Brisbane 4-piece rock outfit The Bacchanales have been very busy for the past year, growing a dedicated fanbase on the streets of Brisbane with their heavy and groove-laden 90-style rock. Since the release of their debut EP in 2014 they have been lucky enough to play with Holy Holy, Bad Dreems, Harts and The Belligerents, and now they are ready to release the first single from their forthcoming sophomore EP.
Tomatrax caught up with Pat Balfe, drummer from the band, to ask a few questions.
How did the band form?
Jeremy and myself have been playing together in various lineups for a few years. Perry and Gav just kind of showed up one day and havent left yet.
Where did the name The Bacchanales come from?
Our last band name was 11 syllables long, we thought it was a good idea to change it to something with fewer syllables but make it harder to pronounce and spell
You are about to release your second EP, how will it compare with your debut release?
This one is even more self-indulgent.
What will be EP be titled?
Probably something to do with chicken.
What made you pick Sandcastles as the single from the EP?
It’s been our favorite track to play for a while and we were really happy with how the recording came out. We think its also a fairly good representation of the bands overall sound.
Where was the front cover of the single from?
It was shot by a friend of ours Reece Woodland, somewhere on the Sunshine Coast, I think.
The EP version of the song goes for 9 minutes, was it hard to edit this down to a 3 minute single?
Yeah it took a while, we tried a bunch of ideas which were all overly complicated. By the end we literally just cut it 3 minutes into the song and it worked out as the best sounding and most sensible option.
Your bio says that your single showcases a new maturity or songwriting and arrangements of the band, what prompted this development in maturity?
Perry and Gav had a baby together which was a real wake-up call for the bands collective maturity.
You’ll be playing at the Elephant’s Queen’s Birthday celebration on July 7, what can fans expect from your show?
Plenty of mateship and probably some songs too.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
Only in reverse at 1/50th of the original speed.
What other music do you listen to?
Lots of local Brisbane stuff – Rolls Bayce, Jeremy Neale, Babaganouj
What do you plan on doing once the EP is out?
Sleeping on a bed of money.
Check out the Bachanales’ facebook page to find out more!
