RUDELY INTERRUPTED PLAY SNEAKY DEE’S (431 COLLEGE) TUESDAY, DEC 9 WITH RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE, STILL LIFE STILL. $5. 9PM.
WHO ARE THEY? Brace yourself. Melbourne, Australia’s Rudely Interrupted are possibly the most unlikely power-pop sensation to come from that or any other country. Five of the six members have physical or mental disabilities, yet they’ve managed to rise up through the indie-rock ranks as a fully capable touring, recording and radio-ready outfit.
WOW. Exactly. What began as an exercise in music therapy under the tutelage of manager/co-founder/guitarist Rohan Brooks, slowly transformed into a proper band when he met up with lead singer/guitarist Rory Burnside — who was born without eyes and has Asperger Syndrome, but who also has perfect pitch and a knack for infectious melodies. According to Brooks, “It took the whole band about five or six months until we all played the same notes at the same time. [laughs] It was quite hectic at first, because they were really excited to be there and just wanted to jump on the instruments and go crazy.”
SO HOW DID THEY GET TO MAKE A POLISHED SINGLE LIKE “DON’T BREAK MY HEART”? Despite the fact that Josh Hogan had never touched a drum kit before taking part in the therapy sessions, and Burnside joined without Brooks having even heard him sing, the chaotic rehearsals soon coalesced into something special. When one of Burnside’s teachers died from cancer, Brooks explains, “Rory asked me, ‘Can you die from a broken heart?’ and I set that with a melody in my head and sung that back at him. It just grew from there,” recalls Brooks. “We put a chord to it and then I think Marcus hit the same note on the keyboard, Josh hit the crash and went ‘RIGHT! WE’VE DONE IT!’ Once that happened, I got excited and so did they. And then the songs and the togetherness started flowing.”
OK, BUT ARE THE SONGS REALLY THAT GOOD? With a recoded output of only four songs, Rudely Interrupted manage to out-anthem The Killers, while injecting disaffected confidence into their tunes. Leadoff single “Don’t Break My Heart” is all hook, while “In Our Dreams” captures the casual power of the Foo Fighters and “My Only Wish” marries a chugging groove with ’80s dream-pop production. But it’s “Green Lights” where the sightless Burnside expresses an extraordinary fascination with colours, in lyrics set to a soaring, REM-style melody that’s full of hope.
AND THEY’VE ALREADY GOT GIGS IN TORONTO AND NEW YORK? Rudely Interrupted’s first international date was doubly symbolic of their abilities as they rocked out Dec. 3 at the UN to mark the International Day of People with Disabilities. But the notoriety comes with an insight into the spoils of success. “We meant to have a rehearsal on Wednesday but we’ve got a documentary crew following us around [see preview below], so we didn’t even get a chance to play,” says Brooks. “Josh said to me, ‘So we have to do all this just to play our music?’”