What do Fyodor Dostoevsky, Eric Satie, Captain Planet and Avril Lavigne have in common? They’re all in the top friends of Bluejuice’s MySpace page. Joint vocalist Stav, despite declaring having nothing to do with such a move, agrees that they could indeed be a fair representation of the band as a literate, socially conscious and absurd bunch of popsters. “Especially Avril Lavigne – I see ourselves actually as Avril Lavigne wannabes.”
I tender that perhaps, given the band’s penchant for near naked photography at almost every opportunity, they are closer in kind to The Pussycat Dolls. “That’s an exact analogy. We originally desperately wanted to be a boy band, called Sensual Energy. Each person was going to have a different ethnicity.” It’s obvious by this point that Stav doesn’t take himself or his bandmates too seriously, but his dedication is still more than evident. As an independent act that has been together for seven years, the boys have done their fair share of work in attempting to eke out a living and career, including sinking a large amount of their own money into the production and promotion of their debut album, Problems.
“It sounds clichéd, but it’s really rewarding; things that you work hard for, you really treasure. There’s a joy to things going well.” And going well it is. After last year’s Triple J ubiquity of Vitriol (second highest played song and number 11 in the Hottest 100) and Problems winning the Red Bull Award for Outstanding Potential in the Australian Music Prize, Bluejuice have toured constantly. Big Day Out, Splendour in the Grass, Come Together and numerous national tours have helped spread the good word. “It’s a fortunate thing – we’ve always been confident in our live show. We just had to get in front of people.”
One such opportunity is fast approaching, in the form of the Valley Fiesta, a weekend of free music played on the streets of Brisbane’s premier music precinct. “Everyone loves a free day of music, and we love the Valley. It’s like our weird second home.” Given Brisbane’s current enduring cold snap, will the famously shirtless performance prevail, or will the boys rug up? “I’ll wear woolen undies, and maybe invest in a headband. I’m sporting a beard as well, plus I have an insulating level of body fur.” It’s good to see that Stav will be taking precautions.
Also on the Bluejuice live calendar is the FasterLouder-presented Coaster Festival in Gosford, New South Wales. When asked about the band’s experience playing regional gigs, Stav’s constant ability to turn the conversation to questionable matter continues. “We played a festival in Port Macquarie where a guy asked me to sign his testicles. I called his bluff and he presented his taut scrotum, clenching the bottom of the gonad.” Take note kids: this is a precautionary tale. “It turns out that texta doesn’t actually adhere to the scrotum as well as one would like. You have to write each letter a number of times.”
Beyond that, the band is expecting a decent turnout, which seems to be a foregone conclusion for them these days. “In regional areas, people’s access to fashion and music is as immediate as in the city, and Triple J’s audience is pretty strong, so we’re hoping for good numbers.” It remains to be seen whether there’ll be any more opportunities to autograph a fan’s nut, but we can always hope.
Bluejuice is playing a whole bunch of festival shows over coming months. You can catch their rowdy antics at the following dates.
Saturday 13 September – Brisbane’s Valley Fiesta, Valley Entertainment Precinct
Saturday 20 September – Coaster Festival, Gosford Showgrounds
Saturday 4 October – Grazzhopper Festival
Sunday 5 October – Parklife, Sydney
Saturday 11 October – Sounds Of Spring, RNA Showground, Bowen Hills, Brisbane
Saturday 18 October – Sounds In The Grounds, Manning Bar, Sydney
Saturday 25 October – Village Fair, Mt Panorama, Bathurst
Saturday 22 November – Trackside, Thoroughbred Park, Canberra
Saturday 6 December – Homebake, The Domain, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
