Bloods

In an industry which is often focused on building fame and making money Sydney band Bloods, and their record label, are taking an entirely different, much more philanthropic, approach.

When Bloods were first introduced to the concept behind Share It Music and Sub Pop publishing the decision to join the not-for-profit organisation was a “no-brainer” according to lead vocalist MC.

“The concept behind the label [donating all profits to charity] is such a fantastic idea… We were actually shocked nobody else was running their label in this way, because it’s such a good opportunity for music to do good.”

Even before joining Share It Music and Sub Pop the group had been associated with charity endeavours, so a partnership was a natural fit for the release of the group’s second album, Feelings.

For the new record Bloods wanted to “focus locally” on the issues they felt were important in Australia, and thus chose the Indigenous Literacy Foundation as their partner charity.

With this being the groups second album there were some delays in the process.

“It took us three, almost four, years to make this album,” explained MC. “The process was a lot longer than we would have liked but we felt we needed to invest the time and focus to do everything the right way and not rush the process at all.”

Happily the “loyal and patient” fan base the group has built throughout the years was rewarded with a record which they have embraced and seen perform very well critically.

“We’re so grateful for any level of support that we get, whether that be somebody writing something nice about the album or somebody giving it a spin. We still send each other excited emails every time we hear of something new.”

Now to celebrate the album’s success Bloods have put together a “house party” type show.

“We’ve designed these nights so that it’s not just a show but more of a big house party. We’ll be DJing after the show, and we’ve got our friends DJing as well, so it should be fun.”

Strangely this show will also be the first time the group will be performing a set comprising mostly material from Feelings.

“It feels like we put the record out a while ago, so we’re really excited to finally be able to celebrate and play the songs live. We’ve been dropping in songs here or there for the last couple of years to test them out, but this will be the first time where the bulk of the set is new stuff.”

Dec 8. Union Hotel, 576 King St, Newtown. FREE. Info: www.unionnewtown.com.au