Watch Out for The Scare!

Mon 14th Mar, 2005 in Features

It’s funny how anything more than four members in a band causes a bit of confusion. Five members is ample, but six begins to make a band seem about as big as the Polyphonic Spree. So when Sam Pearton starts reciting the names of the other five members of Brisbane band The Scare, I thank my lucky stars that I’m using a tape recorder.

“Liam, Luke, Ben and I have been playing music together for two years. We started The Scare in February 2004 with us and Sam, our old guitarist. Then we had Trad join in July 2004 and about five weeks ago, we got Brock, our new guitarist because Sam left the band. The current lineup is myself, Luke, Liam, Trad, Ben and Brock. We have to do a head count every time we drive!”

The group have been on tour with Kisschasy throughout March, taking their debut and highly-acclaimed EP Masochist Mimes on the road.

“It’s been incredible. When we started we were a bit sceptical about whether people would actually get what we are doing, because our music isn’t straight up pop/rock or pop/punk. When I was around that age, I was listening to pop/punk and I needed to go to local shows to hear good music and that got me into different music and so I started a band. The kids have been really appreciative. The first two songs are a bit awkward but by the end of the set we’ve got a good response from the audience. We love it.”

”[Our shows are] really chaotic – more so than the record. We try and move around as much as possible to translate the music. It’s a bit chaotic, a bit frantic. It’s not contrived. We just go out there and do what we feel.”

Masochist Mimes has been credited with sounding incredibly tight and professional, not to mention impacting, intense and well, quite kick-arse all around really. Not bad at all for a band that has been together for just over a year.

On board for the first release was producing heavyweight D W Norton, who has worked with Mindsnare, Day of Contempt and Five Star Prison Cell to name a few.

“He was just incredible. Such a knowledgeable person over so many musical genres. He’s a killer producer. He has his shit down. He helped with everything from re-defining songs to keyboard parts. We didn’t know what to expect, because he’s done Mindsnare and Day of Contempt - he hasn’t really worked with an indie rock band before. We weren’t expecting the finished product to be as good as it is. We were happy with the songs, but the way they came out, they are definitely The Scare, he kept that feel, but it’s still produced. We’re all really happy with it.”

I ask Sam what his favourite track off the release is at the moment.

“128 degrees in De De Death Valley. That’s probably the most fun song we wrote. Liam wrote the song. It’s based on being trapped in the desert. It’s a long story and there’s a few more songs coming out about that story. How far that song has come since we first wrote it is amazing. I love that song.”

Is a debut album by The Scare currently in the works?

“We have to sit down and work it all out. It’s going to be exciting, whatever happens.”

Indeed, whatever happens looks set to be huge for the band. They’ve kicked things off with a successful tour and it looks like the rest of the year is shaping up to be just as good.

“Ideally I just want to play as many shows as possible, have as much fun as possible. Write some new songs, get tighter as a band. By 2006, our goal is to take it overseas. We don’t want to limit ourselves. The band is about no limitations. We don’t want to restrict ourselves to one scene.” 

To infinity and beyond, then. It seems like a great place to want to be.

Catch The Scare here:
March 18th, Crest Hotel, Sylvania NSW 18+ with Kisschasy
March 19th, Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale NSW 18+ with Kisschasy
March 20th, Bondi Hotel, Bondi NSW 18+ with Kisschasy
March 23rd, Spectrum, Sydney NSW 18+ with Grand Fatal