Thanks for chatting to That Adelaide Band! Have managed to see Street Legal live and I find the consistent on-stage look really appealing! What was the reason for this? I mean, usually a lot of bands just adopt an individual image but you have stood out by adopting your own, unique look..
Heyo, no problem - thanks for having us! When we came together we wanted to have a bit of a uniformity to our look rather than just doing the same old thing. I guess we were inspired by Noel Crombie from Split Enz (who played in the band and also made their suits) as well as the Jonathan Demme concert film 'Stop Making Sense' and really loved the theatricality of a collective uniform. I want to further incorporate that into our stagecraft, since I kinda love how that can add to the songwriting. Unfortunately we hadn't anticipated a couple of other bands with a similar vibe (they are only red coveralls afterall) and tire a bit of the Slipknot references so expect us to change it up a bit this year I think.
Street Legal, undoubtedly has an 80’s vibe, there’s some Cars, Human League and even Kenny G I get from your single ‘Modern Ruins’, tell us the methods behind your songwriting think tank.
I definitely grew up with a healthy appreciation for music from that time period. There's a lot of earnestness to it which I think a lot of music today lacks, even if some of the production suffers from being overprocessed cheese. I (Matt) tend to have a fair idea of the structure, melody and lyrical/thematic ideas of a song before I take them to the rest of the band to be fleshed out and played around with. They love everything from The Replacements to Pet Shop Boys and have a good ear for colour and tone, so it works out quite collaboratively. The think tank will then jam it out until either it makes an inclusion into the setlist or ends up on the scrap heap.
We're really into The Lemon Twigs at the moment, who are a contemporary band from New York who make music that recalls a certain time period without being too gimmicky. Not so sure about the Kenny G.
The band has focused so far on releasing singles, what’s the plan for the future regarding your recordings?
We're heading into the studio this month to start laying down the drum tracks for our first EP with Matt Schultz (The Empty Threats/Twine) at Interim Studios.
Tell us your dream gig that Street Legal would like to perform at? Cause dreams do come true to those that work hard enough.
We've been fortunate enough to already play some fun local festivals, however we'd really like to start playing some reasonable national touring supports and playing more interstate in support of the EP. We had a wild time over in Melbourne last October at Cafe Gummo and the Old Bar for our single tour and can't wait to go back. Personally I would love to support a band like Pixies or The Damned.
Street Legal is a ‘super-group’ of sorts. You have come from the quirky-pop band ‘Central Deli Band’(who I only saw once supporting The Grates!), Max is in Superdose Gangway, Matt Ward, Bitchspawn amongst others + beats the drums for Port Power!), Tas was in The Aves, Shara is in Bitchspawn/The Vains and Libby from the Vains. That in itself is a powerhouse unity if I ever saw one. What brought you all together? Tell us the story..
CDB feels like a million years away and generally had a reputation as more of a side show performance/group therapy session than actual band so I'm happy that's where it can stay for now. I met Max when he played with Luigi Donnarumma and had been recommended to him by many different people. We actually worked teaching some music percussion classes together earlier last year which were so much bloody fun. I actually ended up yelling out to him on the street in Hindmarsh Square one day asking if he wanted to play in the band and he very kindly accepted my unsolicited offer. I knew Shara and Libby through going to see Bitchspawn & Vains shows and loved hanging out with them. I can be quite neurotic at times and Libby cracks me up by being such a right pain in the arse it brings me back down to earth. She will do anything for a shisha. Shara is our mother hen and is the ultimate calming presence in the band (when not seeking out heavy metal). Tas and I had floated in similar circles for years but I didn't really know him all that well until he came out to some of our early shows and fit perfectly in with the band. Also turns out I used to see The Aves a fair bit back in the day at the Ed Castle. He definitely brings new energy and ideas to the gang.
Street Legal Photo : Kate Hayward
Comments
Post a Comment