Hey we are Nick, Ben & Julz and we call ourselves The Sinking Teeth. We are a three piece punk band from Carlton. This has been a massive year for us and it’s continuing to get bigger. We have just released our EP White Water and we are currently in the middle of a tour with Calling All Cars. As soon as that ends we are supporting Bodyjar for their “Role Models” tour. Then it’s christmas and we won’t have any money for presents so we are going to give everyone potatoes.
Apparently your show at Ric’s Bar for this year’s BIGSOUND was an absolute blinder. Can you confirm this?
We had an amazing time. Ric’s is one of our favourite places to play. You know how some people have spirit animals? We don’t, we have a spirit venue & that venue is Ric’s. Plus the lineup was fucking amazing.
Are live performances something you work particularly hard on?
You’d think living together would mean that it is easy to organise practices but it isn’t. Having said that we love playing live and its the whole reason we are in this band. Basically we just sit around watching videos of At the drive in.
When you’re writing, how much do you consider how a song will sound live?
We consider it a lot. We won’t play it if one of us thinks it is boring. We want to smack people around with our songs.
You just released your White Water EP, where and how was that recorded?
We recorded it with The Man, The Myth, Tom Larkin. I still can’t believe that mother fuckers name is in my phone book. And Ben Ehrenberg engineered it and he’s the Gandalf of audio. The place was called Studios In The City its in Brunswick behind la mana fresh – all the coconuts you desire.
The EP incorporates a whole bunch of different styles. Between the three of you, what kind of influences do you each bring to the band?
We are pretty whack and fight about what music is good and bad all the time, but thats just our filtration system. Put it this way if we lived in the 70s Julz would be wearing Fish tank platforms, I (nick) would be wearing a denim jacket and aviators and Ben would have the same shit mullet he has now.
What kind of bands were you all playing in when you met?
Julz was playing in a math/pop band called Left Feels Right which has recently changed its name to Mercians due to the names affiliations with Bon Jovi. Ben was playing the spoons (solo) and I was playing with myself (winky face).
Can you tell us about how you were living when you were writing and recording the EP?
We have been shifting from one dump to another with a bunch of mates for a few years. The first was a flat above a pawn shop on Sydney Rd then we moved to an empty office building in North Melbourne and now we live in Carlton with 8 people, a rabbit and a lot of rabbit shit.
Would we be correct in assuming that the EP’s single ‘Temporary Living’ reflected your housing situation at the time? What exactly is that song all about?
Kinda. But its more about feeling like you belong somewhere else.
You must have an hilarious anecdote about the pawnshop, prepared specifically for interviews of this nature. We’d like to hear it, please.
The first time we practiced in the flat they started banging on the floor below us. So we went down there to try and ease the tension but the owner said if we don’t stop “I will shoot your fucking face”.
Living, writing, recording and performing together can get pretty suffocating for bands sometimes. Is it often that you guys clash heads and how do you resolve those situations?
I believe the move is called the “69er” in some circles.
The Sinking Teeth’s debut EP White Water in out now – thesinkingteeth.bandcamp.com
The Sinking Teeth Tour Dates Support Bodyjar:
THU 31 OCT – CAMBRIDGE HOTEL – NEWCASTLE – supporting Bodyjar
FRI 1 NOV – HI FI – SYDNEY – supporting Bodyjar
SAT 2 NOV – CORNER HOTEL – MELBOURNE – supporting Bodyjar
THU 7 NOV – BRISBANE HOTEL – HOBART – supporting Bodyjar
FRI 8 NOV – UNI BAR – ADELAIDE – supporting Bodyjar
FRI 15 NOV – ROSEMOUNT HOTEL – PERTH – supporting Bodyjar
SATURDAY 16 NOV – PRINCE OF WALES – BUNBURY – supporting Bodyjar
FRI 22 NOV – HI FI – BRISBANE – supporting Bodyjar
SAT 23 NOVEMBER – COOLY HOTEL – COOLANGATTA – supporting Bodyjar
