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A Musical Supernova With ADALITA From BLEAK SQUAD · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hey, it's Adalita here and I am currently in a
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: band called Bleak Squad, which features myself, Mick Harvey from
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Birthday Party, Nick Cave for the Bad Seeds. Also features
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Mick Turner from The Dirty Three and Marty Brown from
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Out of Fighting. We've just released a new record called
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Strange Love today August twenty second.
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  Speaker 2: It's out there, fantastic, it's out there and it's bloody good.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: So thanks for joining us today, Adeleta.
• 0:28
  Speaker 3: Thanks Chris, thanks for having me.
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  Speaker 2: Hi pleasure as always. So, as you mentioned, Bleak Squad
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  Speaker 2: released your debut album, Strange Love to day, So how
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  Speaker 2: are you feeling about it? Great?
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  Speaker 1: It's great to finally have it out there. It's been
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  Speaker 1: in the making for quite a few years. We've been
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  Speaker 1: working on it since I think twenty nineteen maybe.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: We got together and just jammed some stuff and recorded
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  Speaker 1: back then, and we've been working on it for a
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  Speaker 1: few years on and off because everyone's so busy with
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: other things. So it's great to finally have it out
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  Speaker 1: in the world. It is.
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  Speaker 2: We'll get to the band side of things a bit later,
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  Speaker 2: but firstly we'll focus on the album. Like tell us
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  Speaker 2: about it from Musical point of view and what you
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  Speaker 2: were going for with it.
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  Speaker 3: Well, we really didn't know what we were doing.
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  Speaker 2: Really.
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  Speaker 1: We just got together Marty. Marty just sort of called
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  Speaker 1: us up and said, do you want to get together
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  Speaker 1: and maybe collaborate and see what comes out of it.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: So we all said yes and got together and brought
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: in sort of our own songs or we brought in riffs.
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  Speaker 3: You know, things that were half.
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  Speaker 1: Done and just to see if we could collaborate on
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  Speaker 1: it and make some new stuff out of it.
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  Speaker 3: And that's what.
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  Speaker 1: We did, and it was really great because straight away
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  Speaker 1: we really clicked and there was a real chemistry and
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  Speaker 1: the songs just blow. And then we decided to record
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: it and then it's really low pressure. We didn't know
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  Speaker 1: what was going to come out of it, so we
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  Speaker 1: ended up having a record out of it, and then
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: suddenly we're a band and tour.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: That's right. Yeah, you've released the singles Blue Signs, Strange Love,
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  Speaker 2: I Lost My Head, plus the pre release. Everything must change,
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  Speaker 2: so son resident representation of the album as a whole.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I think we've We've released singles that are
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  Speaker 1: kind of all varied, and there's some slower songs then
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  Speaker 1: there's faster, more rockin songs, but even there's even each
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  Speaker 1: song is so different as well, but it's definitely got
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  Speaker 1: a similar mood throughout.
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  Speaker 3: And you know, it all ties in together. But yeah,
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  Speaker 3: it's pretty varied.
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  Speaker 1: And then Mix got a couple of songs that he
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  Speaker 1: sings just on his own that are his own songs,
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  Speaker 1: and then some songs that are just mine, and then
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: somewhere we duet, and then somewhere Mick did the music,
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  Speaker 1: I did the lyrics, or Marty did the music. Mick
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: did the lyrics, so it's really all in. It was
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  Speaker 1: a real sort of melting pot of all of us
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  Speaker 1: with all of our ideas and it just worked really well.
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  Speaker 1: Like I'm really I'm not surprised, not surprised, but it's hard.
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  Speaker 1: It's hard bringing musicos together and it's sort of working
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  Speaker 1: really seamlessly like that. So yeah, it's a lucky, lucky dip.
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  Speaker 2: Well, yeah, you can mention the caliber of musicians in
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  Speaker 2: the band. I want you to term super Grief because
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: that's overrated, but there's some bloody good musicians in there.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, I sort of I feel
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  Speaker 1: amazing being in a band with those other three because
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: they are amazing musicians and you know, they've been doing
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: it for a long time like myself, and you watch
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: them from afar, so being in a band with them
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  Speaker 1: is a whole other ballgame, and it can be like
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  Speaker 1: you can get a bit starstruck or a bit kind
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  Speaker 1: of I don't know, but we've known each other as
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  Speaker 1: friends as well, so you know, it felt like just
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  Speaker 1: a bunch of mates getting together. But there is those
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  Speaker 1: moments when I just go, wow, you know, I'm playing
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  Speaker 1: in a band with these amazing musicians who you know,
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  Speaker 1: they just do their own thing, but they've been doing
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  Speaker 1: it for a long time and doing amazing things, so.
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: It's pretty cool. It's a pretty cool little project, you know.
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  Speaker 3: Very low pressure though.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. That's that's what you need at this stage your life, though,
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  Speaker 2: aren't they? Yeah?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, very much like it's fun, really low pressure.
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  Speaker 1: There's no expectations, so we're just kind of having fun
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  Speaker 1: with it and just seeing where it goes.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we're pretty relaxed about it.
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  Speaker 2: Nice. So what do you what I expects from each
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: respective members band? Did you just bring into Bleak Squad?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I think we're kind of mainly bringing in
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  Speaker 1: our own personalities, you know, because we can't help but
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  Speaker 1: be who we are. So you know, Mick Harvey's coming
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  Speaker 1: in just being Mick Harvey. You know, he's such a
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  Speaker 1: great multi instrumentalist. He can sort of do anything. And
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  Speaker 1: he's worked on a couple of things with me on
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  Speaker 1: my solo stuff. He's played a bit of bass and
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  Speaker 1: the same with Marty, played some drums, and he produced
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  Speaker 1: a couple of tracks on my last record.
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  Speaker 3: So it's sort of been We've sort of been in
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  Speaker 3: each other's lives. You know.
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  Speaker 1: I did a track with Mick Harvey back years ago
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  Speaker 1: for a film called Suburban Mayhem, an Ossie feature. We
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: did a cover called Doubledare and Mick was at helm
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  Speaker 1: of that. He produced it, so I worked with him
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  Speaker 1: in the studio. Yeah, And then you know, I've not
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  Speaker 1: worked with.
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  Speaker 3: Mick Turner before, seen him plenty of times.
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  Speaker 1: Magic Dirt and Dirty Three's to play together a lot
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: back in the day. But being in a band with
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  Speaker 1: him is so special because his special brand of playing,
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  Speaker 1: you know, you don't get that anywhere else, so.
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  Speaker 3: But it works so well.
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  Speaker 1: You know, It's like I just do my sort of
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  Speaker 1: rhythm guitar and he does his noodling, and it's like, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: it just works really well because it's like you think
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  Speaker 1: that Mick would need a specific fan to be or
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: he could just he's just has to be solo. But
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  Speaker 1: it just fits in really well, which is part of
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  Speaker 1: the reason why it's like, Wow, this is working so
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: well because everyone's particularly Mick is so specialized, but you know,
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  Speaker 1: and Marty brings just this rock solidness to it. He's
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  Speaker 1: drumming is so good. He's just plays beautifully. He sort
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  Speaker 1: of plays with the jazz grip. I think it's called
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  Speaker 1: a jazz group, and I just go wow, Like he.
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  Speaker 3: Just looks smooth and he's just so.
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  Speaker 1: Great at what he does. So I think we're just
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: all bringing out what we sort of always do, but
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  Speaker 1: in a different setting. You are viably going to play differently.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: But also we're doing playing in a new way because
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  Speaker 1: we are with new people, so it brings out something
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  Speaker 1: new and you, yeah, which is really nice.
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  Speaker 2: And it's your first time in a band other than
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  Speaker 2: Magic Dirt or doing your silo stuff. So was it
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  Speaker 2: difficult or daunting sort of writing and recording outside of
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  Speaker 2: your comfort zone.
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  Speaker 3: I guess not really.
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  Speaker 1: I've collaborated a lot outside of Magic Dirt, not with
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  Speaker 1: a band, but I've done collaborations many over the years,
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  Speaker 1: so I'm used to teaming up with as someone I
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: don't normally play with, you know, and having that moment
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: of like is this going to work? So I'm very
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  Speaker 1: familiar with that feeling. But yes, when it became kind
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  Speaker 1: of a bit more real, like that we were a band,
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  Speaker 1: it was like, well, this is like really different, and
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  Speaker 1: I've never been in a band outside of Magic Dirt,
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  Speaker 1: but it felt so low pressure and so lovely like
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: jamming with everyone that it kind of almost doesn't feel
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  Speaker 1: like a band. It just feels like a bunch of
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  Speaker 1: good mates just having fun. So I'm rolling with it
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  Speaker 1: because it just feels good, and it's actually so different
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  Speaker 1: to Magic Dirt.
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  Speaker 3: It's a nice counterpoint.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, So you know, and Raul in Magic Dirt, he's
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  Speaker 1: got two other bands as well, so it's like it's
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  Speaker 1: a thing, I guess, you know, you just do stuff
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  Speaker 1: that's fun. But yeah, definitely, it's the only other band
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  Speaker 1: I've ever been in, so but it's a good other
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  Speaker 1: band band.
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  Speaker 2: Another feature of the music is the dual vocals. As
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  Speaker 2: you said before, on yourself and Mick Harvey. But how
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  Speaker 2: did you handle or allocate the different vocal parts?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, good question. I mean we kind of felt
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  Speaker 3: our way through it.
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  Speaker 1: There was mixing is one of the songs on his
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  Speaker 1: own with No I'm not on it. Then I sing
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  Speaker 1: a couple of songs with just me on my own,
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  Speaker 1: and then there's ones where.
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  Speaker 3: I do the main vocal and Mike wil come in
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  Speaker 3: and duet.
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  Speaker 1: He just actually knows what a song needs and vocally
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  Speaker 1: he's a really great singer, and our voices go really
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  Speaker 1: well together. So we just kind of felled our way
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  Speaker 1: through it and tried different things. And there's even a
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  Speaker 1: song that Mick wrote that I'm singing, so I'm singing
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  Speaker 1: his lyrics just kind of he was like, I think
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  Speaker 1: it'd be better if you sang, and it just feels right.
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  Speaker 3: So it's more we're going on feel.
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  Speaker 1: But and there's then there's quite a few songs where
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  Speaker 1: Mick and I are really close together in the vocals,
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  Speaker 1: were like doing unison and harmonies and stuff all the
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: way through, which is really nice.
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  Speaker 3: I didn't normally do that in a band really at
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  Speaker 3: all of it. Yeah, it's really refreshing and it's exciting
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  Speaker 3: it's nice.
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah, legend has it that Bleak Squad formed after before,
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  Speaker 2: Like you say, Marty had the idea while he was
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: sitting around the Fitzroy pool before he drew up the
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  Speaker 2: hit list and started calling people. So he was at
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  Speaker 2: the pool. But do you remember where you were when
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: you got the call? And was it idiot? Yes, I
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  Speaker 2: wasn't at the pool.
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: I was probably someone we're boring, like my house. I think,
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: what did I.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it was such a long time ago, and I
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  Speaker 1: remember I was intrigued. I'm such a yes person, Like
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  Speaker 1: someone will say do you want to do you want
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  Speaker 1: to go out to you know, backs Marsh and do
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  Speaker 1: this short.
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  Speaker 3: Film and there's you know, you know we're going to
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  Speaker 3: do this and that, and I'm.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Like yeah, yeah, I'm like I'm the yes person, so
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  Speaker 1: you know when and I really respect Marty. He's such
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: a great human but a great producer and all that.
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  Speaker 1: So when he asked me, and when he said who
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: else he'd.
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: Asked, I was like, hell, yeah, I'm so there.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: Like I was like really honored to be asked, you know.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: So yeah, I think Marty must have just either texted
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: me or called me or something like that. Just dropped
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  Speaker 1: a little Hey do you want to be yeah, just
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: a casual supergroup. Yeah yeah, and then you know, it
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: was like, wow, this might not work. We were all
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: thinking that. We were like, oh, let's just try it. It
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: might not work, you know. So we were preparing, yeah,
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: that it might flop at first go. But literally, like
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: five minutes into jamming, because we set up in a
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: studio and recorded the very first chance, it was.
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  Speaker 3: Like, wow, this this could be something. It worked like
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: that straight away.
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  Speaker 2: So cool. So like with the season musicians like yourself
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: was like when you played like an guy, done a
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: couple of REASONA shows so far, but did the chemistry
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: on stage come there naturally? Because you did? You still
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: have to work at it. Yeah.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: That's a really good question because we just did two
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: warm up shows and it was our first show, so
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: we were a little bit nervous and excited. It was
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: sort of like where do we stand on stage? Who
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: talks to the audience. We were kind of asking those
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: questions right there on the night because we like, oh, okay,
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: here we are, Now what do we do? Yeah, so
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: we're kind of it's fine, We're working it out, you know,
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: as we go along, we're still working out who's going
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: to be exactly in the center. We're just trialing different
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: positions on the stage for myself and Mick and Mick
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: turn or Mick Turner likes to be sort of on
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: the on the side, more a little bit out of
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: the spotlight where the singers need to be upfront. So
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: but the chemistries like, we don't have to work on
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: that because it was there from the beginning. So that's
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: the really nice thing and people are definitely picking up
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: on it, and it feels like that there's there's some
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: electricity between us. It's really nice and so that's that
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: sort of binds us together and then whatever we do
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: from there is is just easy or you know, it's
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: just it just flows from that.
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: So I think there's a natural chemistry there.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: But yeah, technically we're still Yeah, we've only done two shows,
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: so we're just a baby band really a teth we're
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: a baby supergroup.
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: Speaking of live shows, you have got two coming up.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: You've got one of the City Recital Hall in Sydney
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: on October the eleventh and another one at the Recital
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: Hall in Veulbourne October sixteen. So where can people get
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: tickets and find out more information.
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so you can go to our website. We've got
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: a website. It's very minimal, but it's very beautiful. It's
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: just bleak Squad dot com. So you can just jump
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: on there and all the gigs will be there and
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: you can just jump on the links there. Yeah, or
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: our Instagram there's a link there in our profile or
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: Facebook where they're bleak just bleak squad.
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: You'll find us too easy, that ledible. Thanks for your
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: tom always a pleasure speaking with your. Strange Love is
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: out now and it's a bloody beautiful album. Makes the
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: best luck with them. Hopefully you come to Brisbane. I'll
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: come along in say.
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: La, mate, we will be in Brisbane the first chance
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: we get. I'm totally pushing for it. But that's the
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: plan is to try and just play wherever we can.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: So hopefully, yeah, come to a show mate, We'll we'll
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: look off you and yeah, thanks for having me, Thanks
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: so much,