Born Lion formed in Sydney in 2012. Their music has been described as “post-hardcore spiced rock-and-fuckin’-roll”, and they’ve been compared to the likes of The Hot Snakes, Fugazi, Future of the Left and The Bronx. We had a chat with them about what is was like to support The Hives, the future of Australian music, and dogs in the park…
Illustration by Daniel Purvis
HAPPY: You guys supported The Hives at their only BDO sideshow in Melbourne earlier this year, how did that go?
BORN LION: It was a lot of fun. They were super accommodating to us, we had a lot of time to be ready for the show but we also had a of time be nervous. They were such nice guys too. During “question time with Pelle”, the band left the stage and said hi…
HAPPY: Awesome. You’ve had loads of support from various independent radio stations around the country, as well as some pretty heavy support from Triple J. Along with consistent airplay you’ve been a featured Unearthed artist and D for Danger appeared on the Unearthed 2013 Ausmusic Month Mixtape. How much significance do you guys place on these outlets of exposure?
BORN LION: We’re still booking the smallest venues we can. It just translates better for us. It’s just now there are more people at the shows, and John gets a bit of help singing Good Times Jimmy which is pretty cool.
HAPPY: There’s been some pretty shitty media of late suggesting a ‘homogenisation’ of Aussie music being caused by the radio station. You guys have toured all around the country multiple times, how do you see the Australian music scene in its present state?
BORN LION: I think it’s horse-shit, personally. How are you seriously going to suggest Triple J doesn’t play Australian rock? We’re Australian rock, right? Calling All Cars? Them Bruins? Kingswood? The list goes on, but I’ve had this discussion, and I think it’s stupid.
HAPPY: Who are your favourite local up-and-comers that are toiling away at the moment?
BORN LION: All of them. Captives have a pretty special spot my heart. The guys have practically made themselves Melbourne locals by commuting from Tasmania every weekend.
HAPPY: Latest single Good Times Jimmy is another tough, righteous punk tune that is sure to fit in with your notoriously fierce shows. Does the successful translation to live format weigh in on the song writing process at all?
BORN LION: Not really. We’re fairly confident in our ability to play what we write. If it doesn’t translate after the first couple of gigs it’s usually ditched and given no further thought.
HAPPY: So what comes next for Born Lion, can we expect a full LP sometime soon?
BORN LION: Hopefully. We’re certainly writing toward that. A lot more goes into an album than just writing it though.
HAPPY: What makes you happy?
BORN LION: Lots of stuff… But mainly seeing dogs in the park. They just look so stoked!
Check out Born Lion’s new vid for Good Times Jimmy here.
Our Born Lion illustration is by Adelaide-based illustrator and designer, Daniel Purvis. Daniel still wishes he was 10, spending endless weekends drawing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers, mostly because he didn’t do it then and it would have helped him a lot now. You can see more of his work here.
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