For Big Scary, 2010 was a year so successful, it would turn most upcoming bands a sickly shade of green.
For Big Scary, 2010 was a year so successful, it would turn most upcoming bands a sickly shade of green. Beginning with some modest radio exposure for their bluesy rocker Hey Somebody and piano ballad Falling Away, followed by the release of their Four Seasons EPs (each themed for their particular seasonal change), they saw their profile steadily rise. To cap it off, they played a heady schedule of Summer festivals including Peats Ridge, Southbound and the mighty Falls Festival.
It was a brilliant end to a successful year for one of Melbourne’s most exciting bands, no? “Absolutely,” recalls strummer Tom Iansek. “At the start of last year we set a few goals, one of which was to get on to some festival bills. And we were more half-dreaming when we set it, and then it happened and playing the shows was a great sense of achievement. Not just for us, but for our whole team who works for us.”
His musical better-half, Jo Syme, rises from her blanket on the couch to proffer one of several wryly-timed observations. “We’ve done that now, checked that box,” she says.
Although they can’t quite check the Triple J’s Hottest 100 box yet, they sure got close, coming in just outside the 100. But, while bands like The National are only now seeing their success pay broad dividends after a decade-long career, Big Scary were able to make a respectable charting in their first attempt.
Surely their appearance at festivals across the country only added to their following? “It’s kind of more fun trying to sell it to people who haven’t heard you before,” recalls Iansek. “That’s the more exciting part of it. You can tell if you’re doing it well or not from the crowd, and it was really exciting to see they were into it. It was amazing, really good. I mean it was tiring, a lot of travel and we didn’t get to hang around for most of the shows, but there’s just something special about performing in front of a really big group of people. It’s an adrenaline rush in a way – a really different energy.”
Syme can only concur. “The crowd owed us nothing, it was exciting that we hadn’t brought them there and didn’t know anyone and they were really into it. It was the first time we really had people clapping along and that kind of thing,” she says.
The twosome are now set to capitalise on those shows by embarking on their own headline tour in support of their Four Seasons compilation, which handily compiles their seasonally themed EPs from 2010 in one place; it’s a remarkably diverse collection that sharply pulls into focus a portrait of a group in winning command of a wide range of styles and genres. Whether delivering acoustic revelry, frosty introspection or raw, visceral rock, their flexibility has always been a major part of their appeal; but it does present a unique dilemma when bringing the full collection to life onstage. “A lot of the Four Seasons is kind of hard to pull off in the live setting,” confirms Iansek hesitantly. “With all the different instrumentation,” Syme chimes in, “that’s one of the hardest things for us when we tour. It’s billed as the Four Seasons tour and that’s what we’re supposed to be promoting but [still] trying to choose an appropriate amount of songs to justify its Four Season-ness.”
As Big Scary prepare to rehearse not only for their upcoming tour, but for their highly-anticipated debut album (due late 2011), Iansek is quizzed one last time on what one might expect from a band who so easily defy expectations both music and career-wise. “Well, my homework for this week was to write a setlist – I haven’t done that yet – but we have some ideas.” At which point Syme, bursting with excitement, spills the beans “Oh, I’ve got the ponchos and rainjackets! Oh sh*t, that’s a massive slip-up. We really are going to try and incorporate… a few wardrobe changes.”
BIG SCARY play the home-town leg of their Four Seasons tour at The East Brunswick Club on Friday April 1 and Sunday April 3. See myspace.com/bigscaryband for more information.
