Thank you so much! I am very excited to be coming back!

After such a long time for “+-“ to come out, how did you manage to put together ‘Visuals’ in under two years?

There were many things about making this album that were different from how we’ve been going about it previously. I mean, every album is different, but this was more different, if that makes sense? We didn’t take any break after touring +-. It was such an enjoyable tour and we were excited about musical ideas we had, just little parts and pieces that came together even on the tour, which is quite new for us. I’ve always regretted a bit, how the processes in the band tend to be very compsrtmentalused. There’s been writing, then recording, then touring. We didn’t want to “disappear” again, so we went straight into it. Pretty soon we had the foundations for a handful of songs, and at that point we just didn’t feel inclined to get a producer involved. The album felt a bit internal, somehow. We kept everything in that vein, only involved a handful of people outside the band. A few guest musicians, and then Claudius Mittendorfer to mix. I made the artwork, and the music videos have more to do with our live animations than they have before. We wanted it to have that as focus, a kind of visual starting point.

Has the band had much of a break between these albums or has it been non-stop touring?

These last two, no breaks. Lots of touring, and working in studios.

How do you select a set list for different countries – is it the same across a tour, or slightly different depending how often you’ve toured there?

We pretty much shape them as we want, playing the songs we feel like. There has been a core of songs lately that we tend to play, and then we switch a few as we see fit on the day. We don’t consider the country, because we feel the music has a sort of universal language to it, and though the nuances of each country differs, the emotional connection is a universal thing, which is a beautiful thought. I think our audience consists mostly of people who share a certain sensibility that I recognize in myself.

You’ve been focusing a lot more on the visual element of the live presentation lately…was this a conscious decision or something that evolved naturally?

It’s almost always been a part of the band, ever since our early days. I was doing film work in my day job and I found it natural to incorporate my animations into the show. At first, it also gave me an excuse to sort of just stare at my shoes. I was a shy front man. Still am. But now I feel like it’s just a part of who the band is. We’ve had it for so long, but the albums were always a myriad of things, and oftentimes things didn’t really feel focused, like the live visuals would have nothing to do with the music videos, which in turn would bear no resemblance to the artwork. This time we wanted it to be focused, to have the visual concept be the starting point for everything. Just felt right for this album.

Where else in the world is left for Mew to go?

We still haven’t been to south America, which we’re trying to make happen. And of course there are lots of other places left. We’re playing Greenland later this month which will be our first time. The world is a big place. I’d love to play New Zealand too.

How long do you see the recording & touring lifestyle going for a band at your stage? Will we see more records and tours in future?

I don’t really want to make guesses like that. As long as it feels right, as long as it’s as fulfilling as it is now, I wouldn’t want to stop. We’re still curious about what we can create together. And we’re not THAT old :)

You still play a lot of songs from across the back catalogue. Do you feel like Mew is a different band from the one that released ‘Frengers’ all those years ago, or do all these songs still resonate?

They definitely still resonate. But I think especially so in a live setting, because we get to share in the audience’s experience of the music. I don’t feel like we’re a completely different band. But I would never want to repeat the same album, you know? It has to move, otherwise it becomes repetitious which is creative death.

Mew has been called a lot of things over the years – emo, alt-rock, indie, pop, prog. What do you see Mew as?

An effervescent mix of art-rock and Scandinavian noir.

What does prog mean to you?

Progressive has positive connotations for me. If something progresses, it moves forward, rather than standing still. I don’t care that much about the virtuoso part of it. But I’d like bands to just burn the rule book and make something DIFFERENT.

What are your favourite prog bands?

Old Genesis, Yes.. But to be honest I don’t much care about genres. I think once it becomes a genre, it’s a limitation in a way. All of a sudden it’s supposed to sound a certain way, and incorporate certain elements. It’s kind of like free jazz… How free is that really? Alternative too has lost its meaning a bit. Most of what’s called alternative rock sounds quite formulaic by now… Not very alternative at all. Or at least you could ask: alternative to what exactly? If someone formed a progressive band today, it should be progressive in its own way, rather than attempting to sound like King Crimson, you know what I mean? I think inventiveness and intuition is what makes for great music.
I think the term progressive music should just mean music that throws away the rule book, and follows its heart wherever it goes.

Now we have some fan questions:
From Justin-Jody Mcloughlin:
After Ed Sheeran sent the internet into a frenzy with his Game Of Thrones cameo it got me thinking- is there a TV show or movie that MEW would like to appear in & what characters would you like to play?

I would be in anything by David Lynch.
I’d like to play someone very different from myself.

Is it easier to write your awesome songs in English or do you write them in Danish first and then translate?

I almost always write in English. I guess growing up with mostly English and American music, it felt like the musical language to me, although I have dabbled in other languages (and non-languages).

Amy Stachi McKay:
What does 156 mean?

That’s a secret.

Tristan Chu:
Do you feel the same pressures as earlier in your career (i.e. having a hit/making a living) or are there other pressures now? How do you deal with whatever they are?

I never really felt that kind of pressure. I think the best way to go is to make what YOU want to make. If you start second-guessing it, and especially thinking too much about what other people may or may not want from you, the entire process is compromised. It has to stay true to itself, the music.

Wendy Redgen:
If you wrote a children’s album, what would you call it?

I tried to once. One song I wrote was called Animals Of Many Kinds. A part of it ended up in our song The Zookeeper’s Boy. Those could both be album titles, no?

Laura Gonsalves:
What book/movie has touched your life in a special way? How did it impact you?

Middlesex by Jeffrey Euginides made a big impact on me. It deals with being different, and finding your way through being different. It’s a wonderful book.

—
Thank you once again for your time, see you soon!
-OzProg

With support at all 3 shows from CLOSURE IN MOSCOW, MENISCUS and OSAKA PUNCH we are pretty pumped about this one, so happily got the chance to chat with drummer ANDREW FORSMAN before they hit our shores next week.

Tour dates, new album and ticket info from www.thefalloftroy.com

It’s exciting for us to see the band for the first time since the new album came out. How does it feel to be heading back to Australia after 8 years?

It’s really surreal, for a lot of years I didn’t think that I would be back in Australia for anything other than a vacation. It’s especially cool to be able to come back with Tim (bass). When we were there previously, we had just kicked him out, and so it was somewhat bittersweet. I’m happy to get to go with Tim this time.

What brought the band back together after your hiatus?

Our friend wanted us to do some reunion shows for his birthday. It had also been long enough for a lot of bad feelings associated with each other to dissipate, and so we all had a curiosity regarding what it would be like to play together again.

How long has the new album ‘OK’ been in the works? Was it always the plan to release two versions or did that come later?

We worked on it for the better part of a year, a lot of which was just us learning how to be in the same room, working on music again. We each had written music on our own in the interim, and so it was a bit of an adjustment to get back working with others. There were definitely some arguments about how many quarter-note rests should be in specific parts, but once we got back in the swing of things, it went pretty smoothly.

The multiple album release idea came in the mixing phase of the album process. After hearing each of the mixes, we were divided on which one to release, and eventually remembered that we could do whatever we wanted, since we weren’t beholden to anyone other than ourselves and our supporters. It then spiraled into alternate artwork, and became something we got pretty excited about.

It’s quite a surprise to fans to receive the album potentially for free – or with the flexibility to pay what they want. How has this gone for you so far? Does it leave a hole in the band’s finances?

It’s been great, and felt the best of any album release so far. We may have been able to make more money with a standard release, but it would’ve been counter to what we want the band to be at this point, and so it wouldn’t feel as good as what we’ve done.

We have paid off the album’s cost of production at this point, and made a little money on top of that. It gives us a lot of hope that this is something we can continue to do in the future.

Has your perspective on making music or touring changed since the band has come back together?

Definitely, it seems like a total bonus round at this point. I worked a bunch of “normal” jobs in the time that we weren’t a band (aerospace assembly, appliance delivery, animal insurance). While the band thing is a bit more involved than those, you don’t really clock out at the end of the show and go home to watch TV or whatever, its much more fulfilling. I never had the perspective that working a 9-5 gave me before, since I had been doing the band from the age of 17 on. I feel really lucky to be able to play music for a living, and definitely don’t take it for granted at all.

You have a massive world tour coming up. Are there any plans beyond the current tour as yet?

Just trying to get more new music out, we have some stuff in the process of being recorded right now that will appeal to the fans of our early, early, even pre-TFOT stuff. Each of us has solo and other side projects that are being worked on as well, so I’m sure we are all hoping to get that out there in the next year or so. The band is renowned for flashy musicianship as well as memorable songwriting. Does the prog tag or math-rock tag mean anything to you? Are there bands or genres you identify with?

Those tags are mostly helpful for fans, or people who are trying to find more music that adheres to a specific style that they have found engaging. We never set out to fall into a math or prog-rock category, although many of the bands that we love, and were listening to when we first started playing music definitely have those elements.

Bands like Botch, The Blood Brothers, Raft of Dead Monkeys, Unwed Sailor, At The Drive-In, and The Mars Volta all were pretty big influences at first. Now, personally, I love And So I Watch You From Afar, Chon, Adebisi Shank, and Save Us From The Archon as far those styles are concerned.

What are you currently listening / being influenced by?

King of the Mountains – Zoetrope (perfect album), Aphex Twin (always), Mark Pritchard – Under the Sun (great ambient/weird electronic), Cock and Swan (guy who produced our new album, super interesting electronic/dark/weird)

You’re playing with some pretty epic local bands in Australia – Closure in Moscow, Meniscus and Osaka Punch, are you aware of them at all in the US?

We know Closure in Moscow, as they were on the same label we used to be on (Equal Vision), but aside from that, no. We are excited to play with everyone though, its always cool to get to experience new bands.

Anything you’re particularly looking forward to doing over here?

Eating Kangaroo again, picking up a years worth of Lucas’ Papaw Ointment, and being sad we can’t go to Uluru. Also playing for people who live on the other side of the world.

THE FALL OF TROY – AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2016

with special guests Closure in Moscow, Meniscus & Osaka Punch

Tue July 5 – Max Watt’s, Melbourne www.maxwatts.com.au

Wed July 6 – Manning Bar, Sydney www.manningbar.com

Thu July 7 – Max Watt’s, Brisbane www.maxwatts.com.au

New album ‘OK’ and remixed version ‘OK2’ out now at www.thefalloftroy.com

Last time they were here (with Circa Survive supporting) the shows were packed, so this is a rare opportunity to catch them whilst tickets last.

Here’s the info, make sure you check these guys out if you’re into catchy progressive rock:

———————————————————————————————–

New York’s post-hardcore prog visionaries COHEED AND CAMBRIA are heading to Australia this May for their highly anticipated headline tour.

Capturing the world’s attention with their trademark mix of momentous guitar riffs, wild percussion, formidable vocals and contagious hooks, COHEED AND CAMBRIA have

cemented themselves as one of the most thrilling, notable, and distinctive acts of its era.

After traversing the outer limits of science fiction over seven acclaimed concept albums, COHEED AND CAMBRIA’s latest offering ‘ The Color Before The Sun’ marks the bands first non – conceptual album and the first to be recored live in the studio. Founder and songwriter Claudio Sanchez explores his emotions nakedly, plainly and unabashedly.

“This is the band’s most accomplished, well-realised, accessible and tuneful release to date. It sparkles with invention, creativity and crushing use of dynamics”

– Rock Sound

COHEED AND CAMBRIA continue their love affair with Australia by bringing their

signature sound down under once again, serving up a selection of musical delights both new and old from their storied career spanning over 2 decades.

Armed with an electrifying, engaging and infectious live show, don’t miss COHEED AND CAMBRIA this May.

Exclusive fan pre sale begins Wednesday 10th February: Sign up here: http://found.ee/coheedAus

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY 12th FEBRUARY 9am AEST VIP MEET AND GREET PACKAGES AVAILABLE

www.taperjeanmusic.com

www.selecttouring.com.au  | www.metropolistouring.com

THURSDAY MAY 5th –THE METRO THEATRE, SYDNEY 18+

Tickets available at www.metrotheatre.com.au  | www.ticketek.com.a.u

FRIDAY MAY 6th –MAX WATT’S , MELBOURNE18+

Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au

 TUESDAY MAY 10th  – MAX WATT’S, BRISBANE 18+

Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au

WEDNESDAY MAY 11th  –THE GOV, ADELAIDE 18+

Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au | www.moshtix.com.au

FRIDAY MAY 13^th –CAPITOL, PERTH 18+

Tickets available at www.oztix.com.au | www.moshtix.com.au

PRESENTED BY TAPERJEAN TOURING, SELECT TOURING, METROPOLIS TOURING AND HYSTERIA MAG

To celebrate, the band will launch the EP in their hometown of Melbourne on Friday February 12 at Ding Dong Lounge, with support from prog rockers Orsome Welles & A Lonely Crowd.

The follow up to 2014’s successful second album What Kind Of Creature Am I? is also the remarkably prolific band’s sixteenth EP release since 2008.

Led by singer-songwriter Mike Mills, the band will take their Queen-influenced, larger-than-life progressive rock on the road in 2016, sporting a healthy dose of the quirkiness and tongue-in-cheek humour that makes them one of the most entertaining live bands in the country.

In recent times singer/songwriter Michael Mills has featured alongside members of YES, DREAM THEATER and NIGHTWISH, on AYREON’s album “The Theory of Everything”, and gone viral with his cover of KATE BUSH’s Wuthering Heights passing 500,000 views. Following a busy 2013 spent touring alongside The Protomen (USA) and Devin Townsend (CAN), TOEHIDER toured extensively in Australia during 2014, headlining their own shows, supporting Voyager, The Beards and Closure in Moscow.

In 2015, Mike Mills also performed Devin Townsend’s role as ‘Rage’ in the stage adaptation of Ayreon’s rock opera ‘The Theatre Equation’ across five sold out nights in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The shows were preceded by Toehider’s first ever European tour with friends The Beards, playing sold out dates across Sweden, Denmark and Germany. The band wrapped up the year with their only Australia show for 2015 at the Bird’s Robe Records 5th birthday alongside sleepmakeswaves & Troldhaugen on Sat Dec 5 at Manning Bar in Sydney.

TOEHIDER – live at Ding Dong Lounge, Friday February 12 with Orsome Welles & A Lonely Crowd

Facebook event

Tickets on sale HERE

Mainly Songs About Robots is out now through Bird’s Robe Records/MGM

Listen here www.toehider.bandcamp.com

This February he will be playing shows in Sydney and Melbourne with special guests, instrumental guitar nerds Heavy Metal Ninjas. If you’re a fan of catchy yet technical progressive instrumentals, make sure you check it out.

Friday Feb 19 – Newtown Social Club, Sydney

w/Three Wise Monkeys

Saturday Feb 20 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne

w/Teramaze

Facebook event

Delivering their gnarled polyrhythms and brutally labyrinthine song-structures with tongues firmly in cheek, Serious Beak won’t be disappointing any long-time fans with this latest slab of scungy tech-metal. Splitting the difference between Meshuggah (the heavy bits) and King Crimson (the chill bits), the band have wisely chosen a warm, throaty style of production that gives their manic assault the character it deserves. There’s also a really bitchin’ geetar solo at the end.

On top of this, there’s a super srs video from the band encouraging you to help crowdfund the vinyl release of the album when it drops later this year. Definitely worth a look.

Help Serious Beak print their new album on vinyl! from Lachlan Dale on Vimeo.

Ankaa drops 3 November 2015 via Art As Catharsis and Birds Robe Records. Pre-orders are available now via Bandcamp.

The band will be part of NICEFEST, this Saturday 29 August 2015, at Herman’s Bar in The University of Sydney, with an awesome tour in the works.

OZPROG recently dropped a line to one of the band’s two new guitarists, Michael Tokar [far right], to get the lowdown on their writing process, the feature film to accompany the record and plans for the future.

OZPROG: Panorama, in ten pieces. will be accompanied by the feature film that you’re currently editing for a late 2015 release. Tell us more about what we can expect from this, as the concept was also crucial in providing themes to explore in the music.

MICHAEL TOKAR: Have you ever been walking home at night in the suburbs, and you just get this sense that something feels strange? Maybe you can see the flicker of a TV screen; or silhouettes of a conversation. You’re all alone on the street, but inside these houses there are lives being lived. You start to imagine what’s really going on behind these closed doors and delicate gardens. And if you’re like us, your imagination tends to the bizarre.

So our story is set in such a neighbourhood, where creepy and banal scenarios play out simultaneously. The viewer gets to walk the streets in our shoes and peer behind the curtains.

OP: What do you think distinguishes this album from earlier DUMBSAINT material, musically speaking?

MT: With past material we’ve tried a few different things. Our first album was a solid post-rock/post-metal affair, with each song being pretty representative of the whole album, and in a way self-sufficient. There are some really great moments on the album and I love playing the songs on it.

Then we decided to try something a bit different with our Disappearance In A Minor Role EPs. We’ve always tended towards jammy, ambient pieces when in “writing mode”, and we wanted to try create specific moods with as minimal instrumentation as possible. What resulted as a whole was our most soundtrack-y work. I’m really happy with what we produced, but it has been less applicable in the live setting, which is a big part of who we are.

So with our latest efforts, we tried to marry the two approaches: we wanted to mix in the ambient with the technical groove, and write pieces that stood on their own alone, but have a lot more weight in the context of the whole album.

OP: You’re one of two new guitarists in the band – the other is Brendan Sloan, who jumped on board after the record was tracked. You alone handled all guitar parts with a great deal of confidence and deftness. What are some of the influences behind your work that might not be apparent to listeners, or don’t fit the standard post-rock/post-metal mold?

MT: Thank you. It’s hard to think about what influences don’t fit the post-rock/metal mould; as I see it, those genres are brimming with music that combines influences from many styles of music. But I guess for me, some of the more left-of-centre influences I had in mind with this record were: MASTODON and DEAFHEAVEN, particularly in the heavier, meatier riff moments; KING CRIMSON and THIS TOWN NEEDS GUNS for some of the math rock moments; THE BODY (which Nick [Andrews, drums] put me on to) for inspiration of bizarre ideas. I also remember listening to THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS soundtrack for the film Hanna a lot around the time; they did a great job on that with creating recurring motifs, and their soundtrack is such a huge part of what gives that film energy.

OP: What are the plans now the album is out? Any big ideas or you just going to see what happens?

MT: We’re still in the process of lining up our live shows for the album’s release. We’ve got two really great shows already locked in: Nicefest in Sydney on August 29, which will be so much fun to play; and Bigsound in Brisbane on September 10, that’s going to be our debut showing up there, and we’re hoping that people will come along and check out the weirder side of the Australian music scene.

After that, it’s up in the air. With the full-length film being released at the end of the year, we’re hoping to do something special around that time. We definitely believe the film warrants a full viewing in its own right.

Panorama, in ten pieces. is out now on Bird’s Robe Records/Art As Catharsis. A limited tape run is available via Grimoire Cassette Cvlture.

It’s a thrilling and complex journey, through the darker side of post-metal, made all the more enticing by the prospect of an self-made feature film to accompany the album coming later this year.

Along with the album release, the band are premiering the segment of this film that accompanies one of the album’s songs, ‘Communion’.

The whole film will outline dark psychological undercurrents that play out one suburban evening, from multiple perspectives. What we’re seeing so far is a disquieting but compelling watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA6lb4IXs04

Panorama, in ten pieces. is available via Bird’s Robe Records/Art As Catharsis on August 7 2015. A limited tape run is available via Grimoire Cassette Cvlture.

Before hitting the UK, the band will spend August supporting ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD (USA) in Australia and gig extensively in Europe over September and October supporting DIE KRUPPS (GER) and SOEN (SWE).

A full list of all dates and ticketing info can be found at the band’s official website, and the UK dates below:

Nov 5 @ Underground, Stoke-on-trent UK – TICKETS
Nov 6 @ Sound Control, Manchester UK – TICKETS
Nov 7 @ Audio, Glasgow UK – TICKETS
Nov 8 @ Corporation, Sheffield UK – TICKETS
Nov 9 @ Rainbow, Birmingham UK – TICKETS
Nov 11 @ Crauford Arms, Milton Keynes UK – TICKETS
Nov 12 @ Borderline, London UK – TICKETS
Nov 13 @ The Factory, Barnstaple UK – TICKETS
Nov 14 @ Exchange, Bristol UK – TICKETS
Nov 15 @ Joiners, Southampton UK – TICKETS

The Revolution Is Never Coming is out now via Bird’s Robe Records/MGM – listen here
 

Punters in Adelaide will now be able to catch the band’s fiery live show for the first time in 13 years, and New Zealand shows in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington have also been announced. Support on all dates will come from Australia’s THE RED PAINTINGS.

The band recently released their latest album IX. Find the updated tour details below:

The Bird’s Robe Collective, Northern Music & TheMusic present…

…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD

with special guests THE RED PAINTINGS

Tue August 11 – Jive, Adelaide SA www.moshtix.com.au
Wed August 12 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA www.oztix.com.au
Thu August 13 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC www.cornerhotel.com
Fri August 14 – Manning Bar, Sydney NSW www.manningbar.com
Sat August 15 – The Triffid, Brisbane QLD www.oztix.com.au
Sun August 16 – The Northern, Byron Bay NSW
Tue August 18 – Dux Live, Christchurch NZ www.undertheradar.co.nz
Wed August 19 – Valhalla, Wellington NZ www.undertheradar.co.nz
Thu August 20 – Kings Arms, Auckland NZ www.undertheradar.co.nz

IX is out now through Superball Music.