Project Description
Interview with
FINAL GAMBIT
by Vicky Hebbs
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QUOTES FROM ARTIST
Final Gambit – You Sold Our City
“You Sold Our City was a song I wrote to vent my frustrations with the Government of NSW. Their well-documented curfew for profit has irreparably damaged Sydney’s now struggling nightlife. All done to feed the excluded casino foot traffic and secure prime real estate in Kings Cross. It otherwise never would have happened. The power of a noise complaint and the blatant fire sale of Sydney’s culture have me angry and frustrated. But like anything you can complain online or actually do something about it, so I chose to join the conversation.”
Nick Burgmann (vocalist/guitarist)
“We don’t really want to beat around the bush here. We do think Gladys is doing a lot of damage at the moment. Not to forget Barry O’Farell and Mike Baird who were monumental in the early days of the lockout laws and who personally benefit from these lockout laws.”
Nick Burgmann (vocalist/guitarist)
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How did you first get into music? When did it become a serious concern?
When I was a lot younger AC/DC was the first band I really remember loving as a kid, they inspired me to pick-up the guitar in the first place. There was just something so powerful and forceful in their music that resonated with me and continues to now. As I got older though I sort of left the guitar for a couple years, I grew out of just learning what seemed an endless amount of theory. It just seemed like a mountain that was too high to climb. But, as I got older, I reconnected with music finding it 1000x more fun to create something from scratch and that was my own. From that point I thought why not give this a crack? No point wishing and wondering forever.
What kind of music did you grow up on? What artists inspired you and which do you still look to now for ideas?
AC/DC and classic rock anthems really, my youth was filled with discovering artists for the first time by going though festival line-ups, discovering what music was out there. For me right now I look towards bands like Foo Fighters, QOTSA, Death From Above, Royal Blood, DZ Deathrays for direction. These bands make me want to be an artist and are just an endless amount of inspiration for me.
You just released single, You Sold Our City. What is the concept of the song? Would you call it a protest song?
I suppose it did turn out to be a protest song in the end, but at the time I was just venting my frustrations about how horribly Sydney, my home, is being managed and sold off. I am very proud to come from Sydney but the amount of real evil at the top end its saddening. So, I thought why not just vent and tie it all away in a song so it doesn’t eat away at me.
For anyone not already clued-up, what’s going on with lock-out laws in Sydney?
A bill to repeal the Lock-Out Laws was debated on Thursday October 25th. I’m hopeful but talks seem to be focusing on editing the curfew for profit rather than abolish it altogether. So, to translate, the Liberals will probably loosen their noose on Sydney for election time, not really because they care about the problems they’ve created.
What kind of impact will this have on bands like yourselves?
The number of venues in Sydney has been decimated, meaning bookers will take less and less risks on newer / unproven bands. Not only that but the few that are still running are constantly looking over their shoulder for the heavy-handed police. A few noise complaints will close a venue forever, killing whatever scene the venue might have been able to create.
If you could speak to Gladys Berejiklian about the lock-out laws, what would you say to her?
I’d ask her to think without her purse, why $66 million a year is spent on drug enforcement when 65% of searches find nothing; that’s 2/3 cases. Why the most violent evil venue in Sydney – the casino – is excluded from the lockout laws, How many small business has her government destroyed and if those businesses will be compensated, why she continues to use a heavy-hand increasing the penalty to kids who take recreational drugs, as well as why pill-testing which has been proven to save lives is not made mandatory but blocked.
What was it like to make the music video?
It was fun but also a bit depressing. We got a lot of looks and high fives, playing at night in the streets was kind of surreal. But then once the novelty wore off it was depressing how empty the entire city was, we weren’t even out that late either, maybe half an hour past midnight and there was no one.
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What kind of impact are you hoping the song might have?
I’d like to see people really become active with Keep Sydney Open or any other group that represents their interests. It’s all well and good to like a post online but to go out and support these organisations is actual action. Think about what future you want and act on it, question authority and live your best life.
If someone had never listened to Final Gambit before, what song of yours would you recommend if they could only listen to one?
She Doesn’t Care was our first single because it combines all our influences and musical colours into one song. We love a bit of punk rock energy, a tasty lick and a catchy chorus, there’s even a mini breakdown at the end. It’s all our colours in one song.
What can fans expect from the upcoming single launch party?
This is a celebration of the single and a celebration of how far we as a band have come. Because of that we’re putting on the best show we possibly can, we’ve got a bunch of awesome bands playing with us who like us love to tear up a stage. We play hard hitting rock that was meant to be heard live.
Where else will you be playing in the coming month?
That’ll be our last show of the year until we have a quick rest over the new year to write some more tunes, then we’re planning to tour our brains out in 2019 so you’ll see us around.
If you could pick absolutely anyone to bring on tour with you, whom would you pick and why? (Dead or Alive)
Dz Deathrays, they in many ways inspired the band to form in the first place. They’re that hard rock riff-based band amongst garage / surf bands that proved it can be done. They play because they love doing it and their music is infectiously good.
What are your major goals or milestones for the future?
We’re all eagerly waiting to launch our debut EP which will happen around the beginning of next year. In 2019 we’d love to put out an album and cut our teeth all around this lovely country. We’ve set the near impossible goal of 100 shows in 2019, if we can get anywhere close to that we’d be ecstatic.
Finally, this is a paragraph dedicated to some quick discovery. Really corny, but for the fans, can you tell me your favorite album, artist, movie, place, drink, meal and person (living or dead) and some brief reasons why? Answer some or all please?
Album: Songs For The Deaf – QOTSA: Creative, raw, energetic and an inspiration to how a killer album is made.
Artist: Dz Deathrays – Hard rock ballers with an amazing live show.
Movie: Captain America: Civil War – I’m just a nerd for superhero movies.
Place: Drummoyne Oval – Home of the mighty Dirty Reds.
Drink: Captain Morgan – Probably with coke.
Meal: A fat california roll at uni.
Person: It’s a tie between Lemmy Kilmister, Mum and my Dad. Lemmy because he will forever be rock and roll but also my parents, I’m here because they worked tirelessly to give me all the best opportunities in life.
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YOU SOLD OUR CITY TOUR
Final Gambit
November 30 (You Sold Our City SINGLE LAUNCH):
The Petersham Bowling Club
https://www.thepbc.org.au/gigs
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