Q: When musicians go on tour together you find out some interesting things about each other. Who has the strangest habits on tour?
A: We generally keep to ourselves after the show because we’re completely and utterly exhausted from playing the set at the highest intensity we possibly can. I was always amused by the way Dappled Cities toured: every other band just seems to be constantly struggling, but they drank tea and did cryptic crosswords and made jokes about each other that I didn’t really understand. Strange cats, those Dappled Cities boys.
Q: What are Adelaide audiences like compared to our interstate compatriots (rivals)? We like to think we party harder (probably because we miss so many shows…)
A: Adelaide is a very confusing place. During the daytime it’s quite possibly the nicest, most beautiful city in all the world and then the moon comes out and the whole place descends into absolute debauchery and chaos. If I’m ever in need of cheering up, I think about some of the Adelaide shows we’ve played before where we’ve had: a) people literally hanging off the rafters to fit more people in; b) go-go dancers invade the stage and do a routine to one of our songs; or c) Emergency Ivan (who was filling in on drums) go completely mad and end the set with an ear-piercing barrage of noise from the guitar while the crowd was going completely mental and trying to do very bad things to him.
Q: You are easily the most animated member of the band. Are you overcompensating because bass players get a bad rap?
A: I don’t need to overcompensate for anything.
Q: What type of on and off stage shenanigans have you planned for this tour?
A: We don’t plan any off stage shenanigans, because we’d rather just bring them up on stage instead. If you’re reading this and coming to the show, YOU could be those shenanigans.
Catch Philadelphia Grand Jury at their show at Producers Hotel on April 30.
Tickets through Oztix.
More News
