Straight Shooting

Unwinding in a bathtub full of dyed-green water, a spin to make cleaning time fun for his two-year-old son, Ox is in as colourful a mood as the liquid he's submerged in. Not that anything less was really expected. The musical activist continues to push the envelope and deliver abrasive messages as the volatile voice and face of metal-hip hop hybrid Over-Reactor, following time in now-defunct projects Mammal and Full Scale.

“Rock'n'roll is something that I'm really passionate about,” he tells, his voice echoing around the bathroom thanks to speakerphone. “I love being on stage in that format and it's a good leveller – it's a working-class place to be, the pub,” he reasons. “It's demanding on the body, it's demanding on the voice but most of all it's demanding on your will to make it happen. Over-Reactor is the third hard-rock project for me and I'm really proud of those first two, and I know Corey [Blight, drummer/multi-instrumentalist] is really proud of where he came from too, but really it's about picking yourself back up and getting on with it and, that element, I have a real passion for it: Turning up in some place you don't know and playing to an [unfamiliar] audience, and really having to prove yourself again and again.”

After more than a decade on the stage following a background in performing arts, the 32-year-old says that many people expect him to be mellowing out by now. However, 'Zeke' has plenty of fire in the tank and a world full of fuel to fan those flames. “I was lucky enough to see Jello Biafra [Dead Kennedys] in London when Mammal was touring over there,” he recalls, “and to see the energy that he bought, at 50 years old, was fucking inspiring. It just shows that if you're really committed you don't get tired and you continue to battle against the fucking boredom.”

This general apathy Ox speaks of is what he sees far too regularly across our country, a trend that their most recent LP, Mouth Of The Ghetto, challenges. “That's what's driving us and hopefully every person that picks up a microphone or a fucking guitar – not selling records, not trying to fit into the latest production model. There's a real malaise and a real lack of style, commitment and substance in the world at large at the moment, not just in the music industry but everywhere. Fashion, politics – there's a whole lot of people just toeing the line. I think humans are better than that.”

But if you're looking for the full confrontational force of the Melbourne duo, then step into the pit. “We're a band that are going to test venues and test audiences,” he states, not so much a warning but a fact. “The band make-up is only two members, but the sound is massive. It's physical, it's confrontational, and we've had so many people just love it. The people that make music and understand have given us a lot, and we're continuing to work hard and develop what we think is a new paradigm. But this is a chance for people to go back to their friends and say, 'I saw something really different and I'm not quite sure what it is yet.' Because Over-Reactor doesn't quite know what it is yet, either. But we're in the process of discovering what this is. We don't want to be a part of [any] scene; we want to carve out something for ourselves.”

Over-Reactor will be playing the following dates:

Friday 7 December - The Burdekin, Darlinghurst NSW
Saturday 8 December - Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW
Thursday 13 December - Crowbar, Fortitude Valley QLD