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 TIM DeLAUGHTER, frontman of US unit THE POLYPHONIC SPREE, speaks in his Texan drawl to LINDSEY CUTHBERTSON about his band’s impending Australian tour, whilst breaking the stereotype of his home state one word at a time.
When your band consists of thirty members, there is no doubt that touring with so many musicians is an experience in itself. Tim DeLaughter, vocalist and frontman of choral/orchestral pop group The Polyphonic Spree, is preparing for such an experience when his band hits our shores on a run of headline dates and a place on the prestigious line-up of Byron Bay’s Splendour In The Grass festival.
When I am blessed with the opportunity to talk to Tim, he’s slap bang in the middle of a roaring Texan summer. Once he hears of my temperature situation – sitting in the loungeroom wrapped in hoodie, trousers and slippers, he grows excited. “I haven’t been to Australia in the winter so this will be a whole new experience for me,” he comments. “I’ve sent the email out to everybody to pack accordingly.”
DeLaughter is looking forward to coming down to Australia for the fifth time, because, well … apparently Australians are like Texans. “I don’t know if it’s to do with my personality, but I’ve really hit it off with Australians. They’re very much like Texans in a way. Our fans out there really enjoy and have embraced our music.”
The Polyphonic Spree are one of the main attractions to this year’s Splendour festival, mainly thanks to their incendiary live performances. Close your eyes – now imagine watching a bunch of thirty uniformly dressed individuals rocking out to really happy music and playing a plethora of instruments. That, in a nutshell, is a Polyphonic Spree presentation.
“I love the festival experience – I get a little freaked out by so many people so I won’t really walk around in the crowd, but I love playing in front of a large crowd,” elaborates DeLaughter on what Splendour fans should expect from the Texans. “I think The Polyphonic Spree really thrive in a festival atmosphere.”
DeLaughter and friends have spent the last few months taking a break from The Polyphonic Spree. DeLaughter wrote a movie score amongst other things. “I think everybody needs to re-energise their batteries in their own way to do it all over again,” he explains to me when I enquire about the reasons behind taking a rest. I proceed to ask whether touring with close to thirty bandmates makes it a more relaxing or stressful experience. DeLaughter shoots that idea down in flames with a passionate response.
“People think it’s a nightmare having so many people in the band, but the personalities compliment each other so well that there’s no problem at all,” he says. “The only problem I have with the band is the finance side of things, which is for obvious reasons.”
It’s a worthy way to burn a hole in your pocket, and the fact that DeLaughter is prepared to sacrifice financial security so that his fans get the opportunity to experience The Polyphonic Spree in full-band mode makes it all the more endearing. So, fans young and old: go and repay him. Go to a show or to Splendour and share in the moment. That’s the most DeLaughter hopes for anyway.
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE play The Tivoli on Thursday July 31, and make their mark on Splendour In The Grass in the GW McLennan theatre over the Aug 2-3 weekend (timeslot TBA). Current album THE FRAGILE ARMY is out now through TVT.
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