Corpse Paint And Carry On

Having formed in Sydney, horror-punk mainstays Horrorwood Mannequins have been one of the groups helping push the genre throughout Australia. The group's musical aural plague has seen them evolve into the narcoleptic musical freak show we have today, but this hard-hitting lifestyle was never imagined by a younger Medicate.

“It kinda came out of left field, the longer we have done it the stranger it has gotten. My parents used to come to the shows when I was a bit younger, then the outfits started getting stranger and more horrendous things started coming from my mouth and then they were happy to watch from the sideline,” Medicate reflects. “I started listening to the genre in early 2004 – it was something very eye-catching to me and I guess with us it is about having that show element to it as well, it's not just about getting up there in jeans and a T-shirt – we like to create a bit of an experience.

No strangers to the Dead of Winter festival, the group have played nearly every one of its incarnations and have witnessed firsthand how it's evolved from its early days in 2009 'til now: “It's very diverse, it's something that everyone can get out to and have a go. If you're metal inclined it also gives you a chance to see the alternative sides of the music.”

With the band's latest single Sound Of A Strip Bar, it seems they have managed to nail, well, just that. It's a track that recalls the band's old sound while maintaining their current identity. Having just signed with Valleyarm Records, their new LP is due in the very foreseeable future and it appears that this sound will be continued further.

“The stuff we are doing now is a little more aggressive and finetuned and we have a better idea of what we're trying to do. We all try to get influences from all sides of things, [so] there's definitely a great vibe through the band at the moment. [Sound Of A Strip Bar] is something that no red blooded man is gonna say they don't enjoy. The research for the song was pretty hard but someone had to do it,” chuckles Medicate.

The live stage has always been a focal point for the group and helped forge their identity on a musical and visual level, confronting and dividing punters in equal measure. “I guess it's a little bit of both for anyone that isn't into that style of music – having a certain image and the way you conduct yourselves on stage is going to leave a print on them whether they like you or not. I guess there is a method to the madness there about having something to remember us by. We're all pretty easy going, [but] with that side of heavier music there are a bunch of people out there that think if you fucking smile at someone you're gonna be called a bunch of pussies – it's an interesting one for sure.”

It wasn't long ago that Medicate stated his career highlight was an endless supply of “piss, pot and pussy”, so, for a group that has it all, why even make a new record? “That's right, when you have got all that you've pretty much ticked every box you need. It's all a series of intricate decisions you need to make to get the power of the [big] three!”