The John Steel Singers

Fri 14th Nov, 2008 in Features

With half a day’s worth of interviews ahead of him, Pete Bernoth, keyboardist/trombonist/vocalist for The John Steel Singers, is doing his best to relax despite having only woken up less than half an hour ago, “Give me a break,” he jokes.

But behind the larrikin attitude lies an undeniable truth – The John Steel Singers are damn busy lads. With a sizable number of happenings in the past 12 months, including a recently finished tour-wide support slot for The Grates, festivals on the horizon, a mini LP and a new EP, it’s no wonder the Brisbane six-piece need a break. Oh, and they have to fit this all in between their day jobs.

With their own tour to promote the new In Colour EP underway, followed by the Falls, Southbound and Laneway festival slots, it’s going to be a busy few months. “It gets really hard sometimes, especially touring so much. But I really shouldn’t complain. I love performing live, and because most of the bands we tour with are our friends, it’s really cool to be able to hang out with them on the road.”

Fans of the band will be content with all the shows the band has been playing lately. In Colour gives supporters even more reason to smile, with lead single Rainbow Kraut brimming with vibrant pop candour and a side of dirty(ish), well, kraut-rock. With some great hype surrounding them, how does Bernoth feel about the success of the band so far? “Well, I still struggle to pay the rent,” he laughs, “but we’ve had some good support slots and especially on The Grates tour we’ve had receptive audiences who seem to really like our music. Our own tour starts really soon, so hopefully we have a few new fans at our shows.”

Success is a very subjective thing, but The John Steel Singers would like to reach a certain level of notoriety and personal maturity it seems. “We all really love The Drones – their music, what they’ve brought to the country’s scene, you know? We’d love to be in the position that they are one day. We really respect them as a band, and because they’re playing a few of the same festivals as us, we’ll be there in the crowd watching them like nerdy fan boys.”

It seems certain there’ll be a few nerdy fan boys (and girls) of their own too, as they embark on their latest round of touring (present company included). As their star continues to be on the rise, what does that leave for the sextet to do in the future? “We’ve always wanted to request really random things on the rider. You know, maybe like a helmet or a big bowl of fondue. Or even brown M&M’s!” You know what, with talent like this; these guys can request whatever the hell they want.

In Colour is out now on Levity through Inertia. The John Steel Singers are currently on their EP tour. The following venues are still on their radar for November.

Fri 14 -The Zoo, Brisbane
Sat 15 – Bon Amici’s Café, Qld
Wed 19 – Transit Bar, Canberra
Thurs 20 – Hopetoun Hotel, Sydney
Fri 21 – Hopetoun Hotel, Sydney
Fri 28 – Jive, Adelaide