Interviews
Justin Buford
End Of Fashion

I spoke to Justin from End Of Fashion
about music, crowds, past bands and love
all while he was in an elevator.

Q. There is a lot of interest in Perth bands and Perth music at the moment, do you think there is a particular Perth sound and is it very different from bands from the Eastern States?

Yeah there is definitely a lot of interest in Perth bands at the moment and I guess you could say there is a Perth sound.  The pop scene in Perth has exploded mainly the low-fi melodic sounding bands that have a lead singer with a personality and I guess that is where the money is at the moment.  The same thing could have been said a few years ago when indie rock was at its most popular and bands like Jebediah and Ammonia were coming out of Perth.  It is natural that a pop is big and it will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years.  The main thing for new artists to do is to create music that is going to get noticed and pop is it at the moment.  It is hard for artists that get noticed as the popular genre is on its way out, you need to be able to see what will be popular in the future and get your timing right.

Q. The End Of Fashion live show is a great thing to be seen.  Audiences that I have seen really seem to get into the music.  Is getting a crowd involved important to having a good show or do you just concentrate on playing great music and the crowd is blocked out?

I think it’s half and half.  You can’t be too aware of the crowd or they will dictate how you perform, you need to dictate how you want the crowd to reacts.  It all depends on the crowd and atmosphere.  If the crowd is unresponsive then it is our job to try and change that.

Q. There have been a lot of rumours going around about whether End Of Fashion have been signed to a major label or not.  Can you confirm this for us?  And are there plans for an EP or album to be released soon?  Have you recorded yet?

No we have not signed to a major label.  We are looking at labels overseas and everything kind of depends on that.  We have had interest from major labels but decided to look overseas instead.  We haven’t recorded anything yet except for demos and if the overseas label thing happens we should release an EP in Australia in the next 6 months.

Q.  After your residency at The Amplifier Bar are there plans for a tour either around WA or over East?

No we want to tour over east as all bands do but without a product it is kind of useless.  If the overseas label thing happens then we will definitely do a tour overseas and over east but we are just waiting for that to work itself out.

Q.  Rod, who plays guitar, and yourself left The Sleepy Jackson in February.  Was the leaving on bad terms or was it inevitable?

Well I thought it was on good terms at the time but I have been getting a bit of shit about it lately.  It was just a personality conflict that caused the split but it wasn’t a bad tempered thing.

Q.  Vanessa Thornton from Jebediah plays bass for the band at the moment.  Is this a permanent fixture or just a temporary arrangement?  If a temp thing, will she be recording with you and do you have someone planned for the future?

No it is just a temporary thing.  We are actually looking at bass players at the moment.  We are looking for someone who has presence and a good personality and not necessarily someone who can play every song in the world.  I didn’t start playing music until I was like 13 and didn’t start writing songs until I was 19 so I don’t think someone who has played for years might not be as useful to us than someone with the right personality and fits in with the band.

Q. What bands have had the greatest influence on you and who are your favourite bands at the moment?  Has anyone told you that you sound just like the guy from Muse?

Yeah I haven’t had too many influences but it used to be the usual bunch that everybody says: The Beatles, Nirvana etc.  More recently I’d have to say Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, Jeff Buckley, Grand Daddy.  I’m really into Grand Daddy’s new album Sumday at the moment and I guess it’s inspiring me but who knows.  Yeah a few people have told me I sound like the Muse guy and I think it’s quite funny coz I can’t stand Muse or the way they sound.  Their first album was pretty good but I just can’t get into them and I think it’s just ironic that people think I sound like him and I don’t like that sound at all.  I’ve also heard a Jeff Buckley comparison and that I don’t mind but Muse no.

Q. What is your favourite live music venue in Perth?  Do you prefer small pub shows with a small audience or bigger shows with lots of people cheering you on?

My favourite venue is The Amplifier Bar or Metro City.  The Amplifier Bar has the best sound, lighting, people there and atmosphere and Metro City is just a great place to play.  The Rosemount is also a great new place since it has been renovated.  Small shows are more intimate and I could say the cliché of small shows keep you in touch with the audience but I really prefer big shows when the audience start to really get into it.  With smaller shows the audience can sometimes be scared to come up and get into the music.  Large shows let the crowd really get into it and can create a great feeling and atmosphere.  We played a show at the Newport a little while a go and it was probably the biggest audience we’ve had.  The atmosphere was electric and I even had some nerves before the show.  It was the first really big show that we have done and the crowd was really into it and were right in our face.  I love that kind of a crowd and it helps the band get more into playing as well.

Q. Well thanks for the interview Justin.  Good luck with your show tomorrow at The Amplifier Bar and I’ll probably see you there.

What you aren’t going to the Placebo concert? I wish I could go but yeah I have the show, but my girlfriend is supporting them with Little Birdy (Katie Steele), so that’s ok.  Thanks.

Interview by Justin