Horace Bones
Australian-Horror punks Horace Bones make intense, dark and frenzied music. Inspired by the likes of The Birthday Party, The Drones and The Cramps. The four-piece ransack the shadows of the Australian landscape and psyche to produce a sound equally unique and gut wrenching.
Born from the remnants of a house they’ve shared/ soiled since 2015, the band comprises of members: Christian P Fish (drums), Caz (lead guitar), Dern Cockburn (bass) and Oisin Kelly (guitar/vocals). They have a new album out called Terra and it is an absolute ripper. Oisin Kelly answers a few questions for Hi Fi Way.
Congratulations on your debut album, is there a feeling of relief knowing it is done?
Yeah, i mean I fucking loved almost every second but it’s a hard slog writing and recording an album. Especially a debut cause its all new ground. By the time mixing came around I was half mad and itching to play a bloody gig.
Being a debut album is there a lot of pressure to put together a collection of songs that best reflects the band?
The great thing about a debut album is there’s no pressure on you except what you put on yourself. I wasn’t thinking in terms of the songs representing the band. As long as we’re not ripping anyone off then the songs are going to reflect us anyway, because we made.
What was the biggest challenge you faced making the album?
Creatively we had the minerals and we’ve always had the drive to do it the only obstacle was financing the thing which was fucking tough. We wanted something that sounded good and that costs especially if you’re independent. But a few pawned instruments, some life modelling and living on friend’s couches and you can make it work.
Under pressure did you find that you learnt a lot about your band mates?
Nothing I didn’t already know. We’ve been a band for a few years now so we’re like family, as in no one holds back to save face, you see the best and worst of each other.
Is there anything you wouldn’t do next time?
We certainly wouldn’t make the same sounding songs or explore the same themes because we’ve got that out of our system now. We’d also be signed to a major label and record in Jamaica. Topless.
Is it too early to have a favourite song?
I’ve known these songs for months, I’ve listened to them acutely, over and over again while writing and mixing. So it’s not a question of too early. At the moment we’re touring and my favourite song to play live is Thank You because its loose so I can run around and fuck with the crowd.
Did you have a clear plan about how you wanted it to sound?
Not crystal clear but once I started writing lyrics for the first couple of songs a general theme started to form. The sound came from us jamming and what we were listening to at the time i.e. the birthday party, Kev Carmody, Mod Con, Bauhaus, to name a few.
We knew we wanted it all to fit together, as in the sound and the words, so since the lyrics had an Australian-Gothic sort of vibe then that influenced the music.
How did the band meet?
We met in a share house which we all got kicked out of for various reasons. It was a shit hole but provided a beautiful bonding experience. Now we live separately for our own survival.
Are there plans to tour nationally?
We are currently on tour supporting the album. In fact we’re halfway through and already planning the next one or adding shows to make this one longer. I guess we’ve been gig starved while recording.
Interview By Rob Lyon
Catch Horace Bones while you can on the following dates…
Check out the album on Spotify