Rocket Science: Blasted.

Rocket Science play The Zoo on April 26, the Surfers Paradise Beergarden April 27 and the Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay April 28.

True to the predictions of many a rock philosopher, tastes in popular music have turned (in some circles), back to the roots of the genre. Borrowing heavily from late 60’s stoner rock to mid 70’s glam and no-wave, the sound of now is a funky, yet heavy melange of amplified distortion with skewed percussion and devil may care rock attitudes.

Leading the fray in Australia is Melbourne based quartet Rocket Science who first came to public attention with their standout debut for Modular Records Welcome Aboard The 3C10. Featuring frantically messy and sexually charged organ and theremin riffs, slick, deep bass and a visual aesthetic other locals lacked, Rocket Science quickly became staples on alternative radio with a live reputation for wild, unpredictable shenanigans.

Led by the abundantly charismatic and seductively named Roman Tucker and rounded out by Kit Warhurst (drums) and guitarist Paul Maybury, bassist Dave Grey is chatting from Sydney as he mentally prepares himself for a live recording of the Pepsi Chart TV show. For a group noted for their live antics, is it weird scaling back in a clinical studio environment?

“I think it’s just down to experience, but the first time you do it, it is a bit strange. We did that House of Hits show, the very last one before it got axed.”

With that loveable old rogue Molly Meldrum?

“He’s a very lovely, charming man! He was wearing this silver shirt that he was very proud of and he had this silver tie on, and because it was the last show they threw a party with champagne and they were all drinking it out of plastic cups. He had one plastic cup on top of another plastic cup and he didn’t realise that the bottom plastic cup still had champagne in it. So he went for a drink and he poured champagne all down the front of his silver shirt that he was telling us he loved so much, it was a typical Molly moment.”

The new album Contact High is still in the aviation vein (kinda) while the LPs first single One Robot is like a perfect, spasmodic step in the right direction for Roman and Co – a jerky, sleazy ditty that creeps up with a teasing bass before pleading in your ear. And naturally, it’s laced with the organ motif, a Rocket Science trademark of sorts.

Dave agrees that Contact High is a variation and progression for the group.

“It all just had a really new wave sort of feel to it. I mean the band has always had a kinda new wave vibe to it, but this has really challenged the way we play as musicians. You’re always trying to come up with something that’s a bit off kilter.”

Grey says that the bulk of the groups work comes from the exuberant Roman, but in the way that career band-boys are wont to, there is no jealousy in that. Grey, who has been in and around the live music scene for 18-odd years, gives his fearless leader the props that are warranted.

“Roman really tries harder to come up with songs that aren’t generic, he just works really hard as a songwriter.”

Not that it’s a one-man show though – far from it.

“Well, Kit wrote the music for One Robot for example and Paul and I have both written songs, but Roman is definitely the most prolific out of us, as far as having the most focused ideas as well. Sometimes he’ll come in with something and we’ll be like ‘That’s pretty dam good, we’ll just try to reproduce that’. And then there will be other moments where a part doesn’t seem to be working so you just try and re-structure it and add another part in or take another part out and just play around with things. So there’s different approaches with different songs but generally speaking, Roman’s main idea is pretty close to completed, but we do add our own ideas to it.”

Personally speaking though, Dave admits that “A bit of fuzz pedal can make anything sound good!”

When in doubt and all that?

“Exactly! When it’s not working, then just try the fuzz and suddenly its ‘Yes! I don’t need to change a thing.”