the AU interview: Dan W of Art Vs Science (Sydney, Australia)

On the back end of their Hottest 100 celebrations, we chat with Dan W (Drums/Vox) of Sydney’s Art vs Science, who are getting ready to board the Bacardi Express – and then go on to tour forever.

Larry: It’s been but a few days since you guys received the number two spot in Triple J’s Hottest 100… making you the highest rating Australian artist on the list. So I do believe a massive congratulations is in order! Very well deserved.

…. How are you guys feeling about it? Has it quite sunk in yet?

Dan: Its a very strange feeling indeed. Next we hope to be on Spicks and Specks and then my list of achievements will be complete.

The immensely entertaining video for “Parlez Vous, Francais?” has also garnered quite a lot of critical acclaim. Where did the “Mime Battle in the Wild Wild West” idea come from?

That would be from our young director Alex Roberts. He had an epiphany while touring and filming with us on the Groove In The Moo festival last year. Somewhere on the walk between De La Soul and Ratatat we riffed on the idea and a mime battle was born.

I remember seeing you guys back in 2008 at the Marrickville Road Festival, just a month or so after you’d played Splendour for the first time. I remember thinking, and I think I wrote it in the review – that you were the first band to come along with the potential to catch the fire that bands like Cut Copy and The Presets had given to “electro rock/pop” in Australia – and actually make something of it. Something wholly unique. By the time the next Splendour rolled along, the fire had indeed been caught, and the tent that was once rather bare, now couldn’t even begin to fit all the people that wanted to see you.

Take us back, for a moment, to Splendour 08 and 09 – what was each experience like, and would it be fair to say that each are incredibly pivotal moments for you as a band?

Of course. We’d never played anything bigger than a 200 person nightclub. Nor had we ever played outside of Sydney really. Suddenly it was a massive tent with people actually in it who actually knew a whole bunch of the words. Splendour the following year was more of a relief really because more people turned up… Nothing worse than less people the following year.

I feel the international music industry is looking to Australia to set the benchmark for “electro rock/pop”. And I feel we’re doing that with flying colours. Do you feel that this is a fair statement? And if so, how does it feel to be part of that group?

Maybe. The UK seems to paving a lot of the way there and has been for the last couple of years. Bands like Late Of The Pier are really pushing the boundaries for that kind of “nu-rave” dance rock weirdness. Yeah its a pretty fun style of music to get your head into. And yes Cut Copy and The Presets have done very very well. They’re good heights to reach.

With you and other Sydney artists like Philadelphia Grand Jury (who Dan W used to drum for) making quite a mark on the national music consciousness, I think Sydney is a stronger force than it has been in many years. Would you agree?

I suppose. I always find that a hard question to answer. I mean Melbourne has Eddy Current Suppression Ring. We’re big fans of the John Steel Singers from Brisbane. Tame Impala are from Perth….  Plenty of great bands from all over. I find it hard to quantify.. 

You’re now quite well travelled nationally – how do the hometown crowds in Sydney compare to the rest of the country?

They’re just lovely. We have so many loyal fans that have come to see us so many times. We actually enjoy playing a lot in Perth, Tassy and Brisbane. Good peoples.

And indeed, you’ll be testing the national waters again, performing on the Bacardi Express circuit later this year – what can we expect from these shows?  Both from yourselves, and the event in general?

Expect much mayhem and bombast. Like a delirious Baron drunk on cough syrup.

Do you anticipate a large amount of Bacardi delivered to be consumed on board the train?

I expect that we will drink Bacardi responsibly… 

What do you guys normally drink on the road?

We all sip apple juice mostly.

And finally, apart from the tours – what’s next for AVS? For one, how are things looking for your debut LP? We’re all looking forward to hearing it…

Well recording is happening in March with a hope to have the record out around June. Tip top. Then we tour forever.

Thanks guys, we’ll see you on the Express!

Art Vs Science play the BACARDI EXPRESS tour taking place 25th-27th March. Check out http://www.bacardiexpress.com.au for more info.