After playing the first half of the Shani single tour heading to Adelaide and Sydney the band are finishing it off with a few more dates. We caught up with drummer Sam to chat about the single and if this tour has any volcanoes in it.
After playing the first half of the tour earlier in the year where are you heading now?
This time around it is Hobart and Melbourne, just a little Bass Strait action, a quick one-two. The Hobart show is with The Preatures and Klo as part of the Dark Mofo Festival, and then we jump over to Melbourne to play Shebeen with Golden Girls and Hideous Towns. Both make good pop, with Golden Girls describing themselves as ‘post-party’ music while Hideous Towns are pretty damn dreamy.
Has the band played Shebeen before?
No, we haven’t played there. I have eaten a tasty taco there though and drank a beer from somewhere in Africa. I also had a really good piece of fudge. I hear the bandroom has a really good vibe and their profits go to third world development, so it’s definitely a venue doing it right.
What's it like being a Tasmanian band travelling and playing shows in Melbourne?
Melbourne kinda feels like a big outer suburb north of our CBD (haha). We’ve always really enjoyed playing Melbourne, and generally we’ve been pretty well received. We are lucky enough that our friends play in some exceptional bands there, who we get to play with (Parking Lot Experiments, Milk Teddy, Trjaeu to name a few), and with their help the cultural differences are minimised and we know how to correctly order a beer (down in Tasmania a small beer is a ‘ten ounce’ but not so on the mainland).
What do the band get up to when in Melbourne?
I guess we just like to hang out with friends, eat super tasty food, catch a few shows if we can. We are very much into breakfast as being the best meal, so definitely a post-show leisurely feast. There are too many good cafes to mention. As for bars – Some Velvet Morning is cosy and plays the best rekkids.
What can people expect from your live show?
I think we are starting to get into music as being more of a performance, less bashful maybe 'cos there’s no point in being shy now we’ve been a band for long enough to not really care about trying to be someone else or fit a particular idea. Expanding our lineup has also made things a bit more unpredictable in a good way. There are now more vocals, more synths, a bit more switching of instruments and a darker sound when the electronic beats are about. The new record is going to be damn fun to play live.
No novices to touring, Tiger Choir, have previously supported Deerhunter and The Drums on national tours. We asked what some of the more interesting events that stick in their minds are.
We played Camp a Low Hum Festival in New Zealand. That festival and tour was probably the best week of our lives – to play alongside so many great Australian and NZ bands in the most amazing settings. Not only is the festival nestled in the most beautiful scenery but band stages were set up in squash and tennis courts and other random places. We got to see Four Tet play in an empty swimming pool! Those tours are the reference point for us – why we make and play music – to try and make a quick but real connection with the people around you and create opportunities to do crazy shit across the world. When the festival was over we hiked up a volcano. We want to see more volcanoes.
There was also a show with The Drums in Perth. That night it led to us playing scrabble in a bar called ‘The Moon’ and then dancing with The Drums to Rihanna in a superclub. At least I think that’s what happened.
Catch Tiger Choir with Melbournites Golden Girls and Hideous Towns at Shebeen on June 20. There are no volcanoes near by but I think we can do better than a game of scrabble.
Anyone feel like interstate game of Risk?