Interview with The Ugly Kings
Conducted by Dave Smiles
The Ugly Kings are a perfect example of a band being the collective sum of its parts. A group of individuals with a shared love for music who band together and create something truly unique and powerful. Hailing from Melbourne Australia, which has some of the best young bands in the world, The Ugly Kings stand out with their energetic performances and a sound all of their own.
This is one band to keep an eye on. Check out their music and go see a show. You won’t be disappointed.
For someone who hasn’t heard The Ugly Kings, how would you describe your band?
We’re self described as power blues. Think of the melodic catchiness of the classics like Hendrix and Zeppelin but with a healthy injection of modern riffs and lyrics. In the modern sense we would compare our sound to Rival Sons, Jack White etc.
When did you first discover music and what does it mean to you?
The guys in the band come from different backgrounds musically and geographically (Each of us are from different parts of the world) so music means different things to us but we come together and just do our thing and it’s pretty organic. We’ve got our own reasons for loving what we do but when we get together we’re unified in our passion. That comes across best in our live show.
How did the four of you come together as The Ugly Kings?
Christos and Russell had been playing together for quite some time and wanted a drummer to complete the line-up. Ryan was introduced through a mutual friend and Nick heard us play at a gig and it just so happened we were looking for a killer bassist.
I’ll assume you guys have played in other bands before forming The Ugly Kings. Sometimes the right group of musicians comes together at the right moment. Is there a sense of something special with this band?
Absolutely. We came together at different points of our musical careers and from that we’ve just grown further as musicians, friends and band mates. All of us love what we do in the band and we especially love playing live. That’s where the best feeling comes from.
Who are some of the bands that have influenced you, and how do you go about taking these influences and turning it into something of your own?
Too many to list! We have such an eclectic mix of music influencing what we play, how we play and how we perform on stage. Everyone from The Doors, Hendrix, Sabbath, Ray Charles, Rival Sons, Arctic Monkeys, The Rolling Stones, Jack White, Royal Blood…
We just do what we know and that’s all we can do. If people come for the ride then we’ll do everything we can to make it the best trip they’ve had.
How does the band go about writing song?
We’re very much a jam session band. We get together with a few drinks and throw some ideas around. Christos and Russell work the core of the songs while Ryan and Nick add tasty flavours to spice up the material. As we work more and more together our writing style is adapting to our growing experiences with each other.
You guys put on a hell of an energetic show. What do you do to prepare before going on stage?
Hahahaha plenty of stretches and warming up. Occasionally a ritualistic shot at the bar but mostly just making sure we’re all feeling good physically and musically. I think Nick just brushes his hair and Christos straightens his beard…
The Australian music scene is growing stronger every year. What can you see developing in the future?
Small time bands taking more advantage of the huge amounts of resources for international publicity. Australian bands are getting an amazing rep abroad, it’s time we started having the incredible local talent stretch out further and show the world what we’ve got.
What does it take to finance a band starting out, and what sacrifices have you had to make?
This has been a steep learning curve for us. Gone are the days where you can hope that an A & R guy walks in to one of your shows with a bucket of cash. Best advice is to have money going in to a band resource account. Just a small amount every week. That way when you know you’ve got a big expense coming up such as recording, publicity, tours etc you’ve got some savings already there.
What advice would you give to young musicians wanting to follow music as a career?
Learn your craft. Learn it well. Buy good equipment and maintain it. Make good relationships and remember that everyone you meet in this industry is a foot in a door that they might not even know they hold open yet.
The band has two singles released to date. Are there any plans for an EP, or an album?
Oh there are plans… We’ve got a new single almost ready to be released and we’ve been busy writing for an album… There will be more than a few interstate gigs this year but our focus will be to nail an album that will really get us out there.
What would you like to achieve in the coming year with The Ugly Kings?
Put out the best material we’ve written, sticking it on CD, Vinyl and online and tour the world with it. Blow away people with our live show and enjoy every moment of it.