Newcomers to the Auckland music scene, X-Ray Fiends have already earned some respect for the messily distorted garage-fi sounds. UTR caught up with the band via e-mail exchange for a few quick questions.
First of all, what are you up to at the moment?
Scavenging for gigs.
How did the band first start?
Callum and Antony met at college in music class. Callum then brought me in after a chance meeting at uni.
Is this where you thought you would be when you were 16?
Do you mean a struggling unemployed musican? Well then yeah.
Is being in a band a hobby for you or do you consider it more serious thing?
A bit of both I guess. It would be cool if it could become more of a serious thing, making a living off music would be the shit.
What other band in Auckland do you listen to?
The Drab Doo Riffs, Don Kings, and the Mothers of Darkness are pretty good.
Are there other bands around the country you listen to?
The Datsuns are rad.Who's mostly involved in writing the songs?
Depends on the song. We don't follow any one way of writing something. I'll write out whole songs or riffs sometimes with a loose structure and lyrics over the top and then Antony and Kieran will bring in their parts. Other songs are totally collaborative between the three of us. It might just be a guitar line or a drum beat that will let us churn out a song within a jam.
And where have you enjoyed playing so far?
The gig we did at whammy as part of the Cossie Club was pretty sweet. A house party we did a while back was pretty rad too. House gigs are always awesome.
How did your set at the bFM Summer Series go earlier this year?
T'was alright, no one was there because we were first on but at least we got to use some sweet gear.
How do you think you would fit in at bigger festivals if ever presented with the opportunity to play?
We’re keen for what ever comes our way, as long as free beer is involved.
How many influences would you say is shared among the individual members of X-Ray Fiends?
We're all into similar music, which is why we all jam together
What’s your attitude to selling and distributing music these days?
It would always be cool to see more vinyl out there, amongst all the digital downloads. There is more of a culture round vinyl, it would be awesome to do a split record with other local bands.
What’s your overbearing opinion of music in New Zealand?
There is definitely good stuff out there. Auckland and New Zealand have a good music scene, once you crawl through the mainstream shit that is Dane Rumble.
Michael McClelland
Check out X-Ray Fiends bandcamp for more demos - link below.
