Speaking to FasterLouder from Austin Texas after a chaotic few days at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music conference, Michael Tomlinson, lead singer of Yves Klein Blue, is in good spirits. He enthuses that the band has been receiving a new type of education since all four members jettisoned their university degrees to commit their time to music.
Reflecting on his band’s tour with The Longnecks (better known as The Living End ), Michael reveals how those guys completely changed their perception of playing live. “Before we started touring we were just getting an idea of playing live, but they’re such a good band. They make it look so easy.”
Being the cheekily ambitious band that they are, though, Yves Klein Blue challenged The Longnecks to a ‘rock-off’, adjudicated by the sound man. Although Michael almost headed to a casualty ward – “I tripped over a pedal and almost dislocated my knee,” he laughs – both bands gave the crowd a healthy dose of rock showmanship not soon to be forgotten.
For the past few weeks, Yves Klein Blue’s unique style of pop-rock has been administered to the United States of America. Shows in L.A and a sold-out Bowery Ballroom in New York City supporting The Vines bookended a successful SXSW appearance.
“We didn’t expect too much [from SXSW], having no release,” Michael admits, “But the Aussie BBQ had tons of people. [It’s] a good day party, you know, as far as day parties go. The showcase was excellent too – that was probably our best show.”
Michael speaks in a scattergun style, attempting to cover all bases of their whirlwind tour. This frantic pace is understandable, considering the upwards trajectory of Yves Klein Blue following a “totally unexpected” victory in the MTV Kickstart competition. That win injected a substantial $20,000 into the band’s coffers and helped finance the band’s EP.
That this rapid success is still new to Yves Klein Blue is none the more obvious when Michael starts talking about brushing shoulders with music royalty. Even though Yves Klein Blue has toured with such illustrious acts as The Longnecks, Ben Kweller and You Am I, he still got a kick out of hearing Lou Reed give a talk.
“[It] was a real thrill. He’s my greatest musical hero and he’s been with me all the way.”
Yves Klein Blue only has London left on their tour map. They then return home to launch their EP: a brash, swaggering bunch of songs which pay a healthy nod to The Libertines and the Velvet Underground.
Michael, however, is sure the songs will stand for themselves, noting that guitarist Charles and bassist Sean are “audiophiles”. He modestly notes that the band is “quietly proud” that the Caleb James produced record will do well with the punters back home.
Considering the band’s recent achievements, it’s fair to say that Yves Klein Blue have got rights to be more than just “quietly proud”. They should expect a warm reception when they finally touch back down on Australian soil.
Yves Klein Blue’s EP launch tour takes in the following dates:
5 Apr – The Troubadour, Brisbane
11 Apr – Spectrum, Sydney
12 Apr – The Tote, Melbourne
taken from: http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/features/12729/Yves-Klein-Blue-Texas-Victorious.htm
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