Dead Letter Circus
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Forte Magazine

Dead Letter Circus

Dead Letter Circus has easily earned their place as one of Australia’s most loved modern rock bands, and as the band awaited the chart placement for their most recent album, Aesthesis, it seems there are few above them.
The band managed to gain #2 on the ARIA Albums Charts, after being beaten out for #1 by Welsh band Bullet for My Valentine, and the placement is almost becoming a tradition for the band.
“I guess that was in the back of my mind but we were all hoping for a number one,” bass guitarist Stewart Hill says.
“It’s kind of funny because I have a Welsh friend – and Bullet are Welsh – and he was batting for both of us but in the end Bullet one.”
Dead Letter Circus are long known as the band who emerged on the scene and seemed to create a new genre, to shake things up for want of a better term, but it wasn’t at all intentional.
“We were just doing what we were doing and trying to make it as fresh as possible,” he says.
“I guess we got lucky and forged a new sound as a band and people latched onto it and it really grew into something awesome. Member changes definitely influenced the new albums, but we’re always trying to do something different from the last album and also trying to be really good song writers.”
This time around Aesthesis touches on the moment where you ‘awaken’ and discover yourself, which for frontman Kim Benzie happened on a trip overseas.
“My experience is very different to Kim’s, because his was in Peru and he drank, got weird and enlightened – or however you want to put it,” he says.
“But for me the actual process of living and dying is a constant enlightenment. I’m not into hallucinogenics or anything; I don’t think anyone should need it. Just take life as it comes.
“Growing up you have conflicts with yourself but that’s all part of it, if you’re not struggling you’re not moving forward.”
While many bands face a bit of conflict in the studio, for Dead Letter Circus it was their best experience to date. Stewart even remarks that they’re almost at the stage where they can do it all on their own.
“It was just more refined. We’re seasoned veterans in the studio now so we all know what we’re doing,” he says.
“We can do our own tracking and for the actual pre-production we got everyone in the same room and threw around a bunch of ideas and it was pretty cool. It was more of a group effort rather, go off on our own and create things.”
Aside from releasing a new album, Dead Letter Circus has been one of the bands on the Soundwave line up drip-fed to the public.
“It’s just a bit of a tease isn’t it? I’m pretty stoked that Refused are coming around though,” Stewart adds with a laugh.
More than anything, he just wants to know, “Who are we going to party with?”
So far the party looks to be with Bring me the Horizon, Refused, Bullet For My Valentine, Lordi, Northlane, Failure and Devil You Know.
In the mean time Dead Letter Circus are touring in support of their new release, which is out now.
Written by Amanda Sherring
When & Where: Karova Lounge, Ballarat – October 7, Black Swan, Bendigo – October 8, The Barwon Club, Geelong – October 9 & The Forum, Melbourne – October 10