Picture Nancy Sinatra singing out front of the Gun Club with Dick Dale playing lead guitar at the best party of the year. If you can imagine such an exciting and eclectic mix of 50s rock ‘n roll, 60s reverb-drenched surf and 80s punk attitude, you’re getting close to the sound of Melbourne, Australia, four-piece La Bastard.
Forming in late 2010 and quickly signing with respected garage rock label Off the Hip, our tight, retro-inspired sounds and frenetic live shows have captured audiences’ imaginations from Hobart to Brisbane and everywhere in between. Earlier this year, we released our second full length album, Tales From The Beyond to strong reviews and an Australian tour. A video for the album’s lead single “Call of the Wild” features Brothers Grim frontman James Grim leading a gang of delinquents over the course of a night of havoc with a surprisingly sinister ending.
Can you tell us a bit about your sound?
La Bastard is a bit of a melting pot of ideas – 50s rock and roll, rockabilly-punk revival bands like the Cramps and the Gun Club, even alternative rock bands like the Jesus Lizard. We’re also huge fans of Roy Orbison and his approach to songwriting – so there’s a little of his songwriting complexity thrown into the mix with a lot of energetic delivery, attitude and speed!
Why did you choose to make this kind of music?
We felt the time was right for a band like this. Anna [vocals] and Ben [guitars] had been talking about starting a band for a long time, and we instinctively knew we had a concept that would make people stand to attention! It’s also great fun – it’s a real opportunity to be creative and a little bit crazy with genres of music which tend towards conservatism – we wanted to try and bring some new and refreshing elements into the rockabilly/rock n’ roll revival sound!
What do you love the most about making the kind of music that draws on the roots of rock and roll itself?
If you’re talking about the sound of early rock and blues – there’s something very satisfying about testing the limits of a style with fairly limited parameters and doing something new with it. We try not to just play 12 bar blues songs – we like to retain a feel that’s familiar, but use different progressions and tones and make it our own. I think Brothers Grim have really captured that feel as well, albeit in a very different way to us.
The other thing that’s infectious about playing music based on early rock n’ roll is that you can’t help but dance! The crowds love it, but hell, we love it too – it’s an absolute joy to play every show because the songs are so damn fun!
You’re part of what has been described as a “beautifully menacing” lineup for Drunken Moon festival this year – what are you looking forward to the most about playing these shows?
Lots of the bands in this lineup have fierce live shows to contend with, so I’m looking forward to the energy that is going to be put out by everyone involved. Combine that with the Halloween atmosphere and I think you are going to have one hell of an evening. I’ll be telling my grandkids about it!
Who are you looking forward to seeing at Drunken Moon? Any bands in particular?
The whole lineup looks pretty great, there’s something for everyone’s particular taste.
Drunken Moon Festival:
Dress Up Halloween Party
Brisbane:
Saturday 26 Oct @ The Joynt
Brothers Grim and the Blue Murders (VIC)
The Floors (WA)
Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk (VIC)
Guthrie (TAS)
Transvaal Diamond Syndicate (BNE)
Bare white Knuckles (BNE)
Melbourne:
Thursday 31 Oct @ The Espy
Brothers Grim and the Blue Murders
King of the North
Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk
La Bastard
Digger and the Pussycats
Batpiss
Mesa Cosa
Sheriff
Guthrie
Rattlin’ Bones Blackwood
Yard Apes
The Drunken Poaches
“Drunken Moon was like watching Werewolves on meth making love for an appreciative audience” – Luke Monks, Gay Paris
Watch ‘Call Of The Wild’
