Just as crashing footsteps heralded the lumbering approach of King Kong, so do slinking drumbeats, solid riffs, and growling vocals sound the path of The Ape, a brand new beast set to unleash itself onto awed audiences early this month.
Pulling together a handful of Australia’s most talented musicians – guitarist Raul Sanchez (Magic Dirt, River of Snakes, and Midnight Woolf), drummer Gus Agars (The Vandas, The Gin Club, Chromenips, Mike Noga And The Gentlemen Of Fortune, Ben Salter, The Dark Horses), bass player Pat Bourke (Ladyboyz, Dallas Crane) and a man who needs no introduction, Mr. Tex Perkins himself – The Ape is one hell of a mighty musical mammal. Just don’t call it a supergroup, says Sanchez
“I can’t stand supergroups, I hate them,” Sanchez, the long time lead guitarist of Magic Dirt, exclaims. “I think they are pompous and overblown, they never work. I reckon The Ape is more of a personality fruit salad, a motley bunch, a happy accident, synchronicity in sound form!”
According to Sanchez, this particular fruit salad was a long time coming. The initial idea for The Ape materialised almost ten years ago but it took a magazine interview for the brainchild to come to fruition.
“Back in 2004-2005, Tex and I were hanging out a bit, jamming and mucking around with 4-track recorders. Then we kinda lost touch of each other for a while, we were both busy doing other things. Late last year I interviewed Tex for a magazine and he asked me ‘Hey, do you wanna play guitar for a new band I’m gonna put together?’ I said sure, it just happened quite naturally.”
The members of The Ape are certainly no strangers to one another, having been interchangeably linked at one point or another through a number of musical incarnations – Agars stepped in on drums for Perkin’s Dark Horses, Agars and Bourke were bandmates in Mike Noga’s Gentlemen of Fortune, and Bourke and Perkins teamed up for the cover-band extravaganza Ladyboyz. With so many groups and collaborations to coordinate around this latest project, Sanchez says that modern technology lends a helping hand.
“I can’t stand supergroups, I hate them. I think they are pompous and overblown, they never work.”“Well, it’s just a matter of fitting things in when you can, you know,” he explains. “When we got together we were already all aware of the other things we were involved in, so we keep the communication lines open and be as flexible as we can be. We email a lot.”
When asked whether The Ape will be allowed to grow into old age on the Australian music circuit, or whether it may have a shorter lifespan, Sanchez doesn’t rule out the possibility of group being here to stay.
“I don’t think we have discussed this, we’re making it up as we go. But so far it feels great to play together and the personalities jell well, it’s good fun, so you never know,” he reveals.
The Ape’s first mighty roar comes in the shape of debut single “Crawl Back”, a fantastically swampy rock and roll song. Is it fair to say that this is a good indication of the type of sound we can expect from The Ape?
“Yeah, for sure,” Sanchez says. “The Ape has many flavours, this is just one of them, but you get the idea, it’s simple straight up good times rock ‘n’ roll, with some tongue firmly in cheek – and then again, maybe not…”.
More of this chunky, primitive, tongue in cheek rock can be found on the band’s first full length release, which according to Sanchez is all but completed. And it sounds like lovers of The Ape’s already released material will be in for a treat.
“It’s a full length master opus of ape-like proportions!” says Sanchez. “Ten hairy songs, already recorded and mastered, we are just putting the finishing touches on the artwork.”
“It’s a full length master opus of ape-like proportions! Ten hairy songs, already recorded and mastered, we are just putting the finishing touches on the artwork.”In support of this handsomely hirsute record, The Ape is taking to the road in August, beginning with shows at the Regal Ballroom in Melbourne and The Annandale in Sydney, before heading north to bask in the tropical climes of the Northern Territory’s Darwin Festival.
For the band, Darwin presents a more out-of-the way destination, a deviation from the usual touring circuit.
Let loose to roam free across Darwin Festival, The Ape may well get up to no good in our northern climes. “We’re a relaxed bunch you know, but we are into all kinds of extreme activities too”, claims Sanchez.
So what might their Northern Territory schedule entail? Sanchez is quick to give us a sample of activities which include, but are most definitely not limited to, “zero gravity chess, helium karaoke, Thai massages, nude base-jumping, and a good cup of tea and a lie down.”
Amongst all this rampaging, it’s a wonder members of the band manage to keep themselves so impeccably groomed. Yes, The Ape not only has brawn, but beauty too. Bass player Pat Bourke is the fourseome resident style king. So what kind of sartorial splendour can audiences expect from The Ape?
“Well, Pat is our “fashion guy”, explains Sanchez – “I think on the last memo it said chequered shirts and helmets with a feather in them….oh yeah and no blue jeans, or was that only blue jeans, no black? I can’t remember…Something fancy like that anyway.”
Spitting, roaring, grunting, howling rock and roll, and crashing, thumping beats – fun and frivolity will no doubt ensue when the The Ape ambles forth on their upcoming tour. One thing is clear – don’t miss the chance to witness the antics of The Ape, a rare beast of beauty, brains, and buffoonery.
The Ape 2013 Australian Tour Dates & Tickets
Sat 3rd August Thin Green Line World Rangers Day Fundraiser Melbourne
Regall Ballroom High St, Northcote
Tickets $95 for dinner and show, $55 for show only from http://www.thingreenline.org.au/
Fri 9th August The Annandale Sydney
17 Parramatta Rd Annandale
Tickets $20 from www.annandalehotel.com
Doors 8:00PM
Sat 17th August Darwin Festival Darwin
http://www.darwinfestival.org.au/
for more info head to www.facebook.com/pages/Tex-Perkins
