- Dead Letter Circus
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For this band's self-titled EP, see Dead Letter Circus (EP).
Dead Letter Circus Origin Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Genres Alternative rock, progressive rock Years active 2005–present Labels 3Massive Records/MGM, Warner Music Australia, Sumerian Records (North America)[1] Associated acts Ochre
MelodysseyWebsite Dead Letter Circus Members Kim Benzie (vocals)
Luke Williams (drums)
Stewart Hill (bass)
Rob Maric (guitar)
Tom Skerlj (second guitar & synths)Past members Scott Davey (drums) Dead Letter Circus are an alternative rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, who have been compared to The Mars Volta and Karnivool[2] and have become one of the more popular bands in Australian rock.[2] Their debut album This Is the Warning debuted at #2 on the Australian album charts and spawned a number of singles that were played heavily on radio.[3]
Contents
Biography
Dead Letter Circus and beginnings
Three members of the defunct Brisbane band Ochre formed Dead Letter Circus in 2005, releasing one self-titled EP, and the singles "Disconnect and Apply", "Next in Line" and "The Space on the Wall". Disconnect and Apply received significant radio play on Triple J, where it became one of their most played tracks.[4] They performed at the Big Day Out, Come Together Music Festival in Sydney and the Over-Cranked Music Festival in Brisbane - performing with bands such as Judas Priest, Cog, Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect, Chevelle and Helmet. They also toured Australia extensively on their own headline tours. Despite the success of their EP and touring, the band still held down a number of 'day' jobs, with bassist Hill working as a baker, guitarist Maric a web designer drummer Davey taught drama and singer Benzie a seasoned staged performer continued in his role as lead in the "it's raining man" stage show at Brisbane's famous Wickham Hotel [4]
In 2008, drummer Scott Davey left the group and was replaced by Luke Williams from Melodyssey.[5] On 30 October 2008, Dead Letter Circus began their Next in Line tour to coincide with the release of the single, playing primarily with Australian bands Melodyssey (still featuring Williams) and Rook. On 29 November 2008, they performed at Coffs Harbour's Open Arms Festival in NSW.
On 4 September 2009, Dead Letter Circus released the single "The Space on the Wall", supported by a national tour with guest bands Sydonia and Many Machines on Nine.[6] Following a showcase at Musexpo, Dead Letter Circus signed with Warner Bros. Records in Australia and New Zealand[7] and CAA for live bookings in North America, and toured the eastern states of Australia in late January through to early March 2010.[8]
This Is The Warning
On 16 February 2010, Dead Letter Circus revealed via MySpace that their debut album was complete. The album was launched on 14 May 2010, titled This Is the Warning. It had its debut at Number 1 on the ARIA Album Chart.[9] The band announced a This Is the Warning album launch tour, playing shows in most major capital cities in Australia through April - June 2010.[10]
Dead Letter Circus supported Muse at their Brisbane shows on 5 and 6 December 2010.[11] They also supported Linkin Park on their Sydney and Melbourne shows on their A Thousand Suns World Tour
In May 2011, it was announced that the band had signed a deal with Sumerian Records to release This Is The Warning in North America.[1] On the deal, the band stated that "the release of the record in the United States marks the next stage in our career and we can't wait to unleash This Is The Warning to the American rock fans."[1] On the 9th of May 2011, This is the Warning was released in the US, with a short UK tour to take place over June and July to promote the release.[3] The band will however will have an extended summer in the US, supporting Animals As Leaders in a 24-city national tour from July to August.[12] Dead Letter Circus will then return to Australia for a national tour to raise awareness about the dangers of coal seam gas titled the No Fracking Way Tour. The band will play 21 dates across the country with supports Closure in Moscow, Wolves, I Am Giant and Jerrico.[13] Rob Maric spoke of the band's political angle and why they are doing a tour with a reference to coal seam gas mining; "it’s important to everyone. The planet is descending into complete self-destruction. Musicians have a fortunate position of influence so it’s a good opportunity to just say to a large amount of people “hey, check out this topic”. I respect artists more than politicians so when they speak, I tend to listen."[14]
Untitled Sophomore Album and Current Events
The band have stated several times that the writing process for the album has started. According to Benzie, the album may take a more electronic approach than This is the Warning; "I think we’re kind of in a cyborg half-human, half-robot stage at the moment. Yeah, I definitely think we could (be going in an electronic direction). We’re leaning toward a bigger, fatter sound, rather than just the guitars."[15] Benzie also stated that thematically, the album would explore the issues of the first album, but build on those as if it were a second chapter in a first person narrative; "Most of the next one’s going to be a bit of the after-effect: "how can you combat things like that (not feeling in control of your own life)? How can small people deceive world bankers? The answer will actually be everyone — what everyone does within their individual bubble, how we choose to act, and if that will butterfly effect out."[16] Benzie also suggested that the album could be out by 2012, saying "the plan would be to have it out one year from its (This is the Warning) release date in America. We’ll be trying to do a worldwide release next time, so it’ll be Australia, America, and the world at the same time, rather than just Australia."[17]
Musical Style and Influences
The band have cited rock acts such as Tool, Deftones, Soundgarden, Radiohead and Pearl Jam as influences on the band, while also crediting electronic artists such as Massive Attack, Nine Inch Nails and UNKLE[1] The band, however, acknowledges that "while we don't sound like a mash up of these bands, they have all definitely infused our minds with a love for writing epic, layered and high energy songs."[1]
The creative process has been described as spontaneous and improvisational, with the band often finishing the structure of content of songs in the recording studio. According the Benzie, "the guys are very much improvisational players. If we have a basic structure, what we do generally is Rob and I create the seeds [of the songs], and we’ll take them with the band into the studio and just jam around it — record everything and then have a listen and then put the bits together. We developed this knack of finding out which songs are flowing. We don’t ever write whole songs before we go into the studio. We generally take the seeds of songs."[18]
Allmusic has described the band's sound as "delay-based guitar textures...interlaced with subtle synth undercurrents, creating complex patterns out of a set of simple rhythms without cutting down on melody...executed with a surgical precision that recalls the incarnation of Krautrock promoted by Maserati -- while the sheer intensity brings to mind God Is an Astronaut more than My Chemical Romance."[19] The Sydney Morning Herald describes the band as "frenetic rock" but within it "lies a clarity and self-assuredness punctuated by Maric's undulating guitar work and Benzie's vocals. The songs also have a positive message, led by Benzie's state of mind."[4]
Members
- Kim Benzie – vocals (2005 – present)
- Rob Maric – guitar (2005 – present)
- Stewart Hill – bass (2005 – present)
- Luke Williams – drums, vocals (2008 – present)
- Tom Skerlj - guitar, keyboard and percussion (2010 – present)
Former members
- Scott Davey – drums (2005–2008)
Discography
EPs
- Dead Letter Circus (2007)
Albums
- This Is the Warning (2010) AUS #1
Singles
- "Disconnect and Apply" (2005, re-release in 2010 for UK)
- "Reaction" (2008)
- "Next in Line" (2008) AUS #63[20]
- "The Space on the Wall" (2009)
- "Big" (2010)
- "One Step" (2010)
- "Cage" (2010)
- ""Reaction" (2011)
References
- ^ a b c d e http://www.killyourstereo.com/news/9960/dead-letter-circus-sign-to-sumerian-records/
- ^ a b http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/36724/Dead-Letter-Circus-This-Is-The-Warning/
- ^ a b http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/130664-dead-letter-circus-announce-uk-tour-dates.html
- ^ a b c "Dead Letter Circus". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 September 2007. http://www.smh.com.au/news/gig-reviews/dead-letter-circus/2007/09/14/1189276937427.html.
- ^ http://www.tvcoast.com/dead-letter-circus/biography.html
- ^ "Dead Letter Circus on the road with new single". http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/musicnews/s2659157.htm. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
- ^ "DEAD LETTER CIRCUS SECURE BOOKING & LABEL DEAL"
- ^ "DLC Update"
- ^ "Australian Albums: What To Expect in 2010"
- ^ "DLC This Is The Warning Launch Tour"
- ^ "Muse announce support bands for Australian tour". http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/muse-announce-support-bands-for-australian-tour/. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ http://www.rockedition.com/tours/animals-as-leaders-plot-us-tour/
- ^ http://voxmusic.com.au/vox-social/vox-news/item/66-dead-letter-circus-new-album
- ^ http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2011/08/12/dead-letter-circus-say-no-fracking/
- ^ http://www.rockedition.com/interviews/interview-with-kim-benzie-of-dead-letter-circus/
- ^ http://www.rockedition.com/interviews/interview-with-kim-benzie-of-dead-letter-circus/
- ^ http://www.rockedition.com/interviews/interview-with-kim-benzie-of-dead-letter-circus/
- ^ http://www.rockedition.com/interviews/interview-with-kim-benzie-of-dead-letter-circus/
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/this-is-the-warning-r1812439/review
- ^ The ARIA Report, Issue 979
External links
Categories:- Australian progressive rock groups
- Queensland musical groups
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