Children Collide - Interview

Children Collide are part of plethora of Melbourne bands successfully achieving the one aim of many Australian acts, that of international success. After storming shows at SXSW, across the US and the UK the band is now stopping briefly to finally solidly their line up, management team and to record a debut album. During possibly one of the most technically plagued interviews I’ve ever conducted in which a passing thunderstorm continually disconnected us, I managed to glean a few words from guitarist / singer, Johnny.

How, when and why did you decide to start the band?
I used to live with our current bass player (Heath) and our first drummer, I was writing heaps of songs, the drummer bought a kit and we just started jamming and getting trashed in the lounge. We got offered a gig, then another, then another and it kept snowballing from there. Nothing premeditated, it just happened from getting trashed together.

There are quite a few that start like that!
Yeah.

You formed on Halloween, so it was the band’s Birthday yesterday, how do you feel about the bands life so far and where it will go from here?
Yes indeed, Happy Birthday to us! We’ve been on a pretty solid upward trajectory since we started and it can only get better. We’ve got to travel, we’ve been around the world twice, we’re recording our album in LA in February and we’re getting to do what we want to do.

You’ve been going for two years, doing pretty well and so far without an album, why has it take so long to get round to recording an album?
I guess because we’ve changed management and labels a few times and it often comes down to those people to help you plan such things, so every time our plans have changed to. Now we’re with a label we really want to do our album with and a management team that we’re confident in, so feel we can do it properly and make the best album we can. If someone had approached us in the first year we would have probably jumped at the opportunity to make an album but it wouldn’t have been right, now it will be the best album we can make.

Despite not having that crucial album that a lot of industry people are always after, you’ve still managed to attract industry interested in working with you, how have you managed to do that?
It hasn’t always been roses, we have missed out on a few things, for example until recently we’ve missed out on national tours and festivals like Splendour in the Grass because we didn’t have that album. We’ve just been at it hard, rehearsing a hell of a lot, always putting on a good live show and that impresses people and that keeps the ball rolling.

You’ve also had a lot of drummers haven’t you?
We’re up to our forth drummer, we figure it’s the same as changing labels or management, when people are focusing on an aim or a goal, and you don’t share the same goals with other members of the band, then you have to change and find someone who does share a similar outlook. I’m afraid there’s no gardening accidents or spontaneous combustions, just artistic differences.

You’ve been playing in a lot of countries, what’s been your favourite show so far?
We spent a lot of time in the UK, I loved hanging out in London, but probably some of our best shows have been in the States, the first show at SXSW was one of our best ever and the crowds were enthusiastic and appreciative which is all you ever want in a show really.

Published in Arcady, Indieoma.com