This Friday, May 24th, Johnny Brenda’s is hosting a night of really fucking weird avant-pop from Melbourne. Headlining the evening are Total Control, a collective of Aussie musicians indebted to the most brilliant forward-thinking crazies of recent musical history, who manage to hone the spirit of punk with postmodern noise and Apocalyptic philosophy so well that, upon hearing them, I can’t believe they’re not a long-forgotten hidden gem of Industrial or Factory Records… I’m not going to lie, they scare me a little… However, who I’m most excited for is The UV Race, who will be playing the part of immediate support for Total Control (and with whom they share members). The band are on their fourth album, yet shockingly little info seems to be available on the band online, aside from a sparse Facebook page and a handful of YouTube vids. Like Total Control, they recreate the most ingenious post-punk, psyche noise of the late ‘70s, however they tend to riff a little more like Thurston Moore and, also, be just a bit sunnier. However, I’ll admit that the band is still a bit of an enigma to me… I recently got a chance to chat with the band, who proved to be as entertaining as they are abstract…
[youtube http://youtu.be/WzcmPw3tKYw]
Izzy Cihak: So there’s not a ton of info about UV Race online and I think American audiences are largely unfamiliar with your amazing amalgamation of sounds. What is most important for the Yanks to know about The UV Race?
The UV Race: We hate the TV show Friends. We are a bunch of friendly poofs with big dicks.
Izzy Cihak: What do you consider to be your biggest influences and inspirations, whether musical or otherwise?
The UV Race: Santa Claus. Moe Sizzlack. Joe Dirt. Lionel Rose. Joe Dolce. Kevin Bloody Wilson. Eric Cartman.
Izzy Cihak: Most of your musical peers would seem to be of previous generations. Are there any contemporary artists or musical movements that you find to be especially interesting or inspiring?
The UV Race: Glue wave music. These are some bands in America what we love: Watery Love, Perfume River, Life Stinks, Timmy’s Organism, Culo, Inmates, Folded Shirt, Bad Noids, Big Brain and the Drug Cartel, Bad Taste, Utah Jazz, Dead Girlfriends, Wet Brain.
Izzy Cihak: How would you describe Melbourne’s musical scene? Are you a fan of the city’s musical output?
The UV Race: Prolific, vibrant, busy. Melbourne is a city. There is tram. Yes, we are all fans. Check out these new Melbourne bands that you may not have heard that we also play in: Soma Coma, East Link, School of Radiant Living, Asps, Oliver Skins, Dick Diver, Total Control, Lower Plenty, Straightjacket Nation, Guy and Marcus Blackman Experimentation, Here are some bands that we love: The Clits, Ratsak, Glitter Gods, Dribble, SSD, Peak Twins, Aesthetics, Lakes.
Izzy Cihak: You’re going to be playing Philadelphia Friday. What can we expect of the live experience?
The UV Race: Horny.
Izzy Cihak: What are your most significant plans and hopes for 2013?
The UV Race: Sex change. Stay horny.
