I met Josh Quinn-Watson out the front of the Hi-Fi, having a ciggie and trying to regain normal body temperature after Dardanelles blistering support set for Glaswegians,1990s . This was the performance that had Beat lauding Josh as reminiscent ‘of a young Nick Cave or Jim Morrison.’

Sitting in the blossom strewn beer garden at the Prince Albert a few weeks later (beer for me, G&T for the gentleman), Josh confesses to being ‘quite introverted.’ But, he says, ‘Put me on stage and I feel this real sense of liberation and freedom.’

And of the comparison to Nick and Jim? ‘It’s pretty scary; it’s a high bar -they’re both heroes of mine,’ he blushes, then laughs, ‘I have definitely copped some shit from friends at work.’

Despite reviews of Dardenalles’ debut record, Mirror Mirror announcing it as the ‘finest album of 2007, bar none’ ( Rip It Up Magazine ) no one seems to know which genre-box to put the band in. When asked what Dardanelles sound would look like, Josh says, ‘Quite surreal. We wanted to create something that was a like a sound track [that] people could visualise their own imagination onto. [It has] texture and emotion but still a level of ambiguity that people could enter as their own world.’

After a lengthy discussion on the apparent necessity of definition Josh offers a possibility: ‘A lot of the art and lyrics of the music I like might be difficult to interpret or explain but it can have a really incredible effect on you. All the great artists have challenged pre-conceptions [with] that sense of mischief and experimentation.’

Perhaps not surprisingly, Josh was completing an Arts degree when their self titled EP caught the attention of Triple J with the single Origami Tree perching up the top of the Australian Alternative Radio charts for over a month. Even though it was only twelve months ago Josh says the band has now moved away from the guitar focused sounds of 2006 (‘I still like the songs on the EP – but it’s like a time capsule.’)

The boys (Josh, keys and vocals; Alex Cameron , guitar; James Nicholson , bass and drummer Mitch McGregor ) met at Uni—I know what the others were studying too, but if I mention it, they will have to kill me. While no one is uttering the phrase ‘drop out’ it is safe to say that institutional studying is on the backburner for now.

‘Music [had] started off for us as an outlet from that professional track – which we were all quite skeptical about – when we saw that there was a chance that the outlet could become the track, we [thought we] may as well give it a decent shot.’

Ironic as it may have seemed to Josh at first, he is pleased—and quite surprised—to find that he is getting a bit more done now that his focus has shifted from his degree to their music.

‘I’m actually learning a lot more. I read five times more [and] the steep learning curve of being in an industry that’s as colourful and unpredictable as the music industry is—you pick up a lot. You think it’s this lifestyle where you’re sleeping in and partying all the time… now we’ve all got calendars and email. I think Alex and I are the most—and this is not saying much—but we’re the most organised we’ve ever been.’

My scribbled notes are forgotten now as we light more cigarettes, launching off into another longwinded dialogue about the shift in the industry that has seen more and more upcoming artists managing themselves and utilising on-line networking sites to promote themselves and their music. ‘I think it’s fantastic,’ Josh enthuses. ‘Gone are the days when a band needs a record label to promote their music. Everyone is so much more aware of what’s happening overseas, artists are collaborating a lot more and it seems as though the circle of musical trends is turning incredibly quickly—which I guess is a danger if you try to follow it, if you stay in the circle for too long.’

Dardanelles might not be following any trends, but they know a thing or two about moving quickly. They went from a group of mates ‘doing up mixed tapes and trading our collections’ to forming an exciting and promising act. ‘I think there was about a month where we were just having the times of our lives just trying to figure out how to play these instruments and we were just so terrible. The songs were just awful but there was a real sense of joy about them…. It was just the most amazing thing.’

Be amazed. Dardanelles debut album Mirror Mirror launches Friday 2nd November at Roxanne, Level 3/2 Coverlid Place Melbourne.
For Dardanelles tour dates click here