1. Growing Up
My first vinyl record was ‘Macho Man’ by the Village People and my first cassette tape was Mickey Mouse Disco. Oh, what a wonderful journey I was to embark on from such humble beginnings. Couple that with my mother’s love for Elton John and ABBA, it’s no wonder that Shanghai has become such a diverse musical beast.
2. Inspirations
In a nutshell, my favourite musicians are Frank Zappa and John Zorn. Both those artists have trodden so much musical ground it’s hard not to be impressed. Another key inspiration comes from film music composed by such luminaries as Ennio Morricone, Bernard Herrmann and Angelo Badalamenti.
3. Your Band
The Shanghai nucleus was initially formed by an elite species of high school friends who then managed to kidnap a bunch of other scallywags and assorted riff-raff along the way. There’s nine of us – disagreements are bound to happen – but seeing as I am the self-proclaimed musical director of the group, I just whip ’em back into line. Have you ever tried to arrange catering for a three-piece horn section plus a percussionist? I assure you, it’s no mean feat.
4. The Music You Make
We’ve been called many things, but the one that stood out to me was “mutant-metal-jumpcut-cabaret”, and even that doesn’t begin to cover it. Our album The Ultraviolent, which we have just released, covers a lot of musical ground and genres in an orchestral cinematic form. Self-funded, produced and recorded completely by us in the comfort of our own bedrooms, somehow we have managed to cobble together a luscious-sounding opus of biblical proportions. Translating this ambitious production to the live stage has been testing to say the least, but being the seasoned pros that we are, we haven’t had to resort to backing tracks, lip-syncing and miming just yet.
5. Music, Right Here, Right Now
The music scene has changed so much over the last few years, with quite a few long-standing, iconic venues falling like dominoes to the corporate whim. It is sad in a way from a nostalgic perspective, but I am keen to see what springs up in its place. The Sydney music scene in particular has needed a kick up the proverbial for quite some time now, as it had grown quite complacent, especially in terms of crowds. The talent is certainly there, with so many amazing bands lurking in the depths, but the crowds haven’t necessarily been there lately to help support them or the venues. Shanghai is totally up to the challenge.
The Ultraviolent is out now independently. Catch Shanghai play the Town Hall Hotel, Newtown with Face Command, Moof De Vah and Josh Shipton on Saturday October 10.
