Interview: Dane Pulverenti From ‘Osaka Punch’

Brisbane powerhouse rockers Osaka Punch have announced a new single and a long anticipated East Coast tour, after returning from the United Kingdom last year. After unveiling their new power-groove track Stonk, Osaka Punch will be bringing their blend of brutal pop, funk, and hard-rock to Sydney, Byron Bay, Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Gladstone, and of course Brisbane! Drummer Dane Pulverenti took time out from preparing for his upcoming tour to speak to us about the growing hype surrounding the band.

Hi Dane! So let’s jump right in! Osaka Punch are starting the ‘Stonk’ tour at the end of the month. Any surprises in store for your fans?

So basically when we were in Brisbane last, we were a bit more of a ‘jam’ band and since going overseas we just put the whole set on a click track with samples and it was honestly so damn tight that it was almost even daunting for us. Like, there was just no room for complacency and we watched other bands kicking ass and we just decided that’s what we gotta do, you know? So it’s a completely different show, but still with the same intensity and enthusiasm. We even have a new bass player Brenton Page, who’s seriously so devastating beautiful and talented, haha.

Any city in particular that your most excited to play in?

For sure, Byron Bay. We haven’t played The Great Northern before, so we’re very excited.

Can I ask why Osaka Punch relocated to the UK in 2013?

Well we’ve always spoken about getting visas and playing in different countries and since the Australian touring circuit is, in my opinion, the most gruelling in the world. The idea of moving to somewhere like the UK, where you can play Liverpool, Manchester and London all in a weekend was just too good to pass.

What did you guys get up to there besides playing live shows?

We simply traveled hey. Honestly, moving over to the UK involved a lot of personal growth and growth as a band.

Is the Manchester music scene any different to the Australian music scene?

Oh definitely. Like, we went over there expecting this vibrant European culture that’s passed through the UK and it’s 100% prominent. In terms of money as well, it’s a lot better than Australia and the Manchester music scene just has a lot more bands touring and I guess there’s always something on. We just fought a lot harder while we were there and we always rocked the f*** out and blew their heads off, haha.

So I know Stonk was recorded at Grammy-Award winning Parr St Studios in the UK. What was it like recording with internationally renowned audio engineer Andrea Wright (Elbow, Anathema, Coldplay)?

It was really, really cool. I mean, we’ve always worked with killer people in Australia, but to be in such a legit studio with such a talented audio engineer, it was awesome.

After this East Coast tour, are you guys planning on recording/touring in any other countries?

Not at the moment. We’ve just got such a loyal fan base here in Australia and at the end of the day, we gotta take care of the people who took care of us.

And lastly, when can we expect the release of your debut full-length album?

Ah, the hot question. Well we got 6 songs recorded and completed over in the UK and there’s still a few singles needing to be finished here. So the plan is to finish up a few different things here and there and we’re just going to drop it hopefully by the end of this year.

Osaka Punch ‘Stonk’ Tour Dates

THU 25 FEB

Miami Marketta, Gold Coast

FRI 26 FEB

Spotted Cow, Toowoomba

SAT 27 FEB

Great Northern, Byron Bay

WED 2 MARCH

Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney

FRI 4 MARCH

The Factory Theatre, Sydney

SAT 5 MARCH

Crowbar, Brisbane

SAT 12 MARCH

Grand Hotel, Gladstone

Get Tickets HERE