RAVE catches up with Gold Coast four-piece THE MODERNS, otherwise known as the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th best-dressed men on the Gold Coast (according to The Bulletin), as they get set to release their debut EP.

Rave: First of all, why ‘The Moderns’?

Samuel John Rees (Vocals, Keys): We drank a lot of coca-cola one night...

Willi Hamilton (Guitar): Heaps. Like cartons of it. It just came to us.

Swanny (Drums): Basically what The Moderns mean to us is, being the modern music, fitting in with the young people and bringing -...

Andre Franco (Bass): That’s all a lie. It actually means rock & roll in Japanese...

Rave: It’s been written … ‘The Moderns pride themselves on writing songs that are left field, evolving sounds and breaking stereotypes’…

WH: Are they listening to the same music? (laughs)

SR: We’re a new and fairly young band so we’re not trying to be really political or trying to change the world. We write from experiences that we’ve experienced as 22-24 year-olds, so for the most part that’s what our mind set is. Skateboarding behind cars, rope’s swinging into lakes...

AF: Girls...

S: Four boys hanging out in a shed jamming, eating macca’s at ten at night.

WH: We haven’t written one about that yet.

SR: Getting kicked out of the Step Inn in Brisbane

Rave: Please do tell...

SR: Me and Andre went up to see this band and it was sold out…

AF: We’re very industrious men and we don’t like a no answer. So being industrious and illustrious we walk up to the balcony and saw that down below the band was playing so we jumped.

SR: We thought we were free and got over the fence and I feel this hand on my shoulder and this big security guard said ‘come with me’ and then I turned around and saw Andre get dragged away. (Funnily enough, the band played at the Step Inn the next week)

Rave: So how did the band come about?

AF: We’re all brothers (laughs).

Rave: Ah, like the Partridge Family, but all dudes?

SR: No. (laughs) Every one of us auditioned for another band and out of that we all formed. We would do all sorts of silly things together like towing a rope behind the car and skate around the streets, jump the fence into theme parks and just have heaps of fun. 

AF: A bit juvenile...

WH: Our music is the music you listen to when you do that (laughs). We wanted to write a soundtrack for all of those things.

Rave: So tell me about your upcoming debut EP...

SR: Its four songs and they’re all golden.

AF: It’s about enjoying the process in making it as well. We figured if we can’t enjoy making it there’s not point in involving ourselves to the extent that we have.

SR: We try to catch as much of the live feel as we can – not going for a massively produced sound. We’re just so proud of the effort and we know everyone will love it too.

THE MODERNS launch their self-titled EP at Elsewhere Nightclub (Gold Coast) on Friday June 27.

Comments (2)

1. Written by Jess, on 26-06-2008 13:51 , IP: 130.102.0.178 woo

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