Bang On

Immigrant Union began when Brent DeBoer, drummer for The Dandy Warhols, and Bob Harrow (of Melbourne five-piece The Lazy Sons) shared a chance, liquor-laden encounter in the US. DeBoer was touring and interviewing for music documentary Dig! alongside The Brian Jonestown Massacre bassist, Matt Hollywood, when fate struck – “It was a very lucky moment for me,” says DeBoer modestly.

“Matt and I were just having a drink and Bob was at the bar wondering when we were playing next, and what was going on with the Dandies. We were headed to a farm after to hang out for the night, so we invited Bob along. Then we all just sat there strumming and singing 'til it started to get light… and sooner or later we just had a bunch of songs made up,” he explains. From there, DeBoer and Harrow were joined by local talents Peter Lubulwa, Courtney Barnett, Bones Sloane and Dave Mudie, and come early 2014 their sophomore album Anyway will join Immigrant Union's fast-growing discography.

It's hard to believe the accomplished DeBoer started his career bashing his head against a wall, but he fondly recalls: “When I was three, I used to rock on my hands and knees on my bed and bang my head on the headboard. My parents were mortified! They mentioned it to the pediatrician and he said, 'He's not hurting himself, his head is fine – he just really likes music!' So about a year and a half later my folks bought me a drum set… God bless my parents. I mean, you gotta be kidding! Giving a five year old a drum kit! What were they thinking?”

Contemplating the Melbourne gig scene, DeBoer identifies similarities between this city and Portland, Oregon: “Portland is one-tenth the size of Melbourne, but it's probably got the same number of musicians. Everyone's in a band in Portland. Every cab driver you ride with tells you about the gigs he's got coming up. Every venue is either a live music bar or a strip club and you'll hear the exact same bands in both of those venues! The record's in one and the music is live in the other,” he laughs.

DeBoer admits he's “not an extremely prolific songwriter”, but has already nominated his favourite track on Anyway. “I like the first song. It's called Shameless. To me, that feels like my opus. When I listen to it, I can step back and hear it almost as if it's someone else. And when that happens it happens in a flash – almost in the way déjà vu happens – it suddenly switches in your brain...I think it's a really beautiful song,” he concludes softly.

The DeBoer-fronted Immigrant Union are about to release a second single, I Can't Return, from their forthcoming album and are currently the support act for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's national tour. On their approaching single launch, DeBoer says, “We'll play just about all the new album, save two songs.”