New single out today!!!!!

NEW SINGLE OUT TODAY

We are deeply excited to announce the release of our new single Island of the Dogs on Bandcamp today.

The song is a bit of a departure from our previous alt.country stylings and has been favourably compared to The Church, Talk Talk, Blur and even Midnight Oil. It was recorded in the last two weeks of January and just finished last week so it's fresh if nothing else.

We think its the best thing we've ever done, please check it out below...

LISTEN TO ISLAND OF THE DOGS HERE!!!!

Don't forget to follow us on Bandcamp to keep up with future releases.

The song is also going up on Spotify and the other streaming services - we'll let you know when it is available or follow us on Spotify here to be notified when it goes up.

TICKETS SELLING FAST FOR FEB 18

With the release of Island of the Dogs, next week's show at the Memo Music Hall has become a single launch. It will also be the first time the band have played the song live... so fingers crossed for that.

We will also be joined on stage by the talented young singer Edie McAsey and our producer Cam McKenzie on guitar.

Edie and Gina singing together was a highlight of our album launch in 2019 with an incredible tone and blend that only families can deliver.

Cam's tasteful guitar playing has been highlight of our recordings and we are delighted he can join us once again to fill in his bits. Check out his Byrds inspired lead playing at the end of Island of the Dogs too.

A favourite shot of Cam and Gina caught at a wry moment during rehearsals.

Our other special guests The Fish John West Reject report that rehearsals are going well and that they will be joined by Harvey Saward of the Tender Engines on guitar.

Their set list will cover all stages of their career from the early FJWR belters to their fabled Dunaways incarnation with a few Tender Engines classics thrown in as well. This is their first show in two years and its good to have them back.

A couple of last things about the show. We will be finishing at 10pm for those of us working the next day. We will be playing the main Memo hall to allow for social distancing so look forward to excellent sound and sight lines.

Finally, numbers are limited due to social distancing requirements so don't miss out.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

The Fish John West Reject - rehearsals going swimmingly by all reports.

The old Isle of White Hotel in Cowes Phillip Island - much more fun at night according to teenage Jeremy.

SO WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT ANYWAY?

If you've made it this far, perhaps you'd like to know what Island of the Dogs is about? Well, strap yourself in, it's a pretty convoluted story...

On reflection, the song is about exclusion and was inspired by a Venetian leper colony and the Rod Stewart song Do Ya Think I'm Sexy.

First, the lepers. The initial idea I had for the song was just the chorus with the words "back on the Island of the Ghosts".

Looking for more ideas I searched for the Island of the Ghosts and found there was one - the infamous Poveglia near Venice.

In the 18th century this small island was Venice's quarantine station for the black plague, leprosy and other infectious diseases before being converted into a brutal asylum for the mentally ill in the 1920's.

Poveglia Island, the most haunted place in the world according to the internet.

As you might expect, a great many of the island's visitors did not want to be there and did not make it home. An investigation by Atlas Obscura determined that 160,000 people were buried on the 7 hectare island while other reports claim that 50% of the island's top soil contains burnt human remains.

With stats like this it's no wonder people think the island is the most haunted place in the world and it remains closed to the public to this day.

For me, all this grisly detail conjured up images of mobs of ethereal Venetians roaming the island and holding bizarre undead discotheques in the still of night while all the time yearning to go home.

Rod Stewart - an inspiration

From there somehow I was reminded of sneaking out of yacht club dinner dances at Phillip Island as a teenager in the 1980s and going across the road to the old Isle of White Hotel.

I'd stand outside and listen to the crowd going wild while they played songs like Do Ya Think I'm Sexy and Come Said The Boy. I desperately wanted to get inside but knew as a 14 year old it was not going to happen.

These two examples of wanting to be somewhere else gave the song it's emotional direction and everything else flowed pretty easily from there.

One line "Everything is Louder than Everything Else" was borrowed from Motörhead's famous foldback monitor mixing instructions which read - everything louder than everything else. The absurdity of it appealed to me greatly.

Of course, later on I changed the chorus to Island of the Dogs because it was easier to sing and made things more confusing but that's where we started.

The Isle of White Hotel burning down in 2010, a sad day for the storied pub which had previously burnt down in 1925. Apparently it's going to be an aged care home now and will hopefully be more fireproof.

Until next time

So, that's it for now. Thank you for your continued interest and support for the band, Let Your Freak Flag Fly, BBFC xx

Our mailing address is: blackbirdsfcband@gmail.com

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Blackbirds FC · 34 Station Place · Glenhuntly, VIC 3163 · Australia