Q & A: Claws & Organs

After some time away, Claws & Organs have come roaring back. With live shows out the wazoo and recently releasing two new singles—Somewhere Better and Gone Forever—the trio are pleased to be apart of the VB Hard Yards tour alongside Paper Thin and Being Jane Lane. Before they dart off for four shows in four days, we chatted with the group about made-up genres, small crowds and perfectionism.

What does winning VB Hard Yards mean for Claws & Organs?

It will be a great opportunity for us to play to new audiences and have a heck of a lot of fun.

I love putting faux-genres to music. Shoe-grunge is labelled on your Bandcamp. What are some other fake genres you’d label Claws & Organs?

It’s funny, because I really don’t think “shoe-grunge” is a very good description of us anymore. Some friends once described us as “Cheeky Goth”, I think that’s a cute one. Maybe “Moodcore”, Post Nu Metal”, “Nu Wave”, “Gloomcore”, “Sadwave”, “Thinking Man’s Emo”. I could keep going…

What is the smallest crowd you’ve played to?

The first time we played in Adelaide, we played to just the other band and two of their friends, but it’s always hard to draw a crowd when you don’t know anyone in the city. That’s why the Hard Yards tour will be a great opportunity for us.

Can you recall any great moments with VB possibly being involved?

Dave and I were once at a gig that was sponsored by another brand of beer, and we were getting them for free, but they tasted like garbage, so we sneakily got some VBs instead, and I can honestly say that things got more enjoyable after that.

I’ve always been a fan of your single artwork. Who does that and how do you see it reflect the music?

I’ve done all of our artwork so far. I’m a very visual person, so it’s always easy for me to envision how a song we write will look. Most of our songs are quite morbid, so I like to reflect that.

Who’s the biggest perfectionist in the band when in the studio?

Before we head to the studio, we do always make sure we’re well rehearsed, so everything does generally go pretty smoothly. I’m probably the biggest perfectionist, but that’s usually just regarding my hair.

What’s the song you show people to get into Claws & Organs?

Last year we put out Somewhere Better just because we hadn’t done anything for a while and we just wanted people to know we still existed. Since then we recorded an album and put out Gone Forever, which is another little teaser for the album. Both these songs are good examples of the dynamic we have as a band with two songwriters. But if we had to pick just one song, it would actually be our first official single off the upcoming album, but that’s a secret… for now.

Claws & Organs will be on the road this October as part of the VB Hard Yards tour. See all details HERE.

VB Hard Yards Live Dates

WED 3 OCT
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
w/ Alex Lahey
THURS 4 OCT
The Foundry, Brisbane
w/ WAAX
FRI 5 OCT
The Cambridge, Newcastle
w/ RAAVE TAPES
SAT 6 OCT
The Lansdowne, Sydney
w/ Tired Lion
TICKETS