Japanese rockers Boris will be returning to Australia next week to perform their seminal record Flood in full. Drummer and vocalist from the group, Atsuo, took some time out to talk to us via e-mail and here’s what he had to say about he upcoming tour:
What prompted the idea to tour Flood specifically?
It started because we played Flood last year in Japan at the Leave Them All Behind 2012 festival, which was really good. When we go on big tours, it’s usually after we’ve released a new album. So, we always have to focus our set list on songs from each new release. We’ve been touring overseas many times since 2005, but we haven’t played much from our albums released before that time. Flood and Feedbacker are long songs, so it’s difficult to put them in a set list at shows. So, we thought it was time for us to do a show that was focused on Flood, and include material from our past and our future, including new songs.
Have you done this particular tour elsewhere, or is it especially for Australian audiences?
No we haven’t played it anywhere else besides the last US tour that we did right before Australia this time. We did a performing “feedbacker” show at ATP festival in UK just once though.
Your live shows are always gigs that have left people talking afterward. What can you tell people about these gigs to get them even more keen? Especially the Dark MOFO crowd, who’ll be already swept up in a unique festival experience.
Not to expect, but I want them to participate. Let’s have fun together, because it’s a rock party.
Flood is considered to be a classic cult album for Boris – what do you think it is about this material specifically that had such a memorable affect on listeners?
At that time we were able to hear and enjoy wider range of music, like from very quiet ambient music to loud and heavy stuff. I think “flood”has those opposite elements altogether. When our fans hear “flood” they can feel what we had tried during the song writing and the session.
When it comes to touring – you’ve obviously been doing it for some time now, how does Boris go about forming the live set up? Do you have an idea about how you want each gig to roll out or is it a matter of winging it to an extent?
Rehearsal takes very long time and process. First off we take a setlist into account very carefully, play as is, record whole set and listen it objectively over again, then make sure if an unique story to fans and us is being born, at last we can determine the final setlist. In most cases, once we determine it we won’t change during the whole tour besides very minor adjustment for length of interlude. We allow our bodies to perform automatically, because we want to focus on communication with the audience.
What are your plans following on from this Australian tour? Do you have studio time lined up?
We’d like to focus on recording. We’ll be playing new songs on this tour that we haven’t released yet, they need to be taken shape.
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BORIS FLOOD TOUR DATES!
June 19 – Corner Hotel, MELBOURNE
June 21 – Manning Bar, SYDNEY
June 22 – Dark MOFO, HOBART
June 24 – Rosemount Hotel, PERTH
Tickets on sale now from http://www.handsometours.com/
