Cover songs are universally loved and loathed, and something of a guilty pleasure for many musicians, even if they don’t readily admit to ‘playing other people’s songs’. Under the cover of Darkness is a series of cover nights that pops up in Perth every now and then where usually fiercely original local musicians meet in a dark and cosy pub to indulge their whims and perform a set of covers by artists of their choice. FasterLouder cornered Zoe James (Emperors / Ghengis), the mind behind the covers to find out more about the next event.

This is the third instalment of Under the Cover of Darkness and it sounds like the first two were very successful. Can you tell me what the concept is about and who played in the earlier shows?

The first two shows were absolutely fantastic in terms of performance and attendance, the first in particular, which is why I decided to make ‘Under Cover’ a series of gigs.

There isn’t much in terms of a concept, it developed from a conversation with my friend Glen when we realised that no one seems to have cover gigs that aren’t ‘tribute’ gigs, where the performers have to cover only one artist. We thought it would be fun (and encourage creativity) if performers could choose to cover anything they wanted. I think most musicians have experienced the feeling of hearing a song and thinking “I would LOVE to cover this!!” – ‘Under Cover’ is simply an outlet for that!

The two previous shows have included performers like Andrew Ewing (Thumb, The Devil Rides Out), Sexy Children (a stripped back version of Schvendes), members of Boys! Boys! Boys!, members of Radarmaker and The Harlow Experiments, Adam James and one of my personal favourites, Darkwingz, which was a rather drunken collaboration from two of my favourite musicians Vaughan Davies (Emperors) and Benjamin Golby (Split Seconds).

The idea of the musicians performing covers of their choice must make for an eclectic evening of music.What do you think is going through the minds of the performers when choosing their set?

I have tried my hardest to make each line up more eclectic than the last so that the performances are varied and so that the audience can be exposed to performers they may not have seen before. As I mentioned before, I think a lot of musicians have thought about covering songs that they hear, whether it’s a favourite song or artist that they would like to pay homage to, or if it’s a nerdy classic that they want to put a new spin on. I think most musicians are excited by the freedom they are allowed in choosing covers, they can transform songs into something completely different!

The next Under Cover has a rather diverse line up, drawing from some of Perth’s best known bands. How do you choose a line up for the night?

Choosing a line up is the hardest part of ‘Under Cover’ because there are so many brilliant Perth performers that I want to get involved! I made the decision to not have the same performer for two ‘Under Covers’ in a row to try and get as many people involved in the series as possible. I choose performers by listing my favourite local outfits! I try to involve people who I know will be as excited about performing as I am about putting the gig on, it’s very important to me that everyone involved has a great time.

Do you have any clues as to what we can expect from the bands at Under the Cover of Darkness 3?

To be honest, I always ask the performers not to divulge any of their chosen covers to me so I am as surprised on the night as everyone else! I know that it’s probably the most eclectic mix of performers yet, so I’m incredibly excited! As for the night itself, you could expect a fair amount of audience participation, some unexpected cover delights from DJs Chris Wheeldon and Shannon Fox, the best MC you’ve ever seen and an amazing group of talented musicians letting loose!

Under the cover of darkness part three takes place at the Velvet Lounge in Mt Lawley on Friday 16 July and will feature secret cover sets from Tomas Ford, Carlos Rockets (French Rockets) Michael Strong (and the Ghost Anyway) Sean Pollard (Split Seconds) and Grim Fanbanjo