Melbourne indie rock four-piece Blackchords have just released their self-titled debut album, and will launch it in Melbourne tonight, as well as Sydney next weekend. Liveguide caught up with frontman Nick Milwright and Nick Cheek to chat about gigging, creative muses, and the military.
You’ve just released your debut album: is this a defining statement for you?
I think to call it a defining statement would be to say that this sound is what the band is and will be in the future, which it isn’t. We are a live band as well as a recording band so the “Blackchords” album is only one half of it really. We are very happy with the album, and feel that it's an excellent representation of what the band was at the time of recording, but I think the next album(s) will evolve in their own way, and will change sound depending on the time and place of recording and also the headspace we are in.
The band is constantly changing / growing up living different experiences so we want to make sure the music moves along on this journey too... To release our debut album is a milestone a signing off of where we have been thus far. We are at the beginning of (what we hope to be) a long career with many albums, many songs, and many shows.
Since it’s been released, how has your opinion of the record changed?
The songs have evolved since the release, so some of the songs have taken on new meaning. I think as time goes by with this album we have become more proud of it, as it has taken us around Australia and to France and the UK, and we are getting such great responses, both from industry and from crowds. It gives the band a great energy to continue what we are doing.
How long did it take to record this album and what was the process like? Any amusing anecdotes you can share?
In total we spent around 4 or 5 full weeks recording this Album. It’s a pretty confronting process really (In a good way). There is huge expectation that you put on yourself knowing that once it is completed then it is out there in the world for people to listen to and either love it or hate it, and you really desperately hope that everyone will love it. There are moments where you feel excited and proud, other times where you feel frustrated and exhausted. Sometimes you feel so free in what you are creating and times where you are feeling constricted by your own limit. Sometimes you get a case of cabin fever and start inserting the word “pants” into every song title and then into every song…. Then you decide you need time away from hearing the same song for the 80 millionth time in one day and decide that you will watch “the Miss World Transvestite” pageant on channel 31 to take your mind off the music….
You formed in 2006 – why has the debut taken so long?
I only started singing and writing music in 2004. I began playing with Damian around April and the first incarnation of Blackchords really began later in that year…. So it has taken us even longer… We hadn’t really kept a line up long enough for us to sit and record… We didn’t have any money either. I did record some really shit demos, and thought ah well that’s about it. I don’t ever want to hear myself sing again. The first years were really just there for laying the foundations, feeling confident in what I was doing. I knew that I would record Albums down the track and I didn’t really feel I needed to hurry up and put something out.
What influences Blackchord’s sound – musical and otherwise?
Creating a mood. Making sounds that bring some sort of emotional response. Watching Films, Reading books, listening to music, hearing people speak. We usually take the blue prints of a song I have written and begin painting over the top. We have a pretty good idea of what we want the song to represent, reflect or mean or whatever, then we start building, both with a clear vision and with science experiments. We stop when we feel we have represented the song in the best light.
Nick – you spent some time in the military before Blackchords formed. Has that experience informed this record at all? How so?
Not directly. But through every place I have been and experience I’ve had has made me more clear about what I want. It has gotten me to this place; it has helped me to write this Album. I think that it is so important to spend time finding out what you want (and don’t want) and follow it. Not to become lazy or disheartened to give too much emphasis on what others think etc. I think it is just a waste otherwise.
What is ‘Pretty Little Thing’ about?
It is probably the most lightly written song on the album and it’s probably the most self-explanatory song too. It’s when you get lost in a relationship and its all too bloody exciting. You go speeding off way too quickly. You feel all you want to do is live in your own little world with this person and have nothing to distract you from it.
What can audiences expect at your forthcoming launch shows?
Balls out rock and roll! The live shows are a different dimension from the album. It’s a new energy a new dynamic and a whole lot sweatier than the album might lead you to believe. We will be tyring out a couple of new songs, including a French cover which we learnt overseas, we only hope there aren’t too many French people in the audience to hear our bad French!
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Blackchords launch their new single ‘Pretty Little Thing’ on Friday the 27th at Club 77 with Here Come The Birds and Kids At Risk (Doors at 8pm. Entry $10) and on Saturday the 28th of November at The Excelsior (Doors at 8pm. Entry $10).
For full dates and details click here.
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