Cloning All Rise Interview

Emerging Perth Band 'Cloning' Announce New Single and Video 'All Rise'

Emerging WA band Cloning have released their ethereal new single All Rise, an introspective track that questions morality and is influenced by Nordic mythology. The group have also released an impressive self-made cosmic claymation film clip to accompany the song. To celebrate the release of All Rise, Cloning will be playing a one off show at the Indian Ocean Hotel in Scarborough on March 13.

All Rise pays homage to triphop auteurs Portishead while also evoking influences from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds to Radiohead. Recorded and mixed by Dave Parkin (Gyroscope, Karnivool) and mastered by Brian Lucey (Cage The Elephant, Arctic Monkeys, Royal Blood), this atmospheric track is the perfect soundtrack to a warm, hazy summer, with shining synthesisers, ample mandolin, cinematic guitar and idiosyncratic vocals. Speaking on the intricate meaning behind the track, guitarist and lead vocalist Felix Parker says, "All Rise is about how groups of people can think their intentions are purer than they actually are, and end up committing morally questionable acts in the name of their chosen cause. It's also about what gets left in the wake of pursuing a goal and how noble intentions can be corrupted by the pursuit of this goal. The imagery in the lyrics is influenced by Nordic mythology and stories about the Yggdrasil which is a mythical ash tree at the centre of the cosmos. I read way too much as a kid and a lot of that just seems to naturally flow into my lyrics."

Following the Nordic mythology theme, the video for All Rise was cleverly and masterfully worked in-house by the band, from conception to completion, excluding the editing which was completed by Jake Crawford (Psychedellic Porn Crumpets). From set making, to directing, to filming – the band did it all. With over forty hours of footage filmed over one very long weekend, and after almost setting fire to Felix's living room twice, the video was taking shape. "We wanted to create visuals that complemented the lyrics and the myths they were influenced by. We came up with the concept first and were trying to think about how we could pull it off. We thought about hiring an animator to make an animation video at first, but we couldn't afford it. Bevan made stop motion videos as a kid and does photography in his spare time, so we decided to make the video ourselves using Claymation," explains Felix. "And we are really happy that we decided to do it ourselves because we ended up making something that is way more us than if someone else had done it." "But it definitely pushed the limits of our sanity," adds guitarist Bevan Green, "We spent ages gluing fake leaves to sticks to make trees which is really finicky when you're dealing with things this small. And we had to be careful when filming not to move the clay figures in the wrong way or knock the camera, because one dodgy photo would ruin the hundreds of photos we had already taken up to that point for the scene."

Cloning formed among friends Nic Rollo, Felix Parker and Jack Brett during their final years at school. The untimely loss of a close friend and musician around this time drove them to invest heavily in their musical pursuits. They were soon joined by guitarist Bevan Green, who grew up in the goldfields mining town of Kalgoorlie; joining the band when he moved to Perth. Though in relative infancy, Cloning have already been notching up some impressive achievements - touring nationally and scoring a WAM Song of the Year nomination last year – it's safe to say 2020 is set to be a big year for this talented alternative act!

Cloning is Felix Parker (lead vocals and guitar), Bevan Green (guitar and vocals), Nic Rollo (bass and vocals), Jack Brett (drums).

Cloning All Rise Launch Gig
FRI MAR 13 | INDIAN OCEAN HOTEL, SCARBOROUGH WA | 18+
Tickets from Oztix

Interview with Felix Parker, Bevan Green, Nic Rollo and Jack Brett

Question: Can you tell us about All Rise?

Bevan Green: The song started with a mandolin riff and some guitar chords which Felix recorded on his computer one night a couple weeks after we had recorded our first EP. Felix wrote some vocals and then I went over and put in the guitar parts and it went from there.

Felix Parker: All Rise is about how groups of people can think their intentions are purer than they actually are, and end up committing morally questionable acts in the name of their chosen cause.


Question: How did the idea for the All Rise video come about?

Bevan Green: We wanted to take inspiration from some of the nordic mythology that the lyrics are influenced by. Originally we had thought about using animation but it was too expensive so we decided to make it ourselves using claymation. The video more or less followed the original plan we had but used a different medium to the one we had originally envisioned. We're glad we ended up using this style and we'll try experiment more with it in the future.


Question: How would you describe your music?

Bevan Green: It's the combination of all the music we really enjoy listening to but within a somewhat 'pop' framework.

Felix Parker: And then trying to have it all make sense without it sounding incredibly confusing.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Felix Parker: All of us really love recording, spending ages fussing over details in songs and arrangements is really addictive. We love playing live too but there's nothing better than seeing our music come to life in the studio.


Question: What should we expect from your upcoming show?

Bevan Green : Because we often write our music by recording it, translating it into the live environment is a lot of fun. Most of us (except for our drummer Jack of course) end up swapping between instruments a lot so that we can do our recordings justice on stage.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Felix Parker: All Rise of course! It's our best song and you should all listen to it!

Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Felix Parker: Nick Cave who is a big inspiration to us, Bevan bumped into him in a record store during our last tour or a manager - that would be cool too so that we don't have to do quite as much band admin ourselves.


Question: How did the band come together?

Felix Parker: Jack, Nic and I were friends through school and were trying to write music together in our last year of school. We met Bevan when he moved to Perth from Kalgoorlie. We had some similar tastes in music and were already friends so Bevan ended up joining the band and it went from there.


Question: What is the story behind the band name?

Bevan Green: It used to be longer, it was too long, so we made it shorter.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Felix Parker: The hope that someone will enjoy listening to it.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?
Felix Parker: I've been listening to a lot of Egoism lately; they're from Sydney and make rad tunes.

Bevan Green : The new Ed O'Brien releases, it's cool to hear the most underappreciated member of your favourite band (Radiohead) show off their songwriting prowess outside of the band.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Bevan Green: My dad's a music teacher and some of my earliest memories of music are from watching him play at the local pub in Kununrra.

Felix Parker: My close friend Will who was a really talented musician died from a brain tumour when I was 15 and writing tunes in the wake of his death gave me purpose during a time when I was feeling really lost. Getting involved in the music industry was a way for me to try and have a positive influence on others while also in some way honouring my friend's memory.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Bevan Green : Grimes or Charli XCX. They're both super unique and talented songwriters and the production on all of their releases slaps hard. Every album they release is different.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Bevan Green: Money or lack thereof.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Bevan Green: Normally we'll start a song with a demo made by me and/or Felix at Felix's house. Then we'll get Nic and Jack to add their parts as the song takes shape.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Bevan Green: The creative process and overcoming challenges in the songwriting to get the song to where you want it to go.

Felix Parker: The validation I get when someone compliments me on a song we've worked hard on.


Question: Can you share your socials?

Felix Parker: www.facebook.com/cloningaus/
@cloning_aus/


Interview by Brooke Hunter