Nashville Pussy Are Curing Our Seven-Year Drought

In over 20 years of existence, Atlanta, Georgia-based heavy rock'n'rollers Nashville Pussy have only made it out to Australian shores twice, and not for around seven years. When asked why this might be the case, relentlessly affable lead guitarist Ruyter Suys, speaking from on tour in Seattle, has a typically blunt, good-natured response.

"Fucked if I know!" she laughs. "Rock'n'roll is a mystery my friend, I have no idea. Wanting and doing are always two completely different things when it comes to music."

The situation is soon to change, however, as the band are finally bringing their raunchy, strutting, swaggering live show Down Under again in early May, and Suys could not be happier about that situation. "Oh man, are you kidding me? We are dying for it," she emphasises, "we've been wanting to go again, since we left the last time. We had such a good time there last time, we promised we'd be back before seven years, but that's what it's taken us.

"Thank God the gods have conspired to get us back there, it's about fuckin' time. We will apologise for rock'n'roll, and make it up to you."

The ridiculously long flight from LA to Melbourne or Sydney is undoubtedly a major factor in the rarity of their Aussie appearances, and she has a very specific strategy for getting through those type of long-haul flights. "Xanax and whiskey, man," she laughs, "that's how I get through."

Suys has some crazy memories of previous Australian tours, and she is happy to relate one particular standout one. "I remember partying at this transvestite bar until the sun rose," she recalls, "we were at this bar full of ladyboys, and these women were definitely more feminine than I was. I remember going to the bathroom and seeing all the seats in the stalls up, so it was like 'yeah, they are all dudes!'"

So prior to that, what were your conceptions of Aussie blokes? "Chopper and Mad Max!" She laughs again. As stated, the band have been around for more than two decades, and during that time they have released six full-length studio albums. They are determined to bring a crowd-pleasing setlist with them this time, especially since it's been so long. "Yeah, I think we're going to do a little 'from the beginning to the end' thing for you guys," she reveals, "we're definitely going to do some of the newer songs that you haven't heard us play live before."

And they may even throw in a special new treat or two specifically for Aussie audiences. "We're working on a new album," she states, "and we should be going into the studio in September, so we'll probably trying out some weird shit on stage that even we've never heard before. "We tend to make a lot of shit up on the spot. If you've ever been to a Nashville Pussy show, you know it's not exactly rocket science!"