GET TO KNOW BRONTE PUBLIC HOUSE

Bronte Public House is an exciting new indie music and art project. A collaboration between some of Sydneys most promising creatives encompassing all things music, live, ﬁlm and art.

Their music is a combination of hypnotic indie and psych rock; groovy bass lines meeting ﬂoating vocals, psychedelic instrumentation and tapey drums. Deep lyrics allow the chill mood to transcend into a depth one can feel in their heart as though the writing was their own creation.

Their new single titled ‘All A Dream’ released today, Friday 20th November is an expression of mixed feelings towards the ‘norm.’ Upon listening, one may feel like they too are living in a dream. What's real? And do our most cherished moments live on forever?

‘All A Dream’ is the first single taken from the forthcoming Bronte Public House EP.

BPH: Hello AMS, hope you legends are doing well! Thanks for this! This is being written by Jimmy of BPH!

You guys are a collective of creatives and wear many different hats in many different creative mediums such as, art, film and obviously music. How did this all start?

BPH: It started in 2018 when I was recording a little solo EP with my friend Oscar. Who’s one of the genius’ behind ‘Mel Blue’. I was making a kind of acoustic thing because I wanted it to be different from Hiaground, which had been my band since I sang in front of people for the first time at the ripe old age of 19. Oscar was into the acoustic vibe and got that I wanted it to sound different. But to be honest i think he was bored!! Maybe I was too! Hahah…. Oscar was like nup we’re making this bigger, let me have a jam on the drums……..

And so it became another indie rock project because the world does not have enough of them….

As I got more confident in the studio I really started to experiment and enjoy being as creative as possible. I found a lot of appreciation for songwriting in the moment, surrounded by a plethora of weird instruments and gear. Some of the tunes that will eventually be out in the world were literally recorded in crazy 4 hour sessions that could have been done way better but wouldn't have the same feeling for me. I love thinking of music as a moment and less as an ongoing piece of work. Sometimes its cool to think of it in that way but in general whatever comes out in the moment for me is what will be released to ze world. Even if it's one imperfect full take of a full vocal track. I love remembering that moment knowing that i rolled with it. I mean, its not like at a live show I can sing the same word 6000 times until i get it perfect.

The first EP was fun but not too experimental. It's all the upcoming recordings with ‘All A Dream’ as the true beginning of Bronte Public House in my opinion.

As soon as the music started feeling like it was quirky and finding its own aesthetic, I had a better idea about the project as a whole. I didn’t want it to be just another band. I really want BPH to feel like a conceptual art project, something in which the music, art, visuals and live shows have some further character and a weird story line attached. As the project and music releases unfold, this will make more sense, or maybe the opposite and be truely WTF.. haha..

A friend I practically grew up with - Olly Kamp, has always been into art, but in the last couple of years after living in Amsterdam and being inspired by the culture and art scene over there, has really taken the creative dive. His art is so trippy, but it feels modern and not just like classic ‘psychadelic’. I really feel like the quirk in his art, matches the quirk in upcoming BPH music, and thus we partnered up. Olly does all the visual art for BPH which includes Single Artworks, Prints that people can have on their walls, and merchandise. I am inspired by Ollys creativity and every time he makes an artwork for a song or something, I am blown away.. He’s currently living in this crazy farm house near mullumbimby and his first exhibition in Byron Bay was amazing. I think the freedom up there is really taking the art to another level.

Another friend of mine Lewis has some weird talent on the camera for capturing real nostalgic feeling and moments. So he’s shooting all the clips and helping create this dialogue / story line that will become the BPH project.

Along with my friend Sammy Barron who is on the bass, we want BPH to feel less about individual musicians and more like a wider scope art project. By the time we hit the OAF in december, BPH will be the kind of act where even if people don’t know the music, they can still feel connected to it as they're watching a show with characters and nuance, accompanied by an Ollys trippy art.

Congratulations on the release of ‘All A Dream’ this single was mainly created in house, but you guys also had some sessions with Oscar of Mel Blue. What was the experience like working with Oscar bringing this single to life?

BPH: Thank you so much! Working with Oscar is always amazing. He was one of my biggest influences in the studio and pretty much opened the door for me in that world. Oscar helped inspire the confidence in myself to actually get in there and press record.

‘All A Dream’ was written and produced in a day by Sam and I, and then when we felt like the song was as good as we could possibly make it, and as close to the aesthetic we wanted, we got Oscar on board. He has such an amazing ear for music in a way that I appreciate just like when songwriting; he might see / hear something i did in the production and know he could do it way different and a million times better, but he would value the moment i was in when I crafted / recorded that sound and keep it rather than scrapping it and starting from total scratch. (unless it’s really bad)!

My favourite part of ‘All A Dream’ is the bridge when Sam and I are kind of just screaming haha… And Oscar took that section to a whole new level in his mix and master. When Sam and I heard it for the first time we were like WHAT THE SALAD…… He smoothed the edges, refined the sounds, and took our vintage taste further. He found a sound in the guitar that i didn’t even know was there. This weird like scratchy space echo trip.. It was probably buried amongst my horrible mix and his ears were like THAT'S THE SOUND.

Oscar actually produced the rest of the EP with Sam and I so some of the tracks have some very cool production and instrumentation going on.

I really love knowing that everyone who has involvement in the music which ends up being released to the world, is somebody that I know well and appreciate. It's amazing to send your music overseas for the best mix / master ever.. But it's even cooler to take it down the road to your old friend that you used to play the worlds worst gigs with.

Oscar and I recently did a studio today and made a song from scratch. It's absolutely crazy. But that's not gonna come for a little while.

Now that restrictions are eased, it’s so good that the live scene is starting to come back! You have already had a show in Bondi & we see that you have a show at the Oxford Art Factory soon with Mel Blue and Abby Bella May, What was it like without having gigs for a few months, did it affect BPH at all?

BPH: The time out from playing live, and pretty much from doing everything I was doing, E.g. working… has got to be the best thing to happen so far to BPH. I understand these times are super tough, our industry is in crisis, and on a global level the world may never be the same. But for the first time, i felt truly free to focus on my creativity. Luckily I am in Sydney and we didn’t have to go through what people in Victoria and other parts of the world are experiencing. Richmond and the storm taking out the comps has gotta be a little win for the Victorian crew.

Suddenly I wasn't juggling two jobs and gigs and recording and life. Suddenly I wasn't comparing my life to all of my friends because we were all in the same boat. I literally felt relieved. Pushing to be a creative person in this world is borderline CRAZY. To stay at home and write music all day feels like a sin and that i'm falling behind in some crazy race that no one even knows what they're running for... This pandemic gave me the opportunity to actually have nothing to do besides be creative.

It kind of goes to show how much government support can help bring value in some aspects to the creative world and industries. I recorded 2 stand alone singles, a 5 track EP and a full length album in the past 6 months. That is some creative output that perhaps only established artists with huge record deals can have.. Because they have the time and money to do it. I'm lucky that i have access to a studio and the skills to record stuff myself, It makes it way cheaper.. But seriously ‘All A Dream’ wouldn’t exist if it were life as usual for me this year.

Our government puts so much funding into things which in my opinion ruin our world. And leave things that we cherish the most like CULTURE, ART AND MUSIC, to wither away in the desert of no opportunity… Can any politician please tell me what Australian culture would be like without ACDC, INXS, MIDNIGHT OIL, REDGUM, EVERY BAND….These are the people who we look to when we are in crisis. These are the people we craft Australian culture around. These are the same people who are becoming extinct as fast as the poor koalas… To make a living as a musician in Australia is no short of a joke.. Pubs who used to make their money from events, now make more from small dark life-less pokie rooms. How many 80s live music venues are now gone??? Sorry about the rant…. But I guess corona just proved to me that with some actual government support, people can do amazing things that in turn may benefit the economy and culture. How many other bands have had their most creative output during this time. I'm sure I'm not the only example.

It is scary to think about the future of the live music industry, however exciting to think about the excitement when (hopefully) things are back to normal. I have deep hopes that Corona has given our populations some freedoms that did not exist before. E.g. Half the world is now working from home.. I hope that with more freedom comes more happiness, and with more happiness comes more people choosing things that add joy to their lives like listening to music and seeing gigs.

I'm super excited to be playing the OAF with a bunch of my best friends on Dec 18. It's going to be a great way to see out the year, and a real celebration of all this music that has been created. Mel Blue and Abby Bella May have both really begun to make a mark on the music scene this year by putting out some incredible music.

All A Dream is a part of a debut EP which comes out soon. How does the process of creating an EP differ from creating a stock standard single for you guys?

BPH: I’m all about recording full bodies of work. I know that these days it's way smarter to just release singles and do it like that.. But I cherish my favourite albums and the artists that made these so much. (Thankyou Pink Floyd, War On Drugs, Khruangbin, Tame Impala, Mac De Marco, Neil Young to name a few) and hope to create albums that can be cherished too. There's just something cooler and better about it. I don’t care if I don’t have some crazy successful hit single.. What will bring me a lot more career satisfaction is knowing that there's a small group of people who love a full album that I made and have created their own interpretations of its meaning. I am so inspired by bands like KIng Gizz who just pump out so much music. Album after album.. How cool is that. They are giving their audience so much more than 99 percent of big names these days. They are actually Challenging their audience.. They are breaking free of any mould and saying hey person who likes metal, how about this acoustic guitar, or psych song etc…… LEGENDS.

I am a King Gizz fan and could safely say that I am not totally up to date with all their music. They are giving me homework! haha..

I really think artists get put into boxes these days to be packaged and sold to the world, via a million people's thumbs. Artists like king gizz really offer something more.

The problem with the above is though, recording an album is a long and expensive process. Perhaps my opinion will change when I'm once again working in two restaurants and playing gigs and trying to record and have a life at the same time. Who knows haha.

I also think recording albums allows you to get a bit weirder. You don’t have to put so much onus on the marketing potential / industry success of every single song. You can be like hmmm maybe people will hate this one. But i love it! Good enough got me! It's on the album! That might end up being some random person in Germany's favourite song ever and help him form a way stronger connection to the project than doing singles that have the intention of maximum market success!

‘All A Dream’ is part of an EP that has a very very very cruisy vibe. All the songs were written on acoustic guitars and had a bit of a singer / songwriter approach. Working with Oscar on the EP we got it to a cool sound with trippy synths and all sorts going on. This EP is a definite progression from the First EP we released, and then the album is very different again.

Apart from some awesome shows and the EP, what's on the horizon for you guys?

BPH: On the horizon for BPH is releasing a tonne of music including our first full length album which is finished and sitting there ready to go, like the cold mango I'm about to eat in my fridge. The album has a much bigger soundscape and more refined aesthetic. It's quite dirty and random.

Along with the album in 2021, we are going to be organising BPH art exhibitions and cool pieces to go with the music. We already have some prints for sale at gigs, but we’re going to expand on this and really make it an art project as well.

Hopefully we can play as many gigs as possible in 2021 and people get a feel for the project that is BPH. I’d love to get over to Europe and stuff and tour with my friends but who knows when that is going to be possible.

Hopefully the future involves watching our friends flourish. Mel Blue, Abby Bella May, Beso Palma, Lola Scott, Mesmeriser.. We all depend on each other so much and work together. I hope that everyone has some great releases in 2021 and we can all work towards making a living doing what we love. Maybe we’ll have a crack at our own little festival again. But I'm gonna have to see if Oscar has any free time for a coffee first… That could be a while. He plays in pretty much all of those bands! Ha..