Brisbane’s pop-punk upstarts Two Times Shy are soaring lofty heights as they let loose their …
Our mates across the ditch have brought us so many incredible acts over the years. And our new favourite is Voodoo Bloo, the alt-rock fireball just about ready to drop their second album, The Blessed Ghost.
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Before its official release, we caught up with frontman Rory McDonald and drummer Jackson Kidd for a chat.
Hysteria: Let’s get the band introduced.
Rory: I’m Rory.
Jackson: And I’m Jackson. And we have two other members who aren’t here – Oli (Cass, bass) and Daniel (Maslin, guitar).
Rory: Do you know how we actually came together, Jackson?
Jackson: We had a band before this, and then we stopped (laughs). And then Rory started up Voodoo Bloo as a solo project. He decided he needed a band, so he brought me in from the previous band and Oli and Daniel.
Rory: It didn’t take long for me to realise I couldn’t do anything by myself (laughs).
How did your approach to The Blessed Ghost differ from your first LP?
Rory: For me, it was a more thorough approach to songwriting. The riffs were more complex too, I’d say. We didn’t just want to stick with the punk vibe we had before. What do you think, Jackson?
Jackson: There was more input from others and more influences going into it.
Rory: Yes! It was definitely more collaborative.
Jackson: The music we were listening to changed as well.
Rory: Yeah. Like you introducing me to Deftones was a massive reason for us changing our sound and moving in that direction.
And where’d you draw your inspiration from lyrically?
Rory: It was a point after the first album was done. It was the first big victory for the band. I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was very much a moment of self-reflection and trying to figure out what I did and didn’t like about myself. That’s sort of the story behind The Blessed Ghost. Me looking in the mirror and figuring out what’s good and bad and working on it from there.
It was almost minor in comparison to the changes we were going through as a band and my learning to work with other people. But it was good. The most refreshing part of the record to me was everyone coming together to work on it.
That’s sort of the story behind The Blessed Ghost. Me looking in the mirror and figuring out what’s good and bad and working on it from there.
[Rory McDonald]
Give us a view inside the recording studio. How was it working more collaboratively?
Jackson: It was nice to have a full band. We were able to do live takes and edit them before we fully dived into recording them. That was as collaborative as it got. From there, we were separated into other rooms. Our producer Greg Haver was amazing, but he’d focus on every member’s part individually.
Rory: Pretty much. So then we’d just sit in the other studio at other times and play Fallout.
Jackson: It was good, though. We got to hang out. There were a couple of instances where people’s parts weren’t working, so Greg would just send us away so he could go and fix them (laughs).
Who are some bands you’d love to share the stage with – dead or alive?
Rory: I want to hear what you have to say first, Jackson.
Jackson: For Daniel’s sake, we’ve got to say that we’d love to open for The Mars Volta or At The Drive-In. We’d get absolutely shown up (laughs). Daniel probably could do us proud, though.
Rory: Oh yeah. He’s just a powerhouse of being able to sweat and move around on stage. I don’t know how he does it. Back to the question, though. I’d go with MGMT. I’ve been listening to them so much lately. I don’t even care that we wouldn’t fit the bill. I’d just want to play on the same stage as them. Or just sit in a room with them. Or listen to their music that close up.
We’re stoked for your upcoming tour with RADICALS. What can punters expect there?
Rory: It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’ll be really cool for us to go overseas and see a different bunch of people. That’s what we’ve got locked in (laughs).
