Luminous Humbug: No Labels.

Luminous Humbug play The Zoo on Thursday

Luminous Humbug drummer Steven Bishop has a great take on the art of songwriting. The discovery of the blinding light of inspiration. The melding of heart and soul with timeless, soaring melodies and delicate harmony. Now for the truth…

“You just throw a few guitars around and smash on the drums until you get something out there,” he explains somewhat tongue in cheek. “There’s a few iron clamps put on there through the process to really make it painful. Once more with feeling, you know.”

The hard yakka is paying dividends for the band, with the hard fought writing sessions set to see the light of day with their new single Gene.

“Basically when we record we put down as much crap as we can – layer upon layer of guitar, and then strip it back to the bare essentials. Our studio and live sounds are a lot different. We can slow it down and try a few more different things.”    While Luminous Humbug are a relatively recent addition to the live Brisbane scene, clocking only a couple of years, individually they front a wealth of experience. Guitarist Tim is a former member of Puzzlehouse, bassist Anthony played with The Batfinks and Steven was a one-time member of Powderfinger. Their experience is apparent in the big sounds the band put out both on record and live.

“Live it’s a lot rougher. We have a very loud guitarist… There’s a bit more tension. The guys also played for a few years in the covers circuit, which gives you a bit of disciple. You just go full throttle, and it sounds good with good songs.”

“Anthony’s into big choruses, which is always good for those big anthemic rock tunes and ballads. Tim’s a bit more quirky, but it’s basically based on the reaction that we get from people.”

So anything that’s going to get synchronised dancing girls up there is going to stay in the set?

“Oh yeah, it’s all entertainment.”

The release of their Gene three track disc is in a state of flux at the moment while the band look for a label.

“We’re looking at the end of the year to put out the disc. Chuck everything in it and record some more, and see where we go from there. You are competing with a lot of bands. You get your organization together, or so I’ve heard,” he jokes. “You get your PR together, and then you get your touring happening… It’s hard when you’re competing with Boyzone, but it’s good fun. You’ve got to find your niche in the music industry.”

“We’re trying to put out a single, but we need a record company, and we can’t find one at the moment. MGM will put out anybody, as long as there’s a record company involved. It’s more time consuming than anything putting your own label together. You need to get a few people together for things like legals. You need to keep the business thing going. A lot of bands are doing it, and it’s been fairly successful.”