I Heart Hiroshima know how to roll. Cameron Hawes (guitar/vocals) recalls a recent close encounter with the Queensland traffic police on their way back from a gig in Byron Bay. “I was next to Susie ( Patten drums/vocals) in the car, and we were listening to Dr Dre, but it wasn’t ‘F-ck tha Police’ which would have been funnier.” he laughs, “It was The Watcher by Dre, so we had to turn it down straight away.
“He wasn’t the nicest cop in the world, you know he was typically kind of intimidating, they always make you sweat it out. He came back to the car and was like, ‘do you have anything to say?’ and of course Susie said ‘no’. Then he flicked out a ticket, and she unfolded it and grimaced and threw it at me. It was $600!”
Waiting for a studio release from a live band of I Heart Hiroshima’s calibre is a similar feeling to clutching that unopened speeding fine. The transition from explosive stage shows to the confines of the studio is always fraught with expectation, doubt and anxiety for fans and artists alike.
“I guess we’re kind of a bit naïve when it comes to studio stuff” Cameron admits, “We’re pretty much a live band; we’ve only recorded two EPs before that album. It did take a while I guess in the studio to kind of capture that live sound, because there are only three of us, we don’t have a bass guitar. We didn’t really have a plan, but we didn’t want to do overdubs and stuff like that.”
Fortunately, everyone involved can breathe a sigh of relief, as the new material from the sessions with producer Jon Gardner is as raw and punchy as can be. The latest EP Punks is ridiculously catchy, a trashy treasure that serves as a tantalizing teaser for the forthcoming album Tuff Teef.
“The album is completely done and we just got back the mastered copy. We just kind of went in there recorded it, and it came out alright, we’re really happy with it. I don’t know, maybe it’ll grow on us maybe it won’t, but on this tour we’re playing all the track’s off it, so it’s kind of exciting. We’re giving a people who are up for it a bit of a listen.”
The band will be road-testing their new tracks across the nation, clocking up some serious frequent flying points as they zig-zag between capital cities. I Heart are travelling together extensively for the first time, having taken time-off from their various part time jobs (Cameron works at a cinema, Matt’s a sandwich artist and Susie works in a café in their hometown Brisbane). So who is likely to have the most annoying habits on the road, and who will be the first to break? Cameron laughs, “I crack my knuckles more than I should,” he pauses thoughtfully, “that would be pretty petty though. I know Susie takes issue with Matt’s breathing, he’s quite a loud breather. He has kind of a sniffling thing going on…”
The three-piece have made it this far without any run-ins, playing with impressively high octane synchronicity, despite their fairly unconventional line-up; two guitarists, one drummer and shared vocals. “We all write our own parts, like whatever we do, we write it” Cameron explains, “We don’t have any plans to get a bass player, I like the bass, but it’s just easier this way, bass amps are kind of heavy, and we’re just kind of weak”.
There is one advantage to hauling amps, it keeps you warm. “With the release of the album it will be getting busy later in the year, until then I’m just trying to stay warm for this one.” Cameron says anxiously, “I’ve got fingerless gloves but the tips of my fingers got cold when we played in Brisbane last week. We’re all thinking of buying long johns for the tour.” But there’s no need for I Heart Hiroshima to worry about the cold – the crowd reaction to their show is guaranteed to be piping hot, “the best gigs we’ve had, they’re really fun because the venues have been really small and hot, and the crowd gets kind of rowdy”.
I Heart Hiroshima will be playing a free FasterLouder Live gig in Brisbane and Sydney
Click here to rsvp for Brissie
Click here to RSVP for Sydney
