Dead Letter Circus

Although Kim Benzie, lead singer for Dead Letter Circus, was in Officeworks at the time that I called through for the interview, it wasn’t for a packet of HB pencils. It was indeed for an upcoming film clip to be filmed on tour over the next few months for their track ‘Alone Awake’. “When we play these songs live man, fuck sometimes the crowd sing the lyrics louder than we can play through a PA and so we really want to capture that vibe, and so that is one of the really exciting aspects of Dead Letter Circus at the moment.”
If you are a Dead Letter Circus devotee, you will undoubtedly know the band released their sophomore album The Catalyst Fire in 2013. Released on UNFD music, an indie record label compared to their debut which came out on Warner, the response has been pretty similar, as Benzie relates. “The way that record labels work is that they do a lot at a very exorbitant rate. UNFD are a great bunch of guys and some of the best ideas didn’t cost us any money at all. I definitely prefer being on an independent label. It’s a lot less stressful.”
Having already toured the country in support of their second album, the band has been writing and working tirelessly on the follow-up. This upcoming run of dates allows for the band to distance themselves from the ‘hermit life’, which they tend to lead when they’re not on the road. “Getting back on stage and playing in front of people is a little bit confronting at first because we have been away so long; [however], it didn’t take long to get back into the swing of things. Last night (the first gig of the tour) was the best that it could be. I kind of felt like I couldn’t shed the Napoleon Dynamite though.”
One of the dates on this tour, the Big Pineapple Music Festival in Queensland, was a different experience and learning curve for the band as Dead Letter Circus have mainly played club shows throughout their career. “It’s great playing alongside these bands that mostly only play festivals because we get to see how the big boys do it. In club gigs, you are so close to the audience you can sweat on and almost touch them. It’s a fair bit different and intimate than being four metres away, which happens at festivals most of the time.”
Self-funding most of their international touring towards the end of last year, it seems that Dead Letter Circus is living on a diet of cuppa soup and two minute noodles because it is so cheap, and have in turn sparked their inner Jamie Oliver. “We could do a cooking segment on how to cook mi goreng, tuna and brown rice. One of the cool things that we are doing on this tour is we are filming a documentary of our travels as we go. So if someone wants to pay us hundreds of dollars, we will come to your house and cook you the best two minute noodles you’ve ever had.”
After this tour, Dead Letter Circus is looking at re-issuing their second album in a very different way. With different sounds and influences coming into the mix, the band is set to return later in the year for another tour. Although tight-lipped about it at the time of the interview, keep your eyes peeled for all the news as it unfolds.
When&Where: Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads – May 30
Written by Tex Miller