Dead Letter Circus

For this band's self-titled EP, see Dead Letter Circus (EP).

Dead Letter Circus

Dead Letter Circus are an alternative rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, who have been compared to The Mars Volta, and Karnivool and have become one of the more popular bands in Australian rock.

Biography

Three members of the defunct Brisbane band Ochre formed Dead Letter Circus in 2005, releasing one self-titled EP, and the singles "Disconnect and Apply", "Next in Line" and "The Space on the Wall". Disconnect and Apply received significant radio play on Triple J, where it became one of their most played tracks. They performed at the Big Day Out, Come Together Music Festival in Sydney and the Over-Cranked Music Festival in Brisbane - performing with bands such as Judas Priest, Cog, Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect, Chevelle and Helmet. They also toured Australia extensively on their own headline tours. Despite the success of their EP and touring, the band still held down a number of 'day' jobs, with bassist Hill working as a baker, guitarist Maric a web designer and drummer Davey taught drama.

In 2008, drummer Scott Davey left the group and was replaced by Luke Williams from Melodyssey. On 30 October 2008, Dead Letter Circus began their Next in Line tour to coincide with the release of the single, playing primarily with Australian bands Melodyssey (still featuring Williams) and Rook. On 29 November 2008, they performed at Coffs Harbour's Open Arms Festival in NSW.

On 4 September 2009, Dead Letter Circus released the single "The Space on the Wall", supported by a national tour with guest bands Sydonia and Many Machines on Nine. Following a showcase at Musexpo, Dead Letter Circus signed with Warner Bros. Records in Australia and New Zealand and CAA for live bookings in North America, and toured the eastern states of Australia in late January through to early March 2010.

On 16 February 2010, Dead Letter Circus revealed via MySpace that their debut album was complete. The album was launched on 14 May 2010, titled This Is the Warning. It had its debut at Number 1 on the ARIA Album Chart. The band announced a This Is the Warning album launch tour, playing shows in most major capital cities in Australia through April - June 2010.

Dead Letter Circus supported Muse at their Brisbane shows on 5 and 6 December 2010. They also supported Linkin Park on their Sydney and Melbourne shows on their A Thousand Suns World Tour

In May 2011, it was announced that the band had signed a deal with Sumerian Records to release This Is The Warning in North America. On the deal, the band stated that "the release of the record in the United States marks the next stage in our career and we can't wait to unleash This Is The Warning to the American rock fans."

Musical Style and Influences

The band have cited rock acts such as Tool, Deftones, Soundgarden, Radiohead and Pearl Jam as influences on the band, while also crediting electronic artists such as Massive Attack, Nine Inch Nails and UNKLE The band, however, acknowledges that "while we don't sound like a mash up of these bands, they have all definitely infused our minds with a love for writing epic, layered and high energy songs."

Allmusic has described the band's sound as "delay-based guitar textures...interlaced with subtle synth undercurrents, creating complex patterns out of a set of simple rhythms without cutting down on melody...executed with a surgical precision that recalls the incarnation of Krautrock promoted by Maserati -- while the sheer intensity brings to mind God Is an Astronaut more than My Chemical Romance." The Sydney Morning Herald describes the band as "frenetic rock" but within it "lies a clarity and self-assuredness punctuated by Maric's undulating guitar work and Benzie's vocals. The songs also have a positive message, led by Benzie's state of mind."

Members

• Kim Benzie – vocals (2005 – present)
• Rob Maric – guitar (2005 – present)
• Stewart Hill – bass (2005 – present)
• Luke Williams – drums (2008 – present)
• Tom Skerlj - guitar, keyboard and percussion (live only) (2010 – present)

Former members

• Scott Davey – drums (2005 – 2008)

Discography

EPs

• Dead Letter Circus (2007)

Albums

• This Is the Warning (2010) AUS #1

Singles

• "Disconnect and Apply" (2005)
• "Reaction" (2008)
• "Next in Line" (2008) AUS #63
• "The Space on the Wall" (2009)
• "Big" (2010)
• "One Step" (2010)
• "Cage" (2010)

External links

• Official Site
• Template:Myspace
• Sonic Bids Artist Profile - Dead Letter Circus