gig, album and film reviews, live pictures and interviews
Interview: Master Tang, Cayce and Tainted Toys in Australia, July 2008
Australia's CLUB BLINK has been running for almost a decade every Friday night and brings together kick ass people from all over NSW, in safe environments that people feel at home in instantly. Each week, Blink runs over 3 levels of the Agincourt Hotel, and puts on live bands. It has a room designated to modern metal (basement) and on the top club level showcases undoubtedly Sydney's best alternative djs playing a mix of alternative anthems, catering for everyone (the vibe here kicks ass). The atmosphere is always unreal at Blink and new people are always welcome and will immediately consider Blink to be their home away from home. The experience is considered by many, the biggest alternative movement/nightclub in Australia. Our reporter Katey was there recently and interviewed three bands: Master Tang, Cayce and Tainted Toys. Those interviews and a short review of their shows are included below.
Master Tang
www.myspace.com/mastertangmaster
Band’s hometown: Albury, Australia
Band members: Adam (singer), Tim (guitar), Jono (bass), Tim C (drummer)
Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of ‘Ninja Metal’! When a band comes out in white ninja outfits you can’t help but raise an eyebrow, but as soon as Adam (lead singer) started singing... hold onto your balls, folks (and I’m not just talking about the kicks)! Sure, there’s an element of comedy to Master Tang’s music, but there is an undeniable talent radiating from them – and seriously, who doesn’t love a band with a theme. Master Tang had awesome crowd interaction, although some of the crowd didn’t quite know how to take them. They really should have got a better reaction from the audience in my opinion. They threw it out there but people didn’t bite. One thing that is true about gigs with multiple acts is that its always hard playing before the ‘headliners’, and that’s what I’m putting the lack of reaction down to, rather than the band’s lack of talent, because they rocked the place.
Katey: Just a bit of randomness as a warm-up first. Paper or plastic?
Master Tang: Paper, cause paper cuts and plastic is fake.
K: Superhero or villain?
MT: Superhero. They have the best jocks.
K: Filthy rich or live forever?
MT: Rich, then we can buy a potion where we live forever.
K: Pirate or vampire?
MT: Pirate, enough said.
K: Nerd or jock?
MT: Nerd, cause they get the ladies.
K: Nerds get all the ladies? Really?
MT: Yeah, definitely. We’re not jocks. We play sport, but we’re not good at it.
K: What’s been the highpoint in the band’s career so far?
MT: Probably this interview.
K: Aww, that’s sweet... but seriously (lol)?
MT: Playing in Sydney.
K: Where do you see the band in 12 months?
MT: July... again.
K: *laughs* True, but what about record deals, having your music on a KungFu PS2 game?
MT: That would be cool. We’ve got a friend who’s a comic book artist and he’s doing a comic book about it.
K: Wow! That’s so cool.
MT: Yeah. Tim’s drum sticks are numchucks. *laughing*
K: Current influences?
MT: Kung Pow: enter the fist, movies, sexual drama, polka, b-grade horror, ninja flicks.
K: Living or dead, which three people would you like to record a song with?
MT: Frank Zappa, Michael Winslow, Meatloaf.
K: You should play with Tenacious D. I really saw some Jack Black moves in you, Adam.
MT: *laughs* Cool, thanks.
K: What CD can you not live without?
MT: Rock Ballads, the ultimate collection.
K: Oh yeah? Groovy. *laughs* What song in particular?
MT: Bonnie Tyler. We play it in the car on the way up (it takes around 8 hours for them to drive to Sydney).
K: Briefly describe your best gig.
MT: It was fantastical, but no witnesses. Trust us, it was rad.
K: In your granny’s soundproofed garage? *laughs*
MT: *laughs* Nah, at Mo-Nember. We all dressed up. It was wild.
K: Which band member attracts the most groupies?
MT: Turbo loves the ladies.
K: Turbo? Who’s got the honour of having that lovely nickname?
MT: Tim C (the drummer).
K: He loves them, but does he actually get them?
MT: Ohhh yeah *nodding*
K: In one sentence, convince the readers to come to your next show
MT: Ninjas... Metal... Hauduken (street fighting game)... flykicks... alcohol... Men... and women... but mostly the men... *pause* and the women.
K: *laughs* Cool.
K: Anything else you’d like to add?
MT: We have a CD coming out at the end of the year, but its pretty hush-hush at this stage.
K: I look forward to it. Thanks for agreeing to this interview.
MT: No, thank you for the opportunity.
Cayce
Band’s hometown: Sydney, Australia
Band members: Jeff, Evan, Rowen, Dan, John
Cayce (pronounced kay-see) was actually the one band I was really looking forward to seeing. I’d only heard demos on their myspace page, and straight away knew I’d love them live. Jeff has an unbelievable voice, and he seems to do it so effortlessly. He holds these notes, that as a fellow singer, made my chest hurt. The music is tight and strong, with a gritty edge (in a good way). The guys were really professional on stage, and totally had the crowd rocking. They had great crowd interaction and I’m sure they won quite a few instant fans in the club.
Katey: Just to start I’m going to run through some completely random questions. Paper of plastic?
Cayce: Paper. You can’t write lyrics on plastic.
K: Superhero or villain?
C: Superhero. We want to do good for the world.
K: Filthy rich or live forever?
C: We’re not about the money, but living forever would be too painful.
K: Pirate or vampire?
C: Jeff (front man/singer) would be a vampire, but the band are pirates.
K: Nerd or jock?
C: Nerd.
K: Why? Do you guys consider yourself nerds?
C: Nerds shall inherit the earth. *laughs*
K: So, what’s been the highlight in the band’s career so far?
C: Getting a great singer, and finally completing new songs.
K: Do you have an EP coming out soon?
C: Yeah, hopefully at the end of the year. We are Producer hunting.
K: What are your current influences?
C: The apocalypse, history – ancient and modern, suffering of others and our own, Alexisonfire, and Pearl Jam.
K: Living or dead, which three people would you like to record a song with?
C: Dimebag, Jack Black, Mozart.
K: What CD can you not live without?
C: City of Evil – Avenged Sevenfold.
K: Briefly describe your best gig.
C: Hopefully tonight will be our better. Definitely not the Lewisham.
K: Why? What happened at the Lewisham?
C: *laughs* It’s the Bermuda Triangle of Sydney. It’s like a rite of passage. They have strippers there and you have to 'fit in' the gig between girls.
K: Oh my God. *laughs*
K: Which band member attracts the most groupies?
C: Jeff, the lead singer.
K: In one sentence, convince the readers to come to your next show.
C: If you want your arses blown out, come to a Cayce show!
K: Thanks guys, it was great meeting you, and I hope to see you again live soon.
C: Thanks for the interview!
Tainted Toys
www.myspace.com/taintedtoysband
Band’s hometown: Sydney, Australia
Band members: Josh, Kimball, Dan, Luke, Max
When I first walked in the club, I spotted Tainted Toys straight away. You know those bands that just ‘look’ like a band? That’s them. They just have an aura of coolness about them, and you couldn’t miss the groupies in fishnets (who were probably their girlfriend’s, so I’ll take that back). I was a little intimidated and nervous about approaching them, so I made my first contact with Josh, one of the guitarists, as he’d been my contact online. To my surprise, he, and the rest of the band, were super nice – really personable, funny guys. I interviewed them before their gig, as they were the headliners of the show, and didn’t finish till after 1am.
Katey: Let’s just start with some short questions. Paper of plastic?
Tainted Toys: Paper, cause you can smoke it.
K: Superhero or villain?
TT: Superhero, especially Batman… but Heath Ledger almost turned me to the dark side.
K: Filthy rich or live forever?
TT: Our plan was to get famous John Denver style.
K: Pirate or vampire?
TT: Pirates get more booty.
K: Nerd or jock?
TT: Sick *censored*
K: I’ll take that as ‘neither’.
K: Alrighty, so what’s been the highlight in the band’s career so far?
TT: Recording our EP, and playing the Gaelic (club) and Blink (club).
K: Where do you see the band in 12 months time?
TT: Playing festivals and recording an album.
K: What festical would you most like to play?
TT: Big Day Out and Come 2gether
K: And who would be the ultimate headline act for the festival?
TT: Metallica, Cog. Josh wants to have Cog’s babies. *laughs*
K: *laughs* Cool, I’ll let them know if I meet them.
TT: Oh no, that won’t look ‘stalkerish’ at all. *laughs*
K: Your current influences?
TT: Bert Newton, Maxibon (icecream) and beer. Maxibon is the food of champions. We always have them after a gig.
K: So, it’s like a ritual? Do you have any pre-gig rituals too?
TT: Fighting over who’s driving, and drinking.
K: Living or dead, which three people would you like to record a song with?
TT: Cliff Burton, James Hetfield, Flynn Gower (from aussie band, Cog).
K: What CD can you not live without?
TT: Begins Here – The Butterfly Effect; The New Normal – Cog; Live Era (’87-’93) - Guns N’ Roses.
K: Which band member attracts the most groupies?
TT: Vanny! (The band’s old van, which has a habit of breaking down on the way to gigs)
K: Okay, one last question, guys! In one sentence, convince the readers to come to your next show.
TT: Come to our next show, or else! Or else what? Exactly!
K: *laughs* I guess that means they’ll have to come along and see! Hey, thanks a lot guys, it was great meeting you.
TT: No worries. We’ll be here all night if you have any more questions.
After seeing the guys play, I can definitely see Tainted Toys playing Big Day Out. It was pretty obvious why they were the ‘headliners’. One word – showmanship. It didn’t matter that his voice (in my opinion), wasn’t as strong as some of the other bands, but he didn’t need it. Maybe that’s a little harsh – it was just a different style. What I am trying to say is – they really got the crowd in. The lyrics were catchy in parts, which is always a bonus, especially for a band developing a fan base.