There is definitely something special about Australian rock.
No matter how many bands around the world try to emulate that spirit, few actually get close to the sound that has shaped a nation.
What many people outside of this country can’t comprehend is that Aussie rock can’t be just learned or played. It has to exist inside you, gnawing away at your bones until it reaches the surface and manifests itself into something much more.
Bands like Rose Tattoo, The Poor and the Screaming Jets have that rock swagger in abundance, but most of the new or emerging generation can’t quite seem to grasp the concept.
So, then, it is refreshing and exciting when a new band comes on the scene that taps straight into that invisible well of talent and moves backwards to go forwards on a musical plane.
Usually – as is the case with Truck – the band members have some pedigree in the old school of rock, for this is something difficult to learn and even harder to master.
With an engine room that involves Baby Animals guitarist Dave Leslie and the vocal prowess of Andy McLean from Horsehead there was never any doubt what trajectory Truck’s music would follow. It is exactly what you would expect.
Pure Aussie rock. Front to back. Side to side. In and out.
After releasing their third single in eight months, the raw and rock-drenched number Unconventionally Rising, Truck drove straight out to the highway for a string of shows with Baby Animals and Rose Tattoo, proving the old adage that music is in the blood. Yes, it can be taught, but lessons can only ever teach you so much.
HEAVY caught up with Dave for a chat and to find out how he has managed to keep the rock flame burning successfully for so long.
“This is kind of the stuff we grew up on, you know,” he agreed. “As far as that aesthetic goes, we wanted to be old school, heavy like Deep Purple and The Faces, that sort of thing. Just unapologetically classic rock. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel or anything like that, but we definitely wear our influences on our sleeves.”
While I have him on a roll, I ask Dave what it is that he thinks defines the spirit of Aussie rock.
“I think Angry Anderson put it well one time when he said no-one attacks a guitar like an Australian,” he laughed. “There’s a certain sort of… you play from the front foot, you know what I mean? It’s like there’s a bit of a kill aspect going, and we have that as well. One time we supported Rose Tattoo down here in Melbourne, and they did their soundcheck then we jumped up, and they let us use their drum kit and everything like that, and all the foldback levels were set from where their soundcheck was, and man, it was the loudest gig we have ever played. The crew were like phwar. There was guitar screaming at me through wedges and I thought wow, this is so loud, and the crew were saying do you want us to turn it down, and we said no, no (laughs). It was blistering, but we had a really good night that night as a result of that.”
In the full interview, Dave talks about finding like minded musicians to play in Truck with, the new single Unconventionally Rising, their limited edition physical EP, plans to extend that into an album, being on the road with Rose Tattoo and Baby Animals, playing two shows some nights with different bands and how he focusses, their upcoming single launch party at Melbourne’s Cherry Bar and more.
