They are two quite different bands, Expatriate and The Cops, but they do have a number of things in common. One is that they are touring the country together right now. Another is that they have had an incredible year that has seen the release of two albums that are sure to be landmarks in Australian rock for years to come. The Cops have already been on a national sold out tour promoting their sophomore release, Drop It In Their Laps. Expatriate have toured the country with none other than Powderfinger and Silverchair, and finished off by receiving two ARIA nominations for their debut album, In The Midst Of This. And it really comes as no surprise when you listen to their albums, as they have equal amounts of ambition and style comparable only to the biggest today; they were never going to be less talked about than what they already have been. Expatriate’s Ben King and The Cops’ Simon Carter joins Lifelounge to talk about the madness of 2007 as well as flogging themselves with hot lashes covered in broken glass. And bunyips.
First of all, how did the Expatriate/The Cops adventure come about?SC: “We were both having art exhibitions in Monaco and we just kind of bumped into each other and had Champagne’s baby and then yeah we did it.”
Err, maybe not. Ben?BK: “We released records around the same time and toured them at the same time as well, so we’ve been on a similar trajectory all year. We wanted to do a bigger room and put on a special night so it made sense to do it with another band, and the Cops were of the same mindset as well.
Similar mindset, as well as some more fundamental common ground was also a reason for the two bands connecting in such a way.
BK: “I think we both like rhythm a lot more than other ‘rock’ bands and that comes through. The groove is very important to us and Chris (drums) especially grew up loving reggae and funk music and I love dance/electronic music so I think that fuels the fire.”
There is no doubt that both Drop It In Their Laps and In The Midst of This sound incredibly tight for such young bands, and it is by no means a coincidence that this happened.SC: “We had the entire album mapped out down to the very last detail before we went in to record the album with Paul McKercher (Augie March, Magic Dirt, You Am I). We’re just anal like that. We wanted to write the exact opposite of our first album so we wrote a commercial pop album to see if we could do it.”
Australia can obviously confirm that they succeeded, and as any commercial pop album should have, this one also came with a smashing single, Call Me Anytime. BK: “I think ‘Call Me’ is a really great pop song and I think Simon’s songwriting is great in that sense. He’s got a real knack for melody and ‘the hook’ which is clearly evident on this song.”
While the 80’s influences are more obvious in songs like "Call Me Anytime", there are nods in the same direction in the Expatriate camp as well. And as both bands sprung out from the same vital Sydney scene, it is unavoidable that they have been influenced by some of the same stuff.BK: “The Sydney scene has been very important to us. Having success in our home city has been the bedrock for everything else to build from and we are very appreciative of it.”
With touring like these bands are doing at the moment, there are a bunch of presumptions and myths about what goes on behind the scenes. That of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll being the most common one, something all bands relate to, or don’t relate to, as the case may be.
SC: “I think it’s pathetic and if I ever hear that expression again I’m going to flog myself with a hot lash covered in broken glass. We’re musicians and as such are only interested in making great music for people.”
It could ensure quality entertainment if the conversations ever came to an awkward pause, no doubt, but then again the tour is called the Strange Creatures Tour. “All musicians are strange,” says Simon, and Ben is convinced that the title of the tour represents something quite essential for touring bands.BK: “We are all clowns and it’s the only way to be because you’ll go mad if you don’t have a bit of fun on tour. Strange creatures of the night unite to sing, dance and drink together!”
SC: “And if I see a bunyip, that would be strange too.”
It has been a wild ride to get to where they are today. And the two bands, despite standing on a lot of common ground have got different types of inspirations from the beginning.BK: “Sadness, adolescence and isolation made me want to write music. I’ve obviously been inspired by other artists, not just musicians, but I’ve never been one to sit down and learn every song of another band. From the start I picked up my guitar and started trying to compose my own works and music.”
Even though both bands have achieved a lot in no time, there are no signs of slowing down or falling short of the ambition on their past efforts.SC: “We want to be an important band who are recognised for pushing themselves creatively and for writing kick ass albums.”
BK: “I would like Expatriate to be known for what we do best which is writing songs that connect with people’s hearts and do so because they are honest and brave songs about the shit that goes on in one’s life. That’s how I grew up finding music that I took into my life.”
However, as the joint tour is a special occasion for both bands as well as their fans, there are some special plans for the tour.BK: “We are going to sing a song together at the end of the night. And I think there are plans to record this cover song.”
In other words, there are plenty of things to come from these bands, and they are only likely to heighten their already rising stars. Whether or not that includes bunyips, only time will tell, but as soon as time allows them to it will most certainly include more music.
BK: “Right now I’d really like to be doing some more writing for our next record, but finding the time to do it is another thing. We’d like to record and produce our next record ourselves and I’m already really looking forward to that.”
Øyvind Rones