BILLIE STAR & BEN MULHERAN OF NICE BISCUIT
Hi Billie and Ben and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology. Firstly congratulations on your debut record Digital Mountain which is due out shortly. 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?
This record is a collection of our favourite songs we have written in our two years together. They all have different moods and a patchwork of genres, although, in terms of sound there’s a common thread throughout. There’s no narrative as such that ties everything together. All the songs come from different people or places so we might be writing about things differently.
Your psych, Krautrock, fuzzed out surfer vibe is on full display on your single Digital Mountain Sparrow which is perfectly echoed by the accompanying video clip. In terms of storyboarding the concept for the clip, was there a preconceived idea for this or one that was handed over to creative?
We started off with a video of moving collage images made by artist Maia Cavendish and we had the idea of superimposing us within the collage for the clip. We made a very dodgy green screen and sort of winged it. Johnny Mort from the Orange Planet then took it from there.
What were some of the challenges in putting this LP together and conversely what were some of the greatest surprises you experienced through the writing / recording process for Digital Mountain?
Being a very DIY band that's passionate about keeping creative and directional control, we embarked on all the aspects of putting this album out on our own. This meant booking the tour, organising vinyl press, making costumes, writing press releases, mixing the tracks, doing the graphics and printing our own merch. Between us we all have different skills to share and we all did our part but it was a pretty hard slog at times (there are so many things involved that we didn't foresee). Another hard part was choosing which songs to put on the record. We battled with a few songs, whether they should be on it or not. The day before our final recording day we still weren't sure what song should be our last on the album. But, we ended up choosing a song Ben wrote the day before "Here on the Ground" and we all quickly wrote and recorded our parts. It was one of the most surprising parts as it just fit so well and we finally felt like we had written an album and not just a loose association of songs.
You have in your short time performed alongside some great acts and one outfit in particular, The Growlers are an act you supported. A suitably similar band who are known for their psych rock and curated Beach Goth festival. What was it like playing with these guys?
Playing with bands like this make everything well worth it. We played on two dates, our first show in Brisbane was really fun, it was packed out and sweaty at The Zoo and the Growlers were very jet lagged. We played with them at the Gold Coast on the night after and they played for two hours straight. They had a pretty slick and impressive live show and sound. Seeing shows like that always motivates us to try and get tighter and more cohesive. They were all pretty nice guys too.
Having meet and performed with so any different musicians and artists recently, during that time, has there been any defining moments or words of wisdom that were spoken to you which really resonated with you and in turn altered the way you approach your craft?
Meeting Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown massacre was pretty exciting. We were a bit nervous meeting him but he gave us heaps of advice on how to refine and polish up our sound for a live show that we’ve taken on board. It was also really nice playing with and meeting Jen Cloher and her band. It’s always refreshing to meet people in their position who are genuine and just willing to have a chat.
The creative talents extend well beyond just the music for Nice Biscuit and specifically you create your own outfits which are showcased on stage. In terms of creating your own threads for the show, is there a correlation between your actual tracks and the outfits you wear or simply a fun extension to the D.I.Y process?
Generally, we make a new outfit for every show but it doesn't exactly match to the songs we are playing… although there is some consideration to what band or venue which kind of shapes our ideas. For our ‘Captain’ tour celebrating the release of our 7”, we made captain outfits to match the song. Grace made these incredible pink flares that we still wear all the time and I made a matching pink Sgt. Peppers-esque captain jacket with gold lapels, buttons and embellishments. Stay tuned for our costumes for the album tour, we are working on something special.
You will be performing at this year’s Big Sound but unlike many artists on the bill, it isn’t your first time. Knowing that such a show can be pivotal and help change the career trajectory of a band, is there an added sense of pressure when performing at Big Sound?
Big Sound is always fun and we’re excited to be playing again this year. We had some really good things come from playing last year like putting out the Captain 7” with Break Even Recordings. Shows like this can be important and beneficial but it’s best to not take it too seriously. We only feel the pressure when we put it on ourselves. As soon as it gets too serious you can lose the fun and there’s not much point playing if you’re not enjoying it.
To date what has been one of your most memorable gigs and for what reasons?
The Brian Jonestown massacre show at the Metro Theatre was pretty memorable. It was by far the biggest crowd and venue we’d played to and we were all pretty happy with how we played that night. We’re all big fans too so it was a pretty special show. The oxford arts factory 10th birthday was good too. There were good vibes that night, a lot of people packed into a small room. We had guitars break and lots of things go wrong but we managed to get through it and have a good time.
