At a time when much of the music industry was still finding its feet after the rapid emergence of alternative rock, Sydney up-and-comers The Clouds took a different approach. Rather than grow with the music trend that was sweeping the country, they decided to get ahead of the curve by expanding on what was, in the 1990s, a sound still very much in development.
Coming together towards the end of 1989, The Clouds quickly stamped their own class on the Australian music scene, playing by no rules except their own and daring to colour way outside of the lines to create a sonic tapestry of eclectic beauty that saw the band rapidly surpass the growing movement to create one of their own.
By blending dreamy pop, angular rock, and hazy shoegaze elements with warm melodies and poetic, insightful lyrics, The Clouds - armed with two part female harmonies which were almost unheard before in a band situation at the time - have stood the test of time and character, reaching their 35th anniversary as a band with little or no signs of conforming to industry expectations despite the obvious benefits of doing so.
To celebrate this milestone, The Clouds embark on a select run of three capital city shows through November in what is sure to be a poignant trip down memory lane for anyone who has even only slightly followed the band and their music over the last three and a bit decades. HEAVY sat down recently with guitarist/vocalist Jodi Phillis to find out more, pointing out that 35 years as a band is as good an excuse as any to hit the stage.
"It's a bit surreal and a bit crazy," she smiled, looking back on the last 35 years, "but yes, it's always good to have an excuse. Something to hang the tour on, as they say."
We bring up the obvious fact that The Clouds have to play certain songs that fans almost demand - like Hieronymus, Red Serenade, Say It and Soul Eater - but also raise the point that being a special anniversary run, the band has the right to be self-indulgent to a degree.
"We're doing a combination," Jodi laughed. "So we're going to do those ones that we know that the audience enjoys, and we still enjoy playing them otherwise we wouldn't do them. But yeah, we're definitely going to put back in some of the ones that we've dropped for a while that were also our favourites. Plus, we're putting in a couple that are really obscure, so it will be fun."
In the full interview, Jodi talks more about the shows and the reasons behind doing three select performances instead of a traditional pub run, keeping match fit and being in a position to perform to your best as the hands of Father Time inevitably catch up and who else other than herself and Patricia Young will be part of the tour.
We chat about the early days of The Clouds and the emergence of alternative music, with Jodi deliberating on their place in the alternative movement and how the band sonically negotiated that period. She brings up relearning songs that were written nearly forty years ago and how they have stood the test of time, the balance between playing their existing catalogue and writing new music and more.
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