Miami Horror haven't exactly done this whole 'We're-in-a-band' thing the conventional way. Starting out as a DJ on the alternative club circuit in Melbourne, Benjamin Plant has branched out the Miami Horror namesake to including three other budding musicians. The result is a cross between a live DJ set and Prince.
Lifelounge sat down and had a chat with half of the band backstage on the Bacardi Express tour. On the eve of their second gig in 24 hours, and on top of 12 hours of spontaneous jam sessions and a multitude of mojitos, it seemed as if the boys were already a little partied out.
[Lead singer/guitarist Josh Moriarty and producer/writer/bassist/keyboardist/all around nice guy Benjamin Plant are slumped across the table]
Georgia Frances King: Have you napped? Or are you powering on through?
Josh Moriarty: I’m tired now, but when I get on stage, I’ll be fine.
GFK: Do you guys feel like gigs power you up?
Benjamin Plant: He’s powered up [points at Josh], everyone else is powered up, and I just tend to stand there and look sleepy...
JM: He’s like a big bear, with a little baby face. [Josh pinches Benjamin’s cheek]
GFK: Is that why you grow the beard? To hide the baby face?
JM: It suits him!
BP: It suits the baby face more – it makes it more funny.
JM: You’re like a baby-man. With a beard.
GFK: On the image thing, you guys always wear the same costumes on stage. I reckon you look a little like a monochrome Empire Of The Sun with all of your black feathers and fur.
BP: Yeah, people have mentioned that before. To me, I guess it’s a similar thing – it’s a similar genre. Those outfits are just what is fashionable anyway, really. We just got a designer to do stuff.
GFK: What brief did you give her?
BP: [shrugs] We just told her to rip-off Empire Of The Sun.
[laughter]
JM: Well, it
is good to do something a little more special than just a bunch of dudes standing around.
BP: When I wear normal clothes, it feels so much less exciting.
GFK: I was sneaking into clubs around the same time that you were doing the rounds on the Melbourne scene as DJ Miami Horror. Why did you decide to move it into a live act?
BP: Well, we were thinking of how to perform it live, and Jerry [MH's manager] said that we should get Dan [Whitechurch, on keys and percussion]. Then Josh got Aaron [Shanahan, on drums]. And now we’ve changed the sound for the album.
GFK: Changed the sound? How?
BP: It’s a lot more live-er.
GFK: That’s an interesting word.
BP: Why? What would you say?
JM and GFK: More live?
BP: [sniggers] That sounds dumb. When I say live-er, it has a hyphen anyway. So that makes it technically right. Did you know that?
GFK: No, no I did not. [laughs] Continue?
BP: Anyway, there’s guitar on nearly every track. We’re trying to create some original guitar sounds that incorporate the synth so that everything doesn’t sound too rocky.
GFK: So you guys don’t want to go down the rocky path? [humming the Rocky theme song]
JM: It’s more than rock. Or Rocky. It’s more old school '70s psychedelic rock, I suppose.
BP: [glances at Josh] You could
almost call it psychedelic rock, but it’s not. It’s got synths.
GFK: So it’s like… electronic nu-psychedelia?
BP: It’s not like crazily… I mean it’s not… Ummm…
JM: It’s dream-pop.
GFK: Dream-pop? I like that.
BP: There’s definitely pop elements in there, but I
hate the word.
GFK: I reckon it’s pretty good.
BP: Don’t write it!
JM: Oh come on! What’s so bad about it?
BP: It’s
pop!
JM: Pop? What’s wrong with pop?... But the songs have choruses. That makes it pop. It has dance beats- well sort of. And synths and verses and choruses. It’s pop! [Benjamin rolls his eyes]
GFK: What do you have against pop musicians, Ben?
BP: Nothing.
JM: It’s the connotation, I guess.
BP: People assume that it means mainstream.
JM: [shakes head] I don’t think so. I don’t think so at all.
BP: Well whenever I see it on a MySpace or something, it almost makes it feel devalued. Like, ‘synth pop’ is like… (shudders)
JM: But it is though!
[Awkward silence. Ben fiddles with a napkin.]
BP: I made a flower for you. [Hands over the scrunched-up used napkin]
GFK: Aww, thank you. It’s… nice. It’s beautiful.
JM: That’s nice.
GFK: Well, if I’m going to come out of this interview with two things, it’s going to be dream pop and an origami flower.
JM: It’s pretty shit origami though!
GFK: Back to business, how do you guys feel about creative direction? Josh, you’re the lead singer, and Ben, you’re the producer and the Miami Horror namesake. Who’s in creative control? Are you guys even, or— [Josh motions silently in Benjamin’s direction]
JM: Ben’s the boss.
GFK: I was trying not to use that word.
JM: Well he is!
BP: I’ve been working on this for too long. I wasn’t going to give it to anyone else. I couldn’t risk it. I told myself that I can’t.
GFK: Some people seem to get you and Josh mixed up. With Benjamin being Miami Horror, but not the frontman of the band, that must get pretty confusing... Do either of you guys get recognised?
JM: Yeah, a little bit. It’s fine, it’s nice… No one ever comes up and says something mean.
BP: [shaking his head] Oh, no. No. I’ve had some weird stuff.
GFK: Like what?
BP: Like, “Although all my friends think that you’re a gay cunt, I really like your music.”
JM: …I like that one.
BP: …Thanks.
Miami Horror have just announced their new single and tour, 'Moon Theory'. The single will be available on April 16th, and is the second single of their debut album which will be released later this year. More at
myspace.com/miamihorror.