We interviewed Cam Hawes of I Heart Hiroshima, who will be headlining NGV Friday Nights at NGV International on Friday 13 January 2016.
How would you say your sound has changed since your first album?
I’d say since we’ve forgone the slightly naive and stubborn post-adolescent strict adherence to playing without pedals, including tuners, we sound a bit better…I hope. Besides that in the 5 or 6 years we’ve had off soyeh me of us have had to grow up pretty quickly, dealing with the pitfalls of substance abuse and relationships coming and going, I think you can hear that in the change in sound.
You’ve toured over the years with such an eclectic mix of artists. Has there been a highlight?
I got to chat sh** with Lilly Allen watching her mate Mike Skinner in the Streets who we were playing with at the time. That was funny.
What was your creative motivation to start recording again after your hiatus?
I think just wanting to hang out and make tunes we could potentially get behind. We were hearing more yawn inducing bands than not, which I guess lit a bit of a fire. Not to suggest we aren’t thoroughly boring to a lot of people, but we try to get it to a place where it moves us in different ways, and hopefully other people.
Favourite artist/artwork?
I dunno. Jeff Koons was pretty funny. CJ Hendry’s stuff is mental, more design I guess but incredible. And I personally love Ray Johnson and his whole concept. How To Draw A Bunny is a bucketlist doco.
What’s your favourite gig you have played to date?
Probably a house show we played a long time ago where part of the floor collapsed with rot and enthusiastic stomping, and an antique chandelier was turned from the ceiling before a roll of toilet paper was set ablaze and the fire department came. Yeah…that was fun.
What inspires/influences your music the most?
People, movies and music.
What song do you wish you wrote?
Candle In The Wind….and it has less to do with the fact that it’s the highest grossing single ever, and more to do with the fact that I’m a huge fan of the monarchy.
What part of making music excites you the most?
Recording.
What is your favourite part of being involved in Friday Nights at NGV?
It’s a huge honour, so many of our favourite bands have done it and it means a lot to be a part of it.
What can someone expect from your live show?
Hopefully some good tunes, some awful and simultaneously funny chit chat, and burning toilet paper..
Tell us about the last song you created?
Well it’s a sort of sarcastic song called The Key to Life, and it basically goes bap-bap-nap-bap-bwangwangwangwang-drgdrgdrgdrg…repeat
What are you working on now?
We’ve got another Ep in the bag, so either releasing that or fleshing it out into an album. We’ve got some pretty exciting guests coming up, I can’t say too much but one of them rhymes with Parlay Test, and the other with Steak…it’s a hip hop/classic oz-rock fusion that just…makes…sense. Finally!