By Kris Peters
If you look at King Parrot and the current success they are enjoying in the metal world,both locally and overseas it is hard to believe that a mere six years ago they were one of a number of young up and coming bands doing the circuit, and wondering where that big break that would catapult them into fame and notoriety would come from.
Vocalist Matt Young is himself a little perplexed by where the band finds itself within the context of this scene, but is adamant that his band are there more by the grace of their own efforts than that of the metal Gods.
“It’s been exciting and interesting and eye-opening and educational,” he enthuses, reagrding the journey thus far. “We’ve learnt so much about the music business and the industry and how everything works, and at the same time we’ve been able to play some amazing shows and meet people we’ve looked up to in the industry over the years, even when we were kids! We’ve far exceeded any expectations we might have had in the beginning when we started the band.
“I don’t think we really had any expectations (laughs), but it’s been an honour and we have to keep taking that next step – that next right step – and taking any opportunities that come up. We’ve said ‘yes’ more than we’ve said ‘no’, and as a result of that we’ve been able to go on some pretty amazing adventures.”
To many observers the juggernaut that is now King Parrot has been a well planned machine from the start, but in reality Youngy says it is exactly the opposite.
“Not at all man,” he says, of how much of the bands career trajectory has followed script. “We didn’t really have a battle plan for success at all. We had our little stages where we looked at it as a gradual kind of thing but as it got bigger we wanted to find an international label. We wanted to start touring and that kind of stuff so it was all gradual. We just worked at it and things came and we got our foot in the door with South by Southwest over in Texas and that led to us doing our first North American tour and offers kept coming after that.
“I think we did three North American tours and then we got an opportunity to do Europe and then back to North America, so it’s all been a flow on effect. It’s been really good the way things have panned out.”
While admitting it is an important part in the cycle of a band to have overseas success, Youngy is also mindful of the importance in maintaining a presence in your home country, and says the way to balance the two is pretty simple.
“Every time we come home we just do a tour basically,” he laughs, “We get out there and tour as much as we can. We love touring in Australia just as much as we love touring anywhere else. We try to get out to the places that not many other bands get to as well. For us going to places like Warrnambool and Bendigo is super-important because there are people out there that like going to shows and love supporting heavy music. Those shows to me are just as important as anything else.”
One thing that King Parrot have staked their reputation on is their live shows, which have to be experienced in person to get an accurate gauge of their ferocity and intensity, and if you have seen even one live performance you will know how Young feels about people in the audience who don’t get involved in the music.
“It kind of pisses me off a little,” he concedes about fans not dancing at a King Parrot show. “Initially when we first started playing in Melbourne that was something that was happening a lot. People weren’t fuckin’ moving and you’d see shows with overseas bands and people were dancing, but when it came to Aussie bands they were doing fuck all and that pissed me off. I really wanted to make a change in regards to that and I think now after calling people out so much we are finally getting the response I was after (laughs).
“It’s just one of those things. I feel like there’s enough talent in Australia that we can have people responding in the same way they do for international bands so that’s where it comes from. I guess I probably don’t need to do it as much anymore because we do see more people dancing at our shows…”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6welxMRKZ9Y]
Another live spectacle has been Young’s way of managing the Wall of Death, whereby he stands in the middle of the two walls and calls them into each other while he sings between them.
Think suicide by music and you get the picture.
“That was originally a spur of the moment thing,” he laughed. “I did it once and that went nuts and then I kind of worked out a way to sneak out of it and it kind of took off from there. So we tried it again at Soundwave and the fans loved it.”
With all of the travelling to overseas destinations and the perils of life on the road, it would be understandable if other obligations got in the way of new material, but Youngy had good news for fans on that front.
“Actually we started writing in January,” he says, “but then we’ve been on tour ever since. We’ve blocked out some time in the studio and we’re gonna finish writing the new album hopefully this September and then hopefully have a new record out by next year. That’s pretty much all I’ve got for you man.”
KING PARROT
SEPTEMBER
9th – The Loft, Warrnambool [18+] w/ Witchgrinder and Severity
10th – The New Dead Metalfest, Fowlers Live, Adelaide
16th – Sooki Lounge, Belgrave [18+]
17th – Music Man, Bendigo [18+]
—> Tickets available now.
—> For more information, visit [Here].
