Australian band the Murlocs, The trio – harmonica player and vocalist Ambrose Smith, guitarist Callum Shortal and drummer Matt Blach had known each other since their school days. “Matt and I had played in a band together when we were at primary school – we called ourselves Blu Tac,” Smith recalls. “We played a bunch of weird covers, and we only had one gig, at an old people’s home, which was actually pretty good,” he laughs. some years later Smith, Shortal and Blach reconvened in the psychedelic-blues outfit The Murlocs. Smith, the son of Australian songwriter, performer and founding member of The Dingoes Broderick Smith, had grown up surrounded by music, particularly his father’s blues influences. I used to brainwash myself with his blues stuff,” Smith says. While many of his contemporaries gravitated to guitar and drums, Smith’s interest was drawn to the harmonica. “I really wanted to play harp because I was really into that sound,” Smith says. Smith says his now sharp harmonica skills are “largely self-taught.” I gradually realised how to hold and bend a note, and one day I finally got it.” Initially The Murlocs built on the rudimentary jam sessions between Smith and Shortal. “These days it’s a bit different,” Smith says. “I try and play rhythm guitar against Cal’s guitar. They released their debut EP earlier this year with negligible fanfare, and a second EP made up songs left over from the band’s initial songwriting efforts has just been released. “When we did the first EP we put down the five tracks in just one afternoon, and we did those songs because we were comfortable with them,” Smith says. “The songs that are on the new EP we just wanted to get rid of them before we get sick of playing them. One of the tracks on the new EP, “Bogan Grove”, has an obvious local reference point. Smith, who was born in country Victoria before moving to the city, and then down to the surf coast says the idyllic beaches – The new EP was recorded at Smith’s grandmother’s 1950s house in the leafy suburb of Ivanhoe. “I’d been living there with my mum and my sister, and I wanted to record there before it was too late,” Smith says. “It’s a really nice house, and it hasn’t been renovated into some five story bullshit place. We did the recording out in the spare room out the back where my twisted aunty was living for a while. It was a really cool setting – we thought it suited the vibe.” After spending seven years living on the surf coast, Smith has now moved up to Melbourne permanently, though The Murlocs can still be found regularly playing alongside surf coast contemporaries The Frowning Clouds, The Living Eyes and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. “I always wanted to play harp in a band, and Gizzard is a great fun rock band,” he says. “I’ve been balancing both – it’s been busy, but it works out.” Earlier this year The Murlocs achieved arguably the band’s highest career moment so far when it was invited to play on the bill at the inaugural Dig It Up! festival. “That was really cool,” Smith says. “I think one of the guys in the Hoodoo Gurus chose us. We’d already been looking at getting tickets to see bands like The Sonics who were on the bill, but then we didn’t have to.Not surprisingly, The Murlocs haven’t drawn up a five-year strategic plan towards success.
Five skinny kids with roots firmly placed in their own blown-out, distorted brand of soulful RnB.
Formed in early 2011 by harp player Ambrose Kenny-Smith, The Murlocs have already played alongside Thee Oh Sees, Graveyard Train and Dave Graney. Their up-tempo snare cracks and noisy doom guitar – accompanied by Ambrose’s vocal screech – has been described as a mesmerising demented dance party.
The Fat Angel Sings 