Fast forward to 2011: the band return on a far more satisfactory package, the League of Extraordinary Djentlemen tour, which also features another fine exponent of the style, England’s Tesseract, as well as Melbourne alternative heavy act Twelve Foot Ninja. Periphery main man Misha ‘Bulb’ Mansoor recalls the set from his home in the States.
“It was shorter than we wanted it,” he exclaims, regarding their set on the Dillinger tour, “We couldn’t bring a second guitar with us each, and that was kind of a problem for us. But this time, it won’t be a problem, we’re gonna have a nice long set. And we’re going to play a brand new song that no-one’s ever heard before…so it’ll be fresh.”
Demand for tickets to the Melbourne show at least have been so high that the show, initially booked at the 300-odd capacity Northcote Social Club to a venue three times its size, The Hi Fi Bar, making Misha and the band pleasantly surprised.
“Yeah, we were shocked, we thought it was a glitch or something,” he quips. “It’s good to see that we’re getting a lot of love. I have to be honest with you, I think other countries like us better than our own home country. Not that we don’t get some love here, but Australia, the first time we went there and when we went to Europe we got so much love from those guys, and maybe it’s because they don’t get us as often. Here in the States they’re like, ‘If I don’t see them now I’ll see them in a few months.’ Whereas you guys may have to wait a little longer. But either way we really appreciate it, and it gets us really excited. So that was really icing on the cake for us, we were so shocked. And I’m glad it’s at a bigger venue now, so we can have more people come out, and hang out.”
It’s such an exciting bill, both for the fans of the style and for the bands themselves. They toured England together earlier this year, becoming good friends in the process, and Misha can’t wait to get back to Australia with the Tesseract boys again. “They’re good friends of ours,” he states, “I’ve known some of those guys for a while now, and that was just kind of an awesome ‘good buddies’ tour. Obviously they’re an amazing band, and we’re so stoked to be able to take them out to Australia.
“I’ve lived all over the world,” he states in conclusion, “I’ve lived in Zimbabwe, I’ve lived in Belgium, I’ve travelled to every continent, and it’s given me a lot of perspective. And I really do think that the States is one of the best places in the world to live, but so is Australia.”
And Australia is waiting for Periphery with open arms too.
