POMO FULCRUM PVT are the ultimate postmodern band, working from opposite sides of the globe. Guitarist Richard Pike tells Cyclone how they regrouped to record Homosapien, their most accessible album yet, in an old Yass homestead. espite their Australian origins, Richard Pike, who’s emerged as frontman for the once instrumental outfit PVT, has lived in London for four years. “I like it – and my girlfriend’s here,” he says. Besides, Pike now holds London to be cheaper than Sydney, and is home to his bandmates: brother Laurence Pike (drums) and Dave Miller (laptop). “We get together whenever it’s convenient – when we tour, really – and we rehearse then. But we recorded most of the live stuff [for Homosapien] just outside of Yass in NSW – or is it technically part of the ACT? We actually mixed the album over here in London.” Indeed, they hired mixer Brit Ben Hillier, whose credits include Depeche Mode. The
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world may be smaller, but some logistical challenges will never go away. “Obviously, the big one is just flying. Occasionally, we have to say ‘no’ to gigs when we’re not all together and it’s just inconvenient. We can’t just say ‘yes’ to a gig here and there in Australia. We have to organise tours. We end up doing two tours a year in Australia – and that’s it, which is fine. It seems to have worked so far – unless we seriously run out of money or fanbase, then it probably will change,” he laughs, “but it’s been going okay so far.” PVT originated as the five-piece Pivot in Sydney in 1999, their ambient post-rock experimental and improvised. Pivot’s debut, Make Me Love You, arrived in 2005. Along the way, members drifted off, leaving the Pike brothers as Pivot’s core. They’d recruit Perth native Miller, and in 2008 the math rockers became the first Australian act to sign to Warp Records, releasing O Soundtrack My Heart. In 2010, however, legal issues compelled them to modify their name (there was another Pivot in North Carolina). Following Church With No Magic, PVT farewelled Warp. “Our deal ran out with Warp and we sort of mutually said ‘good-bye’. They didn’t offer us another deal, so we were kinda open, which was a little bit daunting at first, but actually nice – because it means we can exist out of the shadow of the ubiquitous Warp Records. We felt that for a few years it was hard to exist in our own right without mention of Aphex Twin or Battles or bands like that, especially because we’re a band not from England or America. We were the first Australian band on that label.” Pike reckons that Warp’s removal from Sheffield to London in the 2000s alienated fans of the “cultish” label. “That idea is part of the problem – that we were considered part of that new guard. The hardcore fans would say, ‘That’s not the real Warp’. Being put in that light was not fun... It’s like, Well, they’ve got guitars in the band, it’s not Aphex Twin... I’m very proud of the records we did on Warp, and I still love the label – it’s a fantastic, classic label that we’re part of still, no matter what we do in the future.” PVT’s management encouraged them to cut fresh material and send it to prospective new imprints. They eventually signed to New York’s Felte Sounds, helmed by sometime Ghostly International label manager Jeff Owens (their Australian base is Create/Control). “Jeff got really excited ‘cause he was starting a new label.” Homosapien, its title presumably nothing to do with Pete Shelley’s Martin Rushent-produced ‘80s hit, is a sonic departure for PVT. Pike is properly singing. The song Evolution, which has received more attention than the singles Nightfall and Vertigo, is closer to the nu-Krautrock (or synth-pop) of Midnight Juggernauts than the PVT of yore. “It was very much a gradual thing,” says Pike of his role as vocalist, “but I’ve always been singing, so it wasn’t that new or different for me. The last record I sang [on] just as much, but it’s probably more the focus of this record, which brings out the vocals a lot more. I feel like the songs are lyrically stronger, and [there’s] a lot more storytelling, so that’s probably why it feels like the vocals are popping out more. Also, it’s written in our press release that the vocals are more prominent, so that’s what people focus on.” One local critic suggested that PVT are trying to sound like a ‘festival band’ with Evolution – though they’ve played Glastonbury in the past. But, for Pike, it’s all in that song title. “I think we evolve every record. We always wanna try something different and move in a different direction and surprise ourselves – so that’s the main thing. We just don’t wanna get bored with life.” Surprisingly, Pike hasn’t been particularly influenced by the UK electronic scene, which has become ever more experimental, James Blake and others creating avant-garde pop. “I don’t know if there’s a distinctly English sound or anything like that, but there’s definitely this distinct sense of history here, which is really nice to be around. You turn on BBC Radio and you hear an interview with one of the Sex Pistols – and it’s a longform interview, it’s not just a wacky ‘So what are you eating for dinner?’ sort of thing. It’s actually a conversation. You get that real respect for musical history here. I think, unfortunately, Australia has a short memory in that regard – maybe because obviously it’s still a young country and it’s still finding its history. But, yeah, there’s a rich history of stuff and now a rich history of electronic music here, too.” Nevertheless, because Australia has “a clean slate”, today’s musicians can be active in generating that narrative, Pike adds. “I’ve always felt that we’re part of that – especially ‘cause our main thing is trying to do something different and trying to do something new.” Mind, in the social media domain, everything is about the present. Pike wonders if younger generations are even familiar with “classic” Australian rock. “I mean, do the kids know who INXS are? Or Midnight Oil? Or The Triffids? Or Nick Cave, for that matter?” PVT are touring behind Homosapien with their first headline shows here in over two years. They’ve already performed tracks while supporting Menomena in North America, Bloc Party in Europe, and pal Gotye (PVT remixed Eyes Wide Open). “We’ve just been playing the new album for, like, two months, so we’re ready to go.” WHO: PVT WHAT: Homosapien (Create/Control) WHEN & WHERE: Saturday 30 March, The Bakery
12 • For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews