Articles : The Ocean Tour Diaries – Part 5

Cases galore in Canberra

With The Ocean boys catching up on sleep and recuperating in Byron Bay, I caught up with national support band Caligula’s Horse to find out how things are going in their camp. I meet Jim (vocals) at a coffee shop in Stafford. He tells me that it was his favourite while he lived nearby, they have great vegetarian options, however he is dismayed by the cafe jumping on the paleo bandwagon. “A paleo muffin.. yeah, just baked in our paleo oven.” He does however acknowledge that there is a market segment which they serve, so it makes sense to do it, he muses. This thoughtful realism is one of the traits I admire in the band.

Jim from Caligula’s Horse

We go on to talk about the band’s past 3 years. The first album was almost entirely written and recorded by Sam (guitars), with Jim co-writing “The City Has No Empathy” and providing his distinctive vocals. Geoff (drums), Zac (guitar) and Dave (bass) were recruited afterwards from other local bands and friends. The latter songs “Colossus” and “Vanishing Rites” were more of a band effort, and show a more accessible sound while maintaining the band’s prog roots. We talk about the input that various band members provide, and the value of different musical styles. Sam is technical and precise, while Jim creates the hooks and melodies. Jim adds, “it’s shit when bands break up due to ‘musical differences’. It’s the musical differences that make the band greater than the sum of its parts.”

Sam from Caligula’s Horse

Their current album “The Tide, The Thief, and The River’s End”, released in 2013, demonstrates the band’s growth and direction. Speaking earlier to Zac and Dave on the tour bus, I noted that the overall musicianship of each member has developed since I first saw them play in 2012. They both said that with Sam around, it’s almost impossible not to improve. As an example, Sam is currently working towards his PhD in music, further pushing the band. Zac is very happy with the new material, and is excited about a new song where he and Sam get to exchange solos.

Zac from Caligula’s Horse

Speaking of new material, The band has been playing a new song, “Rust”, on this tour, which has been a crowd pleaser at every show. I ask Jim whether any other songs might emerge in the final shows. No, he answers, not this tour. Perhaps at another show, soon. He reveals that the next album’s material is almost complete and demo-ed, so there is plenty of new material there. Also the set list has been determined and rehearsed for the tour Changing things or adding songs now will mean that some part of the set won’t be as polished as the rest, so why short change the audience?

So how is the tour going? “The Ocean are great. Both as a band and as people. They are great touring partners”, Jim says. He unashamedly croons about the Pelagial album, which Sam has considered a masterpiece since its release. Zac told me earlier he has been a fan of the band for years, and it is surreal to be playing alongside some of his early idols. Jim admits that the schedule is tight, the past four shows played over four night covering almost 1500 kms, with Caligula’s Horse travelling on the bus with crew and equipment. “We haven’t had a single sound check so far, either,” he adds. I noticed, but the audience had not. The band have really hit their stride with focus on consistency and tightness.

Dave from Caligula’s Horse

“We set a very high standard for ourselves. We aim to be, and are working towards, being a world class band.” I reckon they are there. Jim notes that many bands starting out underestimate the value of having their own sound and lighting guys. “They are a part of the band. They know the songs, they know what we do on stage, and they adjust the mix and the lights as needed”. So they are performers themselves, playing their desks as part of the band’s performance? “Exactly.”

I comment on Geoff’s drum kit, surely the simplest and unique among prog bands. It consists of a kick, snare, two floor toms and a handful of cymbals. This is a photographer’s dream kit. “Geoff’s been simplifying his kit over the years. There are many items which are unnecessary, so he just removes them.” Nonetheless, the drumming complexity is something to behold. Many bands hide behind technicality. We try avoid the “prog by the numbers approach”.

Geoff from Caligula’s Horse

So what does the future hold for the band? The last few months have seen them play national support for Voyager, their own national headline tour, and local support for Mastodon. Next month is local support for Opeth, and they fly to Holland in October for the ProgPower Europe festival. “We will take some time off between Opeth and Holland to record the new album.” I note that the current album has gone into a second pressing. “Yeah, we sell a lot in Germany, they love physical media there. And of course here in Australia. But we sell digitally worldwide.” Jim acknowledges that having the album distributed through Welkin has been a boon, as was signing to Wild Thing Presents for touring and promotion. But the band aren’t sitting still hoping to be overnight sensations. “It takes a lot of hard work. Things at the moment are coming up Caligula’s Horse, but who knows what happens tomorrow?”

It’s a great time in Australia for prog and heavy music. Jim lists a few bands to keep an eye out for: Le Suits, Rise Overrun, Opus of a Machine (Zac’s other band), A Lonely Crowd (one of Jim’s personal favourites), Ne Obliviscaris (of course), and Twelve Foot Ninja. “And of course Dyssidia! We are playing with them in Adelaide and they are great, really tight performers.”

Caligula’s Horse

The Ocean tour continues with Caligula’s Horse in Adelaide on Thursday 16 April and Melbourne on Saturday 18. The Ocean fly to Perth on the 19th to wrap up their Australian experience.