“We’ve played a chicken wing festival in Jacksonville Florida.” It’s probably not where you would expect to see Brisbane’s Violent Soho, but then, a lengthy stint overseas can throw up some curve balls.

In between reminiscent chuckles, main vocalist Luke Boerdam recalls the bizarre situation the band faced.

“It was hilarious, there was a radio station in Florida that were really pushing ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend’, and they loved it,” recalls Boerdam. With the band coming off a support show for Alice In Chains, their tour manager presented them what they thought was a run of the mill gig.

 “The tour manager said ‘it just looks a bit weird, it’s a chicken wing festival’,” recalls the frontman. “We rock up and they literally had 50 booths of different chicken wings, sauces, and flavours.”

An odd setting no doubt for any band, confronted with chicken wing loving families, they hit the stage at 6pm and put on the raucous high-energy show they always do.

Did they at least get to try out some of the delicacies on offer? “This is the best part; the rider was a bucket of chicken wings. That was probably my favourite rider we ever received, it was awesome, and it was just chicken wings.”

If you’re thinking Violent Soho have spent the last two years stuffing their faces with greasy American delights, well then you’re only half right. Touring has obviously dominated their lives but finally the band has had a chance to hit the recording studio.

With the release of their latest single ‘Tinderbox’ back in August, there was the feeling of welcoming Violent Soho from wherever they had been this whole time, despite the fact that they supported the Arctic Monkeys on their national tour earlier this year.“This is the best part; the rider was a bucket of chicken wings. That was probably my favourite rider we ever received.”

Constant commitments overseas as well as in Australia meant recording new material took a back seat after the success of 2010’s self-titled record.

The desire to get back in the studio and get new material out there has obviously been a priority for Boerdam and his bandmates since returning from their time overseas.

“It was quite a relief to actually be in the studio again, that’s my favourite thing to do in the band, is get into the studio and work on songs, and that’s been missing the most the last 2 or 3 years, it was really refreshing.”

‘Tinderbox’ certainly sees Violent Soho take a step towards developing their lo-fi, grunge influenced sound. This time around they seem slightly more polished yet retain the heavy aspects they’re known for, but also highlights the band’s ability to create catchy melodies.

In Boerdam’s words he’s “stoked” with how the new single has been received but it wasn’t without its difficulties. With an extensive touring schedule getting back into songwriting took some getting used to.

“It takes a little bit to adjust to because you start second guessing yourself,” he admits.

Developing the nerves often associated with following up a strong release, Boerdam had to “shake them off and just say ‘fuck it, this is what I want to write and I’m going to write what I want to write’ and if its fails – it fails and if it works – it works.”

Considering it has been two years since releasing anything, you can’t blame them for having some feelings of apprehension. Luckily for the Australian music scene, these feelings seem to be fleeting for Violent Soho and their enthusiasm to release new material is stronger than ever.

Boerdam also speaks of advice he received from the late Dean Turner – the band’s first manager. “He was a bit of a mentor for me, he told me ages ago,  ‘don’t ever worry about perceptions because either way your going to piss someone off,’ the worst thing is bands that are too scared to release something rather than just doing it.”

Regardless of what you might think about Violent Soho’s music, ‘Tinderbox’ gives an exciting glimpse of what’s to come and also at a time when groups in a similar vein are doing particularly well.

“It’s cool to see that musical style take hold that’s based on just being a real band, some really awesome guitar sounds and really lo-fi stuff,” enthuses Boerdam.

Bands like Bleeding Knees Club, Drunk Mums, and now labelmates DZ Deathrays, has seen a return of heavier garage rock in Australia’s mainstream.

They’re also bands that Boerdam is happy to see doing so well. He’s particularly impressed with their work ethic and their willingness to hit the road, citing Drunk Mums performance at this year’s BIGSOUND conference as “awesome, [they] completely blew the place apart”.

With the success of DZ Deathrays at this year’s AIR Awards and nabbing an ARIA for Best Hard Rock Album, it’s no surprise that Boerdam speaks fondly of joining them earlier in the year on the roster of indie label, I Oh You.

Boerdam recalls that upon returning to Australia, they “weren’t ready to jump in with new labels and management when we first got back.” It was only through a friend’s suggestion, and Boerdam remembering positive conversations with DZ Deathrays’ Shane Parson while travelling on the same bus in Brisbane, that I Oh You was thrown into the mix.

“Everything just seems organic and natural there. The way they put out music is really fun and that’s what it should be,” he spruiks.“Rather than having all these external forces tell us where to be when, and play chicken wing festivals, we can actually just say ‘no, this is what we’re doing.”

It’s pretty clear that the style and approach that I Oh You bring, including their party throwing background, agrees with the Violent Soho philosophy. There’s also a sense of relief from Boerdam that the band is doing things more on their own terms and in their own time.

“Bands are what they are, they’re completely unique, there’s no pure formula of getting it out there and selling it,” says Boerdam, concluding “they suit our style and we really like it.”

Previously being signed with Thurston Moore’s label Ecstatic Peace obviously gave the band countless opportunities overseas and to a certain extent validated the success of 2010’s self-titled record.

However it’s obvious the quartet didn’t always have their own way. When talking about their summer plans and leading into next year, Boerdam is passionate about focusing their attention on Australia, particularly playing in regional cities.

“It’s something we missed out on the last album cycle. We didn’t get to do our own headliner and really hit all the regional spots. To tour your own country would be pretty awesome,” he says.

“Rather than having all these external forces tell us where to be when, and play chicken wing festivals, we can actually just say ‘no, this is what we’re doing,” says the frontman of their new-found freedom.

While Boerdam is itching to get back into the studio and release their next album, having Violent Soho back in Australia playing headline shows is exciting enough in itself. As always you can expect to be blown away by their energy, but most of all, by their desire to just get up on stage and have fun.

“The main thing is to try and bring the party no matter what, we learned that one from Les Savy Fav,” finishes Boerdam; “that’s the main thing, always party and just enjoy it… it’s rock n roll – it’s not high art.”

Violent Soho are supporting Cloud Nothings for their Laneway 2013 sideshows (details here), and have been announced as part of the 21st Birthday lineup for Push Over 2013. Full dates and details here.

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