Before their stop on tour in Boston with Cut Copy, we talked to The Presets. It was a quick glimpse into the Aussies’ success back home while they’re currently making entire venues shake nightly in America.
QRO: On your website, you made a menu out of a video of a camera moving around the room revealing different section titles. Whose idea was that?
Julian Hamilton: That was two guys. Jonathan Zawada, our artistic director who does our CD art and Kris Moyes who directed a couple videos of ours. It’s such a cool thing – we love it.
QRO: What’s the biggest benefit the internet gives your band?
JH: It’s definitely made it a lot easier for us. For instance, back home now, we just put up a post on MySpace about shows coming up and they sell out without even having to advertise them anymore.
QRO: Apocalypso charted really well [in Australia] and seems to be loaded with hit singles. Are you especially proud of it for that?
JH: Yeah, we were proud of it when we finished it. Then, of course, when it goes to #1 and goes platinum, it’s definitely an added bonus. But, I guess we’re more proud that an album like that can go #1, you know what I mean?
It’s gone crazy back home.
QRO: [The new single] “Talk Like That” just came out in the UK and America, but it’s not out in Australia yet. Do you have particular expectations for its success in each country?
JH: Not really. I guess every artist would like to be big in America, but I leave that up to the record company.
QRO: In that video, a young lady goes berserk on a set of equipment in a sort-of shrine to you two. What was your initial reaction to it?
JH: It was really cool. It was an interesting shoot in a chateau in the French countryside. It was the first video that didn’t feature us all the way through it so that was nice for a change. I’d like to go more in that direction [laughing].
QRO: You were unfortunately thwarted by mud recently and had to miss a performance. Have you had any other strange cancellation situations?
Kim Moyes: Nothing weird. But, we’ve had mud thrown at us back home as a sign of appreciation though.
QRO: Do you have a particular size of audience in mind when you create the music?
KM: You don’t think like that when you’re making music. You’re delving into fantasy and imagination.
