The Barons Of Tang
Words: Rob Lyon
The Barons Of Tang: Melbourne’s Pioneers of Gypsy Deathcore! If there’s any band worth checking out at WOMAD to see if they live up to their namesake it’s The Barons Of Tang. Starting out as a joke as their band didn’t fit any musical genre they decided to create their own and before long this musical juggernaut spiralled out of control.
Playing at WOMAD the band promises that dancing is inevitable as tango, rockabilly, metal, folk and a touch of gypsy are thrown together to create something catchy as hell. Julian Cue talks to Caught In The Mosh about WOMAD and their aspirations to play the European and American tour circuit.
Is it an exciting buzz to be playing WOMAD 2012?
Very much so, it is definitely a highlight for us if not for the year for our band. We have had the opportunity to play WOMAD in New Zealand last year and was an amazing experience. For a band like us we’d always hope this sort of festival would be on the cards for us as we pull together a lot of different types of folk music lending itself well to this type of festival. It has been a long time coming for us but we’re really excited as well.
The Barons Of Tang bio describes you as being gypsy deathcore, do you still see yourselves in that vein?
I think we’ve evolved a lot as band since coining that expression, which was a bit of a joke and a parody given we didn’t really fit any genre of music so we created our own and told people that’s what we played. Certainly, it is always evolving and we’re pushing in new directions. As soon as we settle on a sound as The Barons Of Tang we find another way to keep it fresh and experimenting with new ideas.
Playing at WOMAD the band promises that dancing is inevitable as tango, rockabilly, metal, folk and a touch of gypsy are thrown together to create something catchy as hell. Julian Cue talks to Caught In The Mosh about WOMAD and their aspirations to play the European and American tour circuit.
Is it an exciting buzz to be playing WOMAD 2012?
Very much so, it is definitely a highlight for us if not for the year for our band. We have had the opportunity to play WOMAD in New Zealand last year and was an amazing experience. For a band like us we’d always hope this sort of festival would be on the cards for us as we pull together a lot of different types of folk music lending itself well to this type of festival. It has been a long time coming for us but we’re really excited as well.
The Barons Of Tang bio describes you as being gypsy deathcore, do you still see yourselves in that vein?
I think we’ve evolved a lot as band since coining that expression, which was a bit of a joke and a parody given we didn’t really fit any genre of music so we created our own and told people that’s what we played. Certainly, it is always evolving and we’re pushing in new directions. As soon as we settle on a sound as The Barons Of Tang we find another way to keep it fresh and experimenting with new ideas.
Is this a bonus to play at WOMAD where you don’t have to try to find the right audience to play to as they’ll be at the festival?
The fantastic thing about WOMAD is that it is a festival based around the audience experiencing something new and that’s what people are there for essentially. The audience is really hungry for any new experience they can get or any surprises you can give them. In a lot of ways this is how it should be when it comes to music and for us this is the exciting part of being able to play WOMAD. Not only do you get to play to big audiences but people who go seem to be really in to experiencing something new. There’s a whole world of music out there and art isn’t validated by what’s on the radio or what’s selling records.
Where is the focus for The Barons Of Tang?
Certainly, Australia has always been amazing to us given that our band plays quite obscure music and the fact that we’ve been able to find any audience at all I find to be a real privilege. It is not always possible to play to large audiences and festivals all the time but I do think playing the European and American festival circuit is where we can build more of a career. We’ve driven up the Hume Highway so many times that I’m starting to name the sheep. There are three sheep on the Hume and they’re all called Kevin. Playing to new audiences is what excites us and we’re on the road at least six months of the year. It is a real juggle trying to reconcile home life, paying bills then this thing we love, which is also work but a lot of fun.
The fantastic thing about WOMAD is that it is a festival based around the audience experiencing something new and that’s what people are there for essentially. The audience is really hungry for any new experience they can get or any surprises you can give them. In a lot of ways this is how it should be when it comes to music and for us this is the exciting part of being able to play WOMAD. Not only do you get to play to big audiences but people who go seem to be really in to experiencing something new. There’s a whole world of music out there and art isn’t validated by what’s on the radio or what’s selling records.
Where is the focus for The Barons Of Tang?
Certainly, Australia has always been amazing to us given that our band plays quite obscure music and the fact that we’ve been able to find any audience at all I find to be a real privilege. It is not always possible to play to large audiences and festivals all the time but I do think playing the European and American festival circuit is where we can build more of a career. We’ve driven up the Hume Highway so many times that I’m starting to name the sheep. There are three sheep on the Hume and they’re all called Kevin. Playing to new audiences is what excites us and we’re on the road at least six months of the year. It is a real juggle trying to reconcile home life, paying bills then this thing we love, which is also work but a lot of fun.