Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Halfway's special show at the Triffid, Brisbane, on 29 October

Brisbane band Halfway has eight members, and all of them are showing up this Saturday night, 29 October, to perform at hometown venue The Triffid to celebrate the success of their critically acclaimed fifth studio album, The Golden Halfway Record, and the release of their new single 'Three In and Nothing But The Stars'. Ahead of the show, John Busby answered my questions via email./

There's eight of you in this band - who's really the boss, who's the troublesome middle child, and are there any arguments?
The songs are the boss. We disagree occasionally. Being in a band this long you have to from time to time ... But we are very good friends and we have been through a lot together. Not just music. Life stuff. The band is bigger than just music.

What's great about the Brisbane music scene and what do you wish you could change?
I have no idea really. There have been some great bands from Brisbane so that sets a precedent ... So the bar is set high with Screamfeeder, The Go-Betweens etc … going all the way back to the Saints & the Bee Gees. What would we change? Nothing. It’s not perfect. But nothing is.

What's so special about the Triffid?
It’s a great place to see a show & to play one. It is made by people who love music. Good people, great stage & PA. It all sounds obvious but these things are surprisingly rare in live music venues.

What are you most looking forward to about this show?
Revisiting our first album, Farewell to the Fainthearted, has been fun. I am looking forward to playing it for us and our friends here in Brisbane.

Who gets to write the set list?
Ben Johnson usually writes our set list. And then Chris Dale changes a couple of songs. That happens at most shows. No set list at this one though … two albums in order/start to finish

This album has been your 'golden' record - what comes next?
Good question. We have a few new songs but no titles as yet. The songs will dictate the direction we head in. Not sure really. We have been buying a lot of guitar pedals so that would suggest maybe a more psych guitar-based record. But maybe we will do another narrative-based album. Have to wait for the songs to tell us.

The Golden Halfway Record is out now.
www.halfway.com.au
thetriffid.com.au

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