The Bennies

Basking in the warm glow of their accomplishments, The Bennies bass player Craig Selak took a moment to reflect on their past, present and future. The four loveable larrikins seemed to be here, there and everywhere in 2014. From setting off fireworks with drunken business men in China, to opening the Melbourne leg of Soundwave and making memories with new friends on their first trip to the US, there’s no denying their determination to make each day count. So it seems only fitting that we start our story with a blow-by-blow account of how The Bennies waved sayonara to the year that was and hello to 2015.
“We played at NYE on the Hill – it was a bloody ripper! They had these awesome espresso martinis cranking at the bar – I was absolutely knee-deep in those things!” Craig smiled. “But besides that, they really nailed the whole program I reckon. During the day they had pretty chilled-out world music or acoustic stuff and blue-grass tunes,” he explained. “Then as the night progressed it got a bit more party-like and the line-up totally killed it. Joelistics and The Smith Street Band, Jakubi and Jackie Onassis – it was just fucking awesome. We had a really great time.
“We also spent the time thinking about what an awesome year we’d had – my highlight is definitely our American tour. It was five weeks of just pedal-to-the-metal touring, drinking, meeting people, laughing – it was fucking amazing. I really loved that . . .
“The New Year is also the time for a bit of a pat on the back, a hi-five and a beer – but now we just want to get on with it. We aren’t ones to sit around and rest on our laurels. 2015 will be business as usual I think – we’ll keep touring, writing new stuff, and putting ourselves out there.”
Craig is not exaggerating their commitment to the cause. The first quarter of the year will see them play shows across the country on their own national tour – but before all that kicks off, The Bennies are booked to appear at not one, not two, but three major festivals. “Yes, we’re playing at Beechworth Music Festival at the end of the month – we can’t wait. Then we’ll have a little time off before going on the road for Soundwave!” Craig explained, not bothering to contain his excitement.
“We played the 2014 Soundwave, but only at the Melbourne show. We had the opening slot and we were so fucking excited to be invited to that festival, we couldn’t believe it! We played and it went well but that was it. Then to be asked back to go on the whole tour this year is just awesome – we couldn’t be more stoked. To be on the bill with Faith No More and Soundgarden, our friends Area 7 and The Interrupters from the States, is going to be an absolute party. I CANNOT wait.
“We’re not the kind of guys to roll up, play and leave – we’ll definitely be first in and last out at the bar, and if I can I’ll be right there soaking up the tunes with the crowd,” Craig says. “We started this band because we’re music fans. Whenever we’re playing a festival we always check out other bands because we’re always stoked to see what everyone else is doing, and I love discovering new bands too.
“I love Soundwave because when it started it offered something different – that’s pretty much it. When it first began it was so fucking hard-core . . . I was like ‘fuck yeah, I can get into this!’ and it’s interesting now that it’s the one left standing. It’s a testament to Soundwave for keeping at it and believing in a more alternative style of music – and I never thought I’d play with Soundgarden. You’ll probably see me on the side of stage drooling,” he laughed.
Another date to mark in your diary is the 7th of March, the day Golden Plains Festival returns for another fun-filled three days. “We’re so happy to play Golden Plains – it’s a dream come true. Our band started because we wanted to play at Meredith [Music Festival]. That was the whole point – we wanted to be a party band that would play at Meredith, and so to play at Golden Plains is close enough for us. We’re pretty fucking happy!”
Craig Selak is a very contented man and it doesn’t seem like things could get any better for the laid-back bass-player. I was wrong. “Literally a week after Golden Plains we start our Party Whirlwind Quest tour. We decided to call it a quest because we were playing heaps of Zelda [classic video game] on our last tour – you get bored on the planes and trains,” he added. “Anyway we realised that sometimes being on tour can feel like a quest. For example: an early morning after a big night and we’re hung over as hell. We’d get together and say ‘ok it’s the boss level – let’s get it together and get through it’. After a while we thought ‘fuck it, let’s call our next tour a quest because some days it kinda feels like one’.”
Joining The Bennies on their quest are Melbourne band Foxtrot. “They’re an incredible four-piece punk rock band. We’ve known them for a long time – they’ve played alongside us and The Smith Street Band for a number of years,” Craig continued. “Foxtrot are their own beast – they’re really technical with a prog vibe to their riffing. Think Against Me! with the riffs of Muse. It’s a cool fusion, plus they’re really rad dudes – we love them and couldn’t be more pleased to have them on tour with us.”
2015 is already shaping up to be a mission to victory for The Bennies, and if you liked 2014’s teaser EP ‘Heavy Disco’ you’ll love what Craig, Anty, Jules and Bowie have in store. “We’ll have new music out very soon. We’re writing right now for the new album and we’ve got a bunch of stuff that didn’t quite make it onto the EP that we wanna tweak. We recorded a couple of songs in the States with our buddies The Interrupters and The Smith Street Band, so we’ve got a few things in the back catalogue and we’re the dudes that are always writing no matter where we are – we always have ideas. We’re just biding our time till Soundwave and putting them all together so they’ll all become smash hits! You gotta think big,” Craig grinned. END GAME.
Where&When: Soundwave, Melbourne Showgrounds,  Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd of February
Written by Natalie Rogers, Photo by Ian Laidlaw