The Go Set

Wed 21st Oct, 2009 in Features

Punk-rock five-piece The Go Set is one of Australia’s hardest-gigging bands. Tomorrow night, they take the stage at the Forum Theatre alongside Chinese punk veterans Brain Failure. We caught up with the hometown heroes as they prepare to get raucous in the Rumpus Room.

This month, you’re playing Beck’s Rumpus Room with Brain Failure. Have you crossed paths with the Chinese greats before?
No, we haven’t played with them before. I’ve heard their stuff though and I know a little about the band and their history. I’m really looking forward to meeting and playing with them; the show promises to be heaps of fun.

Also, it must be an exciting prospect to bring some punk to a setting as grand as the Forum Theatre?
Yeah, the Forum is a beautiful venue. It’s probably my favourite medium-sized venue in the country to go and see gigs. We’ve never played there before, and I’m not sure that the forum walls have experienced too much punk rock in the past, so it’s really exciting. Being part of the Melbourne Festival is a great privilege too.

The band has a busy run of shows for October and November. Is The Go Set live show an ever-evolving beast?
Yeah, we never really stop touring. We’ve released four albums in under six years, so when one tour finishes, another release and tour starts. Besides that our tour schedule has got much wider now, including NZ, Japan, and Europe, so it takes almost the whole year to promote each release properly. Partly to maintain our own interest, and partly to keep the audience involved, we are always changing our set-list and show.

One advantage of being in a band like ours is that we can strip everything back to acoustic guitars if we need or want to. It’s really versatile, and it means that we can have a lot more variation than most bands. We play everything from folk festivals and café-type gigs, to punk and hardcore bills, so we try to use our range of instruments to create different feelings and capture different moments for punters.

Do you feel like your songs are at their best when played live to a packed and sweaty room?
I think that those types of gigs certainly have a lot of chaos and energy. It’s a trade off really. Quiet acoustic gigs mean that people can understand your lyrics, but packed pub gigs mean that everyone can bounce the energy around. Sweaty pub gigs are always so much fun.

Back in May, you recorded a show in Melbourne for a live album. How was the energy of that night?
That night was amazing. We were really nervous about trying to do a live show in just one take but I think, having listened to the recording, that we really nailed capturing the feeling and energy in the room. The album has plenty of crowd singing, the guitars are cranked, and it really sounds as though you are in the room.

Is a live album something you guys have always been keen to try out?
We’ve always thought that a live album would be well received by our punters because the live show seems to be the way that most people have found out about the band, and the experience of our live show seems to be one of our strengths. We don’t sell tens of thousands of albums, but we always have great turn-outs at our shows. Most people who own our albums come regularly to shows, so there is always a really familiar feel at our gigs, even overseas.

Has work begun on a follow-up to Rising, or are you guys enjoying the live run for now?
Writing never really stops, so we are always tossing around new songs. We’ll do the October/November run and then rehearse a few new songs before Christmas. After that we have a coastal run, a few festival slots, and then we’ll go in and record the new stuff early next year.

The Go Set has warmed the stage for many a touring band over the years. Is there an art to nailing the – œsupport slot’?
Not really, just playing lots of shows and making friends with bands and punters along the way. Most support slots are at the request of the headliner, so it usually helps if you are recommended.

And finally, anything special planned for your Rumpus Room show next week?
I saw recently that Empire of The Sun were looking at having elephants and lions onstage. Possibly something along those lines – some AC/DC style cannons or a Pink Floyd inflatable pig suspended over the audience? No, gimmicks are distractions. Rock – œn roll!

The Go Set rock the Beck’s Rumpus Room at the Forum Theatre on Thursday 22 October. Check out the website for details.