BEHIND CRIMSON EYES [12:12:07] BLACK JEANS, NO EMO Their music may sound angry, but ahead of their slot at Dreamworld's Odyssey NYE party, life is pretty good for Melbourne rockers Behind Crimson Eyes. “Odyssey's gonna be sick!” says frontman Josh Stuart. “Everytime we've been up to play a show in Brisbane or the Gold Coast, we've wanted to go to Dreamworld or one of the other theme parks, but nobody's ever had any cash. But this time, we can go there and get paid to have a good time!” The band's debut album 'A Revelation For Despair' has jettisoned the softer moments of their previous EPs, and won them fans with heavy rock anthems like 'Shakedown', which sees the band threatening to start a revolution. “We were revolting against the music industry. I think at the time we were fairly despondent with the Australian music scene, and with seeing a lot of bands getting recognition that they probably shouldn't have gotten. These people were treating music more as a business than an artform; identifying a market and catering songs to that market, you know? Songs are being manufactured and pushed out like a product, rather than having that creative evolution and artistic process involved.” To Stuart's relief, the album has largely helped them lose the dreaded 'emo' tag. “I still think emo's a term that has lost all meaning. It's a media-hyped word, and people use it out of context all the time. It was frustrating for us, being lumped in with these bands that we didn't think we sounded like. That may be an egotistical thing or something, but I think our last record has really pushed us out of that emo realm. Some people still call us that, though, maybe because we wear black jeans or something.” While the band has become known in Australia's rock scene under their crimson moniker, it turns out the name was chosen largely on a whim (and not, in fact, as a tribute to either The Who or Limp Bizkit, in case you were wondering). “The night before our first show, we jotted a few ideas down and that was the winner. To me it means exploring your dark side, exploring what's behind those red, angry eyes … those darker thoughts that everybody has at some stage.” Rohan Williams Behind Crimson Eyes play Club Phoenix on December 20 and Odyssey NYE Festival @ Dreamworld on December 31 (obviously). 'A Revelation For Despair' is available now through Boomtown Records. back to top ^

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