Hear & Now - Yves Klein Blue

Brisbane band Yves Klein Blue has a sound as distinct as the colour they take their name from and recently won the MTV Kickstart competition.

Yves Klein Blue have been together for less than a year, though in that time they have landed some choice support slots in their hometown and released their debut EP, Draw Attention to Themselves. The band has certainly done that by recently winning the MTV Kickstart competition. YourGigs goes Hear & Now with singer Michael Tomlinson to find out more.

yG: When and how did your band form?

Michael Tomlinson: Charles and I were in Mighty Morphine Powder Railers for two years before they broke up. We then spent two years kicking around songs and ideas for songs, recording them at Charles's house on the equipment we had both amassed over the years. It was halfway through 2006 when I met Chris [Banham, drummer].

He was captain of percussion at his school but had never played kit before. He bought one and joined the band. Sean [Cook, bass] was the year below Charles and I at school, but then showed up in one of Charles's uni lectures. After a while he was invited to practice and then to stay. The name of that band was Exploding Heads but was then changed to Yves Klein Blue.

yG: Describe your sound.

MT: It's a clash-y blend of pop, old punk, indie rock, and rockabilly that has jazz elements and draws on the rock'n'roll music of all eras.

yG: Who or what are your three biggest influences?

MT: The playing styles of each member are the result of very different backgrounds so it's impossible to say. The writing process was undoubtedly influenced by The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed, The Strokes, and various others.

yG: What current act would you give a limb to be on the same bill as?

MT: Don't make us choose! We'll be quadruple amputees! The Strokes, Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen, Muse and The Flaming Lips... to begin with. We do have 16 limbs between us...

yG: What's been the highlight of your musical career so far?

MT: Two really spring to mind. The first is this MTV Kickstart thing we are involved in right now, the second is playing our first festival at Round and Round last December.

yG: Best gig you've played?

MT: At the Zoo, supporting Little Hill. We nailed that one. We're always hyper-critical of our own performances - this one was one of the few gigs that we finished up and were like, "we're fucking good!"

yG: What's your favourite venue in Australia?

MT: We'd have to play them all to answer that! Best one so far is the Zoo though - they have the best sound so far.

yG: One gig in history you wish you were at?

MT: Michael and Charles would've both loved to have heard the Velvet Underground perform 'Sister Ray'.

yG: What's your goal for the next 12 to 18 months?

MT: Good things have been happening lately so hopefully we can keep that ball rolling. We'd like to have a full-length album out by the end of the year and be touring nationally and overseas.

Andy Ryan
28 Mar 2007

taken from: http://www.yourgigs.com.au/interviews/?interview_id=116657