Mercy Arms interview

MERCY ARMS GUITARIST KIRIN J. CALLINAN TALKS TO ROB TOWNSEND ABOUT STARTING AGAIN FROM SCRATCH

“It felt like if you played in a band and were half-decent, you’d get wined and dined and you’d sign a record deal.”

Two years ago, Mercy Arms were the words on everyone’s lips. The buzz surrounding the young four-piece was absolutely massive. There was a seemingly unfaltering momentum about the band and, when a major record deal was signed, everything pointed towards them being The Next Big Thing. It was all too easy. “That’s really what it seemed like,” guitarist Kirin J. Callinan (above)admits. “You’re playing showcases to the biggest labels in the world and getting flown around and it’s like, ‘It’s all happening. Well done. Pat on the back.’ I don’t want to sound too naïve, but that’s how it was… Then the shit hit the fan.”

Like so many recent victims of cash-strapped record companies desperately throwing acts overboard in a bid to stay afloat, Mercy Arms found themselves having to negotiate their way out of the newly-signed contract. However, rather than this false start leading to their implosion, they simply got back up, dusted themselves down and came back with a galvanised spirit. Sidestepping the hype that had once propelled them, earlier this year the Sydneysiders released their debut album independently to critical acclaim and have since set about taking it on the road. “It’s back to reality now,” the intelligent and articulate Callinan tells me from the back of his tour bus in London. “We’re paying for everything ourselves, we’re doing things on the cheap and it feels better this way.” Their recent travels have taken them to the UK, LA and New York. “Over here we’re starting from scratch. You walk down the street and no-one knows you.” He stops himself and chuckles at his last sentence. “That’s not to say I walk down the street at home and I’m The Beatles.”While Mercy Arms’ ambition is such that they intend to continue giving plenty of attention to succeeding overseas, their time away from home has left them excited about an imminent return to Sydney for a performance at Homebake and a headline gig at The Gaelic Theatre. “At our opening show at [London’s] Scala, supporting Ladyhawke, there were four people there when we played the opening song. That makes you appreciate the fans back home and how well people have taken to us.”

While they have plenty more runs on the ladder to climb, their time overseas has certainly been a success. Indeed, the band has just finished a UK tour in support of Cut Copy, performing tracks from Mercy Arms, their epic, eponymous debut album to sold-out venues. Following the rollercoaster ride of the last couple of years, the spring is clearly back in Mercy Arms’ step, and the way Callinan already talks about getting into the studio to record a new album suggests the band is excited about the journey that lies ahead. “The first record, while I’m very proud of it, was a learning experience. It is a record of green and brown, and we want to make the next one blue and red. Bolder and more defined.”With bolder intentions come different recording methods, and Callinan explains the way in which they plan to put together their follow-up record early next year. “Going into the studio [to record Mercy Arms], we already had the songs from the rehearsal room and from playing live. When we recorded them, it was just a matter of pulling away the layers. On our next album, rather than working the songs in the rehearsal space and recording them as they are, we want to get a bit more adventurous; maybe go into a studio and record the songs and rearrange them, pull them apart, deconstruct them and put them back together again. Get them down and then work out how to play them live after that. That’s very exciting for me.”

As anyone who heads to The Gaelic Theatre will discover, Mercy Arms is made up of big personalities; most notably guitarist Callinan and frontman Thom Moore (above). Always strikingly-attired, the guitarist stalks the stage, filling the room with imposing guitar noise while Moore belts out classically-structured melodies with a soaring vocal. The fact that Callinan is the Yin to Moore’s Yang leads me to ask whether having two such strong characters in the group ever causes clashes. “Often,” Callinan laughs. “Obviously there are difficulties, but it is also where a lot of our strengths lie. It’s not just me and Thom either; it’s all of our personalities. We spend a lot of time trying to, you know, keep things civilised, but I think a lot of the positives come when we’re at each other’s throats. That’s when the most exciting music is made.”