It was a sad day three years ago when Sydney folk-pop group Bridezilla announced they were splitting up but now one of the original members, Daisy Tulley, is back with a new line up and sound with Low Lux. They’ve released their first song and it’s a slick, moody, vocally-driven track which makes us want to hear more.
We spoke to the handsome five-piece consisting of Daisy Dowd, Lehi Curtis, Joshua Bush, Alex Dawson and Ali Hill about their plans for their new project.
i-D: Congratulations on your debut single, Rivers Roll. Can you tell us about filming the clip?
Alister: Many appreciations! It was hot and boozy. That makes it sound like a great time, but I think we all found it pretty tedious. Fair to say our friends put in the hard yards and made it into something with a great atmosphere. I’m slightly biased, but I love that impressionistic psychedelic visual whirr effect. My Bloody Valentine used it a tonne back in the day.
What’s the story behind the song?
Daisy: Regretting treating an ex boyfriend badly. He was so kind and I was so mean. I recently sent him the song with an apology.
You started the band Bridezilla in high school and now you’re doing Low Lux. Was it good to have that break? To kind of have more life experience in a sense?
Daisy: It was essential that we had a break. When Bridezilla ended we were 22, jaded and frustrated. We hadn’t had a chance to explore any other life experiences since high school. After the split I had a three year music hiatus, had a baby, got married and got a degree. Now having checked off a few massive life goals I’m tackling this new project in a much more positive and appreciative light.
Daisy, you also had a solo career. What made you want to start another band again?
Daisy: I was always doing solo music while in Bridezilla. I’d play shows with guitar, violin and loop pedals at small venues under the name Daisy M. Tulley and create tunes at home. I decided to start a band again because I really missed how motivating it can be.
Take me back to your first gig?
Daisy: We played our first show recently at Newtown Social Club in Sydney. We had a great team around us: our sound guy Tim Whitten nailed it and our friend Eamon Barling put on an amazing light show. We were worried we’d booked a venue too big but ended up selling it out. Dream come true.
Your sound is a great mix of indie rock, 70s pop and electronica. How would you describe it?
Lehi: Over the past few months I’ve had a lot of trouble answering this question. In a lot of ways I feel like we are still experimenting with the sonic potential of the band. I think it’s all very fluid. We’re always moving forward and trying to improve things. It’s a slow Flux.
Alister: I may get in trouble for this, but I usually just say we make pop music. If people interpret that as us making sugarcoated thumpers, that’s fine but we’ll only disappoint. And this is coming from someone who’s pretty into those recent Rihanna bangers. This may sound slightly dysfunctional, but it’s pretty unlikely you’ll ever find us at the same shows – the music pretty much directly reflects what we’d rather be listening to on the couch on a Sunday arvo or losing our minds over in a club at 2am.
What was growing up in Sydney like? Has it affected your sound at all?
Lehi: Definitely. The musical subcultures I experienced as teenager and young adult in Sydney completely shaped the way I write and play music today. Sydney’s punk and heavy music scene had a particularly profound effect on me as a young musician. Unfortunately a lot of those subcultures and venues don’t exist anymore, which is a major bummer.
Alister: Musically, Sydney has always been a fairly small place. Some move away because of this, but I truly think interesting things can come out of the desperation – drawing mostly on the idea of the Manchester Factory scenario here. I used to live in Newcastle (England, not the wicked city in NSW) and there’s nothing remotely interesting there for a musician, but it produces some pretty far out, interesting sounds. Sydney’s the same, I like how you can see a skewed RnB boy band play with a Shellac-inspired post-hardcore three-piece. It forces you to engage with sounds that you might not otherwise. I can only hope that some of these characters and their musical tricks infiltrate what we do.
So what else inspires you?
Lehi: Mostly people. I try to surround myself with dynamic and driven individuals. Theres nothing more inspiring then watching your pal shred in his or her chosen field. I think when it comes to the creative community, the whole is always larger then the sum of its parts. This ethos certainly informs our band’s dynamic in a lot of ways as well.
Alister: This will sound like a joke, but jogging is the one other thing I really need in life. I go kinda bonkers if I don’t do it and it lets me meditate on ideas and be a bit more patient when working on tunes.
You’re about to perform at Volume supporting the Preatures. What else have you got lined up?
Alister: We have a few summer festivals in the works and the clip for our new single comes out on Monday 17th August. More recording and more shows, I think we’re finally hitting our stride. a
What song would you play at midnight on your 100th birthday?
Lehi: Something Curtis Mayfield or Stevie Wonder maybe. That’s an extremely difficult question to answer. Who knows what I’ll be groovin to when I hit the ton. Man, music in the future may not even be of a sonic nature…Who knows?
Alister: At the rate I’m going I’ll be deaf so…. I’d probably like to play something nostalgic from my angsty years like Limp Bizkit’s ‘Nookie’, but whatever familial brethren I have will know better and play something ‘proper’. Like Frank Sinatra. Frank’s good, I’d happily have a drink to that.
What does your dream party outfit look like?
Lehi: Not sure if my dream party would involve outfits.
Alister: Everyone would have to run 40k and then just show up all sweaty. I’d then force them to all wear Limp Bizkit shirts, listen to ‘Nookie’ and then send ’em home and hopefully they can fend for themselves in the ever-tasteful inner west. Just kidding, I love my friends!
Credits
Photography Charles Dennington
Styling Britt McCamey