Breaking Orbit kick off their tour tonight to support the release of their new single “My Direction.” But before they took to the stage I caught up with the progressive rock act to talk about life on the road, their forthcoming album, and cover songs.
You’ve toured around the country with Cog, Dead Letter Circus and MM9 this year. How did those experiences prepare you for your own headline shows?
Dylan: Playing with those bands has been such a great learning experience. You get to see bands that have done this thing for such a long time that it becomes natural to them. You get to experience their ups and downs and
learn more about this music industry, which can be so rewarding but so challenging at the same time. In the same way, we have had a blast hanging with them and we are forever grateful that they allowed us exposure to their audiences. It has really help sculpt our fanbase around the nation.
Matt: They are bands that we have been fans of and watched develop over the years, along with taken some influence from, so it was great actually sharing the stage with them and getting the overwhelming response we got from their crowds.
Tyson: The opportunity to share the stage with Australian musicians who, within our own genre, have driven us both as individuals and as a band was awesome. Exposure to that level of production has provided us with a great basis to build and mould our own identity.
You’re earning a real reputation as a must see live act. What do you think it is about your live shows that resonate with audiences?
Dylan: I think mostly it’s about the energy and positivity. We really enjoy what we do on stage, and we’ve often received reviews commenting on the smiles that are always visible when we are on stage. We have a pretty active stage presence also, and I think the thing that most audience members relate too and really enjoy are the moments where the drums and percussion are played. There is just something about drums that everyone can relate to, and I think that tribal aspect of our live show is really a big highlight for a lot of the audience.
Matt: Definitely the positive energy we generate on stage. Anyone that has experienced one of our shows, can see that we are having the time of our lives up there, and it tends to rub off on the crowd. We work hard to get our songs and performance to the level it is at, so when we are up there its SHOWTIME!
Tyson: I guess we try and communicate with our audience using as much raw tribal energy to develop our own style and stage presence.
You recently headlined Progfest, which had such an interesting concept for a festival. What was it like to be a part of this event which showcased bands that push the envelope?
Dylan: It was fantastic. We also performed at this festival when it was in Sydney in 2009, and it was definitely one of the best shows we did that year. The vibe is great and the audience is massively appreciative because they are generally open to music that challenges them, whether that is sonically, rhythmically or stylistically. The best part is that we get to experience some of the best local and Australian bands in our favourite genre of music!
Tyson: Always a blast. The vibe at a festival like that means that you have the opportunity to share ideas with a whole lot of other musicians and punters in a real proactive and cohesive environment.
You used to be known as Nucleus. What prompted the name change?
Dylan: There are a handful of other acts around the globe with the same name; the biggest were a UK progressive/jazz band who formed in the 60s, released dozens of albums and were still performing in the last decade. When we released our two EPs as Nucleus digitally, it became apparent just how difficult it was to locate our music among all of the other
non-relevant ‘Nucleus’ related material on the web. Therefore, our biggest challenge was to find a name that was original as possible, meaning you can pretty much type in our name on google and have more that half of the first page relating to you in one way or another. At the moment, eight out of the top ten relate to our band, whereas with Nucleus, you would probably have be on the third page before anything that actually relates to us appears.
Matt: We also saw the name change as a new beginning. We had been playing under the name Nucleus for four years, and our style and performance had developed quite a bit so it was a chance to give the new style a new name and basically recreate ourselves as a new band. The name ‘Breaking Orbit’ itself, fit not only with where we were at in the life of the band, but also gave a descriptive flavour to the style of music we create.
Triple J has been one of your big supporters. How important has backing support been to you?
Dylan: It helps a lot. Each time we have been played on Triple J, we do definitely receive a surge of activity on our online sites. National exposure through stations like Triple J is absolutely priceless.
Tyson: I guess with our genre national (and international) exposure is the key. While Australia is a “drop in the musical ocean” globally, we rely heavily on the support from organisations like Triple J to assist us in getting the message out there and getting the music heard. I’m sure most Australian bands would attribute Triple J as one of the key voices in the local Australian industry.
You’ve got quite a strong web presence, with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. How important is social media for you to get the word out there?
Dylan: I think it’s massively important. Social media helps you connect to people from all over the country and the world. It makes it easy to get the word out, and it works on a much more personal level than compared to something like advertising. Mind you, it is fairly time consuming to keep these sites up to date all of the time, but in the end the biggest reward is that you actually get to see the results yourself, with personal interactions with fans. It’s been great to see over the last week just week since the release of our new single just how many people from all over the country have been purchasing and listening to our new music. Its very exciting!
Tyson: I guess these days given the importance and accessibility of digital media, our online presence represents a key component of our marketing strategy. Indeed it is the only method we can reach beyond the borders of Australia at this stage in our career. Therefore as you can tell, being able to reach out to people not just in Australia is very important to us, and our emphasis on social media is a manifestation of this.
You’re planning to release your debut album early next year. Can you let us in on what we’re in for with this record?
Dylan: It’s going to contain the new single “My Direction” that we have just released online. But overall it is going to be a collection of works that we have been writing over the last five or so years – some of which have been played live, some of which haven’t been played live, and others that we have played live which have been completely reworked into a format where they are barely recognisable. There are also some tracks that are currently in an embryonic state consisting of just a few riffs or even rhythms! It will be a rather eclectic collection of tracks, with some alternative radio-friendly tracks, as well as some heavier live favourites and some more ambient soundscape-type tracks. It will definitely be the kind of album that needs to really be experienced in its entirety to appreciate the full dynamic.
Matt: An ungenrefiable blend of progressive, eclectic, heavy, ambient, tribal, electronic ‘rock’. We won’t be happy with anything short of an eargasm!
Tyson: A cataclysm of sound, light and any other sensations you wish to embellish.
I believe that Massive Attack guitarist Angelo Bruschini said that in some ways your cover of “Dissolved Girl” is better than the original. How does such a high compliment make you feel?
Dylan: When he first contacted us, we were absolutely blown away! Most of us have been fans of Massive Attack for quite some time, and the thought of covering the song had been on our minds for years. We’re stoked to know that our version made such an impact, especially coming from an artist that is so respected.
Tyson: Nothing short of unbounded satisfaction given the way we remixed and compiled the track was a new for us. We’re stoked that Angelo took the time to provide comment, and even happier that he was able to connect with the song on a new level.
Given the reaction to that song in the live arena, are you tempted to tackle any other cover versions? And if so, what song would you like to turn your hand to?
Dylan: Everybody loves the version of the track that we do live, which is amazing given that Massive Attack are such a respected artist. We would think that people would almost be overly critical, especially given the impact that their album Mezzanine (which the track is from) has on so many people, but it’s not like that at all. It’s hard to say at this stage if we will tackle other cover versions, especially in release format. If so, it would definitely be something along the same wavelength, something that is probably a little obscure.
Tyson: As I said, we explored a different way of writing as compared with the way we normally write our other tracks, and it is from this experience we are applying those lessons learnt to developing our own material. However, I would definitely say that we won’t discount future opportunities. I guess it depends on the vibe of the song … hmmmm … good question.
Once you wrap up this tour, what’s next for Breaking Orbit?
Dylan: A short rest! Then onto more writing and preparation for the album, and more touring before the end of the year. 2010 has been a very busy one for us!
Matt: We’re going to continue to ride the wave of momentum we’ve created this year. At this stage we may see the release of another single from the album, but either way we’ll be doing another run around the country to make sure everyone has something to remember us by while we are busy in the studio early next year.
Tyson: Really looking forward to knuckling down and building the album. Always in for a challenge.
Catch Breaking Orbit at the following venues around the country.
20 August 2010 – Hamilton Station Hotel, Newcastle
21 August 2010 – ANU Bar, Canberra
28 August 2010 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
9 September 2010 – Harp Hotel, Wollongong
10 September 2010 – Bald Faced Stag Hotel, Sydney
11 September 2010 – Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor
1 October 2010 – Electric Light Hotel, Adelaide
Image used with permission from Repertoire Publicity