Girls Against Boys play the Hotel Great Northern, Byron Bay on Thursday, the Troccadero, Surfers Paradise on Friday and The Zoo on Saturday and Sunday.
It’s taken six albums and more single, EP, soundtrack and compilation releases than you can poke a stick at. Finally, DC based quartet Girls Against Boys are bound for Australia. Since the end of the eighties Girls Against Boys have been pushing out the kind of reactionary blend of indie rock and hardcore punk laden with so much passion and integrity you’ve no choice but to pay attention. If you’ve not yet discovered them, you’re in for a treat, and if you’re a long time fan their upcoming gigs should be pure nirvana.
It’s not like we’ve not wanted them down here before, quite the opposite. In fact there’s often been speculation the band would find themselves some gigs, most recently following the release of their Freak On Ice album in 1998. With new disc You Can’t Fight What You Can’t See fresh in stores, the band are finally hitting the road with Magic Dirt.
“Mostly our tours have just fallen apart at the last minute,” drummer Alexis Fleisig explains. “It’s always been more of a rumour more than a reality. We made it as far as Japan and thought we could sneak down there, but we couldn’t do it. We’ve always been jealous of people who get down there, so now we can be jealous of ourselves.”
Are Girl Against Boys still very much a get in the van and hit the road type of act?
“We did have the opportunity to get on the bus once,” he laughs. “That was great, but we’ve always done it in the van. Basically manage ourselves and everything.”
Do you think the self-reliance of the band on the road bring you closer to the people at your shows?
“Definitely. I mean, one thing I notice about being on a bus is that you have no idea where you are. The joke about not knowing what town you’re in is true on a bus. You’re playing these similar little venues and you see the bus, the venue and then on the bus to sleep. We like to do a lot of sight seeing while we’re on tour, so this way we can plan to go and see things on the way. It’s more memorable. Sometimes in Europe we can stay with friends, and that’s when you have the best stories; staying with someone in some screwed up situation.”
I have to call him out and ask for an example of such a story…
“In Europe there’s a lot of squats. One we stayed in was an old insane asylum, that was totally abandoned. It was attached to a chapel that had been destroyed and had a real Stephen King sort of vibe to it. The first floor was locked up. In Spain there’s a secret police force that has a bad reputation for just making people disappear, and apparently the people that were there before the people we were staying with ran a pirate radio station, and they got taken away.”
“So we were snooping around, and we got into what looked like the kitchen, and the entire kitchen is set up with pans on the stove filled with food, and the table was set, everything totally covered with mould. You have no idea if you’re just going to find a body. The bathroom was locked from the inside, but there was no one in it. We found all the radio station equipment… There’s always some bizarre thing going on.”
Do you think being in a touring band is kind of conducive to getting involved in strange experiences. Do strange events just seem to have a way of finding you?
“I think so. I think it gives you an inroad. People let you into their lives in a way they wouldn’t if you were just a tourist or something. It gives you some instant credibility so people feel safe around you or something.”
Did you always have a travel bug? Is being in a band a good way for you to just get out and see the world?
“I think when we first started going on tour, and we’d be in these different places and I’d think, wow, this would be a great place to come back and visit as a tourist. Then I realised I wouldn’t be able to come back to a place like this, so you’ve got to make the most of each opportunity while you can. Mostly everyone feels like this unless we’re all hung over. If we’re not we’ll get out and try to see something we’ve never seen.”
Are there places you’re beginning to feel like a local, and know your way around?
“Yeah, unfortunately there are a few cities we’re just kind of bored with. You’re always walking around in the same neighbourhood, and if you’re back in the same clubs you can get tired, but it doesn’t happen very often.”
