Canberra isn’t exactly the place you’d expect to find gritty, soulful country music inspired by the likes of John Prine, Hank Williams and the Little Willies. Nonetheless (and despite protests from band members – “I don’t sound like Norah Jones, get fucked!” jokes lead singer Naomi Milthorpe) it is the stomping ground of THE BLUFFHEARTS, a supergroup comprising members from local bands such as The Missing Lincolns, The Wedded Bliss, One Foot In The Gravy, Cool Weapon, Lettuce Play! and The Big Score. With backgrounds ranging from punk to folk to smut comedy, this band was always destined to be a heady mix.
“Everybody’s had heartbreak, whether you’re from Nashville or Canberra or wherever!” Naomi says of finding inspiration in the capital. “It’s a fun genre to explore – all about pain and misery and drinking too much. They’re emotions everybody’s experienced.” A former ANU student, Naomi drew on her university experience to write the song Poverty Line. “For the three years of my PhD I’d always been bitching about having no money. I’d always just assumed it was because I was a spendthrift, but then I read this article which said that PhD students often live under the poverty line, and I was like ‘oh my god – it’s not just me!’”
Naomi’s literary background has no doubt helped her musical career, learning about country music whilst on research trips to Texas, and writing songs via email with founding member Luke McGrath. “Luke said ‘hey, do you wanna sing in my country band?’ and I said ‘hell yeah!’ That was it.” Naomi says, when I ask how she first got involved. As for what attracted musicians from such diverse backgrounds, she thoughtfully replies, “it was basically the music – Luke’s written a suite of really awesome songs,” before adding, “and I guess also people in bands are basically sluts! We all just love playing music, and a really wide variety of music. It’s the burning desire to make sound.”
A sense of rawness and nonchalance pervades The Bluffhearts’ recordings, and when I enquire about this Naomi laughs, confessing, “it was the hottest day in the world, and we were recording in this aluminium shed – we were just baking in this heat box for two days! So of course we were drinking a lot of beer to cool down!” A fantastically rock and roll mentality for a country band! “The less polished it is the better, because it’s more authentic,” Naomi insists. “I’m a child of grunge music, so I like the unfinished quality.”
Well, it’s not every day you have a grunge goddess confessing to a fancy for country music, let alone fronting an alt-country band, but Naomi and I agree that “everybody in the world secretly loves country music.” So whether you’re into punk or grunge or folk, consider The Bluffhearts your guilty pleasure. Don’t worry – I won’t tell anyone.
Be sure to catch The Bluffhearts at the Corinbank Festival the weekend of Friday-Sunday February 26-28. Tickets through Greentix.
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