It took a full decade for 90’s alternative icons Bush to release their fifth studio album, The Sea of Memories, and now, with some new members, and a new lease on creativity, Gavin Rossdale and co. find themselves heading to our shores for Soundwave 2012, and he could not be more excited.
The Sea of Memories, the band’s first since 2001, was “an uphill battle” to a point; Rossdale is just thankful that it’s out. “Just to release it, no matter what it was going to do, was already a success. To get the band back together, to get the support to have the band, to find the right songs, all those things came together in the right way, and at the right time. I look forward to playing music with those guys; there’s no songs I don’t want to do, it’s all going in the right direction. I’m just grateful for that, and for the reception of course.”
After such a long time apart from Bush, Rossdale was happy to cast aside his solo endeavors, and admits he was happier once the first sessions got underway. “It was liberating in a way, each tune I wrote after being in a band, after we went on hiatus, was sort of detuned and had a certain being, then when I did a solo record I kept on being careful to not sound too much like that guy from Bush. When I do Bush it’s weird, there’s sort of no restrictions. I can just be whoever I want to be.”
It wasn’t just the music itself that gave the iconic frontman joy when they started working on their latest effort. “I thought the artwork was really exciting. I’ve been making music forever and I love it, and I was excited, but when you start seeing the cover and it says ‘Bush’, and stickers and t-shirts that say ‘Bush’, for me it feels like a coat of armour.”
In these pop-heavy times, the band found it a complex thing to appease the major record labels and decided to go it alone on Rossdale’s own label, Zuma Rock Records. “Well it became painfully apparent that with major labels that their interests lay in pop acts. It’s a different time now.”
“It’s as though the connection between rock and major labels is pretty shot through. Because they can’t figure out a way to sanitise it, they don’t have much interest in it. With our own label, our fantastic management team gave us all that we need. They do the same function that the record companies used to, it’s just changing climate. It’s weird because no one knows quite where it’s going…”
One of the things that seems to be the ‘it’ move in the rock and roll business is the reunion. Often, and unfortunately, they are short lived. However, Rossdale sounds optimistic that Bush won’t be disappearing again anytime soon. “I feel really good about it. From my own perspective I wanted to do the band again…I’d have to be an idiot to go back to a solo career. There’s no reason for it to really end. Everyone I’m surrounded by, I really care about.”
Despite Bush’s “reunion” seeing two new members replacing Nigel Pulsford and Dave Parsons respectively, Rossdale seems to have no issue with the notion that it’s not the ‘original’ Bush. “As soon as I did the Institute record and went on tour with that, I thought that was cool and I’m happy about it, and it was inspiring. But as soon as I was done with that I was like ‘Okay, can I do Bush again please?’… and it was like, ‘No you can’t.’ I was trying to wait for the others and I was like, ‘You can either join it or not join it’.”
“I gave the choice to everyone that had been there at the beginning, and then after those spaces weren’t completely filled, it was the next people.” Rossdale admits though that he hasn’t spoken to original member Pulsford since the reform. “No I haven’t, he’s way too English for that, but he’ll be knowing exactly what’s going on.”
Bush will be heading to our shores for Soundwave 2012 and a few headline shows of their own, and despite most of the music on the bill being slightly heavier than their own, the band are keen to check out every act they can. “There literally isn’t anyone I don’t want to see.”
Bush replaced another 90s reunion band in Courtney Love’s Hole, after Love got into a fight with notorious Soundwave headman AJ Maddah. Many bands have found themselves on the wrong side of Maddah and his trigger-happy tweeting, but Rossdale doesn’t expect Bush to be one of them. They’re just here for the ride. “I’ve never stopped wanting to come to Australia. I asked to come on previous records, I asked to come with Institute and I asked to come when I was doing my solo tour.”
“We haven’t been there as much as we should have. For me, everyone is mental: [Australia] has a really famous music culture and a really great live culture, so why wouldn’t we go there? As far as AJ goes, I’m happy he chose us. I don’t know what the stigma is, but he wouldn’t have any reason to pick a fight with us because we’re going to put on great shows. He’ll be happy. I just want to come there and play to the crowd and be amazing, that’s all I care about.”
Bush are in town this week for the Soundwave Festival, as well as headline sideshows of their own.
