"We haven't been an actual band for a very long time," spits FRENZAL RHOMB's Jason Whalley. "Gordy moved to Melbourne in the '90s and because, politically... Lindsay's actually a Liberal voter. He's been voting Liberal every election since he could vote. So there's a big political divide. Between the two of us we have some pretty feisty arguments."
I pause, taken aback. Lindsay, a closet conservative? The man who once put together the compilation Rock Against Howard and whose anti-Coalition tirades on the Jay and the Doctor segment on triple j shook the nation? I stutter my surprise to Jay, but he merely says, "yeah, a lot of people don't know that about Frenzal Rhomb. But there you go, you got the scoop."
Head spinning, I resolve to press on. So, you're playing Stonefest next month. How does that feel? "We've been stinging to play Stonefest for years and years and we've never been asked, so this is really a highlight in the career of Frenzal Rhomb. We're all very excited about it."
I ask Jay what he thinks of the rest of the Stonefest lineup, but he admits he doesn't actually know who else is playing. I decide to change the subject, but Jay sounds a bit distracted and I realise he is browsing the Stonefest site as we speak. "Birds of Tokyo... they're good... oh, Josh Pyke, cool," Jay drones, without enthusiasm. I can't really imagine him kicking back to some Josh Pyke. After all, this is a man whose closest attempt at a romantic ballad featured the lines, "I know that if we had a smoke we'd start anew / If I could have another cone with you." Frenzal just don't do love songs.
I'm interested to know if the band have mellowed since their younger, wilder days. Is the "gambling, vomit and sleeping in the bin" ethos still a big part of the band? "We're much more mature these days," says Jay with a touch of whimsy. "It's more like gambling, vomit and just resting for a short time in the bin, before going on to our palatial mansions down by the Sydney Harbour."
Although it's been three years since their last effort, Forever Malcolm Young, Jay is careful not to acknowledge any anticipation that may have been building among Frenzal's solid fanbase. "Against popular demand, we are actually going to do another record," he says. "Our last tour went quite well and it re-enthused the band, so we're trying to write a new album at the moment. It's proving a little difficult, because Gordy lives in Melbourne and Tom lives in Adelaide, so it's mainly an online thing where we Skype each other and sort of play riffs to each other in front of the little webcams."
Right, I see. But you used to be more, erm... tight-knit, kinda... "More of a band? [laughs ruefully] We've been doing it like this for a long time, because, y'know... we don't actually like each other."
What a shame. They showed such promise.
You can catch Frenzal at Stonefest at the University of Canberra on Saturday 31 October. Tickets through Ticketek.
