Quite some time ago, Simon Killalea wrote in The Drum Media that Sidewinder was the coolest band in the country. Naturally he corrected himself in the months to follow, pointing out that the band was the coolest in the world. Nowadays, this noted barbed wordsmith is posing as the band’s photographer and cover art specialist. It’s funny how things work out.
Ever since Sidewinder ventured from Canberra to Sydney they’ve proved themselves to be a band with a slightly different musical vision than most other contenders. Sure, the flannelette corps took them under their cottony wings, as did the remnants of the last Britpop thingy of a couple of years ago. But they were never slacker wannabes or jangle champs and their weapon, their smokescreen, has always been their firm grasp on diversity.
Not surprisingly, Sidewinder’s recently recorded album, Atlantis, embodies this very characteristic. Just when your chest is getting used to pounding in sympathetic rhythm to a track like Down To Luck, they’ll dish up a tune like Weight To Lean On. And diversity has always been a mainstay. When I first interviewed guitarist / vocalist Nick Craft nearly two years ago, he pointed out that he and his brother Martin (bass / vocalist) grew up listening to their parents’ Neil Diamond albums.
"I still love Neil Diamond. I think he’s the greatest entertainer ever. And that voice... a most beautiful voice." Nick shakes his head and takes another draft of his Coke. If tears had tumbles from his eyes, I wouldn’t have been overly surprised.
More recently he told me that he and Martin were followers of the American garage music as highlighted on the Nuggets and Pebbles albums. Listen to the album, or even the new EP, Anything You Want, and it’ll make sense.
Diversity has to be in the Craft brothers’ blood. Nick and Martin were brought up travelling the world, following a father who worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs. Nick was born in Greece, then went on to lice in the other corners of the globe before them family settled in London for nine years. They returned to Canberra nearly sex years ago and Sidewinder was formed in June 1991.
"The album’s not one-sided, that’s for sure," says Nick. "It’s not just a series of kicks in the balls," he adds, referring to my description of the Down To Luck track. "Some albums you listen to and you’re just knackered after listening to it. It’s just the way it worked out for us. We went into the studio to begin work on the album knowing only about three of the songs. The rest came together during the process. And it was an enjoyable process. None of the album was recorded during daylight hours, we’d arrive at the studio at two in the afternoon, watch television for a few hours and then discuss what we had to do."
Nick describes their creative process not in songwriting terms, rather a process which involves communicating a bundle of idea to other members of the band until something concrete evolves... Not that Sidewinder has evolved much over the last couple of years, according to Nick. "I think we’ve only really refined our sound. It’s still the same band that left Canberra."
Back to the artwork. Killalea’s done well. A big crane on the front, a dreary Tokyo commuter train scene inside and faces of band members on the back. ‘Ichi ban top quality stereo single by Sidewinder’ is printed across the top. Eye catching. It comes complete with a Japanese symbol called ichi ban, meaning ‘number one’ or ‘very good’. Its inclusion on the artwork was inspired by one of Nick’s T shirts.
"I had the symbol on a T shirt and every time I wore it I really hoped it didn’t mean ‘wanker’ or ‘piss off’ or something.
"We don’t necessarily have a deep fascination with Japan, but we were going for an urban feel for the artwork because I guess it’s the best way of summing up what we’re going for."
