With their debut EP Reparations in stores now and an Aussie tour coming up in November, Sydney indie rockers The Glass Ceiling are a band we’ll all be hearing more about. I caught up with guitarist CJ Morello to talk about his love of British rock, playing live, and Aussies on the world music stage.
You’ve just released your debut EP, Reparations. Can you tell me a bit about it?
Reparations consists of five tracks we thought would represent the band the best. We talked a lot about what songs should go on or not (actually, we fought like cats and dogs), but in the end I’m really happy with the five that made it on. I wanted to call the EP Reparations cause we feel like while we’re really happy with where we are at the moment, it hasn’t come without big sacrifices. The last two years have been more than tough with putting the band together (a whole other story), and we see the release of this EP as a reward for all the hard work and pain we went through … but enough whinging [laughs].
You’ve been inspired by bands like Bloc Party, The Killers, The Smiths, and The Cure. What is it about British music that really excites you?
You know what, I really don’t know. There’s an indefinable, bright energy to the music that comes rapped up in a darker, more depressed tone. Maybe it has something to do with the country and the weather (our drummer is English and giving him a hard time about all things “British” is one of the simple joys of life), but there is a real sense of hope in the songs that you don’t seem to get from other places. A vibe that says “Yes, things are really crap … but let’s dance anyway!” I really respect that.
You were the runner up in the MTV Tooheys Extra Dry Uncharted competition earlier this year. How important was that experience in terms of exposure?
Brilliant! It was a real trip to be kicking around at home and begging venues to let you play one day, to playing live on MTV all around the country the next. It was not only heaps of fun but it also was a great introduction for the band. It certainly didn’t make us household names, but it gave us a leg up that we were desperately searching for.
You’ve been touring around the east coast recently. How have the crowds responded to your music?
Yeah great. I think we can confuse people sometimes. We start with dirty Queens Of The Stone Age-like tracks, then go into more dance, Bloc Party stuff, and even touch on a little Killers and the Cure as well. It seems like the audiences have moved with us through the set which is really cool to see. We’d hate to play the same song over and over so we try to mix it up a little to keep it interesting.
What can fans expect when they see you live?
Five guys having a ball. We really have a great time playing live so you’ll probably see a lot of smiles and a lot of laughs. You can get a little taste from the live clips on our myspace page – myspace.com/theglassceilingsydney.
You’ve toured with some massive names this year like Grinspoon, Evermore, Old Man River, and Van She. What did you learn from those more established acts?
I personally learned to be calm and chill out [laughs]. I’m a fairly edgy, keyed up guy who can’t relax, but watching these guys being completely cool before walking on stage to big audiences was inspiring in a strange way. It really helps to enjoy the moment and focus on what you’re doing.
You recently played in front of nearly 8, 000 people at the Future Music Lawn Party. What was it like to play for such a massive crowd?
That whole day was awesome. The festival is held at Randwick Racecourse on race day. So big crowds, gorgeous women, amazing sunshine … we could have died happy men on that day. Can’t wait to play another Lawn Party … hopefully!
You’ve had a fairly meteoric rise in the last 10 months. What keeps you grounded?
It’s not hard [laughs]. We set the bar very high for ourselves, so while we are absolutely stoked to have done what we’ve done this year, we are very, very focused on the future (and the upcoming tour dates in November) and the huge list of things we want to achieve. We’re not very good at looking back at the past and enjoying things, and I don’t think we ever will be. We push each other so hard to do our best that there isn’t a moment spare to kick back. I think that’s a good thing.
I believe your name was a comment about the difficulty local bands face in achieving international success. Do you still hold that view?
I made that comment about two years ago now, and since then Jet and Wolfmother have done some fantastic things overseas, so I’m more than happy for my theory to be destroyed [laughs]. Where we’re located on the globe (and our small population) will always make it harder for Aussie music to take centre stage on the international market, but having said that, with so many great young bands out there at the moment it wouldn’t surprise me if that was a thing of the past in the next few years.
And finally, do you have a message for Oz Music Scene readers?
Thanks for reading this far and not turning the page already! Come to a show and I’ll buy you a beer for it!
Image source: Wikimedia Commons