The opportunity to see a group of such pedigree coming together in their infancy doesn’t happen too often. Ezekiel Ox (Mammal), Lucius Borich (Cog), Davarj Thomas (Pre-Shrunk) and virtuoso lead guitarist Glenn Proudfoot are about to embark on their maiden tour as THE NERVE. COURTNEY LAURA had a chat with Zeke regarding their beginnings and their upcoming tour.
“We have just stopped at a truck stop somewhere between Brisbane and Bundaberg,” Ox begins, “we are refueling and taking a break. On the journey we have had a bit of dj-ing happening up front, swapping around our tune sources, it’s just trying to stay as chilled as possible whilst getting to the gig. We just try not to be bored while we wait for our moment on stage, but there is still a lot of heavy stuff to pick up and move before our hour of glory which is what the whole touring process is about.”
The biggest goal the band hope to achieve is to establish themselves, “as a live source in Australia, to bring an indispensable and unique product to the live arena and to build the fan base one at a time. We want to meet people and we can’t be more excited to be back on the stage. We want everyone to see it,” Ox states.
The opportunity for such elite musicians to come together in one group doesn’t happen very often. “Glenn pursued me via email and skype for a long time to start a band but I was busy with Full Scale and Mammal”, Ox recalls. “When we finally got together, there was an instant chemistry. From here I suggested we bring in Lucius, and Reggie, who is our ‘sonic facilitator’ (sound guy) and member of the band, introduced Davarj the bass player. It became a bunch of old friends getting together and making new friends. We actually recorded the album over skype and had it recorded before we met for the first time a few days before first gig, and that was a new one for me.”
Collaborating with gifted muso’s the writing process began with “Glenn writing all the riffs, some of them were written to Lucius’s drum loops. Glenn really formed the aesthetic of the band, so at the moment it all sounds like Glenn but this is exciting as he has a great vision of what he wants this to be. Once I recorded some vocals, Lucius re-recorded some drums and Davarj came in with the bass. It kept changing at different times between the music and the vocals and became more freestyle for us,” Ox reflected.
“It’s enjoyable to be playing with musicians who can achieve such feats, for me to be able to witness that kind of technicality, is just exciting for the future, we are very proud of the songs we have written. With the new single, and the label on board and International recognition, it’s a very enjoyable and fruitful process at the moment and one we are going to pursue until it isn’t fun anymore, but I cant see that happening any time into the future as Lucius and I have been having fun for nine years now”.
Leading into their first tour as a band, The Birds Robe Collective, a not-for-profit label dedicated to promoting progressive and experimental music expressed interest in The Nerve. “When I got the call it was exciting, so I asked to speak to Mike the head of the label. We had a very long conversation and the thing I found that separated them from all the other people we spoke to was simply, he didn’t promise the world. He promised focused and clear leadership and also a sense of integrity about what he could and couldn’t achieve so it made me feel like we could achieve anything. It wasn’t the biggest deal, but it was the right fit for us.”
With their expansive tour underway, The Nerve are traveling from Melbourne to Brisbane and back again. “The tours themselves should be expansive, you should always make them nice and big”, Ox stated. “I am looking forward to the whole tour. I don’t think of it in terms of where the venues themselves are but who we are lucky enough to perform with, like The Charge and Gay Paris
Ox is known for his highly energetic performances as front man and vocalist. “I don’t know where it comes from, ‘it just feels good to be alive’, (a lyric from Shihad’s, ‘The General Electric’, he noted after listening to the track a short time earlier). I enjoy peak human energy, live music gives that and it is the most excited I can be in a social context. Leading up to a show we just try to relax, keep our heads focused and eat.” With the adrenaline pumping from start to finish, “sometimes it can be hard to come down, some times you don’t want to so you don’t, or I end up staying up quite late and sleeping in quite heavily. Sometimes I try and keep it as long as I can, it’s like my legal high that I get for being a performer.”
This is a great chance for everyone to get off the couch and get out and see a band “at the ground floor, and as far as we’re concerned, the sky is the limit.”
The Nerve perform at the Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle, on Saturday June 8, 2013. Their new single, ‘Down There’ will be released on Friday May 31.