Heytesburg are quite possibly unique in Perth’s music scene. Psychedelic without sounding like Tame Impala, industrial without sounding like Nine Inch Nails, Heytesburg have developed a cutting-edge sound that sets them apart from the rest of the pack. As singer/guitarist Nicholas Gardiner explains, that was actually part of the idea. “Right from the start of Heytesburg, the idea has always been that we are, for better or worse, trying to do something different. We’re not trying to sound like anything except ourselves really so in terms of inspiration, we’re just looking for something unique or something other bands aren’t doing. If I had to actually describe the music or what we were aiming for, I’d definitely say something modern. We’re not into throwbacks or copying another bands style. We always wanted to create something that looks forward and pushes music forwards. And then just something that’s a cross between psychedelic and industrial music. And atmospheric …. REALLY atmospheric.”

Heytesburg are fairly new to the scene, but Gardiner explains that a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes with the band. “Heytesburg as a project has been kicking around in the Perth music scene for about 2 and a half years, albeit most of that behind closed doors. It really took a long time to find members and get the sounds, and the songs, that we wanted.”

The sound of the band is quite unusual, largely driven by the keyboards of Patrick McGinty. McGinty has become the band’s not-so-secret weapon, as according to Gardiner, his keyboard technology is crucial to creating the band’s soundscapes. “One of the most interesting facets of the band, I think, is our keyboard hardware. We’re basically using state-of-the-art software on stage that they use to score Hollywood movies, no shit. Because the technology is only just catching up with the sampling power required for those types of sounds, stuff like this has only become possible fairly recently. In essence, we’re almost taking sounds that you hear in movies and bringing them into the live band context. So what I think is great about the band is that if you come to a Heytesburg show, you’re hearing sounds that you wouldn’t normally hear in live music venues.”

Given the instrumentation of the band and the delicate nature of the band’s music, it is obvious that Heytesburg are not a balls-to-the-wall rock band. As Gardiner explains, this is due to how the band started. “Heytesburg kind of started out as a post rock band which evolved into what it is today. Everything about the band, from the drums to the guitars and keyboards, is textural in nature. But I wanted to avoid the whole post rock cliché of having ultra long songs with no real direction. I’ve always thought as a musician that it’s pretty easy to have say 10 ideas in a 10 minute song, but to condense those same 10 ideas into 4 minutes is much more difficult. And that’s what we try to do. I use a Standard American Strat and a Fender Twin Amp so right from the get go, you know we’re not gonna be a wall to wall distortion type band. And while we do have our moments of chaos and noise, its more about creating something intricate and detailed that crescendos and evolves with repeated listens.”

Gardiner is regarded as the primary creative force in the band. He mentioned that for him, songwriting is very much an individual process that is assisted by the other members. “I come up with the basic ideas of the songs and then bring them into the band context and we sort them out as a band. But always with reference to that original idea. Its the only way to do it really, I’ve worked in a band which had 4 songwriters at one stage and the age old adage ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ is so true. If you’re in a band, you’ve got to have direction and focus otherwise you just end up with a mish mash of songs with no real distinction or clarity.

It can get pretty tense in practice sometimes but tension is good; it keeps us on our toes and keeps us from getting slack and saying ‘yeah that will do, let’s move on’. We’re always revisiting songs … ALWAYS. Even songs from 2-3 years ago. Because the minute you start saying ‘it will do’ is the moment you lose the intensity in the music. And especially for a band like us; intensity is supremely important”.  

So how does Heytesburg go about combining their influences into a cohesive song? “With great difficulty”, says Gardiner. “Each song has its own character and its own idea so whenever we start on a new song, it’s almost like trying to envision a new idea. For example, we got a new song called One Below The Pyre which is basically just a mix of clanking industrial pistons, grinding sporadic bass and distorted ring modded guitar so the whole song just sounds like one big war machine. That was the idea. Another song which appears on our EP called Once Were Kings has a whole story imbedded in the song about an uprising and overthrow of a King. So the song starts out all quiet like a whisper, then each part builds and builds like an angry mob until it becomes a roar, then the song ends like someone being beheaded. And then we kind of extended it on the EP to make a whole story across the EP to fit the distinct Eastern sound. It’s kind of an extension of the idea we had in Once Were Kings. I don’t want to talk too much about it as its best discovered through listening but if you notice it, that’s really an insight into how the band goes about writing and combining sounds at the ground level.”

Catch Heytesburg at the Amplifier Bar on Saturday the 5^th  March as they launch their debut EP, From the River I Come, To The Desert I Go. Support comes from Apricot Rail, Sonpsilo Circus and Shock Octopus.