Tell us about your new single/ album/ tour?
We’re releasing a new album called Horizontal Life and it’s our first in twenty years. We disbanded in 1997 and decided to wait until the 1990s was back in vogue before we started up again, although we’ve probably missed that boat!
How would you describe your sound in food form and why?
Custard apple. They are ugliest looking lumpy things and are a bit bitter on initial tasting but the complexity and eventual sweetness wins you over in the end.
Which of your songs resonate most strongly and why?
Taking that question literally, the resonance on our 1990 track ‘Spent’ is enormous, created by at least 20 overdubs of guitars tuned to E when playing open strings. Same with new song Great Plans for which I emulated the same recording technique. I love that tuning. But I digress, I’m sure you mean metaphorically. Actually I’ll say Spent again. That was probably our biggest single and it seemed to ‘resonate’ with people. It stayed in our set for years.
Tell us a quick, on the road, anecdote.
When recording with Ed Kuepper producing, he decided the vocals sounded better recorded in the yard outside the studio. While recording late at night, a passing dero was so disgusted by my singing, he threw a beer bottle over the fence, smashing it near my head, cutting the performance short. Ed decided he liked it and the smashing bottle made the final mix.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
In no particular order American 1980s indie music, Pink Floyd, urban decay, industrial landscapes, Velvet Underground, shoegaze music.
Which song do you wish you wrote?
In another life I wrote Echoes by Pink Floyd. Actually I wrote all of Pink Floyd’s songs up until and exclusing A Momentary Lapse of Reason.
What’s next for you?
Next (for Martin): an album with David Bridie; another All India Radio album; inspiration pending a new album with Steve Kilbey; and maybe even another Pray TV album. Then a long holiday.
What’s your scene?
Back in the day my scene was life in the band. Everything revolved around it, everything depended on it. All life’s choices were related to the band. This was back in the late 80s early 90s when I was in my early twenties and we were doing a lot of gigs. The scene was Uni, work, rehearsal, gig, recover, and repeat. It was exciting and infuriating. These days a nice cup of tea and a gig once every five years is about all I can manage.
About Pray TV
After 20 years in suspended animation, Melbourne cult indie band Pray TV have woken, dusted off their old guitars, and recorded a new album entitled Horizontal Life like its still 1996. Individually, lives have changed. Collectively, everything is the same. Musically, they’ve threaded their shoegaze meets Husker Du strands of melancholic regret rock into the best album from 1996 but recorded in 2015 which is now due to be released in 2016. The band will be launching the album on Saturday 10th September at Grace Darling Hotel Collingwood.
For a decade Pray TV (1987 – 1997) were a highly respected band regu- larly performing, particularly in their hometown of Melbourne, where they enjoyed a steady and loyal fanbase. The album launch is set to be a ‘class of 92’ showcase too with early 90s indie favourites The Glory- box also emerge from the retiree’s closet to play a rare show to sup- port their friends. Pray TV are still in their original line up of Martin Kennedy (from All India Radio and projects with Steve Kilbey) on guitar, Aidan Halloran belting out his trademark vocals, Russell Baricevic on bass and Martin’s brother Joseph Kennedy on drum duty.
The band’s recorded output was consistent having released 4 albums, an EP, various singles plus a compilation album (2010) on various super cool labels of the time, (Au Go Go, Mr Spaceman and Shock Records). The official Rock & Roll Bible of the day Melody Maker (UK) described Pray TV as ‘neater than God’ in 1992 whilst other international music publications lauded them with lashings of praise such as ‘“Pray TV comes out of nowhere with determined rock shaded by goth influence and big choruses that dwarf the last 10 years of US college rock.” as one scribe from New York Press reported in 1993. Locally they were also the darlings of the music press with loads of attention directed their way including Juke Magazine who in a 1990 review stated“….this exceeds my expectations. Strapped to a post-Joy Division bassmoan, guitars several kilometres thick chime and swell while drumscrash like an epileptic juggler….one of the best Oz singles this year.“
Pray TV were a much loved live band and supported the most reputable bands of the time gracing the stage with the likes of Smashing Pumpkins, Ed Kuepper, Hunters & Collector Died Pretty, Cosmic Psychos, Bailter Space, StraightJacket Fits, The Cruel Sea, Falling Joys. Media adored them, punters turned up in droves to see what the perennial buzz about them was attributed to, the long-term fans who knew them from the get go absolutely adored them and were fiercely loyal. They will no doubt be the ones keen to see them the most in all their glory again on the stage of the Grace Darling, after their 20 year absence. But the exciting thing to witness will be the new fans they win over as the newer generation of punters check out what this band can do. Don’t for one moment entertain the thought that this band is a retro band hanging onto yesterday – no way! Their secret weapon has always been that their special blend of music is very very timeless. They are back with that same hunger and energy they always had.
Don’t miss Pray TV strut their stuff after their long hiatus at The Grace Darling on 10th September where they launch their album and blow away those cobwebs once and for all as they remerge on to the scene!
Pray TV Melbourne Album Launch
Satuday 10th September
Grace Darling Hotel
114 Smith St, Collingwood
Supports : The Glorybox + TBC
Doors open : 8.30pm
Pre-sales (TBC) or $10 entry on door
For more information go to : www.praytvband.com