When did Deathbeat first come together and how did it happen?
Deathbeat was formed around August 2017. Steve had just moved down to Melbourne and Julian had been there for a few years already, so it was inevitable that they would collaborate again after having enjoyed success working together in Greenthief.
Tell us about your debut self-titled EP. What is the story behind it? What inspired it?
The band was literally formed after a couple of text messages one day, and that same afternoon we were having our first jam to see what would happen. The music for this entire EP was conceived in that first jam and within a couple of weeks, we were in the studio and playing shows. Spontaneity and a no-frills attitude were important from the beginning, and this led to a whole heap of musical ideas coming out of nowhere.
You guys have had a huge year, playing relentlessly on Aussie shores and also jetting across to NYC for a show. What has touring taught you and how has your music evolved in this time?
Playing in New York was really special for us because America definitely has that aura about it and a lot of bands that were influential to us came from there. It was surreal playing and hanging out in venues that were local hangouts for our musical idols, but at the same time, we realised that putting on the best possible show is all that matters and no matter where you are in the world people will respond to you accordingly. It gave us a good sniff and inspired us to hit the rehearsal room even harder when we got back home.
You produce a unique blend of punk and hip hop. Tell us more about your sound and how did you come to it in the first place?
It doesn’t take long to figure out who our influences are and that’s something we’re not trying to hide either. Bands like Rage Against The Machine have a simple formula but it works and can’t really be beaten. We have consciously adopted a very simple, stripped back approach to both our writing and playing in a technical sense, which has opened the door for the live energy and delivery to be the main strength of the band. Julian’s guitar sounds more like a synth which is always a talking point and we are both huge fans of ’90s hip hop and drummers who groove, so the Deathbeat sound came about really naturally as a culmination of all this.
What can we expect from your EP launch show at the Cactus Room?
There have been some wild shows at Cactus since its inception so we’ve definitely got some big shoes to fill. We’ve been working towards this show all year and made friends with a heap of cool bands along the way so we are ready. The energy and intensity will definitely go up a notch. It’s a massive lineup of local bands too so it’s going to be a killer night.
Any plans in store over the coming months once the EP is out in the world?
We’ve got more songs in the bag so we want to put out another release early next year. In the meantime, it’s all about playing live because that’s where our strength is. Hopefully, we’ll continue to grow in the live scene and nail down some support shows next year.
