“Mind the smell,” calls Isabella. “It’s a combination of poo, wee and dead rat.”
Tim Da-Rin, the photographer, and I tentatively follow her through the back entrance to Hibernian House. The stench uncoils itself in our nostrils, sour green paint curls fingers off the walls, hallogen lights confuse time and graffiti graces the hallways.
Upon entering the warehouse space that is the powerhouse of the Preatures, we find it is surprisingly homely; Persian rugs, leather couches and dimmed lamps. At the centre, Isabella, Jack, Tom, Luke and Gideon are slumped across the lounge configuration engaging in lazy chatter.
As they toss banter around like a ball, I feel as though I am travelling in a car with them between gigs on a long stretch of highway.
The Preatures met in stages. Thomas Champion (bass) and Jack Moffitt (lead guitar) first met in high school then they met Isabella Manfredi (keys & vox) while all three were studying at AIM (Australian Institute of Music). Isabella asked them if they knew how to play blues music and they laughed at her.
Photo: Tim Da-Rin
Isabella: “They were such snobs. They listened to Led Zeppelin incessantly.”
Jack: “And what’s wrong with that?”
They started doing gigs and left AIM.
Isabella: “We did really shitty gigs around town. We were called Brother Fox and then La Gloria, which we later learned was name of the epicentre of Swine Flu, in Mexico.”
Then they met Gideon Bensen (guitar & vox) who at the time was playing with the Primates (lots of attitude and guitars). They really liked his voice.
Gideon: “I was unschooled, we were completely unschooled. We just got together and started to do it.”
Jack: “Then we needed a drummer. We were recommended Luke Davison. Then it turned out Luke and Isabella had played together at her Dad’s restaurant.”
A band likened to The Velvet Underground, Fleetwood Mac and Kings of Leon, The Preatures were Unearthed by Triple J and then signed to Mercury Records through Universal. They have been described by ABC’s Triple J as, “a blend of Gothic Soul and rock & roll combines classic songwriting with raw, infectious delivery. Described as The Velvet Underground crashing into Motown, their live shows are cultish: deliriously charged and magnetic”. They now attract an eclectic crowd across the country with hit songs such as “Take a Card” and “Pale Rider”.
The band recently returned from Adelaide where they performed at The Gorgeous Festival.
Isabella: “It was bloody gorgeous. Really good food and wine… On the road you get used to a certain standard of shit-ness – to put it bluntly – and then you do shows like that where you get treated amazingly.”
Thomas: “Yeah, there was a luxury port-a-loo.”
Photo: Tim Da-Rin
Luke: “It was like a yacht. It had air-con, hand towels, plastic imitation marble and live radio playing inside.”
Despite having less time to set up and sometimes relying on a more established band’s sound technicians, they seem to be enamoured with festivals. Having performed at Valley Fiesta (Brisbane), Gorgeous Festival (Adelaide) and Newtown Festival (Sydney) so far this year, they were booked to do more but have had some pretty bad luck with weather.
Gideon: “Until Gorgeous Festival, we were cursed; wherever we went, we brought bad weather with us, like at Secret Garden Festival when it rained just before we were about to get on stage.”
Isabella: “So far, in terms of big festivals, Peats Ridge is the pinnacle of what we will be doing and what we are really looking forward to.”
At Peats Ridge, The Preatures will be playing at The Bellbird Stage on December 29.
They are also keen to catch some of the big names and local Sydney acts. They spin off a list (some with whom they have already toured): Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, Deep Sea Arcade, The Cairos, Gossling, Tijuana Cartel and Clary Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes. It will be a first time affair as the band has not been to the Peats Ridge Festival, except for Luke who performed with New Navy last year.
Isabella: “I’m looking forward to the vibe of the festival. There is also less pressure than playing at a gig where everyone is there to see you. People are just cruising around, sitting down, hanging out and relaxed. You play better when you feel like that.”
Jack: “Yeah you can really lose yourself in it. And there’s a river so we’ll definitely be swimming and perhaps catch some exotic disease.”
Isabella: “I just wanna have some fun.”
With their EP release recorded just last year, they are looking forward to exciting new projects in 2013. The next EP will be recorded and released in early 2013. Later in the year they plan to go to the United States to work on their first album.
There’s a whole new year of Preaturin’ pleasure to come!
