Dance dance you're pants are a significant fire hazard

1 Aug 2011

With the recent international release of Dance you're on Fire's debut album Secret Chiefs and their current national tour, not to mention the fact that this young band has racked up a fair amount of radio hits in a short space of time, we felt it was about time we chatted to this breakthrough band. So we met in cyberspace with Tom Manners to discuss tours, Oppi, recording processes and honey badgers.

That's pretty cool, your debut album is being released in Europe. How has the response been so far?

(Tom) It's been awesome! We're getting lots of positive feedback from the press and radio over in Germany, which feels great.

Any plans to tour Europe?

We're busy planning a comprehensive European tour for March next year, which should see us hit Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium.

Dance dance you're pants are a significant fire hazard

If DYOF could be equated to an animal, which would it be and why?

I reckon we'd be a honey badger, because no matter how many times people try to pull us down, we dust ourselves off and get back up again.

How's the Secret Chiefs Winter Warm Up Tour going so far?

It's been a bit nuts. We've driven about 10 000km this month in a cramped van. Overall, though, the shows have been great and we've had a lot of fun.

Looking forward to performing at Oppikoppi?

We had our first Oppikoppi experience last year and it was amazing. Can't wait to get back there again.

What is your can't-do-without, essential Oppi item?

Instruments? Apart from that, I'd say the rechargeable torch I had attached to my belt last year. That provided hours of countless fun.

When can we expect the video for Michelle? What's the concept?

We're actually really excited about this one. It's the first time we have the budget to pull off a proper narrative video. I can't give away too much right now, but I can say there will be a definite 1930s gangster feel to it.

Can you take us through your writing and recording process?

It's quite complex. It usually starts with me bringing a structure or idea to the band room. We jam it out, add colour to the arrangement and then we let it simmer for a while. After that, we pick through the song again and add accents, and interesting rhythmic arrangements.

Then we take it into pre production, where we record a demo of the track and let it settle a little more. After taking a final look at the song, we bring it into studio where we usually track the drums first, then guitars, vocals and keys and percussion.

What do you credit your success to?

We've always focused on writing songs that people can sing along to - and I think that has played a big role. More than anything, though, I'd attribute our success (and the success of any band around the world) to a willingness to work ridiculously hard to achieve your goals and not compromise on quality.

Your most rock star moment?

I'd have to say Oppikoppi 2010 - we were totally green and it was our first time playing on a big stage. The organisers gave us an amazing slot on the Friday night and we walked out to about 5000 people, which was incredible.

What's next for DYOF?

We'll be releasing a few more videos and touring throughout the year. We're also working hard on our follow-up album and we're hoping to tour Europe in March next year.