Photo by James Thomson
When RVG‘s striking debut album, A Quality Of Mercy, was self released in Australia last year, the eight song LP had no supporting music video, press release or radio promotion. They didn’t even have a band photo. Without all that, the music had to stand on its own.
RVG is comprised of Angus Bell, Reuben Bloxham, Marc Nolte and Romy Vager. They were only intended to be a one-off backing band—and were originally called the Romy Vager Group—but once they’d played together, just one time, they knew they were a unit.
That the Melbourne-based rockers have gone from a self-released album to their music being available soon in record stores all over the world in such a short time is testament to the high standard of what they’ve produced. A Quality Of Mercy takes its title from an episode of The Twilight Zone. (“The Fall had a few songs named after Twilight Zone episodes, too, which I like,” Vager says.)
I caught up with the singer/guitarist over email.
Dangerous Minds: The first time I heard “IBM,” as I was listening I thought it was gonna be about comparing a relationship to a missile exploding, but it ended up being about falling in love with a computer. The lyrics seem a bit, well bitter. What inspired that one?
Romy Vager: I think when I was writing it I was purposely aiming to do something that was a bit more oddball, something like what Robyn Hitchcock would have written in the 80s. I don’t think i intended it to be about anything other than a quirky story but now it’s taken on a life of its own. A few of our songs are like that, the lyrics themselves are quite sparse and then the emotion gets painted on top later.
Speaking of inspiration, the first thing I zeroed in on, with the press materials, was the mention of the Go-Betweens, so I perked right up with that, and I hear it, but I’m also hearing Tom Verlaine. Your guitar playing is very distinct—and really original—who were your favorite bands or guitarists growing up?
I got into 80s goth when I was 15 and I still haven’t gotten over it. I think bands like Siouxsie & The Banshees and The March Violets are hidden very neatly in our music somewhere. Gary Marx from The Sisters of Mercy/Ghost Dance and Poison Ivy from The Cramps were people whose playing definitely rubbed off of me. I actually didn’t want to play guitar when we started but everyone made me.
The press bio also states that after your first band tended to clear rooms, that you’d “committed to write songs that people would actually like, and want to listen to.” That cracked me up. What’s your songwriting process like now, as compared to then?
I would call my previous songwriting ‘delusional’. I’ve changed a lot as a person in the last few years and by some kind of miracle my songwriting has changed with me. My older songs used to be a lot more closed off and directionless. I’m trying to communicate with people a lot more in the songs on AQOM rather than just vomiting on them.
The album was recorded “live” it says? If so it sounds really, really good, with a lot of space around each instrument. What sort of room was it recorded in to sound so clean like that? The soundstage is quite present.
Our bass player Angus engineered the album in a bar called The Tote in Melbourne where he sometimes mixes bands. We did most of it on the floor of the main room and the vox and some overdubs at my old house. Gus has a really good ear for what sounds good and it was very much his production that prevented the record from sounding like a ratty garage band.
How/when did the group form?
We formed about two and a half years ago. I had made a tape and a friend talked me into having a launch for it. Me and Angus had worked on my stuff before, I’d been in a band with Marc previously and was living with Reuben at the time. It all just came together. I didn’t actually think it’d be a thing but after that one gig but it just made sense to keep playing.
Your drummer is pretty mega—Moe Tucker meets Jesus and Mary Chain—isn’t he?
He’s great! I don’t think we’d sound as good if it wasn’t for the style of his playing. I think he definitely has his Moe Tucker moments but there’s also a lot of 60’s garage and kitch Hawaiian records in there as well. Everyone in Melbourne is always trying to poach him from us.
What sort of music industry “machinery” do you have working on your behalf to get from Melbourne to New York City and beyond with your debut release?
I’m sorta intentionally oblivious to everything that’s going on but we’ve got an amazing label that’s really put a lot of work into getting us overseas. I’ve heard there’s also a lot of really great people in the States helping us do all this who hopefully I’ll get to meet once we’re there.
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During the week of March 12, RVG will be playing around SXSW. They’ll be in NYC on the 19th playing a show at Rough Trade and on March 28 the band will be at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. In May they’ll be in France.
“IBM”
“A Quality of Mercy”
“Asteroid”