Currently in the thick of an eight-week trek around the country, Sydney-based USA conquerors The Sunpilots have got the year off to a flying start. FL checks in with the band’s frontman Raj Siva-Rajah to hear what intercontinental adventures await.

Every band aspires to be picked up internationally; it seems like this “accidently” happened for you guys. Was this one of your primary goals?
To be honest, we weren’t really thinking “internationally” when things started picking up in the US and Canada – organising tours at home takes long enough. Then we had a couple of college radio DJs over there ask us for CDs. We posted them and thought that was the end of it, but somehow the music spread to other college stations and a couple of tracks started charting on the college charts.

We only found out when we got nominated for the Single of the Year thing at the LA Music Awards – we were stoked! A few colleges have approached us to do some shows this year, so if all goes well we’ll be doing a US college tour in September.

How much sweeter is the success when you have achieved so much independently? Do you think being independent has every gone against you?
It’s a lot sweeter, because independent bands have to work a lot harder to achieve any kind of success. We run our own label, build our own websites, do our own artwork – last tour we took turns at making lunch to help make ends meet (I didn’t think it was possible to fuck up a sandwich until I ate one of the bass player’s concoctions). So every time something cool happens, there’s lots of beer and Doritos. Being independent definitely works against you from a budget and time point of view – but the freedom it gives you to do things your way is really important to us.

Is there any secret to independent success? What lessons have you learnt along the way?
Just make the music you want to make and get it out there in every way you can. Tenacity is everything – it’s a shit fight to build a profile independently, especially in a country with only 21 million people. We’ve been touring constantly for two years now – I think that’s pretty important too. It’s easy to feel down about playing to a pub of five people in the middle of nowhere, but keep coming back to that pub over a few years and play your heart out and you’ll eventually pack the place. Takes time, that’s all. Oh, and run the business side of things like an actual business! Sounds obvious, but that’s one thing that a lot of independents don’t do that well.

Look at your tour dates; you are covering a lot of ground! Is there any places you are particular excited to play?
Perth was awesome. Perthians (is that right?) are always such an enthusiastic crowd. I personally can’t wait for Adelaide – we’re doing a Fuse Festival show and an Adelaide Uni show. I grew up there, so all the mates come along, get drunk and do lots of weird shit to try and distract us. It’s good fun. Sydney’s always a special too, since it’s our home town.

You are doing some acoustic shows. Any reason?
It’s how we started off. We played a few acoustic sets at festivals last year and decided we really missed doing the intimate stuff – a lot. So this time around we’re doing both in most of the capitals.

“Excessive male bonding” – care to elaborate?
18 hour car trips, four guys crammed into one-person rooms, two months with no one else for company…The conversations and practical jokes just get more and more weird/funny/stupid. By the end of the tour we’re doing shit like putting fireworks in people’s custard containers and setting them off next to their beds in the middle of the night. Is that bonding?

Looking ahead, where do you guys see yourself in a few years? Any plans/goals?
We’re looking forward to getting a regular tour circuit happening in the US. The plan is to re-locate there for a couple of years at the end of next year sometime.

The Sunpilots are currently in the thick of a national tour. They stop in at the following venues in March/April.

MARCH

Thurs 5 – Jive (Fuse Festival), Adelaide, SA
Fri 6 – University of Adelaide UniBar, Adelaide, SA
Sat 7 – Victoria Hotel, Wagga Wagga, NSW
Thurs 12 – Port Macquarie Hotel, Port Macquarie, NSW
Fri 13 – Old Manly Boatshed, Manly, NSW
Sat 14 – Park Hotel, Bathurst, NSW
Wed 18 – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, NSW
Thurs 19 – Grand Hotel (The Chilli Lounge), Wyong, NSW
Fri 20 – Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt, Sydney, NSW
Sun 22 – Fringe Bar (ACOUSTIC), Paddington, Sydney, NSW
Wed 25 – Red Room, Brisbane, QLD
Thurs 26 – Bar Soma (ACOUSTIC), Brisbane, QLD
Fri 27 – DAY: Queen St. Mall (ACOUSTIC), Brisbane, QLD
Fri 27 – NIGHT: Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW
Sat 28 – The Valley Markets (ACOUSTIC), Fortitude Valley, QLD
Sun 29 – The Hive (ALL AGES), Brisbane, QLD

APRIL

Sat 4 – The Transit Bar, Canberra, ACT