Never expose them to bright light; don’t get them wet, and whatever you do never ever feed them after midnight. Sydney band ‘Lines’ are a pack of monsters to be feared as much as admired, the upbeat vibe of their songs will make you want come and give them a pat – be careful though on second listen you may hear things your mother warned you about…and you might like it. After a year together Lines have released their first single ‘Moment’ with two b-sides on Sydney Label RiSH. Set to play dates in Melbourne and Sydney in support of this release Lines look forward to packing themselves into the wagon and hitting the road.
Take us through the history and the beginning of Lines. Tell us how the formation began.
We have two brothers in the band, Dan and Lach Adams. Their uncles are in Sydney Band ‘Bonic’ who have had a big influence on them. The Adams boys met Sam in primary school and got to building tree houses, flipping Tazos and later realising that writing songs together is pretty great. Ben met the Adams’ while they were all working for a small business that rented out chickens to desperate housewives. Lastly mystic wonder-child Tom came to us through a friendly neighbour to whom we shall always be indebted.
You’ve just signed a deal to indie label Rish and are putting out your first release ‘Moment’ in February, how did the deal come about?
We met Brian from RiSH through playing at the Sando in Newtown. He was there with the bands we were supporting and liked our set. We had a talk, had some drinks, then talked some more. It turned out Brian was into a lot of bands we are into, had a good story or two to tell and is just a nice genuine guy. We had a few tracks we’d already recorded that he liked and it just went from there.
Describe your live show for us, what should we expect and why should we come and see Lines live?
We love playing live, we do it all the time in our garages and living rooms. The only difference is that in those places we have, parents, brothers, sisters and pissed out neighbours as an audience instead all our rowdy friends who come to watch our shows. Sometimes we’ll get a little lost in the moment – where do we go? I don’t know, but it’s always a good trip.
What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?
Playing Bert in Mary Poppins back in primary school. Sweeping chimneys goes alright.
What and where was the first gig you went to?
Strawberry Fields, it was a Music festival my parents took me to as kid back in NZ. I was pretty young and don’t remember all that much except there was plenty of people dancing, the music was groovy and there was a funny smell in the air…I was hooked.
Vinyl, CDs or ipod and why?
I missed vinyl, have plenty of scratched CDs kicking around (most in the wrong case) and someone broke into my brothers car and stole pretty much nothing but my ipod. So I play my tunes on my phone these days – not through its speaker while on the train though, thats not how anyone should have to hear music.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
We’re lucky enough to have some pretty great friends who like coming to see us play so usually we’re chilling with them, watching whoever else is playing on the night. There was a gig or two where the undies went on inside-out but I’m not sure whether that was a ritual thing or just trying to get as much mileage out of them as we could.
If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in and what features would it have?
Wattamolla Beach, just south of Sydney. It’s a great spot in the national park, there’s a beach, a lagoon, bush all around and a big ol’ rock to jump off. Line up would be: Amanda Palmer, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Brand New, British India, Dinosaur Jr., Interpol, The Kills, The Medics, Modest Mouse, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Pj Harvey, Portishead, Sean Lennon, Sia, Sures, The Vines, Violent Soho, Yeah Yeah Yeahs. There’d be a limbo competition, a constant conga line over the three days of the festival, slippery dip, dreamatorium, paddling pool sailing, and a goon appreciation course around the clothesline. There would be no limit on how many people came, or entrance fee. However to gain entrance to this festival one would have to complete an epic scavenger hunt, notable items on the list being; A strand of Phil Selway’s Hair, all 11 of KFC’s secret herbs and spices and a Phoenix tail-feather.
If you could tour with any band in the world who would it be and why?
Radiohead. Because they’re Radiohead.
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with? Tell us why?
NIck Cave. I feel like nobody can touch Nick Cave these days when it comes to songs that haunt you. That is to say not only does he deliver his music in a way that is completely chilling, but it will linger in your mind, continuing to confront you on each play.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
We’ve just released our single ‘Moment’ online and we’ be playing a string of shows in support of it through February/March. So far we’ll be playing:
Yah Yahs, Fitzroy 21/2/13
The Yarra Hotel, Geelong 22/2/13
The Espy, St Kilda 23/2/13
Kittens, Sydney 2/3/13
Check out www.linesband.com for the latest on gigs.
