Cassette Kids

Tue 10th Nov, 2009 in Features

Currently mid-way through a tour to launch shimmering new single Lying Around, Cassette Kids singer Katrina Noobergen chats to FasterLouder about the festival season ahead.

You’re right in the thick of a national tour. What have been the highlights so far?
Perth is always fun, it always feels like a holiday when we go there. Big Dan was quite interesting the next day after Northbridge Festival, when he opened the car door in the middle of the intersection to have a vomit. Perth is almost too much fun for some of us.

On this tour, you’re doing a bunch of festivals around the club dates. Do you approach a festival set differently from your own headline shows?
Yes, I suppose we try to keep it pretty lively and exciting, whereas on a headline tour you might put in a couple of numbers that chill things out a bit so you can build it back up at the end. Generally playing festivals feels great because it’s outside in the fresh air and the stage is big and people are very excitable! On the other hand, not having a proper soundcheck can throw out some surprises, but we’re becoming seasoned enough to know how to deal with sound issues – just keep rocking!

Talking specifically of festivals, have you observed any acts over the years who really excel in that environment?
The Presets have always been an incredible act live. I was at Splendour year before last and I have never seen that many people in one area. You couldn’t get in there. Another one would have to be Friendly Fires; they are born performers!

With so many dates on this run, is it hard to maintain your trademark energy? Or does feeding off the crowd help with that?
A good crowd can pick you up any time! While touring can be tiring, I think the more exciting shows you play, and with good crowds, the more energy you feel while your up there. Jake has had pneumonia this tour and Big Dan was in hospital for the start of the year with a blood clot in his brain, still neither has faltered or given it any less than they would if they were feeling 100%.

Your recent single Lying Around has a high-sheen, disco pop feel; is that an indication of what to expect from the forthcoming album?
Sure. There are definitely tracks on the album designed to get people moving, and we have expanded a lot in terms of the kinds of sounds we use to put songs together. I would say that there’s also a few surprises in there. It’s not a black and white dance/pop album. There’s a few tracks in there that I hope and expect will shake things up a bit. There are happy shiny moments and then very aggressive, dark moments. There’s sadness and sexiness and joy. I think different tracks will resonate with different people and experiences and emotions.

How does songwriting work within the band? Is it a collaborative effort or fairly solitary?
It’s always been a very collaborative and interactive process. This time around we collaborated with a couple of different writers as well to see how it would challenge us and how we think about putting songs together. That was a great experience, adding another mind into the mix on a couple of tracks, because it shook things up a bit and put us out of our comfort zone. I think that’s important in writing music because you don’t want to end up thinking that you’ve run out of ideas or places that you can explore.

Has it been an exciting recording process with the dual producers of Richard Wilkinson and Mikey from Van She?
Yes for sure. They are a really good team, Rich having engineered Van She’s last record in London. Mikey is a hot house of sounds, ideas and vintage synths, while Rich taught us a lot about dynamics and was really responsive to our ideas and vision. There was no-one overbearing or controlling in the studio so we really got to try everything out, even if at the end of the day it didn’t end up in the song.

You’ll be seeing in the New Year at Pyramid Rock Festival in Victoria. Do Cassette Kids have any resolutions for the new year?
We’d love to make it overseas for a while to see what the response is like in another place. Apart from that, we just want to bring out the album and have it make a mark so that we can keep playing shows and writing music!

The bill also includes Empire Of The Sun, Cat Power, Amp Fiddler and The Juan MacLean to name a few. Anyone you’re keen to check out over the festival?
A lot of our friends in bands are playing at Pyramid Rock so we are sure to have a lot of fun with Bluejuice, Van She and the rest of them! I think Empire of the Sun will put on a show to remember because Luke Steele sure doesn’t fuck around when it comes to making an impact.

Cassette Kids have a few club shows left on their Lying Around tour, before launching into the festival season.

Fri 13 Nov – Northcote Social Club, North Melbourne
Sat 14 Nov – Revolver Bar, South Melbourne
Fri 20 Nov – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Sat 21 Nov – Trackside Festival, Canberra
Fri 27 Nov – The Clubhouse, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Sat 28 Nov – Open Arms Festival, Coffs Harbour
29 Dec to 1 Jan 2010 – Pyramid Rock Festival, Victoria
Sun 10 Jan – Days Like This! Festival, Sydney