Song sung blue

Brisbane band, Yves Klein Blue have been around for a little longer than most people realise but following their win in an MTV Kickstart competition (which recognised their greatness by injecting them with cashflow to the tune of twenty thousand big ones) they got smart and decided to record a debut EP – and in name and practice they worked out how they could draw attention to themselves.

That was some time ago (2008 in fact) and since then they’ve enjoyed opportunities afforded through the signing to label – Dew Process, which have included tours with big name acts, the likes of which include, Reverend and the Makers in the UK.

“We were playing big venues too. It was so weird we were in Bristol and playing to like 2000 people, we were like what is this, we’re on the other side of the world playing to more people than at home. It was pretty awesome,” says bassist Sean.

The frenetic and fiery (three of the four members are red heads) lads: Charles, Michael, Chris, and funny-man Sean give the sense together their apt to mischief. For Sean the lure of playing their own first headline gigs (off the success of their current album: Ragged and Ecstatic) is amusing and exciting and well worth paying money for.

“Our own tour, it should be interesting, being the last band on hopefully people will enjoy it, do a few things make it fun, experience for people make it worth people coming out and making worth whatever ticket price we’ve probably set.”

Sean speaking from his childhood home in the semi-rural reaches of Brisbane’s outer western suburbs allows himself time to reflect on his and his band-mates ascendency but with plain irony he concluded that perhaps not all that much is different.

“Feels like everything around us has changed, we feel like we’re just doing the same thing, but now all these other people are kind of looking over our shoulder. The Management, they’re all awesome people, but they weren’t there at the start and now they are,” he muses.

As well as their own tour, the Yves Klein blue lads have also been named alongside big name act La Roux, as jumping aboard the Bacardi Express which means travelling down the East coast of Australia aboard one mean locomotive. The train, joy-ride kicks off its tour from hometown Brisbane in late March. The idea of which is quite enticing to Sean.

“I wouldn’t say that we’re train enthusiasts, we’re not quite, we don’t have trains set up, I think maybe Charles and I have trains but they’re not set up but um we like trains and we’re all pretty excited about travelling on one.”

To this savvy twenty something the fact that the Bacardi Express is (as its name indicates) likely to deliver them free alcohol whilst aboard (always a benefit to a struggling rock musician) it is not the only reason Sean can think of for why this experience is set to be awesome.

“It will be a dangerous two days I think. It’s like a really old train and it full of musicians, who will sleep there, eat there, jam there, there’s a jam room there and there is also like three or four bars serving an abundance of alcohol.

Catch the raucousness of Yves Klein Blue when they headline their own tour visit: www.myspace.com/yveskleinblue for tour dates. Their album Ragged and Ecstatic is available through Universal Music; www.getmusic.com.au.

Ruth Bailey