In about the same time that it takes to make your way through high school, Pendulum have seemingly single-handedly conquered the world of drum and bass. What started simply enough – just a couple of lads sharing an interest in the same genre of music – has grown into a world phenomenon. It all started back in 2002, when producers Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen teamed up with acclaimed local DJ Paul ‘Elhornet’ Harding, bringing together an eclectic mix of musical experiences and passions; ranging from producing drum & bass, breakbeat and hardcore, to playing in metal and punk bands. The end result: Pendulum.
Speaking to McGrillen as he prepared to unleash an Australia-wide tour, he notes that music has been around for as long as he can remember. “Our separate starts in music all happened at an early age I guess, but as far as Pendulum is concerned, Rob and I got an interest in drum and bass and formed a duo,” he said. “Later we teamed up with Paul, who was a prominent DJ in Perth, as Rob and I didn’t DJ at the time. It all went from there really, obviously there’s a lot of history that would lead up to the forming of the group but we’ll save that for the mini series…”
The album ‘Hold your Colour’, released in 2005 to critical acclaim both here and in the UK, became one of the best selling drum and bass albums of all time – and well and truly put the lads on the map. While proud of their work, McGrillen modestly admits that it was a pleasant surprise, although the true demonstration of their success came when they started playing sold out shows, with the general vibe at their gigs now one of people well and truly getting into it, knowing the music, and loving every minute of it. That said – and while the trio have played far and wide, and there has been loads of fun involved – it can take its toll. “It’s a job now, as well as a hobby. The only problem is how hard we push ourselves, [so] it is important to keep healthy. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make each track better then the last, so some of the stress if self induced.”
They are far from resting on their laurels though, as they continue to strive harder and are charged to go bigger and better than ever before. Each track that they produce has a very unique edge, as they combine electro infused guitars, and draw on their past experiences spent in metal and punk bands. Needless to say, the inspirations are plentiful and are dynamic. “All kinds of music inspire us, and it changes weekly or monthly. Lately we’ve been getting into a lot of Zeppelin and surf guitar music. [I] stumbled across this Japanese band called the Surf Coasters, amazing stuff. The great Dick Dale labelled the Surf Coasters’ guitarist the ‘prince of surf guitar’, and he’s nothing short of it.”
Without singling out one gig as being the most mind blowing gig – “too many to remember, most gigs are great” – McGrillen reveals that his pet hate are the ones were the fans suffer the most. “Bad ones are when things go wrong with equipment or sound systems or venues, [like] fire alarms, because obviously it’s not our fault but we’re left standing up there. It is tough on the kids who have paid to see us and when the show is cancelled they want to blame somebody.”
Having played around the world, they’re definitely allowed to comment on how people party across the globe. According to McGrillen, there is always one constant theme: madness. “World wide people go nuts in the same way; music hits people in the same way, which is good to see. It’s funny but the only real differences are the times people go out, in Spain and Portugal the prime time slots are around 4am, it’s real late.”
The past year has been somewhat of a business year for the lads, as they organise the business aspect and structures, as well as build the live project. They’ve also been working on the second album. “The second album is coming along great, we’ve got the short list of the tracks we’re going to include on the record. It’s all a matter now of just disappearing off radar in our new studio in January, 2007, and finishing it off. [It] should be done by the end of March if all goes well.”
Bring it on.
Pendulum continue their Australian tour throughout December and into early January:
Dec 14 – Brisbane
Dec 15 – Melbourne
Dec 23 – Margaret River
Dec 26 – Sydney
Dec 31 – Perth
Jan 1 – Ballina
ballist1c says...
The melbourne gig was unbelievable, not only did pendulum blow my mind but all the other acts that I got to see. The entire night was just perfect