ANARCHIST DUCK, a funk/reggae trio from Brisbane, have just released their debut album Propaganda. They are soon to embark on a promotional tour down the east coast, performing 18 shows over the next few months. With influences from Rage Against the Machine to Bob Marley, from Aretha Franklin to Ween, they have been compared to The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Cat Empire. "We've got a bit of a funk theme throughout our music but it does go quite 'worldy' at times," explains Flawless, the band's guitarist and lead vocalist.
The Duck began when the three band members moved in together. "I basically moved in because there was a dinosaur in the backyard," says Flawless, but the band soon discovered that they shared more than just a love of backyard dinosaurs; they started jamming together. Why the name Anarchist Duck, you ask? "We had a bit of a crazy flatmate who drilled two holes in the wall and they kinda looked like a duck. We ended up doing a bit of graffiti around it, putting a little beak on it and a little tail so yeah, I guess we were jamming to this huge duck, singing about a lot of lawlessness and revolution so that's where the 'anarchy' part came from."
From these humble beginnings Anarchist Duck became self-proclaimed funk revolutionists. Coalescing the talents of "funk-master" Jules on bass guitar with the Latin/punk flavourings of drummer Arno, audiences can't help but get up and dance to their unique sound. Not only are The Ducks the leaders of the funk revolution, they are massive political activists as well, using their music to create change and promote a stack of causes from the Food Not Bombs Movement to Open Doors, supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender peoples. "We played at a lot of protests and sunrises to start of with so that's always been a part of our music," Flawless explains. "Jules and I write about what we feel because, you know, we want the world to be a beautiful place." Equally as important as raising awareness though their music, The Ducks try to connect with their audiences by singing about "the general heartbreak, the kind of personal struggle to make everything work."
So what can we expect from the debut album of such a talented trio? "It's big!" Flawless enthuses. "It's got a really big sound. We produced it with Paulie B who worked with George and The Beautiful Girls. It's really fresh and has a real 'up' vibe."
Anarchist Duck are bringing their "big" funky sound to Canberra audiences. They are pumped to come back after finding out earlier this year that Canberra in fact does have more than "politicians and straightedged gardens."
If you're up for hearing rhyme improvisation, hardcore bass playing and heaps of percussion break downs head along to The Phoenix on Saturday October 31 or Sunday November 1, The Front Gallery on Friday November 6 or The Full Moon Party on Saturday November 7 and have a bit of dance to the leaders of the funk revolution.
