Interview: POW! Negro fill us in on the name change to SUPEREGO, future plans

Header photo by Matsu Photography.

After a brief period of fervent speculation following the announcement POW! Negro had played their final shows under, the Fremantle-based six-piece recently launched their new moniker, SUPEREGO, with a compelling first single in I Am The Judge. A little more electronic and little more polished than the rambunctious blend of rap and rock'n'roll that came before, we discovered SUPEREGO is a chance for the group to march forward as one complete unit, combining their shared experiences into a more focused project.

It's an exciting new phase for one of this state's most hyped bands, and we had a quick chat with the group ahead of some special shows to get SUPEREGO rolling - check it out below along with that run of dates down the bottom:

First up let’s start with the obvious – POW! Negro is no more, enter SUPEREGO, you’ve mentioned how much you’ve grown over the past couple of years and wanting the name to be a better representation of the group as a whole – can you expand a little more on that?

Under POW! Negro it was, lyrically, about Nelson and his experiences. Now with SUPEREGO we all have the opportunity to express ourselves lyrically. It’s important for us to feel inclusive of everyone and it’s more to signify a change for us, internally, then it is an external change.

What are you guys most proud of with the POW! Negro project?

We got to play some really amazing shows and big festivals. To be mentioned in the same sentence as some of our idols, rubbing shoulders with some high profile national and international artists was really big for us. We’re also really proud of the live show and how far it has launched us into the national music scene.

And looking forward to SUPEREGO and the new single, I Am The Judge, it’s a compelling first cut, is this a sign of things to come sonically for the group moving forward?

Yeah, in a sense, in that we are bringing a lot of different influences – something that was always important to POW. The electronic influence is going to shine through a little more going forward, production wise.

You worked with James Ireland on the track, what’d be he bring to the table?

Cowbells! He also really helped us bring the feel we wanted with the production for ...Judge. His experience really helped, and we learnt a lot in terms of working with a professional.

Are you guys working on anything longer form, like an EP or album?

We’re working on an EP at the moment. It’s been a really great experience so far, it’s sounding a lot closer to what we want to be than the last EP. It’s more beats driven than the last one and probably less rock. The process has changed somewhat. Before we would make a beat, make it live and then record the live version of the song. Now the beats are the songs being released, which we’re excited about.

You’ve got a few live shows coming up in Sydney, Melbourne and home, does the new moniker come with a new live setup – what can we expect?

Everything will be bigger and fatter and more electronic and more diverse sonically.

Once this mini-tour wraps up, what’s the plan for the rest of the year for SUPEREGO?

We’re finishing up this EP and hopefully get it out this year. We’ve got some cool festivals coming up, Strawberry Fields and Caloundra Festival and hopefully a few more tours here and there around the EP.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

Fri 10 Aug - The Chippo, Sydney (TICKETS)

Sat 11 Aug - The Workers Club, Fitzroy (TICKETS)

Sat 18 Aug - Ningalens Festival, Exmouth

Fri 24 Aug - The Aardvark, Fremantle (TICKETS)

Sat 29-Sun 30 Sep - Caloundra Music Festival, Caloundra

Fri 16-Sun 18 Nov - Strawberry Fields @ The Wildlands, Tocumwal

Follow SUPEREGO: FACEBOOK