Death By Stereo

“I don't only play video games,” he says almost defensively when there is an involuntarily chuckle at his enthusiasm for the FIFA game. “I've got a real soccer game tonight at 7.30! I've been following soccer for a while and shit. I hadn't really played soccer since I was twelve, but over the last year I've gotten more into it. Pretty much every time a game is on I try to watch it. Some of my friends have a city league team so I was like, 'Ah whatever, I need to go fucking run around a little bit anyways with my fat ass,' so yeah I started playing this year. It's been awesome.”

It's not the only thing that has been awesome for Barrett over the past 12 months. Bass Drum Of Death has been breaking new ground with the momentum of a runaway freight train. This year at SXSW, despite it being the fourth year he has played, he says it really became something else. “It was really awesome this time,” he drawls with an uncharacteristic excitement seeping through his slacker nonchalance. “When we played last year the record had just been announced, so a lot of people still didn't know who we were. We definitely played more shows this time than ever before. We played ten shows over four days, so it was hectic but it was fucking awesome. There's time when I've played in the past when you can't tell which shows are gonna be amazing and which shows you can't believe you agreed to do, because there's so much shit going on and everyone and their mom is having a showcase. We never felt like it wasn't worth it at all this year, there was always people there to see us. It was fun – I'm still kinda hungover from it and it was over a week ago.”

Bass Drum Of Death's debut album GB City is out on Fat Possum Records, a label with a fine tradition of exposing messy garage rock to the wider world from its base in Barrett's hometown. He says he didn't really do a lot of campaigning to get it to happen and is very pleased that it all come together so naturally.

“Well they put out my first record when I was doing a one man band,” he explains, “so I've known those dudes for a while. Some of my best friends work there and I worked there for a while, so I've kept in touch. By the time I was finished the record I didn't want to bother those guys with it, so I made plans for the record to come out on a smaller label that was based out of New York. When a couple of things popped up on the internet they [Fat Possum] asked to do it, so I let them hear it and they were like, 'Oh fuck, let's do it!' which was fine with me and kind of what I wanted anyway. I didn't wanna be like the kid down the street saying, 'Hey sir! Please put my record out', so it was good it came about the way these things are supposed to happen.”

While not looking forward to the long plane ride over, Barrett is stoked about his first trip to Australia and since they're only going be here for such a short time, is planning on just keeping the good times rolling. “The whole flying thing is kind of a drag for me,” he says. “But I'm looking forward to partying with you Australians. I've heard you're pretty good at it.”