Questions answered by Fraser Harvey of Cameras
Hello and how the devil are you today and what’s the view like?
I am well thank you, but I'm packing to move house, so the view is one of boxes and mess.
So, you come from Australia, tell us about your home town / City and if there is any influence in your music, from the places you reside in or come from?
We live in
How did you come together as a band and with what hopes/aim?
Eleanor (Dunlop) and myself started writing together, I don't know if we had any ambitions when we started - but I think we received enough encouragement in those initial stages to spur us on a little bit. I think the best part of that time was that we didn't have any expectations or particular aims, just to write.
Your debut album, In Your Room is out on Manimal Vinyl on 6th August. How important do you think it is to have a record label deal as against the indie DIY approach?
It helps to have a label behind you, even if it's just for the extra support, but we're still very much a DIY band - we still do most things ourselves.
Have you released any music outside of the new record?
Not yet, but you'll likely hear of some other things from each of us sometime in the next year.
You recorded ‘June’ for MTV. How did that come about and any surprises whilst making the video?
Well, we recorded the song for the album, and we got Jens Hertzum to direct us again (he also did the video clip for defeatist). For me, the surprise was the taste of the blood - minty fresh!
School/College days; what was the hot music exchanged and do those artists carry any influence on your music today.
I was quite heavily into Jeff Buckley when I was at school, although I don't know how much that has influenced this band, but certainly me. I hit the obligatory Radiohead phase around 16, although that one never quite went away. A lot of bands like the Police and Talking Heads which were staples in my parent’s record collection.
Last year we discovered The Vietnam War from
It certainly is it's own little pocket, this part of the world. There are heaps of bands who are doing cool things - Deep Sea Arcade are great, as are The Laurels - but I'm generally pretty slow to the plate when it comes to new things.
Any plans for a European tour?
There are, but I ain't got no concrete details for you right now. Hopefully soon though - it will be a hell of a lot of fun.
If you were the wear the tee-shirt of another band on stage, who it be and why?
Tough call, as a rarely will wear a t-shirt on stage, but I guess if I was going too - maybe a Beach House shirt, if they have one with their new album cover printed on it? I love that album, and I love good album art - it's quite rare these days.
In such a vast country, how do you get from gig to gig and what geographical areas do you cover?
We spend a fortune flying ourselves around! We could probably drive, but 8-10 hours in a car together may be temping casualties.
When in the tour van, who drives to the gig, who chooses the music in the van and where is the best place to eat on tour?
Well, it would be Elle or Mike at the wheel - or our manager Jon. We're pretty easy going when it comes to music selection. I like hearing what other people are listening too, and that normally comes from Mike or Ben. The best place to eat on tour was probably the Apple Pan in LA. Mike's girlfriend Rosa, who actually used to play with us at the time, took us there. That
Back in the Seventies bands would have a few bottles of Jack Daniels on stage with them; today it all seems to be water. What are you guys Whisky, Water or?????
Normally red wine, although I'm starting to get into cocktails based on Whiskey - they are boss, although as I found out the other night can get you hammered pretty early on.
In Your Room, is the debut album from Cameras. Which sees it’s UK release on Manimal Vinyl on 6th August . You can watch the quite stunning 'June' on MTV Iggy here