PIT TALK

Debut album Together We’re Alone generated an abundance
of praise and attention, it’s clear that their musical abilities
are hitting the right notes. After being together for well over
five year, Statues have gained the experience that fans need
and want both from the studio and on stage. As the album
puts pressure on them to perform, Scott explains what goes
down at one of their shows.
“The breaking of barriers between the crowd and us. We like
to bring the show to the floor,” reveals Scott. “If we can’t make it
to the floor, we get as close as physically possible,” he explains.
“Our shows are an exertion of raw energy, and most importantly,
we just like to have fun.”
With an ever expanding fan base, they’ve recognised the
pressures of giving fans the best live show possible. We have
seen more bands come under scrutiny for being boring live, so
it’s on them to give people something different. Scott reveals
how vital it is for them as a band to give their fans the best
experience possible.
“It’s the most important [to give fans the best live experience]
and that’s not to be taken with a grain of salt. Since starting
this band in 2010, providing the best live show possible was
always our highest priority. At the end of the day, music is
entertainment. I’d rather people respond with ‘What the hell are
these guys doing?’ than ‘These guys are kinda boring.’ If you’re
boring, you’re not entertainment, or at most, you’re really shit
at it.”
As many gig goers may ask themselves, ‘who the fuck are
these guys?’, some people are taking their bedlam and turning
it into something of their own. “In Brisbane, on our ‘Together
We’re on Tour’ tour, there was a guy breakdancing in the mosh
pit. That was insane,” reveals Scott. In these early days, there’s
plenty more where that came from and they know that anarchy
has just peeped its head around the corner, because they LOVE
what they see.
Live shows can be nerve-wracking for anyone, even for
the biggest of bands and we have all experienced a show
where something goes wrong. Statues are no different to that,
especially Scott who gave his fans more than they bargained for
at one of their shows.
“I was exerting myself at a show too
much, too fast. I was trying to swallow
some spit that was collecting in the
back of my throat, but it was so
viscous, that it wasn’t going to
go anywhere but up. I realised I
was going to puke, so I ran to the
bathroom, just left of the stage, midsong,
came back out, and THEN I
vomited all over the mosh pit floor,”
he recalls. Crikey mate, that is one to
tell the grandkids.
A crazy live show comes with the territory
of a hardcore band where some bands have a built
up a bit of a reputation for delivery on some crazy shit.
Yet, somewhere in there some bands are missing out on
the weight of their song writing. With a chug chug here and
a chug chug there plus some strained vocal patterns, there’s an
entire wave of hardcore bands that leave an astronomical space
for improvement. But this isn’t the case for these Australian lads.
Statues call themselves ‘Chaotic Hardcore’ on Facebook and
it’s bloody accurate. In twelve tracks, they pack in skull splitting
riffs, rip roaring vocals and reckless rhythms that are the perfect
soundtrack for a good old mosh or hardcore skip, whichever you
prefer.
“Our style of writing is a lot more chaotic,” says Scott, “in
the sense that it’s usually a long train of thought type writing
process, which in and of itself is chaotic. But if you’re talking
sound, there’s a lot of dissonance and jarring rhythms in our
music, which makes it more erratic than your usual hardcore
stylings. Then there’s the live show on top of that.”
Most bands just describe themselves as metal or classical,
but Scott tells us what Statues would be like if a couple of bands
had a punch up, saying: “If Rage Against the Machine and
Dillinger Escape Plan got in a punching match, and Norma Jean
was the ref, you’d have Statues.” Sounds like one helluva fight,
who’d win though?
The hardcore scene is thriving more than ever on the other
side of the world and there’s no doubt that Statues are the key
part to the ever spinning metal machine. We have seen the likes
of Parkway Drive, Deez Nuts and In Hearts Wake create waves
in the metal world, it’s clear to see that there’s plenty of talent on
offer from our fellow brothers from down under. Scott admits that
the metal and hardcore scene is better than ever in 2015.
“Metalcore/Deathcore/Hardcore in Australia is huge at the
moment. I’d argue it’s one of the biggest scenes in the country. I
do feel that it’s somewhat of a ‘Boy’s Club’,” admits Scott, “where
you have to be connected with the right people to get the bigger
and better shows, but I guess the same can be said about the
music scene anywhere.” It’s true; knowing people can get you
places, but you can’t measure talent… Although Statues are off
the fucking richter scale and everyone knows it.
It’s the successful metal bands of the past five years that
have opened endless opportunities for the Australians, although
Scott admits their location makes it harder too.” I think bands
like Parkway Drive have really put Australia on the map, and
rightly so; there is so much good music coming out of Australia
that deserves to be exported overseas. I feel our location on the
planet is what makes it the most difficult though.”
The hardcore scene in the UK is thriving too, with a tight
knit community that is seeing an increase in many independent
shows featuring specifically hardcore bands. As the community
grows with the help of social media and hardcore specific
groups, it’s become a cult which is being lapped up like no
tomorrow. Although the community is strong, there’s one aspect
that not everyone agrees with.
If you’ve ever been at a hardcore show, you’ll know the drill.
Two stepping and spinkicking are the two actions of choice,
culminating in hardcore’s finest move: crowdkilling. It’s come
under tight scrutiny from not only journalists, but bands and fans
alike. Scott explains that hardcore shows are more than just the
dancers. “In short, yes there is more to it than that. However,
we’ve experienced occasions where people are just violent for
no good reason, or lack the spacial awareness required to keep
the pit safe. If you knock someone over, pick them up, apologise.
If you’re targeting people, you have no place at a show; in fact
a court of law would call it assault. Thankfully, these occasions
have been very rare. For the vast majority of shows, people
know what’s up. Express yourself however you like, provided you
look after your fellow show-goers.”
This is the kind of attitude that will bring hardcore back to
the level it should be. Statues have received nothing but positive
reviews across all major music magazines in the UK. We are
pining to see these guys deliver a live show on these very regal
shores of ours, as they set their eyes on taking over our hardcore
scene.
“We are very, very keen to get our butts over to the UK. It’s
about getting a decent tour package together, and making it
a worthwhile trip. It’s expensive, so we have to make it count!
When we’re there, we just want to play shows; every night if we
can,” says Scott. “I’d love to get back to Scotland too; I was over
last year and it’s just a beautiful piece of country.”
With Together We’re Alone gaining critical acclaim in the UK
alone, it’s given the Perth lads a mammoth thumbs up whilst
picking up a strong fan base along the way. Scott describes
his disbelief in the reaction, “It’s absolutely mental. We weren’t
expecting this reaction, if I’m being honest,” he admits. “I just
really appreciate that people are listening to our music. In the
musical setting these days, you can very easily be forgotten, or
missed altogether, so the fact that there are people in the UK
loving the album, really inspires me.”
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