MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS

So far as hard-working, progressive, artistic, disco bands go, Midnight Juggernauts are about the most hard-working progressive, artistic and disco. After a two-year break to work on multimedia art projects, the trio are back together and in the swing of things.

“We’ve definitely dived back into it,” says a severely jet lagged Vin Vendetta, who recently returned from touring overseas with the band.

“It’s been a pretty hectic month or two, but it’s been fun. It’s been inspiring.

“At the start of the year when we put out War Machine we did a quick tour with Tame Impala. It was kind of cool because those were our first trial shows after having a bit of a break and getting back into playing music. It was great to just get back up on stage again and try and play new tunes and to get back into that vibe. Now after South America we also went to Europe for a month and now we’re back in Australia, so we’ve definitely found our rhythm again.”

The unusual way the group released their comeback single, War Machine is a testament to their eagerness to think outside of the box. In a move that seems like celebrity-vanity-googling gone mad, they decided to take a risk and release their comeback single on Russian music blogs, and then to wait and see how long it took for fans to catch on that it was a Midnight Juggernauts tune.

“We just watched it spread to a few more general discussion boards and it was interesting to follow people’s response to the clip. People are trying to dissect it and investigate who this band were and a few people had a few ideas of which 80’s band it could have been. So a lot of times it just followed that path,” explains Vendetta.

“There’s still a few versions of that video which are out there which are still unattributed to Midnight Juggernauts. We’re still this mystery Russian band.”

When asked if he counts this as a success Vendetta says, “I think so, it kinda makes it more intriguing.”

Likewise, their latest single and clip release is showcasing the band’s dedication to the avant-garde.

“Memorium – the history of CGI,” says Vendetta, “It’s been getting a great response particularly through the computer technology community.” (LC)

Aug 16, Metro Theatre, 624 George St, Sydney, $28.70, (02) 9550 3666, metrotheatre.com.au