The guys from Steering By Stars took some time to talk to Larry Heath about the differences in sound we’ll hear on their second record, the opportunity they’ve accepted to score a new film, and the cinematic music that influenced them in childhood.
How were your headlining shows in Sydney last week?
Well, we’ve only played in Sydney once before…
You played at MUM! one night, didn’t you?
Yeah. That’d be a year, or two years ago now.
Feels like forever.
It’s turning into a blur! But last week was good, it was nice weather to be there, so that helped.
So you drove over today from Adelaide. How long did that take?
When did we leave, at nine? And we just stepped out of the car. So about nine hours. There was a bit of traffic when we got into the city, I think. It’s not too bad, and it’s cheaper than flying. Well, two of us drove, and two of us flew, so that made it easier to get around, like with the keyboard. It’s not so flight accessible.
So since the last time I saw you – which would have been at MUM! all those years ago – I hear things have changed in your sound, and in terms of what we’re preparing for, in terms of your next record. What can you tell us about that? How have things changed?
I think the most notable thing is how much more vocally driven it is. There was a presence of it on the last record, of course, but it wasn’t the focus. So vocals and rhythm are a big thing that’s changed, particularly the drum and bass and vocals are at the full front of what we’re doing, and what all the songs were written around, the idea of accentuating both of them. Everything has got a bit more of an immediate impact, though probably not as subtle as what we’ve done previously. But still the orchestration and the old stuff.
How does the set go these days? Is it a bit from both “eras”, as we could call it?
We scrapped a lot of the old stuff, because it is quite different in our minds from the new stuff, and we want to move away from that sound in some ways. It’s always been about establishing a mood, and the sets always used to be continuous, and when we can do it, we still do. But I think the mood is now different, the old material doesn’t fit in as well with the new mood. So we don’t play as much of it, because the atmosphere doesn’t quite work as well.
So when can we hear some of this stuff? I know you’ve got a single that’s just come out recently.
That’s a good question! We’re still finishing off the last bits of the record I think, but hopefully early next year, we can put it out.
What’s left to do on it?
Just a few little tweaks to do, and a vocal track on one song, and a few little mix adjustments. I think that’s why it’s a little bit frustrating at the moment, because it’s so close to being ready, and we’re ready, but we’re going to take that extra time.
You’ll be onto a different sound by the time it’s out!
It’s a vicious cycle! I think we just really wanted to do it properly, and that’s why we’ve taken our time, and not been caught up in the idea that we have to squeeze it out quickly – compared to the last one, which was a real short time for recording and releasing.
Usually it’s the other way around, between a first and second album. Was there any particular reason that was done, the first time around?
I think the first time, when we did it really quickly, was because we didn’t have any money. We recorded it all in two and a half days, and because we were doing a really big live set thing, it was just one performance that we’d rehearsed and played so much that we just went in and laid it all down. And I think this time, I think we wanted to really fine tune everything, and get it all sonically got, and also extract as much out of each song as we possibly could. And we were given an opportunity to that, we had the time and the place and really wanted to do that. And we were able to achieve that, so I think we got the sound that we were going for.
So you’re playing with sleepmakeswaves again. What are your thoughts on those guys? I feel it’s a good pairing.
They’re amazing. Fantastic. I think their live performance – cause I’d only ever hear them on their record before – I think the immediacy of their performance in Sydney was just jaw-dropping. The amount of energy that they draw from each other and from the crowd, and then the crowd getting into it, it feels really awesome. They’re really nice guys, as well.
And what’s the rest of the year holding for you?
We’re going to do a score for a silent film that’s coming up. Which is cool.
Have you started working on that?
No. We actually haven’t seen it yet!
So what are the origins of this project?
It’s a thing in Adelaide, where they get access to these original silent films.
So you’ll be doing this live?
Yeah, it’s live performance, but it’s also recorded. I think we plan to record it and release it. But you get to do a live performance with a live, sort of, film.
That’s so cool. I saw Philip Glass with the Kronos Quartet do Dracula at Sydney Festival last year year. It was incredible. You talk about the master of the cinematic instrumentation… So that was pretty special. But I’ve been to a lot of those things, when The Bays, from the UK, did the live soundtrack of Run Lola Run. So even when it’s not silent – I’m so fascinated by it. Have you done something like it before?
We’ve done stuff for some short films, which has been good, and that cinematic music is a big thing that has really defined us, and still does, and we take a lot of inspiration from that. So it’s something that we’ve always wanted to do. So this is another step in doing more, and getting more into it.
When you look at the history of music in cinema, is there any particular era, or style, or composer that you enjoyed listening to? ‘Cause I know when I was a kid, some of the first records that I bought and started listening to were Andrew Lloyd Webber shit, which confused my parents. I just loved those really big scores.
Yeah, well one of the big things for us was Vangelis’ Blade Runner soundtrack. I think that was the big thing, straight off the bat for us, that atmosphere and the texture and the mood and the mystique, which we’ve always drawn inspiration from. I mean, Philip Glass, the soundtrack for The Hours is a beautiful piano score when you strip it down. It’s really subtle and very evocative. There’s always good scores out there, and these guys who do it are just insanely intelligent.
It seems like you’re sticking with the cinematic style, but you’ve extracted little bits and pieces of that, into what the new sound is.
Yeah, that’s kind of the idea, I think to get that mood and the cinematic orchestration with the heavy rhythms underneath. Kind of refine it, and put a post-punk rhythm underneath cinema music. And make it 2-and-a-half minutes long.
Both have their positive sides! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today, guys.
Thanks mate!
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