Insouciant and clearly laid-back, the lads of MY DISCO are slumped onto a snug couch in the restful interior of Homeclub as vocalist-cum-bassist, Liam Andrews, leans forward idly to lift his mug of chilled Tiger beer to his mouth.
He licks his lips and recalls, “It has got to be the teh tarik, it’s such an oddly interesting and refreshing beverage that we would look forward to having plenty of in Singapore, since we could never find it back in Australia.”
Having performed in Singapore in January last year, MY DISCO has travelled miles to grace our shores once again, in conjunction with the release of their latest record ‘Little Joy’, and part of their 2012 Australian/Asian tour.
Though they may appear nonchalant at times, the group are aficionados at what they do, evident from their dynamic performances. The blasé mannerisms of Liam and his brother, guitarist Ben Andrews, are reflected in the minimalist music that the band conjures. It is no wonder the band feels strongly towards the adage “less is more”.
“It’s a good saying in many aspects of life because some people simply talk too much and they get annoying, considering they tend to not translate their words into actions, which is pretty thwarting,” Ben tells HYPE as he pets his fleecy beard casually.
“Quantity doesn’t necessarily equate to quality, I mean we’re pretty good for a three-piece band!” drummer, Rohan Rebeiro, adds jokingly.
Sparse yet dystopian vocals and droningly repetitive guitar riffs comprise the trio’s bizarrely hypnotic yet gripping sound. Their cathartic live sets see them attacking their instruments ferociously, evoking sounds minimal enough to settle within listeners gradually, yet complex enough to quiver dust wherever it lands. However, for the band to get to where they are presently, was certainly not a simple feat.
Taking another sip from his ice cold brew, Liam shares, “We’ve been a band for almost 10 years, and I feel that with each record we put out, it evolves into something new that we’ve never planned for but something that just naturally occurs to us.”
“Besides, with all that extensive touring over the years, we hardly have girlfriends or places to live in,” Ben adds.
Having a sibling in the band has its benefits. “There’s always someone I can count on and trust when we’re on stage and on tour, I mean we’ve been playing music for more than 20 years,” expresses Liam.
Rohan interrupts the awkwardly adorable brotherly moment, “I mean even if they do detest each other, they’d still have to go to family dinners together!”
Photos courtesy of MY DISCO and KittyWu Records.
On top of music and performing, as well as their bartender day-jobs, the outfit still harbours goals that they wish to achieve for themselves.
“Ever since we started the band, we’ve always wanted to travel all over the world to play to different people, and along the way, I’ve decided I’d like to learn more languages and become multilingual,” Liam says.
Liam kids that we can all expect new material from the band once they’ve had enough teh tarik here in Singapore.
“It’s something a bit different but you can be sure that it’s definitely something new, and it’ll come as a pleasant surprise.”