Innisfail's finest musical sons get ready to launch their debut, writes Jesse Kuch.

From (almost) literally kicking off this year’s NRL season at Dairy Farmers Stadium in February, to their time in the studio with local wiz Nigel Pegrum, 2012 was always going to be a big year for Innisfail lads Zilch.

The genre-bending four-piece have been one of the hardest working local live outfits for the last couple of years now, with an enviable reputation from Cairns to Townsville, but with the release of their debut self-titled EP this weekend, the boys from the Cassowary Coast are about to hit a new high.

Fusing together influences of rock, hip-hop, acoustic, metal, funk, electro, new wave and even a bit of dubstep, the sounds on Zilch’s debut are hard to classify – but not hard to like.

Speaking to timeOUT ahead of the launch at Innisfail’s Crown Hotel this weekend with a big roster of Cairns acts in support, frontman Tony Alcock says that he and the rest of the band are very happy with their first endeavour in the studio and look forward to bringing it to their hometown crowd on Saturday.

>> Click here for your chance to win Zilch CD and ticket to their official launch this weekend

“We’re really happy it’s finally out there,” Tony says.

“It’s pretty mixed in sounds, we’re just putting it all out there and see what comes back and people’s response is. It’s got all the different sounds we’ve been known for, and a few new things too.”

While the band is perhaps best known for its acoustic/hip-hop sets, these days, Tony says, the band is heading in heavier and more electro-inspired directions.

“We’re going synth heavy, with a bit of Rage Against The Machine or Regurgitator style,” he says.

“It’s more fun to play for us on stage. With the acoustic stuff, there is not much movement on stage or in the crowd. But when we play the more rocking stuff, everyone goes wild. You have to listen to the audience and at the end of the day, you’ve got to like what you’re doing.”

Tony says their time in the studio was made easier by local wiz Nigel Pegrum from Pegasus Studios in Whitfield.
“I class (Nigel) as one of the best in North Queensland and I know a lot of other people would,” Tony says.

“It all went pretty smooth and Nigel is so easy to work with. He won’t tell you it’s bad, he’ll just say ‘let’s try it again’. He knows what’s good and where he’s been and his career – you can’t buy that sort of information or experience.”

Tony says the last piece of the Zilch puzzle is trying to find a niche – something he’s not sure if they’ll ever be able to do.

“I’m waiting for someone to pigeonhole us,” he says with a laugh.

“It’s really hard to fill out festival applications; when you are asked what genre, we have to tick about 30 (laughs).

“We’re not thinking too much further than that. We just like to have fun and we’ll take what comes our way. People ask what happens when we get famous and we just think we’ll cross that bridge when it comes. I don’t think you should think about that bridge until it’s built.”

>> Zilch launch their self-titled debut EP at The Crown Hotel in Innisfail on Saturday night, supported by Peyote, Jobstopper and Basement Grits. $15 entry, including a copy of the EP. Doors open 8pm-late. 18+ event.

NEW CAIRNS.COM.AU COMMENT POLICY
We welcome your comments on this story. Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Comments submitted without a full name and suburb/location will not be considered for publication. Please read our full comment policy and publication guidelines.

Share this article