Closure In Moscow have promised a super cheeky show when they head to The Small Ballroom on Thursday 1 October, and we can’t wait. Check out our chat with lead singer, Chris, about their latest album and what’s on the cards for the boys in 2016…
Hey Chris, thanks for chatting with Newcastle Live. You’re just about to head our way to play The Small Ballroom, what can Newcastle expect from a Closure In Moscow show?
Well, going off of the last few times we’ve been in Newcastle… It’s gonna get super cheeky. There will be dancing, drinking, chanting, summoning, incantations, libations, hotness, wetness, cold hard cash, big money, big prizes, rituals, nuptials, blood, sweat, beers, covers of songs by Tears for Fears, riffs, beats, deli meats… Then every patron in the fine establishment that is The Small Ballroom will transcend with us into the 5th dimension on the back of a Tiger-Robot-Wizard-Shark.
Your latest album ‘Pink Lemonade’ sees you take a pretty different musical direction to your previous stuff. How has the response been from fans so far? Do you find most are willing to just enjoy the ride and see where the band will take it next?
A small portion of fans flat out hated the shift in gears, some were a bit thrown and then warmed to it after giving the album some time, but a lot of those people now love it over everything else. I think people who enjoy our music for the most part are very open minded. Now that we’ve kind of established that anything goes from release to release, I hope people are just as excited as we are in regards to the surprise of what comes out next.
The album itself even seems to shift direction from track to track. Between the fun, punchy-guitar groove of ‘Seeds Of Gold’ and the more chaotic, almost–hysterical stylings of ‘Neoprene Byzantine’ you could almost be listening to two different bands… Is this one of Closure In Moscow’s goals, to continually explore new musical territory and keep the listener guessing?
I don’t think it’s really a goal to keep people guessing, the goal is always just to write what we think is fun/entertaining and gives us our kicks. We are quite a motley crew of very distinctly different individuals, I think that has come through in the music. However, I think the more you listen, the more you hear the unifying threads in the melodic/harmonic language of everything and it does reveal itself to be quite cohesive in its ‘flayvah’.
Speaking of keeping the listener guessing, Chris, you have a very impressive vocal range! Is this a self-taught style?
It’s partly self taught, partly attempted to be honed and wrangled by a few coaches, and partly just my shitty habits that somehow give me range at the sacrifice of warm, creamy tone… It’s a work in progress.
And I have to ask… Where did the inspiration behind the name ‘Pink Lemonade’ come from? Favourite drink perhaps?
I did love the Schweppes Traditional Pink Lemonade when it was first released way back when… In context with the album though, it’s really just a symbol for a cheap, tacky, sugary cure-all that purports to be good for what ails ya with fun, sexy, summery flavour to boot.
What’s next for Closure In Moscow, is there a new album on the horizon for 2016?
We are locking down a tour of Europe for November, then potentially India in February, before getting to work on putting away the next album. Good times and great classic hits.
What: Closure In Moscow
Where: The Small Ballroom
When: Thursday 1 October
More information & tickets: http://tickets.oztix.com.au/default.aspx?Event=54398
