Interview by Ali Williams
If organising an interstate show for your band meant first having to consult an aviation specialist, gather a road-condition report and possibly notify the Department of Defence, most would assume that you’re either stuck in a fever dream and or that definitely be some A grade ganga you’ve gotten your grubby little mittens on. However this is standard band life for Northern Territory’s MERTAS. Based in remote northeast Arnhem Land, the punk outfit must contend with return flights approaching $2K per person or a twelve-hour drive to Darwin, much of it along dirt roads. There are no traffic lights in their community, no Kmart and no Macca’s.
Consequently, the band’s first performances outside the Northern Territory are not just another booking on the calendar. Their arrival at BIGSOUND is a considerable achievement and one they are properly thrilled about. Speaking with HEAVY, MERTA’S Matt Kane explained that their band began with the dependable combination of skateboarding, mates and discovering music that immediately demanded further investigation. He grew up listening to hip-hop before a friend at the skate park introduced him to punk, Tool and other heavier acts. A stint providing vocals in a Rage Against The Machine-influenced project followed, before Matt learned guitar, contacted a few friends and suggested they have a jam.
That was essentially the master plan. They found music they loved, picked up instruments and started making their own. The band developed gradually, playing throughout Arnhem Land and building a strong connection with Darwin’s expanding punk and heavy music community. Their hometown location may complicate touring, but it has also encouraged MERTAS to become impressively self-reliant. Matt works professionally in photography and videography, allowing much of the band’s recording, filming and promotional work to be created from his bedroom.
This is not because he harbours a passionate love for content schedules, he does not even keep Instagram on his phone, an admirable stance that becomes administratively inconvenient when your band needs people to know it exists. MERTAS would much rather be playing live. Social media remains the compulsory paperwork attached to that ambition, particularly when geography prevents them from appearing regularly in the country’s major cities. Matt understands that audiences, promoters and industry figures often inspect streaming figures before deciding whether a band deserves their attention. He also enjoys the possibility of arriving with modest numbers and delivering a performance that renders those statistics completely irrelevant.
BIGSOUND now gives MERTAS the opportunity to do exactly that. Matt is equally enthusiastic about watching other artists across the week. Indigo Blaze immediately caught his attention when he explored the BIGSOUND line-up, particularly through the band’s combination of heavy riffs and hip-hop. Blinder and L.O.W are also firmly on his schedule, provided the usual festival mathematics of overlapping sets, travel time and basic human exhaustion permit it.
For anyone attempting to place MERTAS musically, Matt likens their sound to Dune Rats and Violent Soho as useful reference points. Their catalogue draws from punk, alternative rock and pub rock, although the band’s newer work is becoming considerably heavier. The decision was made after their live shows kept producing the same answer: audiences wanted movement, crowd surfing and songs with greater impact, while MERTAS discovered they thoroughly enjoyed causing all three.
Rather than arguing with such clear evidence, they have followed it. MERTAS have already independently released two albums, but their immediate focus has shifted towards singles. One new track is planned for release before BIGSOUND, with another expected soon afterwards. The recordings reflect the heavier direction that has developed naturally through performing, rather than an attempt to chase whatever trend has briefly gained possession of the internet.
The band’s future touring plans remain dependent on opportunity and money, MERTAS are ready to travel, but escaping Arnhem Land with an entire band and its equipment requires far more than enthusiasm. Every shirt, record and merchandise sale contributes directly towards the next possible run of shows, and Matt remains genuinely delighted whenever he spots someone wearing MERTAS gear around town or in Darwin.
MERTAS are musicians who love where they live, have no interest in abandoning it and refuse to treat distance as a reason to stop. They have recorded their own material, produced their own visuals, built an audience online despite resenting much of the process, and created a live reputation strong enough to carry them to one of Australia’s most important music events.
