Hobby. Passion. Obsession.Riff. Random.

Wed 9th Feb, 2005 in Features

Sleep walking over a five-story building. Finding two new members. Playing the Reading and Leeds festivals. Recording a new EP and generally performing shows here, there and everywhere. The past two years have been incredibly eventful and busy for the guys in Riff Random – but it’s all quite shrug-worthy for frontman Raph Brous.

Let’s set the scene: four-piece forms in Melbourne, picks up local management, records demo, which leads to debut EP. Band gets a spot on the 2004 SXSW showcase festival, the same showcase presenting bands like The Hives, Franz Ferdinand and NERD.  The band then plays key shows in New York City and Los Angeles with taste-makers and general mess-makers, Buddyhead. Band gets offered spot on the Reading and Leeds festival on the strength of EP and of live shows across America with TV On The Radio. Keep in mind that Riff Random only have one EP out at home – nothing has been released abroad. Before playing the Reading/Leeds dates the band returns to Melbourne and has to replace two members not content with traversing the globe to play shows. The task of finding new members and playing one of the largest rock festivals in the world falls squarely on the shoulders Raph Brous and Ross Cottee. Oh, did we mention Ross? He is the one that went sleep walking off a five-storey balcony and had only just recently returned to playing after being in a two-month coma, and intense rehabilitive therapy. There. Sorted. Back catalogue up-to-date and associated information documented.

But that is all in the past, and most recently Riff Random have been playing support slots with latest UK (deserved) sensations Bloc Party and working on a new EP. And after the sonic-infectious-riot that was Random Love it seems Low Is High takes a sharp right turn at melody and picks up a tangent that will surprise pretty much everyone. Think the first discovery of the Stone Roses, yet with a sharper take on angles and coming from an intrinsically linked foundation. That might have something to do with the fact that Low Is High was recorded again with Lindsay Gravina, but in tandem with Ben Lurie of the Jesus and Mary Chain. Raph explains, “It’s great recording – in a sense doing the music that we actually wanted to do. Certainly a stylistic departure from our first EP. Ben was great, it was him and Lindsay Gravina. Lindsay actually did more than Ben – and I am sure Ben would agree with that statement as well. We got in contact with him after we came back from the UK in the middle of last year, before we went back for the Reading/Leeds festivals when two members left, and we had an advertisement in the Melbourne street press for a guitarist-slash-bassist. I got an email, which basically read: ‘My name is Ben, I used to play in the JAMC for 12 years I’d like to join the band.’ Which was a bit surprising to me as you could imagine.”

Indeed. It’s not everyday a member of a fuzzed up iconic rock band wants to join your own effective, but modest outfit – and as it turns out although playing in the band didn’t work out, recording did.
“We got in touch with him, and although playing with him wasn’t an option because he is a lot older and has a pretty different lifestyle to us, we asked if he wanted to do some production work with us and he did. He had some interesting ideas in terms of percussion, and you know there probably one of the best bands of the 80’s.”

But what did spark the change in Riff Random that saw them splice from being assaulting and spikey to suddenly enveloping a listeners ears in waves and layers of melody and psychedelia?
“Basically after our two members left in the middle of the year, and we got a new drummer it gave us an opportunity to see what we really wanted to do, which was refreshing. And touring as much as we have it really gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate why we’re doing music, because when you are spending as much time in a band as we are and doing so much stuff overseas, it’s important that you’re doing music that you actually enjoy making you know?”

It must help if you like what you’re doing – but does your audience?
“Some people in Australia that have heard the new stuff have been a little bit taken aback, but it’s weird, because in Australia there’s obviously a really different musical audience as compared to the UK. In Australia ‘70’s influenced ‘riff rock’ is obviously in the vogue commercially where it’s the opposite overseas. But it doesn’t matter, because we’re doing what we do and people seem to be receptive to it anyway.”

Raph continues, “Say the Reading Festival, we were playing between two noisy punk bands but it really didn’t matter because we just got up there and did our thing and people can see where the general vibe is coming from. And it feels a lot more coherent… jeez do I sound like a wanker?”

And that’s the sentiment which will keep Raph Brous and in turn Riff Random grounded – that rare streak of normalcy that few young frontmen have, engaging the ones that do to maintain a semblance of self in an industry that just wants to use and abuse. Raph doesn’t sound like a wanker – and the band’s new direction is a precocious step towards their next goal: recording an album, which will hopefully eventuate before the end of the year. Low Is High is out now the band are off to the UK again in support of their first release. When they eventually come home, be sure to check out one of the more creative and arresting Australian acts.