|
Click
here to go back to the Howzat! archive
THE GLITTERING PRIZE
Howzat! is at The Gaslight Anthem/Social Distortion gig
with a mate, bemoaning the fact there are not enough local
bands like 'em. "I don't know what it is," my mate says,
"we have a lot of really heavy bands, but not enough bands
who are just making radio-ready rock. Maybe they're too
worried about the 'cool factor'."
Enter Boy In A Box's new single, Glitter, Gold, Ruin. As
the ad says, it's not too heavy, not too light … and they're
as cool as fuck. A radio friend said the song reminded her
of My Sharona - "as soon as I heard it, I thought, 'This
is a hit!'" Another mate thought of the Sex Pistols, while
Boy In A Box have already copped plenty of Clash and Springsteen
comparisons. "As soon as you sing in full voice with a bit
of attitude and a fast beat everyone pulls out the Springsteen/Clash
card," singer Tij Priddle smiles.
It's an intriguing name: Boy In A Box. "I wanted something
that could be used for either a band or a solo name," Tij
explains. "I wanted to keep my options open." So is it a
band or a solo project? "Well, it all started with me writing
Moon Comes Up for a charity called Blue September, who raise
awareness for prostate cancer. I had no intention of starting
a band or doing any solo work. I was taking a break." But
the song became a JJJ fave, leading to demand for shows.
"I did my first couple of gigs as a solo project with the
help of some mates from other bands. Since then, I've recruited
old friends from back home on the Central Coast and it's
turned into the band. I guess everything kind of happened
backwards." Boy In A Box have one more Tuesday night at
the Northcote Social Club before heading on tour with British
India.
Tij moved to Melbourne from NSW. He came to town to build
a studio for Barry Palmer, who later signed him to his company,
Gigantically Small. "My last band, The Inheritors, were
on a bill with one of Barry's bands, Dash & Will, in October
2008," Tij recalls. "We made friends with the girls and
stayed in contact." Tij started dating Will (real name Josie)
in June '09 and relocated to Melbourne that Christmas. He's
now a proud Melburnian, "but I have to be completely honest
- I'm not really into football." Huh? "I was told when I
first moved to Melbourne that I had to start following a
team. Josie barracks for St Kilda, so I guess that's my
team. On ya, St Kilda! See, I'm a natural."
The glitter, the gold and the ruin … what does Tij want
from his music career? "I want a career that doesn't just
go crazy for one single and then drop off; one with no expiry
date and opens up doors into the world of producing and
writing for other people. But I realise that in this day
and age that's close to impossible. But maybe not."
THE ARTHOUSE, ROCK IN PEACE
It could have been called the Starthouse because so many
bands have played their first gigs at The Arthouse. The
calling of last drinks at the legendary venue - the final
shows are in April - is just as devastating as The Tote
closing last year. More in Howzat! soon.
TICKING ALL THE BOXES
It's been quite a year for settling scores through song.
Nic Dalton took a shot at two old colleagues in Okay Sydney,
You Beat Me, a track on his underrated gem, Play All Night.
He sings: "And [Martin] Fabinyi stole 100 grand off me,
welcome Nic to the music industry … Made up the name for
the Somersault festival, but then Steven [Pavlovic] wouldn't
put my name on the door." The Casanovas have now unleashed
a savage single called The Most Hated Man In Melbourne.
"Our hearts were full of trust in those puppy dog eyes,
we never thought him capable of all those lies," singer
Tommy Boyce spits. "He waved a bag of cocaine and we danced
to his tune … Well, we just got screwed by the most hated
man in Melbourne." They're not naming names, but Tommy reveals,
"The song was inspired by a horrible ordeal we went through
with someone who used to work for us a few years back. The
words and music just kind of poured out all at once. Fortunately,
by the time we wrote it, we were able to look at the situation
more objectively and have a laugh about it. So although
it may sound pretty angry, it was actually more a source
of amusement by then." The Casanovas are launching The Most
Hated Man In Melbourne at the Northcote Social Club on April
24.
CHART WATCH
Still no homegrown hits in the national Top 20 - for the
fifth week in a row.
What Happened To Us JESSICA MAUBOY (number 30)
Friday To Sunday JUSTICE CREW (32)
Who's That Girl GUY SEBASTIAN (37)
Just one Aussie album in the Top 10.
Temptation THE WAIFS (number six)
The Experiment ART VS. SCIENCE (16)
Down The Way ANGUS & JULIA STONE (19)
Birds Of Tokyo BIRDS OF TOKYO (28)
Running On Air BLISS N ESO (29)
Twenty Ten GUY SEBASTIAN (32)
Great Barrier Grief OH MERCY (36)
Immersion PENDULUM (38)
Listen Here JASMINE RAE (39)
HOWZAT! PLAYLIST
Glitter, Gold, Ruin BOY IN A BOX
Better Than Leaving TENIELLE
Okay Sydney, You Beat Me NIC DALTON
Downlow WAGONS
The Most Hated Man In Melbourne THE CASANOVAS
Click
here to go back to the Howzat! archive
|
