Armed with fairy lights and jumpsuits, Melbourne oddballs Aleks and the Ramps are on a party-starting mission around Australia. We talk to guitarist Simon Connolly about new album Midnight Believer, the Aleks live show and other strange obsessions.

What’s in a name? Your song titles verge on peculiar. Have you ever thought of going into the band naming business? – œVerge’ on peculiar? When I first heard them, I thought they were downright peculiar. But they are very Ramp-y. We do have some kind of internal logic to all our actions as a band, it’s just that none of us know what how it functions. As for naming bands, we already do it! Potential Falcon and Slo-mo Speedboat both started life as the same Ramps song, which later became Ex Riot Cop Dad. Maybe we should try to get paid for it, but I just can’t see myself (Potential Falcon) or Jamie (Slo-mo Speedboat) ponying up the cash for that kind of thing.

You have become known for a pretty wacky on-stage get up, what with all those coordinated dance moves – œn all. Have you guys ever thought of taking the step into children’s television, a la Dappled Cities?
Hmm, Googling now… Alphabreaks, huh? I heard vague rumblings about that…I think if we were to attempt to make a kid’s show, it’d wind up like Wonder Showzen. It’d be us telling kids to smoke crack or something horrible. Then again, that could just be the misanthrope in me. The rest of the band would probably make fantastic kid’s show hosts. Wheeze’s silver glittery codpiece would no doubt go down a treat!

You’re right at the start of a national tour. What would you expect to find on a treasure hunt in each city?
Sydney: We went there and found treasure in an abandoned poker machine, followed by edible treasure in Sydney’s best Thai restaurant Spice I Am.

Adelaide: I’m hoping for dinky little op shops like the ones in Newcastle where Denim Owl and Extreme Wheeze found some quality nanna-knits and vintage hankies.

Brisbane: An Indiana Jones style treasure hunt for a decent meal, leaping out of the way of huge spider’s webs and tumbling boulders of drunk people and toxic pools of sick in Fortitude Valley by night. Oh, and Paddington op-shops here we come!

Hobart: A banana made out of Huon pine. Murals painted on every flat surface depicting “our heritage”. Owl and Wheeze’s family members. Some tiny-eyed bastards from the Gunns corporation.

How important is pre-gig meditation?
Not as important as pre-gig mediation. We like to get in a team of professional corporate mediators before every show. They help to iron out contractual conflicts like, “What point of the show is too early for Wheeze to remove his shirt?” and “Who is going to pay for the cab home when this thing stiffs?”

How does a band made up of so many other bands get around to recording an album like Midnight Believer?
Well, Midnight Believer has a diverse collection of genres and styles, so I think it was recorded because of all the other bands. But I guess we all just make time for it. I think for everyone except Aleks, The Ramps is a holiday away from the seriousness of our other projects. Anything goes in rampland, you know?

Seeing Aleks and the Ramps live for the first time seems to be a unique experience. Playing banjos with teeth, dizzying amounts of jumping and dance moves all seem to be a part of it. Who is head choreographer/artistic director?
I think Aleks has too great a concern for his dental wellbeing to actually play banjo with his teeth. I think you must mean when he – œsings’ into the skin/pickup and loops it. Sorry to spoil the illusion! Denim Owl is the main Dance Mistress. Our previous drummer Captain Rad used to help ease the burden there, but since he left it has fallen to Owl alone to stay up all night watching Beyonce clips and amateur porn looking for ideas.

The clip to Antique Limb came out just a little while ago. Does the band have any obsessions? Perhaps replacing human heads with those of cats, zebras or eagles?
Why yes, it did. We are currently obsessed with creating a nuisance on airplanes, eating ridiculously hot Thai and Mexican food and playing our songs correctly for paying audiences.

Is this the most hard-hitting interview you have ever done? If not, why?
Were you forced to ask this question? Like a performance survey or something? I see it on a scale like this:

Falcon Punch
Hard Hitting
Light Slap
Gentle Hug
Sloppy Kiss
Sexytimes

Hard hitting would just be a single question like, “Why?” Which would force us to re-assess our entire lives.

Midnight Believer is out through Stomp. Aleks and the Ramps have these shows left on their album tour.

Friday 3rd July – The Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
Sunday 5th July – Ruby’s Lounge, Belgrave
Thursday 9th July – The Jade Monkey, Adelaide
Friday 10th July – Roxanne Parlour, Melbourne