US grindcore band Pig Destroyer are heading to Australia this October for their first ever Aussie tour, to promote their 2007 release Phantom Limb. Blake Harrison, the band’s noise artist, did not feature on the release, having joined the band not long after it was recorded.
Prior to that he was vocalist with Triac, and is also drummer for the unusual avian band Hatebeak (the vocalist for which is Waldo, the Parrot). Blake has been mates with the guys in Pig Destroyer for a long time, so he is chuffed to be able to be in a band with them.
Given that Blake never really did noise/synth for bands prior to his current position, I asked him where he draws his material from. “I use a variety of stuff,” he said. “Samples from movies/TV, sermons, noise stuff I create. It’s a constantly changing process, so I hope to get more into it.”
Part of the challenge of being a noise artist is maintaining the balance in the execution of the material, without destroying the experience or the songs themselves. While he’s still new to the area, his appreciation of other bands informs what he does.
“I’m still learning, actually,” he said candidly. “It’s a difficult thing, as I don’t want to ‘step’ all over the songs, and I just want to add to the general experience. I really liked Japanese Torture Comedy Hour, Non, Der Butharsch, Blood Axis, stuff like that, but I don’t really have a background in ‘noise’ per se.”
Last year, when I talked to Pig Destroyer vocalist J.R. Hayes about Phantom Limb, he mentioned that when the band plays live, they tend to play almost twice as fast as they do on their recordings. That’s a big claim, because Pig Destroyer’s recorded work is incredibly fast and very intense: it’s grindcore almost at its best.
I ran his claim past Blake, and asked how they manage to keep up the intensity on a tour. “We don’t try, but I do think it’s natural for us to speed the songs up a bit,” he said. “We keep up the intensity with tons of booze!”
While the fellas don’t have any real expectations about their upcoming tour – except for the fact that they expect it to be fun – they know roughly how the shows are going to run. “I’ve only heard great things about touring Australia, and can’t really wait,” he enthused. “We just try to get as raw as possible [on stage].”
What about the set-list? I tell Blake that I’m hell keen to hear stuff from Terrifyer and Prowler in the Yard live. “Indeed!” he agreed. “The set-list will be a spattering of old and newer stuff… some stuff from P.I.T.Y. and some stuff from 38 Counts of Battery [the band’s best of, released in 2000].”
Before heading off, Blake mentioned that he hopes people come out and have a good time at their shows in late October. “We’re in this for fun, and we want everyone to feel the same way. Tie me kangaroo down, sport…”
Pig Destroyer will tear up the following venues in October.
Friday 24 – Hi-Fi Bar, Melbourne
Saturday 25 – Gaelic Club, Sydney
Sunday 26 – Rosies, Brisbane
Monday 27 – Fowler’s Live, Adelaide
Tuesday 28 – Amplifier Bar, Perth
Wednesday 29 – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
