BIGSOUND Q & A: The Chats

Gearing up to show country what they’re worth at BIGSOUND—Australia’s biggest music conference—The Chats are teetering on breaking world domination. A national tour slot with Queens of the Stone Age looms on the horizon before launching into Europe. We flicked the three-piece some questions to find out about their BIGSOUND loves and prepping for QOTSA’s anguish.

You lads are killing it at the moment with your tours and are copping awesome reviews for your live shows. It seems as though some people are turning up to your shows for a laugh after catching your viral video Smoko but are leaving thoroughly impressed by your serious stage presence.  Do you feel any pressure to win people over or prove yourselves?

No, we’ve never felt any pressure to prove ourselves to anyone. If people who are unfamiliar with our music leave our shows impressed, that’s great, good for them. If they leave unimpressed, that’s fine too, we don’t care. Everyone likes different stuff and you aren’t going to please everybody in the room every time.

You’re actually set to tour around Oz with one of the world’s biggest rock bands, Queens of the Stone Age, this month. Are you shitting your dacks? Is there enough room in one venue for two such iconic rangas?

Yeah, that will be fun. We probably won’t shit our dacks until we walk on stage. Hopefully there’s enough room for both Josh and myself, I haven’t seen the venues yet.

After BIGSOUND and the QOTSA tour, you guys are heading over to the UK and even Hamburg and Amsterdam! Your brand is so Australiana it’s hard to imagine a German or Dutch crowd understanding the concepts/subject matter in your tunes. Do you have fans over there? Does it translate?

Yeah we always get plenty of messages from people in different countries like those, it’s pretty cool they like us. I’m not sure if foreign people understand the subject matter of our songs, but at least they like the music!

Are you chaps looking forward to hitting up Amsterdam?

Yeah I think we have a day off in Amsterdam, so we’re looking forward to getting up to no good. None of us have ever been before, so it should be a ripper time.

You have written a pretty heartfelt, political song about the potential development of your hometown, specifically by Japanese development company Sekisui House. Can you tell us what is happening with this and why it means so much to you?

Basically these Sekisui pricks came along and decided they’d just start developing high rise apartments on our local beach, Yaroomba. The community have 100% opposed this bullshit but the council have decided it’ll go ahead. Now the community’s in a battle with these developers and the council. I’m keen to see how it all pans out, because I believe the power of the people will ultimately win.

Is the constant struggle/embattlement/unjust reality depicted in Mum Stole My Darts based on a true story? 

Yeah. I guess. That was one of the first songs we wrote together, so I can’t recall exactly what event inspired it. It was either my mum stealing my darts, or someone else’s mum, I can’t remember.

Have you guys quit your day jobs yet? You have a pretty hectic schedule just with touring alone!

Nah we all still work our day jobs. Our bosses are pretty lenient with letting us go away on tour, we always have our jobs to come home to.

What is the best beer ad ever?

I like those old VB ads with the “hard earned thirst” tagline.

Will you have time to check out any acts at BIGSOUND? If so, who are you looking forward to seeing?

Hopefully! We’re keen to see our mates in Totty and Good Doogs, as well as Candy, Tape/Off, and Diet.