Colour Machine is a breath of fresh air in the increasingly potent Adelaide scene. Rocking a violent combination of indie, blues and all-round heavier stylings, they’re fast becoming quite the addictive cocktail.
With their EP 2 hitting the shelves this Saturday, we thought it high time to catch up with the fellas to pick their brains.
Combining sky-high, colossal vocals with some of the chunkiest arrangements in the country, Adelaide’s Colour Machine are already making tidal waves.
HAPPY: Adelaide seems like it’s having a bit of a comeback, what are your thoughts on the current scene?
CM: There’s a lot of great music going on in Adelaide at the moment; bands like Forbidden Envy, Sweet Anarchy, Jettison, and Sleep Talk are all doing awesome stuff, and everyone knows each other, which is a huge plus because we can all go to each others shows, or even play at each others’ shows! It’s a really good scene that’s continuing to grow all the time.
HAPPY: Anthony, the lead vocals/drummer combo isn’t around enough. Who are some of your favourite artists ever who manage to do both?
CM: Meg White from The White Stripes is one of my favourites, despite her not doing a whole lot of singing. She isn’t the most technically gifted singer or drummer, but her energy and ability to serve the song in pretty much any circumstance is impeccable. Don Henley is another favourite that I grew up listening too. And who can forget Kram?
HAPPY: Also, your style is hard to pin down. Who are some influences you feel most affected Colour Machine?
CM: Our music tastes are all pretty diverse. We all love bands like The Strokes, Tame Impala, Cage the Elephant and The White Stripes, but we each like some more eclectic stuff that gives us our overall sound – Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar and David Bowie are big influences on me. I know Lewis loves a lot of hardcore stuff, and grew up listening to a lot of punk and pop-punk. Tom is really in tune with the indie scene as well.
HAPPY: How did you three originally come together?
CM: We all went to school together, we’ve known each other since we were three or fpir. Tom and I have been playing for like seven or eight years, and Lewis joined us four years ago.
HAPPY: Your latest clip Two Horizons just dropped. Who did you work with on this one?
CM: Raffael Cufone filmed the music video for this one, he’s done clips for a few other bands around town. We collaborated with him on the locations and loose concept of it and we did a lot of off-the-cuff shots. It was a lot of fun.
HAPPY: Is the rest of 2 operating under a similar sound?
CM: Part of me wants to say yes…Two Horizons is probably a good indicator of the EP’s sound as a whole, but I don’t think the rest of the EP sounds like Two Horizons. That probably makes no sense. I guess you’ll just have to listen and find out!
HAPPY: You have two gigs coming up. Can we expect to hear the new EP in full?
CM: Most likely, yes. We have to juggle some new tunes, older tunes and songs from the Live Session EP we just put out as well. There’s a lot of material floating around at the moment!
HAPPY: What’s your #1 tip for the punters coming along?
CM: Prepare for a completely ridiculous show, which may include and is not limited too – cymbals falling over, guitars breaking, amps being knocked over, multiple drum sticks snapping, and a hell of a lot energy. To clarify, at least one of those things as happened at almost every gig that we’ve played.
Catch Colour Machine tearing it up live with the dates below. 2 is out March 25th.
Mar 25 – The Old Spot, SA – FREE – Event
Apr 29 – The Emu Hotel, SA – FREE
