Dead Letter CircusThe work of Dead Letter Circus is very much part of a broader Australian sound. Drawing on heavy metal and hard rock but still standing somewhat outside of it, theirs is the melodic and metallic sound of acts like Cog, Karnivool and The Butterfly Effect. Yet, where those acts have largely plateaued nationally, Dead Letter Circus have managed to effectively conquer Australia and are continuing to make in-roads in the US.
Their debut album This Is The Warning, released through Warner Music in 2010, debuted at #2 on the ARIA Charts. They've played support to heavyweights like Muse and Linkin Park, in addition to multiple sell-out performances as a headline act. In the US, This Is the Warning was released through Sumerian Records in 2011 and the band continue to criss-cross the nation regularly alongside acts like The Faceless and Animals As Leaders.
“It's all been really exciting,” Luke Williams enthuses of the band's successes. “You know, I remember the first time we got to tour the US, we were all just so excited about the idea of being able to play our music to people in other countries. The internet is such a powerful tool. We were touring there before the album had even been released over there and people still knew our songs, knew our material. It's been amazing.
“We're still a part of that community, though. You know, we rehearse in the same complex as The Butterfly Effect guys. We're still really tight with them,” the drummer adds. “The Karnivool guys are like our big brothers, in a way. We played with Sub Atari Knives just recently and that's got Nick [Adams] from Mammal. So, yeah, we've been successful, but there's still a really strong sense of community there for us, I think.”
It's been a stunning shift to witness. Dead Letter Circus have been successful from the outset. Their 2007 eponymous debut EP saw them immediate triple j stalwarts, earning them appearances at Big Day Out and a signing to major label Warner. Nevertheless, few would have predicted they would evolve into a chart-bothering mainstream sensation – or a popular international export.
“I don't know. A lot of people always seem to come up to me at shows and tell me how their music has really gotten through hard times,” Williams muses. “I'm not sure how it does that but I figure it must have something to do with Kim [Benzie – vocals]. His lyrics or the way he sings or something just seems to create an emotional connection. I think that's where a lot of our success has come from, really – that emotional connection.”
Unfortunately, such transformations are rarely without their expenses. For example, the band have had to recently farewell founding member Rob Maric. Dead Letter Circus' original guitarist, Maric's unique style played a pivotal role in developing and defining the band's sound – the guitarist often opting for intricate, cascading melodies over standard riffs and chord progressions.
This year, Maric decided that he simply couldn't continue with the band for the foreseeable future. The band have only said that he's dealing with some personal issues and that he couldn't commit to the band's heavy work schedule until such issues were resolved. Since his departure, the band have been making do with a handful of different guitarists – some for playing live, some for writing and recording.
“It was mutual and amicable. We're still on speaking terms with Rob. The way that it happened was that he needed to get out and sort out some stuff before he could do anything musical again, because his personal life was starting to impact on his work as a musician,” Williams explains. “He just needed to do a bit of a John Frusciante, I think. Take some time out of the band to take care of himself.
“When he's ready, we'll be happy to have him back,” the drummer clarifies. “Like I said, it was all very amicable. There was nothing bitter about it. If there was, we certainly wouldn't be keeping the door open for him. Live, we've had Clint Vincent playing Rob's parts and in the studio we've been using a guy called Luke Palmer. If and when Rob's ready to come back, though, we'll be happy to take him.”
In a strange way, the band's decision to press on through such a split only emphasises their singular approach as a band. Over the past handful of years, their peers have split and divided around them; The Butterfly Effect famously parted ways with their singer earlier this year and have yet to find a replacement, and Cog disintegrated unceremoniously just two years ago. Dead Letter Circus continue to stay strong.
“I don't think there was ever any doubt that we would still be a band when Rob left. You know, we thought about a lot of different guitar players to replace him and, fortunately, we had a whole bunch of great guys put their hands up to help out,” Williamson reflects. “We're all pretty passionate about this project, though, so none of us were really up for dumping it just because Rob left.
If anything, Dead Letter Circus continue to thrive where their counterparts have fallen short. They'll be touring America again in the near future, they've just played their debut performance in India for Waves, Relive the Streets Festival, and they're currently putting the finishing touches on their second album (due for release next year). Their ambition remains unrestrained.
“I think the new album's sounding good. We just premiered a new song at a gig recently and it went down really well. It's probably the heaviest song we've ever written,” Williams says of the band's future. “We're kind of going back into the direction of that first EP, in a way. That really manic, too-much-coffee approach. That's been really cool, to take things back in that direction.
“We definitely feel a bit of pressure following up our first album. You know, when your band gets to a level where you have a lot of people invested in your work – not just your fans, but labels and publicists – you naturally want to come up with something to make them happy. I just don't think there's actually much we can do about that. We're all pretty easygoing guys, at the end of the day.
“I mean, really, I think we just want to keep going and take this as far as it can go,” Williams summarises. “You know, I'd love to crack Europe, I'd love to be bigger in America, I'd love for us to tour Asia. I'd really just love for us to be able to take it to the next level within Australia and really make some incredible live shows. I think that's it, though. We just want to see how far we can take our music.”
Dead Letter Circus will be playing the following dates:
Friday 14 - Saturday 15 December - Festival of the Sun, Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park, Port Macquarie NSW
Wednesday 26 December - Surfers Paradise Beergarden, Surfers Paradise QLD
Thursday 27 December - The Entrance Leagues Club, The Entrance NSW
Friday 28 December - The Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor NSW
Saturday 29 December - Waves, Towradgi NSW
Saturday 29 - Tuesday 1 January - Pyramid Rock Festival, Phillip Island VIC
