The garage rock of The Bloodpoets is all over local radio with new release ‘Ra Ra Ra Ra Riot’, and drummer Todd Orchard says the new album will be just as grand.
They're a bit too heavy for the hipster scene and too poppy for the hardcore kids, but The Bloodpoets have their own niche in the Brisbane scene. "We're somewhere in the rock/ pop realm,” according to Todd. ”We started out playing very poppy music, and over the years our sound's become a bit riffier, rockier. I think we play tunes with riffs and hooks that people can dance to, and they're memorable as well."
As for the group’s name, the 'Bloodpoets' tag has stuck since the early days.
“When Tom [Murphy] initially got the band going, it was him and his brothers, so the blood thing was a reference to family and the brotherhood. And poets refers to the creative aspect of it all," Todd explains.
It's no longer a family affair, with the line-up now consisting of Tom on vocals and guitar, Jake on bass and Bec on the keys, with Todd manning the drum kit. Together, they're an authentic rock band where the focus is on tunes rather than fashion. Are they not influenced by the hipster zeitgeist at all?
"No, not really!" Todd says. "Between the four of us, we listen to lots of different stuff. We're into bands like Muse, Biffy Clyro. Those bands that do the really big, dynamic riffage with catchy melody stuff as well. We're recording our second album at the moment, and it's a lot more rock than our previous album."
Proof of this can be seen in first single, 'War', as well as their latest offering. 'Ra Ra Ra Ra Riot' is an in-your-face jam that recalls early Spiderbait: loud, catchy, and over in less than three minutes. "I think it sets the tone for the new album in a lot of respects. It's looking like 40 minutes of that sort of intensity, which is what we were shooting for."
The album will be "hopefully recorded by February, though I think that might be a bit of a stretch at this point. We've just got to finish it up and mix it. It's looking like it will be called 'The Grand Machine' at the moment."
Keen to try out the new material, the 'Poets recently played at The Elephant Arms’ new Thursday night, ‘Underground Elephant’.
"We purely focused on the new album stuff, and didn't play any old stuff. There's a good energy about performing those new songs because we haven't had the opportunity to, really. The crowd seemed positive, so yeah, it was very encouraging!"
Todd says the group are looking forward to hitting the road again, with a few new places to visit on the list.
"We're hoping to do some east coast stuff. We've been getting quite a bit of airplay in New Zealand at the moment, so we've got some wheels in motion there as well. We're hoping to get over there at some point early [in 2013]."
At this point, Todd thinks more overseas dates are a bit further off, but says it "absolutely" depends on the new album's reception.
"We try to keep the intensity and energy up," Todd says about the band’s live show. "We all play very hard, and try to get the crowd involved and people dancing. If someone's danced at a show and walks away with a couple of tunes in their head, that's what we strive to achieve with our live show."
After a triumphant 2012 for The Bloodpoets, Todd finds it hard to narrow it down to his best moment.
"I think hearing 'War' on the radio was a highlight. Launching it at the Hi-Fi was really good, and also getting airplay in New Zealand for 'War'. In recent times 'Riot's been really good as well. I think as far as next year goes, finishing this album and getting it out there is the top priority at the moment."
The Bloodpoets launch their latest album, ‘The Grand Machine’, at The Zoo, February 2. The Elephant Arms’ weekly Thursday night event, ‘Underground Elephant’, Launches on Jan 24.
