Frenzal Rhomb at the Big Day Out
THIS YEAR marks Frenzal Rhomb's second Big Day Out appearance and this time they will be playing shows in all cities. It was in fact the 1994 BDO that can be credited with exposing the band to a wider audience and consequently helped them to gain their current status as one of the country's most popular live bands.
It'S a Thursday afternoon and I'm looking forward to having a beer or two with Frenzal singer Jason Whalley at a well known Newtown pub. As I'm rushing around getting ready to meet Whalley, the phone rings:
Hello
Hello, is this Dave the 'gentleman' Lornie, the handsomest man in rock?
It is indeed, but I'm afraid you have the advantage of me, sir. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?
It's Jason from Frenzal Rhomb
Ah, excellent, the skinniest man in rock!
Uh, yeah, right, umm, unfortunately I can't meet you at the **** Hotel (name omitted to protect the guilty). I've kinda been banned from there
That's all right, we'll meet across the road, I'll see you there in half an hour
Thus did I find myself an hour later at an undisclosed location in Newtown talking to Mr Whalley about Frenzal's forthcoming appearances at the final Big Day Out shows.
This is your second Big Day Out. How did the first one go for you?
Jay
It was really good for us to play and this one should cement our status as one of the crappest bands around. (laughs)
Everyone knows that a good punk must have a pet rat and I hear that you have pioneered a new method of rodent training.
Jay
I do actually have a couple of pet rats and there's an exceptionally good way to stop them shitting on your shoulder and urinating down the back of your neck - which isn't an entirely unpleasant experience in itself but... When they do a shit you just flick them in the kags and they learn pretty fast! If you can imagine if you were the size of a rat and the relative size of a human finger on your kags, you'd learn pretty quick!
Has the new guitarist, Lindsay, finally paid his dues?
Jay
He'll never pay his dues. Unfortunately he thinks that he will at some stage but he's not going to. The closer he thinks he gets to paying his dues the further out of reach his dues become.
Every time he tries to make a part payment on his dues the interest goes up... By the way, Ben (former guitarist) is half the man he used to be but he is slowly piecing his shattered life back together.
Are you planning to release any new material in the near future?
Jay
Yeah, hopefully if we can write more than two songs, which we've done at the moment... but they're good songs (laughs) and I reckon people will pay thirty nine bucks for those two songs.
You were seen at a recent gig dressed very elegantly in a tuxedo. Are you perhaps entering your Frank Sinatra period?
Jay
That's the look I'm going for - the smooth look. I think it's important to dress well at functions, especially rock functions as you see too many badly-dressed people.
Whalley's eyes than glaze over as he stares dreamily into the distance and starts muttering about a solo career after Frenzal Rhomb where the elegant, older set will swoon as he croons to the delicate tinkling of ivories. I snap him out of his state of near catatonia by reminding him that it's his shout. As he ambles towards the bar still muttering to himself I take the opportunity to sneak out the back door.
By Dave Lornie