JOHN BOWKER OF BORN LION
Hi John and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology. It is almost a year to the day since you released your sophomore record Celebrate The Lie. Since that time how has the record sat with you as a band in terms of the reaction it received, performing the tracks live and its place in the musical landscape?
We still thoroughly enjoy playing tracks from it live. I think in general though we are keen to move onto new territory. Our sound is always changing and morphing and the next thing we do will likely be different again.
In terms of the writing and lyrical content, was there an overarching narrative tying the album together or an assortment of topics and inspirations that zig zag throughout the record?
Yeah good observation. There is a lot of themes that are relevant to personal life experience and circumstances. It's much more reflective than our first record in which I was more writing from character based themes.
You have worked alongside many great producers, mixers and engineers such as Jimmy Balderstone (Luca Brasi, High Tension), Ryan Hazell (The Drones, Green Buzzard), Jason Blackwell (Midnight Oil, The Hard-Ons). Individually what have these very talented people taught you which has not only added to the sound of Born Lion but also that of your musicianship?
Each one has had something unique to offer and has taught us a lot. Blackwell for example hadn't worked in a production space for some time so he was really enthusiastic and willing to try out different things. This rubbed off on us and made it all more exciting.
Not content with just releasing great material, Born Lion have curated the Bigger Than Jesus Fest. How did this project start for you?
It’s been something that has been simmering in the background for a while. We didn't have the time frame to do as many shows as we normally would so I thought let's make the ones we can do as big as possible. All the bands on the bills are good mates.
Every music lover dreams of the chance to put on their own festival and secure greats acts for the bill. Were there particular artists you had in mind right from the word go that you had to have on the line-up and conversely any artists that came as a surprise?
It was a real no brainer. A lot of bands we are good mates with and some we just haven't been able to play with due to timing. It all lined up really easy which was awesome.
Did you look to other musicians and curators for inspiration when mulling over the concept, logistics and project management of Bigger Than Jesus Fest?
Not really. We had help from our agent at Harbour and just figured it out as we went... if you book them they will come.
From your own experience what amazing festival have you attended and for what reasons was it particularly impressive? You can’t go past some of the old school Big Day Out’s. So much variety and stuff happening everywhere you turn. You could happen upon a stage and discover your new favourite band. More local scale festivals like Blurst of Times are great for the sense of community and celebration of the scene.
Do you find touring to be inspirational whereby it helps you write and create more material or are you so focused on the task at hand that writing and creating new material takes a back seat?
Yeah when we tour that is generally the main focus. When we have less shows I'm more inclined to get in a creative zone and will play guitar and write regularly.
On a personal level what does music give you that nothing else does?
Music is a great escape from the world. When I'm writing I'm totally immersed in it. It's always a mystery as to what's going to come up and the wanting to hear the end result keeps us going.
