Media

THE KILLGIRLS (****) myspace ::
Our second act however I know considerably more about. I’ve been following their shit now for almost three years, they’re the main reason why I chose Enigma Bar in the first place (short of the fact I thought it’d be hilarious to ditch all the other gigs in preference to it) they’re the closest thing that the Adelaide scene has in the way of a “slam dunk” (or at least according to my “laughable” understanding of it). They absolutely KILL every single time I see them live and YES they’re just as head explodingly awesome on record (better than shotgunning a can of redbull I swear!) and it very much surprises me even now that they haven’t been signed to a record label yet (or perhaps they have and I’m simply not aware of it). And obviously I have the evidence to back it up too. Lest we forget that fuckoff insane launch party they threw for their debut EP back in May last year: promoted months in advance by a “Year Zero” style online interactive marketing campaignhosted on facebook (which ended with a bunch of fans being kidnapped outside of Dangerfield on Rundle Street, thrown into a passing van and taken to a “private listening party”.. I shit you not!) only to pack Queen’s Theatre floor to ceiling with hundreds of screaming fans on the night, a Daft Punk pyramid’s worth of stage lighting and sound; and they even brought in a hot tub too? FUUUCK OFF!! Or how could we forget their on stage appearance at this years Fringe Festival opening night party to 40,000 people with an African choir and a host of pink tutu dancing astronauts!? (I mean I wasn’t there personally, but you should’ve seen the photos maaan.. IT WAS INSANE!!). No clearly this isn’t a band that does shit by half measures; even when they’re NOT launching or promoting anything (although if you’re curious: they just released a new single “I Love You” a month ago, for an upcoming second EP that they’re tentatively releasing later this year). And here tonight? well despite the fact they’re playing “second fiddle” in support to MM9, despite the fact their lead singer Mario Spate is whacked out with the flu (and on about a billion painkillers) they’re still nothing short of diabolical; even if I DID need to sneak a word with the mixer to do something about the lighting so you could actually see anything in the photos.. “what? you mean the complete LACK of lighting!?” (no seriously dude, you’re a freaking legend!). Yup this is the Killgirls. Obviously they need no introduction (as much as I gave you one anyways) but if you’re otherwise unaware: think Nine Inch Nails meets The Presets meets The Klaxons (minus any “eye rolling” you might’ve made in me mentioning those last two bands) or simply think an adrenal gland hooked up to a Super Nintendo with the volume turned up. And for those of you who ARE familiar? well there are a few new things to be found in tonight’s set. Not so much with their “new” keyboardist Hamish Cox: he’s been around for a few months now but his presence is notably more prominent front of stage (less said about his laptop malfunctioning however.. the better). More so, in how much more elaborately the songs are arranged and how they join up with each other. There’s more breakdowns, elaborate fills and segues on offer to give them more “dynamic range” (ie: than what previously sounded like two nipples being jacked up to a power socket for 45 minutes straight) there’s even a few moments that approach “Depeche Mode” in a power ballad. Gang vocals are more prominent now, most notably with Rusty Hutchinson on guitar letting loose on the mic in the second half (I forget the song exactly.. but you’ll know it when you see it) but pretty much all of them are in on it too. But even more noticeable is the jokey relaxed way in which they tear into their set. It’s less a “us vs. them” combative schtick that they’re rocking and more a collaborative celebration in extremes; they even throw in a cover ofNew Kids On The Block’s “The Right Stuff” just to fuck with us near the end. They’ve also got a host of new songs in the lead up to their second EP: “Disconnected”, “Go Wrong” and “I Love You”. They draw a dancefloor of newfound fans pogo-dancing like mad front of the stage. And despite suffering through the flu, Mario doesn’t throw up even ONCE whilst singing? yeaaah well I guess we can’t have everything. The Killgirls. They’re every reason to come to Enigma Bar tonight justified and then some.. and hey what more could you want than that!?

The Killgirls latest single, off their upcoming second EP due to be released later this year, comes highly anticipated. After playing to 40,000 people at the Adelaide Fringe Festival opening and a string of high profile shows, Adelaide’s premier dance/electro act has fans waiting to hear where the band are going to go next. And which direction they will take has been a bit of a mystery, having recently changed their synths man and focusing on defining and refining their sound.

The new single “i love you” sticks The Killgirls solidy in the pigeon hole of their genre. It’s got the electro synths, the big dirty rock guitars and the driving dance beats that wouldn’t see this single out of place on Triple J, or even the more commercial stations. The first thing to hit you is the synth, and its contemporary Art Vs Science kind of sound. This is shortly engulfed in a huge atmospheric choir type pad, reminiscent of Midnight Juggernauts or Air.

But in my mind this is where the comparisons end. You can’t help but be a bit wowed by this track. Its innovative composition and use of dynamic vocal styles really sets it apart.

Singer Mario Spate’s vocals will ultimately make or break this song. While I like the softer parts and the chopped up sampled vocals of the chorus, the verse just after the first chorus doesn’t quite work. I feel like this bit of the track doesn’t accurately convey what I’ve seen the singer produce live on stage, and it lets the song down somewhat.

Overall it’s a fun track, with the potential to be a pretty catchy radio friendly song. Some people will dislike the track for this reason, preferring indie music to stay indie. But this is a bold move for The Killgirls which could be the next step they need to engage a national audience.

Review Score: 7/10

In the lead up to the release of their second EP later this year I had a chat with Mario Spate, lead vocals for Adelaide’s The Killgirls, to ask all the standard questions. I even managed to get in a few questions for new synths/keys player Hamish Cox. Somehow I am left feeling like they gave me anything but the standard answers.
How would you define The Killgirls’ style of music-
Live Electro / Dance. It’s dark, a little bit dangerous and a little bit fun. Like hanging out with a clown. Except not gross.
Where do you draw influences from-
Everywhere! From listening to new music I like, if I see a film I love, a good conversation, long drives. I know some people lock themselves away or stop listening to music when they write but that doesn’t really work for me. Music is a reflection of life, culture, fashion and the people around us. There’s a great quote by Nam June Taik which of course now I can’t remember, it goes something like this – there is no difference between ritual, high art, low art. Whatever I like, I take…

Tell us about your most memorable show-
That would be the Fringe Opening this year. By the time we walked on stage there were 40,000 people in the crowd. It was magic, one of those shows where everything just worked. For one night we got to pretend to be AC/DC.

You are working on an EP, but is an album on the cards-
Not at all, when the album fairy says it’s time we are here to meet her needs. For now we are aiming for another EP. We have been working hard on distilling the sound and our identity, hopefully the EP reflects that. It does so far.

What other plans are there for the band over the next year-
Touring with the new EP. Our drummer bought a van. He’ll be pissed if we don’t.

The Killgirls have recently had a line up change, how has that affected the band-
It was actually really positive. Sometimes these things can get kind of ugly, but it was totally amicable in this case. We are still really good friends with Adam (former keys man) and our newbie Hamish just seemed to fit right in. Amazing really.
Let’s see whether he really does fit in – Hamish, which do you prefer:
Coke or Pepsi-
Coke unless it’s the drink. Then still probably coke.
Hungry Jacks or Maccas-
Maccas. You have to respect a corporation that has a character called The Hamburglar that endorses stealing the very product it’s trying to sell.
Eveready or Duracell-
Duracell because in my mind there’s nothing more powerful then a pink bunny dancing around with a drum.
PC or Mac-
Mac. Encarta helped me cut and paste my way through preschool. Also Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego rocked! Macs are also apparently good for music and film production…but mainly the Carmen Sandiego thing.
DC or Marvel-
DC has a pissed off guy dressed as a Bat…there is no competition!
What role have others, such as your manager or a mentor, played in your success-

A freaking massive one. Our manager Daisy comes from a theatre background, we are her first band and so her attitude to music is pretty open which makes her really easy to talk to. A handy skill. She’s great at what she does. In short, without her we’d be screwed. She was also selected to take part in The Seed conference this year in Sydney.

Design and imagery is a big part of the feel of band, how do you feel they interact with and define your music-
I think music and fashion are totally related, 50% what you hear and 50% what you see. Not to say we are sailing the flag ship on that front, I don’t even think we are on the life raft. It’s just something we are aware of and think about.

Using the web as a medium is a critical part of music today, is it important to you as a band and how do you use it to your advantage-

It absolutely is. It’s great to have access to all these free mediums (facebook, bandcamp, soundcloud etc) that allow you to connect and share with a large amount of people with just a few clicks, the trick is to not over saturate them. It can be a total turn off. I’m sure everyone has had it done to them and I definitely know I’ve done it to people. Then there’s that whole ‘music becomes disposable’ issue…
No matter how great or terrible you think this free music / download culture is, it’s happening. I still think if you make something great people will lock into it. If anyone knows the secret to the second part call me.
You sell some cool merchandise – even a pair of The Killgirls short shorts. Has a female fan ever worn a pair to a show-
I have no idea! We have yet to make underwear checks compulsory at our gigs. But you know… who doesn’t like short shorts-

If you could hang with anyone in the world for one night who would it be-
Batman. I don’t care what people say. I know he’s real.

The new single “i love you” off the upcoming EP will be available for free download from The Killgirls’ website (www.thekilligirls.com) on 27 August 2010.