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Bricklayers have been brewing their brand of junkyard-swamp rock for about eighteen months now, but while they have been quietly building a name for themselves in the murky depths of the Brisbane scene, the time has finally come for them to release their debut album.
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Hysteria got banjo player and vocalist Nathan ‘Glenzy’ Glen on the phone to have a chat about the debut and their film clip premiere for Window.
Window, the latest single off the album Tan Black and Brown, from Brisbane’s junkyard rockers Bricklayers, has a grimy, VHS recorded style of aesthetic that compliments the banjo twanging and gravel tones of vocalist Nathan ‘Glenzy’ Glen perfectly.
It’s exactly what director Roland Anthony had in mind when he was brainstorming with the band, although the entire theme did stem from one main idea—having Glenzy naked in a bloody bathtub.
“Somehow we got into the idea to have me in the bathtub, and I don’t know, it all just flowed from there!” Glenzy laughs. “It was Roland and Christian, our drummer, who were coming up with the ideas and yeah, I don’t know how, but that was how it started,” he continues.
It fits the tone of the band perfectly though, even if sludgy, chilled, swamp-junkyard rock may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear a band name like Bricklayers. But that’s exactly the style of music the Brisbane foursome have been cooking up over the last two years. And now, they are very happy to finally get their debut release out to the masses, even if they have sat on the completed product for almost a year.
“I have absolutely no idea why it took so long to get it out,” Glenzy muses. “I think we wanted to tidy it up a bit, make sure we had it right. I’m pretty picky with it all. I think maybe I was overseas as well,” he explains.
Somehow we got into the idea to have me in the bathtub, and I don’t know, it all just flowed from there!
[ Nathan ‘Glenzy’ Glen ]
Doing things at their own pace certainly suits the foursome though, especially as they had such an impromptu beginning to their career as a band, when they came together rather suddenly to support Peter Bibby over in Perth, but then put everything on hold while Glenzy was overseas.
“The band sort of started with me and Christian, the drummer. We played together in our old band and then after that fell apart, I went overseas in America for a while. But before I did, I had these songs that I wanted to record so Christian and I got together in the studio,” Glenzy explains. “But actually, I think Bricklayers started even before all of that. When I was asked to play a show supporting Peter Bibby in Brisbane. I was going to play it solo but he (Christian) wanted to play it as well, so that’s actually where it all first started, before I went away for eight months,” he says.
Since his return though, they have not looked back and after recruiting Paco Johnson Cash on guitar and Ben Smith on bass, they rounded out the Bricklayers line-up and set about creating their first release.
Tan Black and Brown was recorded in Brisbane at The Moon Room, and was mixed and mastered by Nell Forster, with help from Paco Johnson Cash who handles guitars for Bricklayers as well. And while the band have sat on the release since its completion, they certainly haven’t kept away from the live stage as they have played sold-out shows around Brisbane and featured on festivals in SEQ and Northern NSW.
And Glenzy says that their plan after this next run of shows is to get moving on a new record as soon as possible, one that they won’t leave sitting on the shelf for a year till release.
If you like your rock ’n’ roll grimy, raw and gravelly, you’ll be able to pick up a copy of Tan Black and Brown and catch Bricklayers launch the release at the below dates:
Bricklayers Tour Dates:
BYRON BAY // Saturday 10 August // The Northern
BRISBANE // Saturday 24 August // The Bearded Lady
BRISBANE // Friday 20 September // The Bearded Lady
QUEENSLAND // Friday 11 October – Saturday 12 October // Magic Pond Festival
