Honest Instincts

13 March 2014 | 2:43 pm | Brendan Telford

"We like to keep ourselves busy and broke."

The Sinking Teeth are a band that doesn't do anything by halves. The Victorian trio have steadily blasted stages with their brand of rough and ready punk-rock, culminating in their first EP White Water late last year. Bassist Jules Doan can't believe how well things are going.

“We like to keep ourselves busy and broke,” Doan laughs. “We would prefer to do nothing else but play shows, write and record songs, then play those songs in more shows. That cycle is what we live for. As individuals we have played in other bands and are in other bands, but as The Sinking Teeth it all comes together so easy.”

The raucous energy of White Water is something that comes from a band that knows each other innately, for better or worse. Close proximity is key. “We all live together, so there are no secrets, no excuses,” Doan admits wryly. “The band itself is an outlet for us, and it has always been that way. Basically the songs are direct because they only have to pass through us three, and if we like it that's pretty much it. We're always in each other's faces, so we hate to love and love to hate each other, [but] because of that we can be straight-up.”

The Sinking Teeth pride themselves on their brutal performance energy, ensuring that the audience gets every cent they paid for. Doan avows it all comes down to one thing. “We always want to give honestly of ourselves; if you can't be honest with what you're doing, then there is no point being in a band. When you are a genuine band that puts their heart into everything no one can really touch you. It helps that our personalities come through, in both the music and when we play. We don't like to sit on an idea for too long; thinking too much about something, sitting on it and reviewing it, kills whatever brought it to life. It took almost a year to bring out White Water, whereas the new one is ready to come out and it took half the time. We just want to be doing things faster, out in front of everyone, touring and playing and giving it everything.”

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter

The Sinking Teeth have been up to Queensland before and are relishing the chance to make new fans and get amongst it once more. “The last time we were up there it was for BIGSOUND, and it was super fun, probably one of the best shows we've played,” Doan asserts. “It was a different atmosphere because everyone [at Ric's Bar] was there to watch bands play. It was packed out, everyone was crammed in there, it held a really good vibe and has led to other shows happening. We really enjoy our shows up that way.”